The company sells packages to SMEs which include a range of online services, using technology to increase operational efficiencies and visibility. The business is based in Hyderabad, India and operates in Mahek's home-office and in temporary, short-term office spaces around the city.
The company aims to implement technology to compensate the degraded effects of inefficient practices in various business practices; promote the use of tech and smart engineering gadgets to increase operational efficiencies; and promote the use of integrated solutions to bring all branches of business under a single roof - bringing visibility to the owner.
When Mahek graduated from MIP, the leading Italian business school, he wanted to cash in on the e-commerce boom. The introduction of 2G and 3G technology has been adopted by people in rural India who don’t even have electricity, he says, and the influence of cheap android phones is perhaps the biggest driver.
His background made for a perfect fit. Before beginning an MBA in 2012, he studied mechanical engineering at IIT Madras, with an exchange program in UWA Perth during his third year.
One of his first roles was as an engineering consultant and business analyst at a firm in India.
But two years into running Active Analytic, he took a break from the cut and thrust of start-ups. The economic crisis in Europe, he says, presented the maximum opportunity to learn about business, and an MBA in Italy granted him the chance to sample the culture outside of India.
“The diversity in my class really helped; the perception of how to approach a client, the different ways to communicate,” explains Mahek.
When he got back to India and went a second round in the entrepreneurship ring, he says it was easier to find funding from venture capitalists with an MBA degree planted on his CV. “We are still trying to scale-up, but it’s a positive moment,” says Mahek.
If one start-up wasn’t enough, a product management role at [x]cube LABS, a leading mobile consulting firm, surely provided enough excitement. Mahek built software kits for the company and one product has just been nominated for an award.
He still works for the corporation on an ad-hoc basis, but it doesn’t slow him down. “I work very fast, so it’s OK,” he laughs.
The economic instability in other parts of the world has drawn more talent to emerging markets. Active Analytic is now able to hire well, although Mahek says it was initially difficult to draw talent away from HITEC City in Hyderabad. He says they still operate from his home office, but also rent temporary office spaces around the city.
Now that his start-up has some stability, he is hoping to ride the e-commerce wave to new heights in Hyderabad. “Recently, there have been some amazing technology businesses here, and web and mobile products are viewed positively as something which makes services more accessible to consumers,” says Mahek.
“All these e-commerce sites are taking over the market without the market realizing it.”
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