Today, we showcase activecubes, a global firm providing Analytics Services with associated Technology Solutions. A yet another top-30 startups at TATA NEN hottest startups, this year. I got a chance to interview Mr. Anand GCP – Head Sales and Marketing at activecubes. Anand is an IIM-B passout and needless to mention, a dynamic marketer.
“activecubes”, an interesting name! What made you sought this name? Any other names you thought of while brainstorming?
The firm originally had a different name when it was started in Jan 2007…over the next 6 months it became clear that the name had to reflect the space we operate in, be simple and global and where we had url rights (www.activecubes.com). This name was picked by a vote – amongst various choices generated internally!
What drove the idea of activecubes that lead to its successful inception? The Inspiration behind it…
Rajesh Varrier (CEO) was the person who floated the idea that there was a gap between actionable business insights and what was currently being delivered (either by traditional consulting or by traditional IT). Most firms seemed to be data rich, but information poor. A firm needs to truly straddle “Consulting + Analytics + Business Intelligence + Associated Technology” in order to bring in actionable insights to its clients.
The other key is to make sure that the core team (be it the founding team or be it the core set of employees) needs to bridge the gap between what needs to be done and the skills they internally have. In the case of activecubes, the founding team of 7 (Rajesh Varrier, Kiran Ventrapragada, Prabhu Gutta, Ajay Pulpa, Anand Sam, AnandGCP and K Ramachandran) had about 100 person years of experience between them in various function lines, in various geographies, running various profit centers in large firms…a good idea and a good team that could successfully implement the same is the foundation to success.
Who are the team members apart from you and what are their roles at activecubes?
Your site sounds very promising and bright, Can you tell us about any Achilles' heel, you’ve faced and rectified, about your enterprise? As knowing the both sides of a coin makes an entrepreneur worth calling an entrepreneur.
As with any young firm, we’ve changed numerous things at the firm. Anything that makes us even more client focused is welcome. What we have however ensured is that the business model is sound and has been validated (thorough client contacts, senior well-wishers who understand this space, the VC community and personal interviews with other players in this space) and any change we make is a thought through response to the market…
What we are constantly working on is refining operational detail, since the crux is in a executing well a planned strategy.
“To be the best in solving business problems.” A part of your vision; what has been the most frequently upcoming problem your clients face? And how exactly do you propose to solve it?
activecubes works across verticals – we have found that while many problems across industries have the same core ‘problems’ behind it, our cross-fertilization skills also helps think through credible solutions for the same.
Our approach involves the following 5 steps:
Clearly state the business problem
Build some probable initial hypothesis to be validated
Collate existing quantitative data from all sources – internal and external. Collate other influencing factors which may be qualitative in nature. If need be, work with the IT team to ensure right data is in place.
Analyze data in step 3. If needed, refine step 2. Repeat steps 2-3-4 till there are credible solution options.
Discuss these options with business owner and help decide on best path forward.
What makes us unique is that our internal team can handle the “Consulting + Business Analytics + Business Intelligence/ Technology” roadmap in entirety. Every step and approach has a “Business + IT” angle that has been built into the process.
Can you come up with some advantages that activecubes enjoys vis-à-vis the larger companies?
We offer better solutions to business problems that have a foundation in both the business issue as well as the technology supporting it. Our unique frameworks help us create, validate and deploy solutions faster at a client site. We are also more flexible to client needs and can give them a more customized approach. We are one of the few companies that has a team which handles both ‘Analytics + related technology’ in entirety. The enthusiastic set of consultants who work on projects have pedigrees in the IITs, IIMs, ISI, etc and work very well as a coherent team.
Does the notion of innovation, being an indispensible factor for a firm’s growth, fit in activecubes? If yes, how?
Absolutely. Even if one starts with a great idea, it must be constantly refined, since the lead time to catch up with the best is very short.
An idea could be one of (1) a new product itself (2) A new approach of doing traditional things. Both are very credible alternatives. An idea is only one half of the secret sauce…the key is in repeated successful execution.
