League of Innovators-2022

I N D I A

Editor's Note
Abhishek Joshi
Deputy Editor
abhishek.joshi@insightssuccess.com
REVOLUTIONARY LEADERSHIP
LEGENDS OF THE BUSINESS ARENA
n the simple evolutionary development nature
Idocuments living organisms' responses to the
changing environmental scenarios surrounding that
organism. It is deposited in the cells in the form of
genes. Taking those genes, a primary survival and
reproductory criteria is created. Generation after
generation, every organism then operates, survives and
reproduces according to that pre-established criterion.
This process continues if the surrounding environment
remains unchanged. However, how can it happen when
change is the only constant? Change keeps happening,
and the organism keeps adjusting itself to that change,
again updating its record of everything in the RNA or
DNA at the genetic level.
Nevertheless, when an avalanche of changes occurs,
giving the organism little time for adjustment, chaos
erupts. The simplest mechanism of natural selection
termed 'survival of the fittest' kicks in. It naturally
selects only those who are fittest to survive.
Nature further investigates into it and finds that those
organisms who challenged the established criteria and
kept themselves changing even when that change was
not needed are the ones from the fittest category.
Nature calls them innovators. We, as species homo
sapiens, survived, thrived, formed and advanced our
civilization because of the fittest spirits of such leagues
of innovators, generation over generation, challenging
the established status quo and always asking questions
to themselves and finding out innovative answers and
solutions to the many and all human problems.
Underlying innovation is their innate nature. An
innovative approach is their mind-frame of reference.
They look at challenges as opportunities, problems as
chances to prove their worth, and crises as possibilities
to explore their shortcomings and correct themselves
so that they can seek their ultimate goal, improvisation.
These noble spirits and innovative minds are the
torchbearers of our collective genius. They will lead us
in the race to the future—humankind in the race of
survival of the most innovative minds.
CIOLOOK India's exclusive edition titled 'League of
Innovators – 2022' brings you gems of such
revolutionary leadership legends and their stories to
reassure you that our future is safe in their aweinspiring
acumen. You can further quench your curious
mind's thirst by reading two crisp and trendy articles
written by our in-house editorial team.
So, don't you wait. Just read, learn, and innovate!

Featuring
Company Name
Brief
Akshay Goyal,
Founder
Tron Labs
Tronlab is dedicated to building the infrastructure for a truly
decentralized Internet.
Rajat Agrawal,
COO
Barista Coffee
Company Limited
Barista is a chain of espresso bars and cafes that operates in the
Indian subcontinent.
Sandeep Srivastava,
Founder
Minibreaks
Minibreaks India Pvt. Ltd. is an urban technology
bootstrapped company that came to life to empower the
Indian traveller with instant bookings and comprehensive
choices.
Sridhar Viswanath,
Founder
Ventures Solutions
Venture Solutions brings the expertise and industry insights
to focus on the unique requirements of customer
communications management.
Utssav Gupta,
CEO
Creators Architects
Creators Architects is a multiple award winning Architectural
firm that challenges the conventional and makes impossible
architectural outcome possible.

C O V E R S T O R Y
08
Articles
26 38

c o n
30
Akshay Goyal
A Catalyst for Positive Transformation
34
Minibreaks
Guiding Light of Exploring Minds
42
Ventures Solutions
Connecting Innovations with Inspirations
t e n t

I N D I A
Pooja M. Bansal
Editor-in-Chief
Deputy Editor
CONTENT
Abhishek Joshi
Gaurav PR Wankhade
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MAY, 2022

nnovation is seeing what
everybody has seen and thinking
what nobody has thought.”
– Dr Albert, Szent-Györgyi
An idea sparked, possibilities was
explored, failures were surpassed, and
innovation was conceived. This
process—a layman’s wild
assumption—is what would’ve taken
place in the brilliant heads of Edison,
Leonardo da Vinci, or Steve Jobs.
Every creator, inventor, or innovator
invests the entirety of their efforts into
the journey of going from an idea to an
innovation. This aspect is what makes
them great. The grit, the sweat, the
passion, and the commitment they have
imbibed is what makes them stand out.
The following story is of one such
innovator who’s striven through the
toughest storms and risen victorious.
This story is of a truly inspiring
individual who dons the hat of a true
thought leader – Utssav Gupta is an
architect by origin, an innovator by
passion, a researcher by habit, and an
entrepreneur by practice.
Speaking in terms of professional
designations, Utssav is the CEO and
Partner at Creators Architects,
Founder at Black Swan Labs, and
Director of Supertech Fabrics.
The Prologue of Utssav’s
Success Story
Being born and nurtured in a family of
architects, Utssav was naturally
introduced to the profession and was
fascinated by architecture from an
early age. He aspired to be an
architect—a quality attributable to his
parents Rajiv Gupta and Mukta
Gupta’s architectural thought process.
The frequent architectural discussions
between his parents piqued his interest,
and the family dynamics naturally
influenced him to follow this
profession.
During his adolescence, he acquired
prolific architectural skills from his
parents, yet he developed his own
perspective. He used to marvel at great
architecture and—to quench his
curiosity—he did an extensive research
and analysis of world structures like
the Eiffel tower, Petronas towers, the
Sears Tower, etc.
Utssav pursued his passion by studying
architecture at New Delhi and later
obtaining a post-graduate degree from
the Elite AA School of Architecture at
London. While grooming himself to be
a world-class architect, he began his
professional career as an Assistant
Architect with a London-based firm.
Through this role, Utssav experienced
the footing of architecture on his own,
gained a different perspective towards
architecture, discovered the intricacies
that different projects might have, and
realized how an unconventional
approach towards the discipline of
architecture can supply us the modern
innovative solutions.
Later, he returned and rejoined his
parents’ firm to serve his country and
its people and to boldly reveal the
other side of inventive design that was
much required in the evolving world.
As of today, Utssav has garnered
multiple awards and plaudits for his
innovative frameworks and models,
and he has established himself in the
architecture profession by standing out
from the crowd through his innovation
and disruption.
He was recently named as – Best
Innovative Architect of the Year by the
Times2leap MSME award and Best
Architect Under the category – 40
Under 40 by the National Architecture
Excellence Awards & Conference
2021, Bangalore, along with several
other accolades adorned to his works.

