What challenges did you face while scaling to a country like Australia? How did you manage to pitch Hort Innovation to invest in Polybee?

We have all overseas customers and were affected by Covid and the lockdowns since we were cut off from them. However, we battled it by keeping customers excited and maintained contact by working with partners, such as Horticulture Innovation, who would advise and de-risk our journey.

Hort Innovation is a grower-owned company that invests funds in new technologies. Australia doesn’t have bumblebees, so there is a lot of uncertainty about pollination. That’s where our company stepped in with a solution. We reached out to them in the early days, just before the pandemic started, and began deploying in Australia after it got over. We obtained sufficient capital from them, and they introduced us to some of the biggest Australian companies who are now our customers.

We’re also active in other overseas markets, like the Netherlands, where we reached out to big agriculture companies and although we didn’t have as much support as in Australia. we still got customers to directly sign contracts with us.

All in all, there’s no sure way - one needs to think on their feet and be proactive. Even today, it is an ongoing pursuit, and team members spend weeks and months in these countries to make things better.

How did BITS Goa help you in your future path and shape where you are today? What advice do you give to the current students unsure of their paths?

As for BITS’ role, I’d say it was my time at TEDx, which I was the curator of in 2015. The role’s financial responsibility, interviewing experience, and lessons on how to get people excited through effective narratives and storytelling were valuable experiences in hindsight.

In a slightly different way, BITS’ unique thesis program with the overseas option gave me my first exposure to research, which was how I was even involved with the National University of Singapore.

I would ask students to prioritize curiosity and learning through experience above all else. Instead of hinging happiness on a certain job or degree program, enjoying the learning process and discovering what you’re interested in is far more important.

Lastly, BITS is known for its start-up culture. What is your advice to entrepreneurs just starting out?

Just chase the problem that truly excites you, and make sure you find the right sphere for you. Getting a business up and running is such a long and exhausting journey, so ensure you start something that makes you want to wake up every day and go to it. That excitement comes and goes sometimes, but you should allow yourself to stay convinced that you’ll do this for the next 5-10 years. Be passionate about what you do. Even if it doesn’t work out that's okay - there are plenty of problems that are yet to be solved.