The crux is to make sure that the entire customer experience is customized to suite their individual needs – time after time.
Please review the best Revenue model you’ve figured out for yourself?
Our current clients are based in USA, Australia and India. Since they are across verticals, we are able to cross-fertilize ideas from one group to another. It also helps de-risk the firm in the current economic situation. Over a period of time, we would expand to other markets.
Do you guys train the people you hire? Can you share the modus operandi with us?
Yes we do….while a certain percentage of the team is highly experienced (15+ years of experience), we also have smart young recruits who shadow the seniors on engagements. This helps evolve a uniform culture for the firm…and at the same time, ensure that other professionally relevant skills are picked up.
Where do you see activecubes in two years? What strategies are you planning to implement that can be an evolution to your statistics?
activecubes, over the short term, would be working across multiple clients and geographies. We would be seen as a gold standard for helping companies solve their business issues – based on statistical analysis of data. We would develop on our existing process and IP which will help clients get credible actionable insights much faster.
The team is global in both thought as well as action; both with the geographical client mix as well as the location of the leadership team.
Just to make an impact, few of our achievements include;
Can you acknowledge us of your clients? How many clients do you have recently?
We are in the midst of exciting projects in Australia, India & US. We've developed a Customer Retention Strategy for a Lifestyle Beauty Clinic. We're working on a project for a top Rugby Team to increase their Win Ratio. We are also working for a leading Pharma R&D Company on their Supply Chain Vendor Optimization. We are also tied up with a Global Beverage company to help improve Market Share for a specific product. Other engagements are around building a robust business intelligence solution.
What our consultants like best is that projects are so very exciting that it helps push their creative boundaries as well as hone their statistical/ technical skills.
Your past best experience with activecubes? Any encouraging messages?
The entire journey has been phenomenal! What is really heartwarming is that most friends have been very generous with their time. They have been a source of support for us in many ways - connecting us with prospective clients, prospective employees or simply providing moral support that is so important for a young firm. We see a great future ahead for clients & colleagues who partner with activecubes.
Interview: activecubes - Intelligent insights. Informed decisions
By : praval
activecubes – The 7 founders.
Following is a short conversation with Anand;
“activecubes”, an interesting name! What made you sought this name? Any other names you thought of while brainstorming?
The firm originally had a different name when it was started in Jan 2007…over the next 6 months it became clear that the name had to reflect the space we operate in, be simple and global and where we had url rights (www.activecubes.com). This name was picked by a vote – amongst various choices generated internally!
What drove the idea of activecubes that lead to its successful inception? The Inspiration behind it…
Rajesh Varrier (CEO) was the person who floated the idea that there was a gap between actionable business insights and what was currently being delivered (either by traditional consulting or by traditional IT). Most firms seemed to be data rich, but information poor. A firm needs to truly straddle “Consulting + Analytics + Business Intelligence + Associated Technology” in order to bring in actionable insights to its clients.
The other key is to make sure that the core team (be it the founding team or be it the core set of employees) needs to bridge the gap between what needs to be done and the skills they internally have. In the case of activecubes, the founding team of 7 (Rajesh Varrier, Kiran Ventrapragada, Prabhu Gutta, Ajay Pulpa, Anand Sam, AnandGCP and K Ramachandran) had about 100 person years of experience between them in various function lines, in various geographies, running various profit centers in large firms…a good idea and a good team that could successfully implement the same is the foundation to success.
Who are the team members apart from you and what are their roles at activecubes?
The leadership team profile:
Varrier Rajesh : CEO
Ventrapragada Kiran : Head - Technology
Sam Anand : Head - Business Intelligence
Rook Timothy : Head - Australia Sales
Pulpa Ajay : Head - USA Operations
Kallankara Ramachandran : Head - Analytics
Gutta Prabhu K : Director
Chennira Anand GCP : Head - Global Sales and Marketing
Your site sounds very promising and bright, Can you tell us about any Achilles' heel, you’ve faced and rectified, about your enterprise? As knowing the both sides of a coin makes an entrepreneur worth calling an entrepreneur.
