I have always aspired to become a strong businessman adding years of my learnings and value to the education industry. While after completing Civil Engineering I had no clarity of what to study ahead or major in, BITS provided me a lot of exposure and time to focus be it extra-curricular activities, sports, seminars or conferences.

Right from my college days in BITS, in my tenure as the President of Sports clubs, I believed in making an impact to greater masses for a noble cause. BITS gave me the chance to realize sports not only helps you to keep in shape, but also, it teaches us time management, helps build relationship with your peers and mental stamina. I fondly reminisce the time I had to make a presentation to the CEO of Coca Cola to persuade him to sponsor the event. Sports teaches you both acceptance and rejection, which are the steps to succeeding. ‘The Breast Cancer’ awareness event at BITS which included matches and events were all taken up by me in the spirit of spreading awareness and sensitizing people.

The turning point in my life from a Civil Engineer to an edupreneur was the opportunity thrown at me by BITS where I learnt to market and gain sponsors for events. I earnestly thank BITS for this exposure; this attracted me towards management, education, impact. Through these events at BITS, I learnt that I am good at strategic planning, cross-functional team leadership, social entrepreneurship, e-learning and business management.

I am a staunch environmentalist and have been part of many awareness programmes and core member of ‘Haritha Haram’ programme launched by Honourable Chief Minister of Telangana State. In 2015, I launched the Wheelathon Foundation as the President and Co-Founder. Our motto ‘Safer, Greener, Fitter’ Hyderabad focused to promote the culture of cycling to express support to the under privileged sports enthusiasts, which later diversified into various themes concerning Drug and Smoke free city, Wheeling for Greening, Sustainability and Well Being, Save Water over the following 5 years. Presently, my family and I are deeply invested in doing everything possible for the environment. I am proud to be associated with my father Shri Malka Komaraiah, together we run the green energy/plastic replacement initiative – EcoBharat. At EcoBharat, my vision is to create a sustainable future with reduced ecological impact, reduced, wastage, reduced environmental pollution and development of a green ecosystem. EcoBharat is my way of giving back to Mother Earth.

Through the years, I’ve realized entrepreneurship is exciting, but it comes with its own risks. I took upon myself that challenges are exhilarating rather than fear inducing, especially because I had to brave more than just the usual static friction right at the beginning of my career. The pandemic compelled us to change the existing network and pattern of working. The whole concept of remote teaching, breaking the geographical barriers, global reach, reaching out different skills to students to keep the students engaged in that situation intrigued me. Our plan to completely shift the education platform to a virtual mode and make it functional to cater to more than 35000 students, training the teachers and supporting staff to adapt, managing the team, creating tools for audit and quality function, seamlessly shift that too within a limited period felt like spreading my wings to the unknown.

As an entrepreneur and mentor, to all the young entrepreneurs I’d say, believe in yourself and your product, focus on learning your business as thoroughly as possible, don’t restrict yourself to the subject you have majored in. Try to listen to people more than you talk, be engaged in your goal, keep yourself abreast with the technology developments, learn the art of risk taking, and finally read whatever you can lay your hands on to learn. Strike your balance between being humble and confident, solve a problem that no one has solved. Failures are great teachers, take it as an opportunity to learn. ‘All work and no play make Jack a dull boy’ give enough time for yourself to enjoy too to get over the monotony.