VMPL
New Delhi [India], May 20: India's growth story is reflected in the global expansion of its businesses, the transformative power of AI-led innovation, and the rising influence of its youth - 65% of whom are under 35. From driving entrepreneurship and leadership to shaping sustainability, technology, and policy, their contribution is turning bold aspirations into real and measurable impact.
The "Crafting Bharat - Season 2" powered by AWS Startups, an initiative by NewsReach, in association with VCCircle, and production partner - HT Smartcast, explores how startups are harnessing the power of the cloud to accelerate growth, optimise operations, and building solutions that will define the India of Tomorrow. This series is hosted by Gautam Srinivasan, famed for hosting a diverse range of TV and digital programs, currently consulting editor at CNBC (India), CNN-News18, Forbes India, and The Economic Times.
In this episode, we spotlight Abhishek Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of Mygate, who are enhancing the living experience through their technology. He discusses about how their solution is making gated communities more secure, making the world's most comprehensive community management platform and how AWS was instrumental in making them reliable and resilient for the communities.
In this series, explore inspiring startup stories that are shifting gears and sparking innovation across sectors, all contributing to India's transformation into a developed nation by 2047 in this captivating series.
Watch the episode here:
https://youtu.be/0a2o0mVTUBY?si=XJWVGzOSWR79NaNm
Edited Excerpts:
Segment 1: Ignite
You identified the security guard as the weakest point and the strongest point in operating the product and shadowed them. What confirmed the thesis that you could be creating a killer app?
People often live with small, persistent problems--what we call manageable pain--until a better solution appears. When we shared our idea, early conviction came from investors eager to support us. Later, Resident Welfare Associations resonated deeply with our product, especially around security. While shadowing guards, we discovered even greater opportunities, like easing daily frustrations with house help check-ins--problems residents accepted until they saw a better way.
Take us through your roadmap for product growth and how it evolved from solving the problem statements of gate and security to becoming the one stop operating system?
From day one, our mindset as founders was clear--we focused on solving core security issues while partnering on non-core problems. With an open API architecture, we integrated key services like prepaid meters, water systems, and e-commerce, evolving into a one-stop solution that simplifies life for residents through a unified platform. That is how we became a One-Stop solutions app which provides core solutions that we are good at along with other solutions which are a part of our ecosystem approach.
Segment 2: Launch
As the Indian customer grows more privacy and data security conscious, how is Mygate retooling itself to be more compliant to the DPDP act considering you were already GDPR compliant?
Protecting resident data has been a core value since day one, driven by our founders' strong ethos. In 2019, we proactively became GDPR-ready, incorporating key principles like the right to be forgotten, transparency on data access, and consent-based processes. Though GDPR doesn't apply to India, this approach naturally aligned us with the DPDP Act, requiring minimal adjustments when it was implemented in 2023, reinforcing our commitment to data security.
Sub-segment: Boost
Mygate has been an AWS customer since its inception and the entire app is hosted on AWS. Give us a glimpse of how AWS has helped to improve your business resilience and value proposition?
A strong foundation is key to any successful venture, and for our technology, AWS has been that pillar. Over our nine-year journey, AWS has played a crucial role in Mygate's growth, from launching as a gate security app to validating 4 million daily visits and building our advertising framework. Our smart devices and locks also run on AWS. With 24/7 reliability essential to our business, AWS solutions like ECS, DynamoDB, and ElastiCache ensure seamless scalability and stability. Our partnership remains strong and enduring.
Segment 3: Orbit
What's the next milestone in terms of 'people impact' that you are looking forward to as you expand to more cities?
We recognized early that gated communities are thriving hubs of commerce. Over time, they have expanded from 200 homes to townships of 20,000 homes, forming mini economies. This growth presents vast opportunities, especially for the blue-collar workforce, who are now part of the Mygate ecosystem. Our recently launched Saarthi App connects house help, drivers, and caretakers with local job openings. Additionally, we see potential in integrating in-community businesses--salons, grocery stores, and home entrepreneurs--enabling residents to discover and engage with local services seamlessly.
What's your best-case scenario for growth while India grows as you hedge your bets between community-based solutions and individual centered solutions?
We never launched products with a hedging mindset and remain committed to gated communities. As they continue to thrive, we are evolving from a community operating system to a living experience tech company, solving everyday urban challenges. Expanding beyond gated communities, we now aim to enhance independent homeowners' living experiences. We are approaching this journey cautiously, starting with Smart Locks, which received a positive response. Based on this success, we will carefully evaluate our future product launches.
As Bharat progresses toward 2047, the vision of Viksit Bharat will be driven by the collective ambition of a nation that is evolving, innovating, and redefining its role on the global stage.
Stay tuned to Crafting Bharat - Season 2 as we bring you these inspiring entrepreneurs for insightful and candid discussion with Gautam Srinivasan.
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