As introduced previously, Utssav was
exposed to the industry innovations
and their impact on the world very
early in age, which inspired him to
follow his parents’ legacy and pursue
his passion. His interest is to integrate
design and technology in a unique way
so as to achieve results such as
efficiency and material sustainability.
He developed and propagated various
interdisciplinary abilities for fusing
neurology, biomimicry, sacred
geometry, and parametric design to
create mindful architecture.
However, in the pursuit of creating
better impact, Utssav realized that
innovation needs to deliver a certain
level of transformation consistently. He
felt the need to figure out the way
towards ideation that would provide a
realizable framework for designs every
single time.
Utssav studied and experimented with
various methodologies from other
lateral domains: product design,
business design, financial modeling,
and other fields. His quest took him
beyond the boundaries of architecture,
as he analyzed the entire business
ecosystem, including hardcore business
design concepts, understanding
companies, and their innovations,
startups, and how each company acted
to advance their product, handled
innovations, the challenges they faced,
and their alternatives courses.
All of this brought a deep
understanding of what companies go
through while deciding on the
innovation and fallacies attached.
These discoveries led him further
down the rabbit hole, and he began to
consider business strategy in
conjunction with design. This resulted
in enormous architectural success, with
the end-result serving as a source of
renewal and rejuvenation for many
clients.
In contrast to the positive effects of
adopting innovative approaches,
Utssav saw that the natural
understanding of people about
innovation is highly influenced by
technology and product world. He also
states that companies which chased
innovation and were unable to achieve
the right results; also ended up having
a negative outlook towards it.
“To produce a positive outcome,
innovation must be understood as a
science of problem-solving that applies
the right approach at the right
moment,” Utssav emphasized.
Simultaneously, Utssav built
innovation frameworks that would
eventually serve as models for his
work. He developed the ‘Diagnostic
Innovation’ framework, which begins
with thorough understanding of the
problem with a certain lens before
proposing a solution, thereafter,
designing the innovation strategy.
Furthermore, based on the strategy and
establishment is key performance
factors, it is finally converted into a
measured problem model to review the
impact of the entire paradigm – a
three-step model that brings
exceptionally sharp and result-oriented
innovation.
From simple aesthetic-functional
architectural designs, Utssav has
evolved into a Turnaround Architect
for Organizations. He is continually
honing his intellectual side through
studies and research, as well as a realtime
practical application that yields
results in all fields. He has mentored
entrepreneurs in the science of
invention, employing ‘Diagnostic
Innovation’ models, and has
contributed to the development of
several organizations.
.

A Scholarly Author
Utssav has authored ‘REBOUND:
How to bounce back with Strategic
Innovations’, which was featured on
worldauthors.org and was included in
the Good Read list. ‘Rebound’ is a
book that captures what every
organization has gone through or is
going through right now.
When an organization feels ousted, it is
common for it to pursue growth.
Utssav says – “for an unconventional
theory and a distinctive way of looking
at the same problem, the only tool is
innovation. Given the status of the
digital world in which we live, this
term generates a torrent of emotions.”
“People have established the myth that
innovation can only occur if the
product is noticeably different from the
competition, but that’s not the case in
reality. This book presents a radically
different perspective on what
innovation is and what it means for
businesses, and it begins to aid in the
growth of new neurons in a person’s
head when he pays attention to an issue
that previously exhausted him,” he
adds.
In response, this book reveals an
alternative reality, and it will thus
become one of the key collectibles for
any entrepreneur wanting to perceive
business differently. It catalyzes the
thought process that reveals the other
side.
In the book, Utssav has also penned the
details about Creators Architects’
experience, describing how they turned
things around by employing innovation
as a foundation for completing the
project. They demonstrated how the
principle of innovation could result in
miracles that are also functional.

Creators Architects – 2.0:
A Quest for True Excellence
Creators Architects has reigned
supreme in the architectural industry
for the past 35 years. Under the
leadership of his parents Mr. Rajiv
Gupta and Mrs Mukta Gupta, with
their progressive thinking, fondness for
innovation, and customer success,
they’ve raised their colors and
established standards for their designs
in the diverse sector. The firm
revitalized and refurbished its business
model to its vision, mission, and
commitment to providing the best
output in a changing landscape.
Utssav’s ideas, efforts, and methods for
reinventing Creators Architects—to be
at par with the changing industry
landscape and the values of the
profession—were profoundly rooted in
innovative science, technology, and
design, which supported them in
sustaining their apex position in the
market.
For Creators Architect, Utssav’s robust
framework ‘Diagnostic Innovation’
was a masterstroke to the prevailing
culture of excellence. The architecture
approach is infused with ‘Diagnostic
Innovation’, which is then integrated
with other technical characteristics to
build an ‘Outcome-driven Model.’ This
is basically where they looked at
architecture as a key strategic piece for
client business and developed new
disruptive typologies that deliver
desired ROI for the client.
Utssav’s various approaches such as
strategic masterminding, analyzing
outside business plans before
beginning projects, among others,
resulted in success, client engagement,
and market disruption. He was the
driving force behind the relaunch, and
his team oversaw putting Utssav’s
vision into action. And now, Creator
Architects have carved out a market
niche for themselves, and the
disruption they brought to their
projects have been massive and
unprecedented.
Creators Architects’ recent projects
have included educational, cultural,
commercial, institutional, healthcare,
spiritual, mixed-use, and public realm
architecture. The firm has been
awarded several accolades for its
innovation, few of them being “Most
Innovative Architecture Studio” by
Built Architectural Awards UK 2021,
“Best Innovative Architects” by
MSME India, and “Most Innovative
Architecture and Design Firm of the
Year 2021” by National Architectural
and Interior Design Excellence Awards
2021 for Healthcare Projects,
Institutional Projects, and Commercial
Projects.