As with any young firm, we’ve changed numerous things at the firm. Anything that makes us even more client focused is welcome. What we have however ensured is that the business model is sound and has been validated (thorough client contacts, senior well-wishers who understand this space, the VC community and personal interviews with other players in this space) and any change we make is a thought through response to the market…
What we are constantly working on is refining operational detail, since the crux is in a executing well a planned strategy.
“To be the best in solving business problems.” A part of your vision; what has been the most frequently upcoming problem your clients face? And how exactly do you propose to solve it?
activecubes works across verticals – we have found that while many problems across industries have the same core ‘problems’ behind it, our cross-fertilization skills also helps think through credible solutions for the same.
Our approach involves the following 5 steps:
What makes us unique is that our internal team can handle the “Consulting + Business Analytics + Business Intelligence/ Technology” roadmap in entirety. Every step and approach has a “Business + IT” angle that has been built into the process.
Can you come up with some advantages that activecubes enjoys vis-à-vis the larger companies?
We offer better solutions to business problems that have a foundation in both the business issue as well as the technology supporting it. Our unique frameworks help us create, validate and deploy solutions faster at a client site. We are also more flexible to client needs and can give them a more customized approach. We are one of the few companies that has a team which handles both ‘Analytics + related technology’ in entirety. The enthusiastic set of consultants who work on projects have pedigrees in the IITs, IIMs, ISI, etc and work very well as a coherent team.
Does the notion of innovation, being an indispensible factor for a firm’s growth, fit in activecubes? If yes, how?
Absolutely. Even if one starts with a great idea, it must be constantly refined, since the lead time to catch up with the best is very short.
An idea could be one of (1) a new product itself (2) A new approach of doing traditional things. Both are very credible alternatives. An idea is only one half of the secret sauce…the key is in repeated successful execution.
The crux is to make sure that the entire customer experience is customized to suite their individual needs – time after time.
Please review the best Revenue model you’ve figured out for yourself?
Our current clients are based in USA, Australia and India. Since they are across verticals, we are able to cross-fertilize ideas from one group to another. It also helps de-risk the firm in the current economic situation. Over a period of time, we would expand to other markets.
Do you guys train the people you hire? Can you share the modus operandi with us?
Yes we do….while a certain percentage of the team is highly experienced (15+ years of experience), we also have smart young recruits who shadow the seniors on engagements. This helps evolve a uniform culture for the firm…and at the same time, ensure that other professionally relevant skills are picked up.
Where do you see activecubes in two years? What strategies are you planning to implement that can be an evolution to your statistics?
activecubes, over the short term, would be working across multiple clients and geographies. We would be seen as a gold standard for helping companies solve their business issues – based on statistical analysis of data. We would develop on our existing process and IP which will help clients get credible actionable insights much faster.
The team is global in both thought as well as action; both with the geographical client mix as well as the location of the leadership team.
Just to make an impact, few of our achievements include;
Can you acknowledge us of your clients? How many clients do you have recently?
We are in the midst of exciting projects in Australia, India & US. We've developed a Customer Retention Strategy for a Lifestyle Beauty Clinic. We're working on a project for a top Rugby Team to increase their Win Ratio. We are also working for a leading Pharma R&D Company on their Supply Chain Vendor Optimization. We are also tied up with a Global Beverage company to help improve Market Share for a specific product. Other engagements are around building a robust business intelligence solution.
What our consultants like best is that projects are so very exciting that it helps push their creative boundaries as well as hone their statistical/ technical skills.
Your past best experience with activecubes? Any encouraging messages?
The entire journey has been phenomenal! What is really heartwarming is that most friends have been very generous with their time. They have been a source of support for us in many ways - connecting us with prospective clients, prospective employees or simply providing moral support that is so important for a young firm. We see a great future ahead for clients & colleagues who partner with activecubes.