It is an alarming sign when a life-long, banker decides to be an entrepreneur in an area in which he knows nothing off, which in this case is online entertainment and decides to build a company in a country that he left more than two decades back.
Well, that’s me, Avi Sengupta, founder of a small software company, Zivanta Analytics based out of Kolkata, India. And my full time job is being a banker at one of largest banks in USA managing a very complex financial portfolio. I am aware that with my full time job and family commitments in US, managing such an online mediaventure in India remotely, that too part time has a greater likelihood of failure than success. But as an entrepreneur, I am the eternal optimist, and I believe I can execute it with the right support and the right team. So far, I have self-funded the venture and depleted nearly my entire savings and my near and dear ones have questioned my judgement. Maybe it is a mix of hubris, over confidence, blinded vision regarding reality that is pushing me.
There is something more.I am also a Bengali by birth, if you have not guessed it from my name by now. The stereotypical Bengali is risk averse, and generally likes to follow a tried and tested path of getting a professional job. We, the “bhadralok” Bengali are not supposed to pursue business. There is nothing wrong with such a direction of sticking to a professional job, and for my part I have pursued that path diligently for more than 20 years. My mother nearly had a meltdown, when she heard that I was getting into business, but somehow felt reassured when I told her that I will still retain my full-time job in US.
So, you can see I am culturally, professionally and by any sort of logical or rational reasoning not supposed to be doing what I am doing – becoming an entrepreneur. But this urge to do “something” I can’t wish it away and I have taken the plunge.
With this daily log, I want to share with you the ups and downs of this journey and maybe some of you can provide me feedback. Whether I will realize my vision of building a viable online entertainment business in India or not, I am not sure, but rest assured I will enjoy the journey.
Wish me and my team luck!!!