World Heatfulness Centre, Hyderabad
BM Cambridge School, Surat
DTU Raj Soin Hall, New Delhi
Botanical Graden, Guwahati
Anheuser-Busch InBev, Gurgaon

Integrated Election Complex, New Delhi
Apex Hospital, Jaipur
Mahi Aura, Vadodara
Punjab Alkali Public Limited, New Delhi
Indian Institute of Skiing and
Mountaineering, Gulmarg

Black Swan Lab –
Innovation Research
Utssav’s inclination towards constant
research, experimentation and
deployment for innovations was the
genesis of innovation into practical
application science through
development of models that would
serve entrepreneurs and businesses by
making innovations easy and outcome
driven for them.
The Black Swan Lab name is inspired
from the Black Swan effect signifying
that when innovation is at its best, it
creates a positive singularity for the
organizations leading to a catapulted
growth or disruption. Looking beyond
the conventional—the invisible
side—is the key to BSL’s work.
At Black Swan Lab (BSL) Utssav
carries out a series of activities like
research, expropriations, prototyping,
teaching, mastermind, keynote
speaking, and discussion panels. The
framework helps to understand latent
areas of users and businesses, to
develop models, products, and designs
that cater to these invisible sides, and
create successful outcomes.
With the ‘Diagnostic Innovation’
model, BSL has worked with broad
industry bases like services (B2B
design, B2B products, B2C services,
high-risk services) and product
industries like manufacturing in B2B
space and high-stake products. BSL’s
research is the backbone of Utssav’s
own group of companies and other
endeavors in its problem-solving
innovations leading to turnaround and
sustainable growth.

Supertech Fabrics –
A New Gush of Innovation
Utssav is passionate about pushing the
boundaries of innovation and
expanding his framework across
industries sectors. His innate
inclination towards the need of
continuously sharpening his skills,
exploring his capabilities combined
with zeal to do more encouraged him
to diversify, thus expanding in other
industries to fulfill his endeavor.
Utssav works inherently addresses his
deep concerns attributing to the
environment, clean air, energy
conversation, empathy, and human
centricity. This paved the path for him
getting into technical textiles stream
with Supertech Fabrics Pvt. Ltd.

Supertech Fabric is a leading
manufacturer and exporter of speciality
performance fabrics and end products
often dealing with harsh conditions
such as high temperatures. Today, the
company’s product application use
case ranges from high temperature
filtration of air from industry exhausts
to insulation covers for up to 2000
degrees, air transfer bellows and
expansion joints of similar condition,
safety applications such as fire
protections, fire suits, fire rated work
wears etc, and various PTFE products
for food handling applications.
Reshaped through his vision, company
went under remodeling of its
operations, set new standards for
quality, and developed enhanced
business strategies through application
of product innovations and business
model innovations. This lead to setting
out a unique position in the market by
recognizing and addressing the
industry’s critical demands and
markets through expertise. Today,
company’s standing is well established
for its solution driven approach, quality
products and is aggressively moving
towards research driven answers to
industry problems, combining
diagnostics, innovation and
development in the field.
A Guide, A Thought
Leader, and A Mentor
Utssav is a staunch believer of the
notion that leadership entails
inclusivity rather than dominance and
attitude. He is a leader who welcomes
everyone, treats his
employees as a family,
and encourages them
to share their opinions
and ideas. He feels
that having a more
inclusive and
democratic work
culture will provide
higher-quality
solutions that will help
the company succeed.
As made evident in the
above details, Utssav’s
innovation style is
mostly centered on
surfacing the
unknown/latent
aspects to the known
and determining the
facts of the situation,
which he
accomplishes through
the usage of the
‘Diagnostic
Innovation’
framework.
This style also brings his aspect of
thought leadership into the spotlight
when he asserts, “The torch of
innovation can only be lit if the
challenges can be quantified and
measured so that the true impact can be
understood.”
When it comes to imparting valuable
knowledge and expertise he has gained
and empowering others in that process,
Utssav has also sculpted his identity as
a master mentor. Through his
mentorship programs titled
‘Mastermind’, ‘Big Think’, and
‘Special Ops’, Utssav enables a 360-
degree turn in his mentees’ thinking
and approach. As a result, they can
visualize enhanced potential within
their current ambitions through this
revised perspective.
We at CIOLook believe that this story
is just a short glimpse of Utssav’s
voyage towards greatness, and that in
the future, we’ll exhibiting more of his
great contributions to architecture,
innovation, and the world of business.
You can learn more about the impact
that Utssav has achieved on his website
and several mentee testimonials.
You can learn more about Utssav,
his philosophy and his works at
www.utssavgupta.com
www.creatorsarchitects.com
www.supertechfabrics.com
Connect with him at
ug@utssavgupta.com

