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Startup > My Story > Abhishek Vinod Singh
Abhishek Vinod Singh

Abhishek Vinod Singh

Co-Founder and CEO
DbyDx Software

Short Description

I am the Co-founder and CEO of DbyDx Software

Brief about company, offerings and foundation of the company

Founded in 2005, DbyDx Software is a global leader in Mobility Solutions with core competency in Mobile Application Development and strong commitment to provide premium quality solutions to customers by combining the creative zing of developers with high-end DbyDx Hybrid Extreme Programming (DbyDx HXP) approach.We ‘Differentiate Business with Technology’ by providing innovative, cost-effective high-end best-in-class mobility and product engineering life-cycle solutions to the global IT industry while Combining our expertise from our Centers of Excellence for Software Development, Quality Assurance & Testing, Web Application and Engineering Services and Experience in Mobile Application development, Rich Internet Application (RIA) Development & Quality Assurance we develop applications for multiple platforms including iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, Symbian, Windows Mobile, J2ME to Palm Pre and more.Using our domain expertise and a holistic approach towards software development and consultancy, we provide our clients with innovative solutions custom built for specific requirements while optimizing their cost of ownership of technology investments.We follow optimum and efficient utilization of resources in order to provide the best in class service to our clients. DbyDx Software provides 360-degree support and end-to-end expertise in mobility solutions harnessing contemporary and state-of-the-art concepts. Our complete life cycle solutions include research, design, development, testing, porting, maintenance, support and services. Our Service Offerings include Ideation (Concept–To-Product), Product Engineering Services, Quality Assurance, Outsourced Research and Development, Strategic Mobility Consulting, Mobile Application Testing and complete Product Support.

Risks involved in business and way of addressing

Technology is constantly evolving and changing. It’s only a matter of 6 months to one year that it will be outdated.  Even before you realize the new technology already over shadows the earlier version to an extent that they almost become obsolete in a short span of time.  Hence, for developers and programmers in our business it is vital to be updated with the upcoming changes and developments, therefore Mobile Application Development business faces the major challenge to be ‘Agile’ in every aspect of technology.At DbyDx Software, our R & D Teams work diligently to regularly track the technological developments so that we respond rapidly to the product changes and hence invest in emerging technologies which are yet to make an impact in the technology world. For Example, even before the launch of BB10 we have developed and released our application – “Universal Whiteboard” developed on the BB10 platform recently.

Most critical decision

Within the span of less than two years we realized that we have to foresee the trend in the industry and take our business through the same. In 2007, when very few people owned smartphones and when App Stores were not much heard about, that was a time we completely shifted our focused on to mobility solutions. Although against the normal conventions, this helped us to differentiate ourselves and lead the way for others in the Mobility Solution industry as even before the app stores were launched, the platforms matured, we were ready with our applications and solutions for the same. Due this reason, DbyDx Software has been growing exponentially and had even registered a growth of 152 percent during the economic downturn.

My thoughts related to entrepreneurship/ leadership and management

Golden Rule to be a leader is to practice what you Preach. As a leader you should always understand that before expecting others to follow a certain behavior or rule, you should follow it yourself. Leading by example will only make it easier for people reporting to you or working for you to better understand the rules, ethics or guidelines with which you conduct yourself and hence accept you as their leader.

As a leader how I make sure that I am connecting the right dots

For a Leader, it is very important to be clear about your goal and plan for your future well in advance. We plan for long term goals and share our vision with the team; hence, our business has been stable even growing during the turbulent times. With experience we have learnt that short term goals get you only this much far but for a long run future planning is a must. For example, during the economic downturn, DbyDx recorded a phenomenal growth of 152 percent.

Different actions if I rebuild my company from scratch all over again
Every new start-up faces its share of challenges whether in terms of finances or client contacts, structuring or management etc. However, we have been fortunate on this aspect as we had been planning on this company project for more than two years before its foundation.Even though our growth figures have always been great in terms of a SME sector however, it has been slow according to our plans. And if we were to rebuild DbyDx Software from scratch all over again then we would invest large amount of money upfront to grow much faster in the initial years.
Best company I admire globally
For me the Best Company is DbyDx Software as we have worked hard to bring it to this height. However, I admire Apple Inc. as it has brought a revolution in the technology world.
Way of choosing my people
Finding the right talent, developing and nurturing them into subject- matter experts is quite a challenge when it comes to fresh-hires from Campus placement. We have devised a unique way to separate the crowd from cream. The best way to sift the learners from crammers is to give them a challenging task. Apart from testing their Aptitude we have a unique Programming test designed especially for Campus Placements. At DbyDx, we have developed our own programming language called ‘D’. The literature/documentation manual for ‘D’ is shared with the aspiring candidates to study and then give the test. Once successfully passing the test, these new hires are given adequate training sessions to bring them into the main stream. Every new hire goes through the mandatory training program and then gets to work along an SME on the platform.
Also, DbyDx promotes an open door policy and a culture wherein it is not mandatory to follow the hierarchy to reach out to any of the senior management for discussing career goals or other matters. Various other facilities and cultural activities help motivate employees to be a part of the organization. As already said, (Ref. Q 4), we believe in Growth oriented culture where Employees grow along with the Company.
Motivation and Drives factor
We are a pure technology oriented company. Our biggest motivation is Technology. Every client and project has a unique requirement and technology gives us the tool to develop tailored solutions customized as per the client’s/customers unique business need. What drives us is the way we deliver innovative solutions to the unique business requirements of these customers and develop new innovative products for the end-user.
The challenges and lessons learnt to get first customer
Immediately after DbyDx Software was founded, we were looking for potential customers but to our surprise, our first major client was none other than our old employer. As soon we resigned and established the business, we were delighted to work for our first client on a major project. The confidence that they had in our venture helped us motivate ourselves and we started working on multiple technologies to cater to different client needs for bigger projects.  We used to decide on which technology to work on and then find potential customers for those technologies and bid for projects.Like every other start-ups we had our share of challenges - convincing customers, finding scalable ways to acquire customers, small teams and management challenges, finances etc. However, the challenges now are much more complex but we did learn that when you are ready with your business plan do not delay the process further. The early you begin the better chances of your being successful. There is no point in sitting over and pondering over the business idea/plan for years.
My role at different dimensions as the company evolved
Initially, we were a team of only four people with the common inclination towards entrepreneurship but we were the one who were working on the projects in terms of coding, programming, developing and designing the solutions.  Even though, we were thoroughly enjoying the process as it was a dream come true, however, as the company grew in terms of profits, business and resources, we realized that we need to move out of execution and move towards operations and start expanding business.  Thus from coders, programmers, developers & designers we moved on to become the strategic partners and divided the set of roles between us so that there is clear demarcation of the work area in terms of operations and management. Since then, DbyDx has seen exponential growth in business.
Advice for fellow entrepreneurs
As I already said, First, “Don’t Think Too Long to start your Business” and secondly, ‘Be a leader who leads by example.