In an exclusive exchange with MediaBrief, Sanjay SagalChairman and Chief Executive Officer, MSys TechnologiesIn this article, I will talk about my professional and entrepreneurial journey and outline how I have helped aspiring entrepreneurs as an angel investor and mentor. He will discuss the current VC investment landscape in India and his outlook for VC funding in 2023.
Segal also discusses recent technological advances and outlines how the tech industry has experienced tectonic shifts. He talks about the evolving nature of influencer marketing and outlines how AI has emerged as one of the leading tools for marketers today. read.
Please give us an overview of MSys Technologies. What was the insight behind the launch of MSys Technologies?
T.The main reason for launching MSys was the lack of a reliable product engineering service provider for innovative startups in the market. This realization came in my own journey as his CEO of a tech start-up company. I recognized the need to address this gap and saw an opportunity to fill it by founding MSys.
I was part of the early evolution of the digital ecosystem and witnessed the whirlwind of internet adoption and gold rush while working in the US. Amidst this surge, we have identified a white space where there are no true product engineering services in the market to help ambitious start-ups reach their full potential. With its unique proposition, MSys Technologies has quickly become a household name, filling a very important gap in the market. As a result, eight of our clients have become unicorns and many have gone public.
This vision of nurturing a digital ecosystem of different brands has evolved into further strengthening the digital division with the acquisition of Mobinius, a leading provider of cross-industry digital, AI/ML and IoT solutions. .
MSys was ranked among the fastest growing companies for the second year in a row from 2018 to 2019. This latest acquisition reflects the company’s dedication to excellence in digital services through its internal CoE.
Tell us about your professional and entrepreneurial journey. How have you helped mentor and mentor venture capitalists?
In my opinion there is no substitute for experience. Some entrepreneurs learn from their own failures, while others learn from being first movers. Others learn from the sustainable growth of their business and the opportunities it provides.
I’ve been lucky enough to learn from all of them and now that enough businesses have grown and acquired more and my head is full of gray hairs, I’m going to take the time to focus on not just the business but the following We aim to build a legacy with like-minded people. to breakthrough.
As an active angel investor, I constantly create content on social media platforms and websites to create an easily and freely accessible pool of knowledge as a preliminary research for entrepreneurs. In addition, we ensure that all requests are heard and answered regardless of the platform users access.
In the current climate of declining VC investment, what should you do to truly stand out?
As an avid angel investor, I’m always on the lookout for ambitious entrepreneurs and their products to better understand how they want to hyperscale their journey. . Here are some tips when approaching potential investors.
When approaching potential investors, it is important to follow certain tips to increase your chances of success. First, we customize the pitch to match the investor’s expertise and background. Instead of giving generic pitches, show why it’s the best fit for your company.
Then, articulate your vision, articulating the goals, strategies and funding needed to realize your brand’s full potential. Third, you should do your homework and be well-informed about industry trends, competitive developments, and relevant facts about operating in a particular industry. This shows your knowledge and readiness.
Fourth, networks are important. Solicitation calls are rarely effective, so find ways to get referrals to your target investors through platforms like LinkedIn, mutual connections at public gatherings, or reaching out to people you know.
Finally, consider asking for advice, not just money. In some cases, the insight and guidance of an experienced leader can be worth more than a large financial investment. By following these tips, you can reach potential investors in a strategic and effective way.
What is the outlook for VC funding in 2023?
While global headwinds have heightened fears of a recession, India’s VC funding outlook remains solid and could have an even better year than 2022. Startups are now becoming more competitive, while the path to hyperscale is increasing competitiveness and efficiency. We focus on sustainable growth and cash burn reduction.
Everyone with a smartphone today is a financial expert. What do you think of this trend, and why should you be careful who you take advice from?
One of the biggest advantages and disadvantages of social media is that it equalizes opinions and voices. Done well, it has created a platform for millions of people to share their talents, valuable insights, and life experiences, making a huge positive difference. But it could also equalize to the point that everyone is an expert without necessarily having experience or qualifications.
Just like checking prices on various platforms before buying, check the veracity of so-called “facts” before believing them. Being eloquent and good looking alone will not give anyone the necessary understanding of a topic.
In fact, we launched a sustainable movement on influence elimination on my social media platforms. Our community talks about different topics that are big myths. For example, not everyone realizes this, but you don’t have to quit your 9-5 job to create wealth.
What areas of marketing and technology are you most interested in? What trends are there to watch out for?
I am fascinated by how influencer marketing has evolved beyond customization to offer narrative-driven, solution-based advertising that delivers real impact.
In the immediate aftermath of the pandemic, time spent on social media skyrocketed, which inflated the content creator economy, ultimately leading brands to redirect budgets to paid collaborations.
As we return to our old lives, creators, viewers, and brands recognize the need to pivot away from this kind of “to your face” advertising, to fit not only viewers, but creators as well. We’ve created an agile approach that cuts each narrative down to what it does. Create a.
AI has emerged as one of the leading tools for marketers today. How will the rise of AI sustain? What are the AI pitfalls behind India’s current infrastructure?
AI is in its early stages and in a country as diverse and fragmented as ours, it is merely an adjunct to see marketing applications such as customer segmentation, chatbots, predictive analytics, and personalized recommendations. It’s not too much.
One of the big challenges, not only for us, but for all industries, will be to upskill our workforce to build efficient teams powered by AI. Advances in AI may not jeopardize jobs, but they can jeopardize your workforce if you don’t learn new technologies. Our goal is to enable seamless integration of AI and teams, creating an unrivaled balance of intelligence and expertise.
Other concerns include data security, AI bias, high infrastructure costs, structural disruption, and many other challenges that arise when experiencing large-scale disruption.
What are your thoughts on AI-based chatbots? What does the arrival of Chat GPT mean for the industry, advertisers, and tech professionals?
The tech industry has been witnessing a seismic shift lately, with thousands of tech professionals out of work, and this resurgence of AI could be just the remedy. The advent of Chat GPT and other AI technologies has created a demand for technical experts responsible for building and maintaining such complex intelligent machines.
Done right, AI has the potential to create a huge job market, and India can work with the system to create new expertise.
This new phase of AI progress also represents a major breakthrough in natural language processing (NLP) technology. As models are developed with millions of interactions, they will adapt further, paving the way to revolutionize the way humans and machines interact.
What makes India’s tech industry avoid tectonic shifts and experience massive layoffs, unlike some other countries?
The Indian technology industry is synonymous with the IT and BPO industries and is also some of the largest services India exports to the world. Tech companies around the world may face major setbacks, but we offer attractive, competitive pricing that makes us a more or less integral part of the digital fabric of the world’s largest tech companies. Not an important part.
In the coming years, India could also become one of the major players in the AI industry, further expanding our capabilities in robotics and strengthening our technological leadership in the global economy.
In the current geopolitical situation, the world’s tech companies are now moving away from major tech hardware suppliers like China, prompting these companies to look to other South Asian players as one of their tech destinations. This has proven beneficial for us as we look to India in the mix.
What are your future plans? What are MSys Technologies’ top priorities and roadmap for 2023?
It is no secret that the world will experience a major recession this year, and we at MSys are well prepared for it. Our policies and actions this year are deeply rooted in employee benefits, developing our strengths in technology, bench strengths, and even reskilling/upgrading some of our employees with new stacks. You will have to create a powerful strategy to get
We also aim to revive AI products and services that have always been ahead of the times. In the pre-ChatGPT era, we had our own version of the AI-powered chatbot that we introduced a few years ago. Beyond this, on a larger level, I feel that the need for technology with empathy will soon become a new belief in replacing technology with experience.