I N D I A

How
Innovative
Leadership
is Redefining the
Modern
Industry?
Have you heard of the new age business secret?
This secret is the master key that opens many locked-up
situations and challenges in today's business scenario.
Where all the possible ways and means are exhausted to
resolve the challenges, this secret master key opens the
solutions,
smartly, silently, and effectively.
The secret is innovative leadership. Yes. It is a critical
factor that has multiple dimensions to resolve the
challenges effectively. Let's see what creative leadership is
and its impact on the business.
Innovative leadership is a modern approach to leadership
that involves putting in innovation and creativity to manage
the workforce and business projects. Innovative leaders
create a positive background that inspires work yield in
newer ways and by various means other than those already
used and implemented.
Identifying its Impact
There have been numerous influencing factors that have
impacted the business ecosystem in the culture of
innovation-based company structures.
• Establish trust in employees
When the employees feel the importance of being included
in the brainstorming sessions, it promotes natural goodwill
26 | May 2022 | www.ciolookindia.com

L e a d e r s h i p A r c h
27 | May 2022 | www.ciolookindia.com

within the organization. It underlines its role as an
important part of the company. They get a platform to voice
their suggestions, ideas, and views. Steadily a bond of
mutual trust gets created between the employees and the
organization. Among themselves, too, the employees
become open and more receptive to the work as the typical
departmental boundaries fade away.
According to human psychology, people are hungry for
regular interaction and subsequent appreciation. It keeps
them attached to the community ( here, it's the
company)and develops a strong sense of belonging and
ownership of the workplace.
• Clear Vision
Companies with a clear vision for their immediate and
long-term goals are better poised for planning and work
preparation. It imbibes the affinity and respect of everyone
in the management. It helps in planning the departmental
goals and individual targets accordingly. A company with a
set vision gains respect and credibility due to the
responsibility and integrity it generates within the
organization.
• Equal Opportunity Employers
Employees are given a better platform to voice their views,
suggestions, and concerns about the organizational
objectives. Employees are also offered roles in the core
business functions, contributing their views to
improvement, development, and expansion programs. It
nurtures a conducive organizational structure to help
employees expand their capabilities and explore and
develop new ideas while simultaneously creating a
mechanical system for the employees to exploit and
implement new applications.
• The Fantastic Four Verticals
Innovative leadership is the amalgamation of the four
pillars - emotional intelligence, innovative organization,
management innovations, and interaction with outsiders.
These four aspects are important in creating a conducive
background for triggering group productivity.
As the team is taught and trained on the floor rules, business
ethics, and mature responsiveness, it gears them up for
corporate emotional intelligence. This creates a conducive
atmosphere for oneness, spreads an air of ethics in the
clients, and enhances better relationships with the associates
and the vendors.
Innovations become an integral part of the organization,
from top to bottom and vice versa. Some are managementled,
while others are responsive or situations that spring up
from the passionate team members.
• Nurturing the Idea Culture
Innovative leadership rises from the practices, procedures,
and regular involvement that encourages everyone to
contribute their ideas, whether small or large, functional,
cultural, or developmental. A proper recording and
documentation of the ideas are done, and the best
contributor is honoured with an award.
Innovation cannot be planned or predicted. However,
innovative management can condition an environment
where new ideas are brainstormed. Incredible innovation
can be seen as a surprising motivation for everyone.
• Impressive Industry Patterns
80% of successful innovative companies have top leaders
who reinforce the value and importance of innovation. Bill
Gates and Steve Jobs are classic examples of creative
visionaries with all sorts of ideas. Global MNCs like
Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Samsung, Huawei, Alibaba
Group, IBM, Sony, and many more have an innovative
approach toward the work, and the role of their employees
is interesting. The company management often consults the
employees in making decisions that have proved to be very
diverse, different, and helpful. They motivated the people
around them to turn their innovative ideas into reality.
Companies with higher innovative leadership teams have
proved more productive through their creative practices.
People are given rights, responsibilities, and privileges to
take up a cause or improvise a particular area. It has been
observed that diverse and distributed thinking has opened
newer aspects of improvements and enhancements in the
directions once not thought of.
Dawn of a New Professional Horizon
As we have noticed, the company managements struggle
hard to strike the perfect balance of productivity, employee
work satisfaction, higher customer service, and
development of the company brand name. Numerous
business models have been devised with various objectives.
Yet the real key to the unfolding secret lies in their own
hands – nurturing the innovative company culture.
- Kedar Borgaonkar
28 | May 2022 | www.ciolookindia.com

League of Innovators-2022
Akshay Goyal
A Catalyst for Positive Transformation
Design and technology are two spectrums of human
innovation which keep transforming everything
they touch. Sustainable buildings are the present’s
necessity and future’s designing technology.
The coronavirus pandemic also brought to the fore issues
like creating safe, healthy, hygienic, pollution-free, ecofriendly,
and living habitats giving its habitants an
experience of comfort, connectivity, and peace of mind.
With this unique ideology, combining biotech, AI, and other
emerging technologies, a visionary leader, Mr Akshay
Goyal, founded Tron Labs in Gurugram, the capital of
Indian infrastructural innovations.
Under Akshay’s exemplary leadership, Tron Labs is fast
emerging as a design research lab and a venture studio that
is building infrastructural foundations for future smart
cities.
In an interview with Insights Success for its edition of
‘League of Innovators -2022’, Akshay spoke about his
futuristic vision and how he is transforming the Indian real
estate sector with his unique idea Tron Labs.
Please tell us about your professional tenure in
architecture and real estate industry.
I have a background in architecture, urbanism, and
technology. For almost a decade, I was involved with
research and innovation for buildings and cities, working in
India and Internationally in the US, UK, and China.
Eventually, along with a couple of colleagues, we decided
to set up a venture studio or incubator of sorts for
innovation in the built environment in India. This was
backed by Architron Group, a 38-year-old Indian company
specialising in architecture and real estate.
At Tron Labs, our core business model is to utilize in-house
R&D and partner with like-minded entrepreneurs to launch
spinoff companies that work in the real estate and AEC
sectors. Over the last couple of years, we have applied for
several patents and launched five companies that are part of
our portfolio.
We are working with emerging technology such as AI-based
design, SynBio based solutions for occupant health in
buildings, Large-scale 3D printing and robotics in
construction, AR, and VR for real estate, among other
things.
Who inspires you to wake up every day and keep
making a difference in the respective industry you are
catering to?
Rather than ‘who,’ for me, it is more of a ‘what.’ All of us
are genuinely inspired by the idea of how design and
technology can create a meaningful impact on buildings and
cities, especially in emerging economies like India. For
instance, when the COVID pandemic emerged, part of our
30 | May 2022 | www.ciolookindia.com

