At BrilliantRead Media, our aim is to bring to our community some of the unique and compelling stories from the start-up ecosystem. As part of this endeavour, we invited Seasoned Entrepreneur – Basavaraj Puttappa, for an exclusive interview with us. Basavaraj is an Investor, Wealth Manager, Tech-leader and Founder & CEO At Zeva Astras. Let’s learn more about his exciting journey as an entrepreneur, way forward and his advice for those starting out!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with him:
Tell us a little bit about your background and your journey as an entrepreneur, please;
I have been a part of the Financial Investment sector for about 16 years. Before founding Zeva Astras I have worked extensively for big financial institutions like Motilal Oswal, Anand Rathi and Reliance Capital.
Tell us more about your start-up and your products/services;
Zeva Astras is a tech-based Private Wealth Management start-up which caters to HNIs and Family Offices. It intends to integrate technology in the wealth management sector. Doing so it aims to mitigate risk on investments and create a healthy environment for investors.
Our Offerings:
1) Portfolio Advisory Services,
2) Deep Mind Learning- AI-driven tool which helps in creating the best investment strategy,
3) Asset Plus- Handles mutual funds,
4) Hedgeloop- In collaboration with technology partner Hedgeloop the service helps formulate risk-free investments through hedging,
6) Ficus Funds- Helps in making long-term investments in balanced portfolios
What’s your USP?
Our USP is our technology and the variety of tools that we provide to our clients. Other firms in the sector heavily depend on manpower to read markets and take decisions. We are completely different in this aspect. The strategies formulated by us are free from human biases and have a strong empirical background. Furthermore, as AI and Deep Machine Learning is involved the readings are updated every second. Thus, the decision window is further used which our investors can leverage. We make the money of our clients work hard as our clients. At an ideological level, the USP of Zeva Astras is that we keep the interest of our investors above everything.
Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a job?
I observed that the traditional approach to wealth management was complex and long-drawn. Furthermore, the formulation of investment strategies was labour intensive. Being associated with the industry, I realised that the two issues are detrimental to investments.
The complexities involved make it very tough to choose the most suitable strategy and thus impacts the overall earning potential of investors. We created Zeva Astras keeping these things in mind and with an aim to create an investment ecosystem which would address these issues. All the technology that we have, has been built on the basis of this vision.
How do you find the industry/niche that you’re in?
It is one of the most promising sectors for the Indian economy. The potential of the wealth management industry is illustrated by the fact that it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 27%.
What gets you out of bed in the morning i.e. what’s your source of motivation?
The source of motivation is the trust of our client’s place on us. We always keep the client’s need above everything.
What challenges/obstacles did you face in your journey so far?
Every business has risks. Our venture faced challenges like no one in the traditional wealth management industry came up to nurture it. They found the concept to be not worth the trouble. We built it from scratch by believing in our vision.
What comes first for you – money or emotions?
Money is important, but the emotion is the driving factor for making money. Our client’s expectations and our dedication towards meeting it is the emotional core of our organization.
What is one strategy that you believe has helped you grow as a person/startup?
The strategy that nurtures us is the motto “Putting the clients need first”.
In your opinion what are the keys to success?
Success in this sector or perhaps in any sector depends on how you behave with clients. During my struggle, I understood that its always your behaviour that makes or breaks you. You should always maintain your integrity and be responsible towards your clients that’s the mantra for success.
What advice would you give to someone starting out as an aspiring entrepreneur?
Out of experience, I have learnt not to commit to every ‘cool’ project that comes my way. In the initial days of my career, I used to take on so many projects that it affected my productivity. Now, I only choose projects that challenge me.
As Derek Sivers (founder of CDBaby) once said, “It is either Hell Yes! Or Flat No.”
Moreover, I have learnt to accept failures in a constructive way, using it to strive for betterment.
BrilliantRead is committed to bringing stories from the startup ecosystem, stories that reshape our perspective, add value to our community and be a constant source of motivation not just for our community but also for the whole ecosystem of entrepreneurs and aspiring individuals.
Note: If you have a similar story to share with our audience and would like to be featured on our online magazine, then please write to us at [email protected], we will review your story and extend an invitation to feature if it is worth publishing.