team working on air pollution also started conducting
experiments on disinfection and anti-viral measures for
buildings.
We are proud that in a very short time, these solutions
are now helping protect almost two lakh people every
day across India, including at places such as the
Delhi Airport.
This research has powered a successful spinoff
company called Nessbot that works in the
building wellness domain.
As a leader of Tron Labs, what challenges have
you faced while establishing and running the
business?
As a founder and entrepreneur, the challenges are
never a finite set of obstacles that one can overcome.
Every day is a new challenge that needs to be dealt with
in an agile way, especially single. We are not a large
company with immense resources.
Akshay Goyal, Founder
At Tron Labs,
our core business
model is to utilize
in-house R&D and
partner with like-minded
entrepreneurs to
launch spinoff companies
that work in the real
estate and AEC sectors.
One constant challenge is to get a like-minded set of
individuals aligned with the mission and grow with the
company. Also, hardware-related innovation and general
prototyping in India are way more challenging than in a
country like China. But most challenges are like caffeine
shots, keeping the team on their feet and really helping the
team focus on getting things done.
Brief us about the operations of Tron Labs, its mission,
vision, and core values.
Tron Labs operates on a venture studio model, with a
mission to create transformative products for the built
environment with an emphasis on using emerging
technology to improve the user experience radically.
Most ideas are conceived through a process of sectoral
speculation, where our team is heavily inspired by science
31 | May 2022 | www.ciolookindia.com

fiction and future foresight sciences. We operate at the
intersection of Design Innovation and emerging technology
to drive positive change and innovation for the cities and
buildings that we inhabit.
The team is led by Harvard & MIT Alumni and is
composed of an interdisciplinary collaborative team of
designers, engineers, futurists, scientists, domain experts,
serial entrepreneurs, and growth hackers. We imagine
design and technology as catalysts for disruptive change
that positively impacts business, ecology, human society,
and our collective futures.
How has the current pandemic affected your business,
and what steps have you taken to safeguard your
employees while catering to your clients?
The pandemic has triggered a rapid digital tools adoption,
which has been a direction that we were already very
aggressive about. This helped us transition to a digital-first
company easily.
We were able to cater to clients through remote charettes
and meetings; in fact, we also taught design innovation
online, which was an unimaginable feat prior to the
pandemic.
The remote work culture has also helped our team by
building a responsible culture that can balance work-life
demands and question the 9-5 nature of work.
What creative ways have you employed to make Tron
Labs’ work environment vibrant?
We are an equal opportunities company, and our diverse
team spans across cultures. We believe in the constant
growth of the employees and emphasize a proper work-life
balance. Being a start-up, we prioritize a T shaped nature of
work. Each individual has a broad horizontal set of
exposure and decision making with in-depth expertise and
focuses on one area.
According to you, what are the essentials of being an
innovative business leader?
Constant innovation typically requires an open mindset that
allows us first to observe and then connect the information
in novel ways. For this, the leader should be humble and
willing to hear and listen to a broad spectrum of people.
People such as Disney and Jobs had a very highly
developed sense of perception based on which they could
build a world-changing culture of innovation within their
companies.
What would you like to share with the young generation
of entrepreneurs looking to step foot in a leadership role
in their respective businesses?
Develop persistence and creativity, and always be hustling!
That way, you will keep on being innovative and thinking
on the go because it is the approach essential for the future.
In terms of future growth, where do you see yourself
and Tron Labs?
We are enthused by several things at the moment and are
building that as core focus areas for Tron Labs.
Firstly, we have now two brands – Ubreathe and Nessbot –
working in the building wellness sector, and we see a huge
opportunity in this sector as a result of the paradigm shift
and focus on all things health -in the post COVID era.
We are also very optimistic about the VR/AR sector and are
building up a venture in this space with applications in
conventional real estate as well as in the metaverse.
32 | May 2022 | www.ciolookindia.com

Guiding Light of Exploring Minds
Aclosed mind decays fast. To avoid it, you must
break your tightly scheduled routine. Take a break,
if not major, then only a mini. And open up your
feet to travelling and exploring new places and experiences.
After all, life is a joyful journey of travelling heartbeats.
The pandemic darkness is breaking into a new dawn of
glorious hope, thanks to the guiding lights for exploring
minds like Minibreaks. Mr Sandeep Srivastava, the
Founder of Minibreaks, believes that the past two years
have taught all the travellers a priceless lesson that
enjoyment can be found in every nook of the world.
Mr Srivastava and Minibreaks are the recipients of the
Indian Achievers’ Award 2020-21 (from Indian Achievers
Forum) in recognition of outstanding professional
achievement & contribution in nation-building.
The team of Minibreaks is welcoming you with open arms
to take a daycation to get spa, pool and amenities access at
luxury hotels at very affordable prices. Don’t worry, as
Minibreaks will take care of everything else. You just take a
break, explore, and enjoy your holidays, vacations, tours,
journeys, and voyages to the fullest.
In an interview with CIOLOOKINDIA for its edition of
“League of Innovators-2022”, Mr Srivastava urges you to
experience a new kind of get away with them as your
planning companion.
Below are excerpts from the interview. Let the travel begin.
Mr Sandeep, please tell us about your professional
tenure in the niche.
I love the challenge, the thrill, the work, and the people
because Travel is one of the most collaborative cultures and
diversified into numerous segments catering to the
traveller’s needs. It’s the challenge, the excitement, and the
thrill that makes it exciting and interesting.
I have been serving the field for nineteen years in the
hospitality management domain. I have transverse into
sales, marketing, business development, startup
management, accounts and relationship management facets
in e-commerce, strategic planning, revenue analysis,
operations, inbound and online travel segment, of business
with the offline sector, which is B2B, inbound to B2C –
online travel vertical—starting from the role of Stipend I
have reached up to the position of India Head.
I started my career journey post completing my Postgraduation
from Agra University, Diploma in Travel and
Ticketing from IITTM New Delhi, and certification in
Digital marketing from Google. I have started my journey
as a stipend in an Inbound Travel firm like Sita, Compass
India Inc, learning the jargon of travel, the phonetic codes,
doing Airport felicitation, making itineraries, tour manager
with international clients that enhanced my knowledge and
experience.
34 | May 2022 | www.ciolookindia.com

League of Innovators-2022
At Minibreaks,
we believe in
creating
authentic
experiences for
every traveller,
be it in our
platform that
spreads
happiness to
our customers.
Mr Sandeep Srivastava
Founder

I have been promoted from Stipend to Assistant Manager,
upscaling my perks and positions for four-and-a-half years.
The inquisitiveness toward e-commerce brought me to the
digital space of travel technology. I served Travelguru.com,
Travelocity.co.in, and yatra for thirteen years, moving to
different positions from Assistant Manager to Deputy
General Manager, North and East India, handling 28000
hotels and domestic chains with a team of 23 people till
2018.
My last venture Hi Tours and its online vertical (Luxury
Travel Deals), launched an online start-up foundation for an
inbound vertical managing India and subcontinent hotel
relation for organisations for one-and-a-half years and postpandemic
finally entered into the space of entrepreneurship
in 2019. The best learning of all these years was a blend of
knowledge, challenges, functions, and approaches towards
a product which made it exciting at each position in the
tenure.
Who inspires you to wake up every day and keep
making a difference in the respective industry you are
catering to?
I am inspired by the fact that every day is a new day, and
there is an opportunity in every day, especially when you
are building your dream. We never know what the day is
bringing for you and how to become a better me for me and
the others on that day. It also excites me what addition I
will be making in my work and with my team, which makes
a step closer to our mission.
As a leader of Minibreaks, what challenges have you
faced while establishing and running the business?
The first challenge was setting up the business, reaching the
right set of audiences, having like-minded people who can
understand the virtue. The most critical challenge was a
variety of pandemic impacts which in reality examined the
evolution of business and its associated effects, like,
• Getting the correct exposure
• Getting the word out about the services
• Marketing on a tight budget
• Convincing brands on the feasibility and benefits
Brief us about the operations of Minibreaks, its mission,
vision, and core values.
Minibreaks is an urban technology company that came to
life to empower the traveller with the solution of saving the
cost of overnight stay and paying only for used hours. And
they can attain experience not only enjoying hotel room but
also combine other hotel amenities like restaurant, bar, spa,
all at one click and you relish an ideal experience.
Minibreaks allows its customers to enjoy a hotel room as
well as other services traditionally available to overnight
guests only at the best value.
Minibreaks is changing the hotel industry, adapting it to the
new, more mobile, connected, and demanding way of life
we lead today by giving access to these services, enjoying
the luxuries of high-end hotels at an affordable price (room
service, bar, restaurant and spa).
We also create a short vacation with an experience of
unique stays, which is a blend of Havelis, resorts, boutique
hotels/homestays etc.
Our Company Mission is to be the largest aggregator in the
brand segment.
Our vision is to give customers a wide assortment of
products, the bite of luxury, a great experience, and achieve
sustainable growth ourselves.
Our values – ‘CARE’
• We believe that customers are our guiding light and
permeate everything we do, right from building an
intelligent online solution that helps travellers choose
their perfect break.
• We believe in creating authentic experiences for every
traveller, be it in our platform that spreads happiness
to our customers.
• We are committed to treating each other warmly and
sincerely empowered by compassion and service.
• We bring in a blend of products and unique selling
propositions.
How has the current pandemic affected your business,
and what steps have you taken to safeguard your
employees while catering to your clients?
There was a global loss of 4.3 trillion US$ on the travel
segment impacting small companies and even giant
unicorns. The spending has been reduced due to a reduction
in wages travel restrictions ripping the whole ecosystem.
For us, the start of this company was the inspiration in
pandemic to implement the concept into reality. The
impacts of COVID to travel verticals were surging, many
companies were shut down, and people lost their jobs with
us. The consequence was identical, but to survive and
revive this dream gave us an impetus to pursue, plan, and
strategise.
36 | May 2022 | www.ciolookindia.com

It taught us countless factors: to focus, learn, upgrade
ourselves, and traverse our energy in what we wish to
achieve for ourselves and our organisation. All associated
members stood together, pivoting our ideas and thoughts to
prepare for the future.
We ensured flexible work timings prioritising health and
safety first, and essential requirements are respected
considering the state and business impact. We took a
methodical approach to build ourselves and rectify
processes, SOPs, policies, and, most importantly,
technology.
What creative ways have you employed to make
Minibreaks’ work environment vibrant?
This question has often been asked by those looking to
achieve the best workplace status and aspiring organisations
that recognise a growing shift in their industry from
profitability to personability. We walk a unique path to
make a better work environment. It is mentioned below,
• Communication is important
• Ensure appreciation of good work
• Infuse a culture of teaching over reproaching
• Encourage cooperation over competition
According to you, what are the essentials of being an
innovative business leader?
Keep pivoting yourself until you get your desired result. In
Opportunity Mode, get passionately alert to the possibility,
to unmet needs, to the power of imagination, and to the
thrill of turning vision into reality. Where others see
problems, you should sense potential, which are some
characteristics of an innovative leader.
What would you like to share with the young generation
of entrepreneurs looking to step foot in a leadership role
in their respective businesses?
Challenge yourself, believe in the dream, learn from
mistakes, and improve for better results. Adaptability,
persistence, and hard work are the keys to success in
business and are essential attributes no matter whatever you
endeavour.
We should not expect a rise from day one; it must be
analysed, and what things are not investigated considering
the cost but were essential for building up the things.
Defining the right target audience and having an
experienced co-worker is an added advantage as that is an
investment to the business.
In terms of future growth, where do you see yourself
and Minibreaks?
In terms of future growth, we wish to establish our network
to 100+ business and semi-business destinations with 3000
hotels LIVE by 2023 with the support of skilled and
fostered people.
We wish to participate in all networking events, increasing
transaction frequency, establishing a new line of business
verticals such as daily activities, day trips, unique stay
options, expansion to global markets, increasing the
revenue stream for ourselves and our partners.
In the next five years, we see minibreaks to be a wellrecognized
brand catering to the needs of travellers with
updated technology in the online travel space.
37 | May 2022 | www.ciolookindia.com

Important
Fundamentals
Of an
Innovative
Mindset
38 | May 2022 | www.ciolookindia.com

Ideology Aspects
hy is a diamond so costly? What makes Gold so
Wspecial among all the metals?
There will be a unanimous answer about their rarity and
uniqueness. A diamond is the most beautiful and the hardest
thing in nature, while gold is the most beautiful and pure
metal. Hence, they demand a high price.
Like these precious elements, some people are valued more
for their specialities. People are also seen in different types,
categories, and personality traits. However, famous and
successful are those who have an innovative mindset.
People with innovative mindsets are modern, different, and
unique in their thinking patterns. They try to think and
explore the unconventional. They think of various other
ways and means to achieve the desired results or bettering
the existing system. As we see the successful people, it is
noticed that most of them have been innovative thinkers.
Let's explore the attractive fundamental qualities of people
with an innovative mindset.
• Strong Aspiration
The individuals have a strong desire to accomplish
something new and different, for they believe in the
changes brought in by their efforts. It is the inner drive that
creates the pull factor in doing the efforts. It makes the
individual happy with the thought and begins the process of
moving in that direction.
• Good Visualization
Innovative people are excellent at foreseeing their
aspirations. This is considered one of the crucial steps in the
process of manifestation. Visualization is the ability to
imagine the big picture of successfully fulfilling the dream.
Visualization sets a clear picture of how the expected reality
can be—this ability to create mental images guides further
actions of organizing the resources and generating the
possibilities.
• Identify and Explore
Innovators identify what they want and set on to explore the
possibilities of creating or achieving their wants. It is an
open process where they choose to go in various ways and
means to get what they want. They are ready to find new
ideas and try to check their feasibility.
39 | May 2022 | www.ciolookindia.com

• Constant Research
The individuals dedicated to innovation are focused on
exploring more and looking for the information that can
help in their journey. It is a constant hunger to search and
investigate the possibilities that could be leading them to
their purpose. This continued effort goes into looking for a
deeper search of the goal. They visit all possible resources,
meet new people, attend seminars, and gather the needed
information.
• Passionate Go-getters
An innovative mindset has this inner force of unending
enthusiasm to try new things. They are thrilled with the
concept, which triggers their passion for doing the undone.
Always ready to travel to different far-off places, always
eager to give in their best to bring their dream into reality.
• Scaling Up the Process
Depending on the level of their efforts and how far they
have reached decides their further movement. They are
ready to scale their actions in terms of number, intensity,
communication, and many more. The more the efforts and
data gathered, the more is the work organized and directed
correctly. After some action, the overall status is verified,
and the individual decides to speed up the process.
• Is Opinionated
The process helps to form opinions about every new thing
or level they reach. They identify every aspect with some
logic. All the efforts get quantified through the single lens
of the objective. Is it suitable? Will it fulfil the objective?
Will it serve the purpose? These and so many other
questions prop up to verify and validate the noticed
possibilities.
• Curiosity triumphs over technical expertise
The curious minds are more likely to do more and achieve
better results than the technical knowledge which is not
implemented. As it is rightly said that knowledge is not
enough, we must do. Similarly, curiosity-guided efforts lead
the process to productive and conclusive outcomes. There is
always some progress the innovators make through their
curious mindset.
• Diverse Adaptability
The passionate researchers are ready for the failures. They
are prepared to understand that the losses are a part of the
process and don't get depressed by the failures. They are
ready to mould themselves as per the conditions. Always
prepared to make the necessary adjustments to achieve their
objectives. They are fully aware of the fact that material
things don't matter. What is essential is progressing steadily
towards their goals.
• Persistence is the key
These passionate people are substantial in their vision. They
keep searching, exploring, and finding more until they have
received their desired result. This vital quality of
persistence makes them very strong and focused seekers.
The passion for continuing and the curiosity led to hunger
to achieve the objectives fuels their quality of perseverance.
Failures, repetitions, and confusion never deter them. They
know there are numerous ways of reaching their objectives
and some people to guide or support them. The positive
approach helps them continue with perseverance and
dedication.
Future belongs to Innovators
As we understand the necessary qualities and traits of
innovative people, we must credit them with the progress
made in the world's different fields. All the things we see,
experience, and use are the results of some passionate
researchers who once dreamt of this someday before. Life
becomes so fulfilling and meaningful when one achieves
something phenomenal in his life. Innovators are the
pioneers in the evolution of civilization and instrumental
catalysts as nation builders.
This is reflected in the quote of Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam,
former President of India, a renowned scientist in missile
technology, "To Succeed in your mission, you must have
single-minded devotion to your goal.”
- Kedar Borgaonkar
40 | May 2022 | www.ciolookindia.com

Connecting Innovations with Inspirations
Technology has long advanced from being an
optional tool to an integral component that has
helped companies run their operations as
effectively as possible. In fact, established organizations
wouldn’t have reached their growth or stayed there without
tapping into the IT industry.
IT support has become an integral part of the business
operations to deliver the best services to their clients.
Ventures Solutions is one such organization that provides
companies with services ranging from simple
troubleshooting to complicated installations.
Sridhar
Viswanath,
Founder
Under theleadership of the Founder Sridhar Viswanath,
Ventures Solutions have always delivered services that are
abreast with the latest technology and services to make sure
that the client’s needs are promptly fulfilled.
The organization has grown in leaps and bounds in the last
two decades. Ventures Solutions faced a number of
challenges as an early player in the IT sector, however, the
company used these challenges as learning opportunities
leading to a greater success rate. (Give and example of a
challenge and how you learned from it) One of recent
challenges was during the Pandemic – we could provide
support to clients remotely and also enable clients to WFH .
A Journey Unmapped
The journey of the company started way before its
installation. In February 1990, the founder of Ventures
Solutions Shridhar Viswanath was working as a Tech
Support Executive in PC Spares and Services. That’s when
he built a strong foundation of hardware and OS under the
guidance of his mentor Mr. Kannan,. Kannan taught him
software development on Micro Controllers which is a
crucial skill required for people in the IT sector.
At the end of the decade in 1999, the bricks of the
company Ventures Solutions were laid down. That’s when
the journey of the organization took flight.
42 | May 2022 | www.ciolookindia.com

League of Innovators - 2022
Values Making a Difference
Viswanath exclaims how it is important to believe in the
idea of, “never stop learning, or else the technology will
overtake you.” He values committed services and takes care
of delivering what they have committed honestly. For
Ventures Solutions, consistency is the road map to success.
Challenges on the Way
One of the primary challenges was to build a enthusiastic
team who were willing learn and grow, and identifying the
“Influencers “ for the growth. As influencers bring growth
to the business it is very important to rightly identify them.
The company has put constant effort in establishing trust
and retaining the same with the influencers.
Additionally, training and upskilling the existing team to
cater to a higher level of service delivery is a progressive
challenge the company faced while running the business.
The Days with Setbacks
As the world went into lockdown businesses shifted from
offices to work from home option. This brought in a higher
demand for technological solutions as the business
operations were now taking place from miles apart.
Ventures Solutions identified this as an opportunity to grow
their business and find potential clients in the market. As
the company offered cost-effective and secured solutions, it
could achieve the target sale during the pandemic years as
well.
Not all firms had the infrastructure and resources e required
for remote working. Ventures Solutions rose to the
challenge and offered a number of small-medium business
software solutions at affordable rates. This helped
businesses to continue their operations from anywhere in
the world without any hurdles.
Enabling Innovations for the Future
The basic skills that Ventures Solutions promote are
learning and relearning. They stress upskilling as it’s the
only way out to keep the morale high in the IT
environment.
Viswanath believes that there are a variety of skills that are
important for being an innovative leader. In the IT support
industry, people need to be empathetic, should be ready to
adapt to new technologies, and should be consistent enough
to deliver simple solutions that work for SMB’s
As technological advancements ever grow, it is important
The company believes in
one important lesson
that ‘never stop learning,’
or else the technology
will overtake you.
for the company to be up to date with the latest innovations
and provide their clients with the best tech tools in the
market.
Advice Viswanath’s advice to budding entrepreneurs is that
success is not a one-day journey. To be successful,
youngsters need to be patient, aim to be consistent, aim for
perseverance, dedication, and remain focused on their
goals.
Sridhar is a big believer in in team building. It is very
crucial to have a good team with diverse players. Having
diverse thoughts will only upgrade and bring growth to the
company.
Ventures Solutions’ core value remains in helping the client
to grow multifold. They believe clients’ growth is their own
growth. Hence, it is very crucial that they coordinate and
work for collective growth.
Embracing a Futuristic Approach
IT sector has experienced exponential growth in the last
couple of decades. It has changed the perception of the
entire world about India’s storehouse of knowledge and
skills. This thus gave rise to a vast market in India and
abroad.
Being a part of the IT pool, Ventures Solutions finds itself
to have a prominent position in the global sector. It has
given the best of its contribution to the speedy growth of
the sector and will continue to do so in the coming years.
Ventures solutions are planning on building a one-point
support and service delivery system for manufacturing and
aligning segments will upsurge the secondary industry
along with the service sector.
43 | May 2022 | www.ciolookindia.com