As part of our relentless pursuit to identify and share some of the compelling stories from the startup ecosystem around the world, this week we invited passionate gaming entrepreneur KS Kathiravan for an exclusive interview with us.
But first, more about him. He is the Founder And CEO At Gioco Tech Pte Ltd. Through his startup Gioco, he is pursuing his dream of building a platform that will become the backbone for connecting and supporting the gaming community. An avid gamer since seven, he began conceptualizing Gioco in mid-2017 and is now responsible for the strategic direction of the organization and it’s flagship product, the Gioco App.
Prior to founding Gioco, his dream project, Kathiravan has spearheaded the planning, conceptualization, development of marketing communications, public relations of a multi-national shipping company and six starts-up involved in FinTech, Agriculture, F&B and Properties over a span of 10 years. Kathiravan holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications from the University of Oklahoma, USA.
Let’s read more in detail about his startup, his journey as an entrepreneur so far and his advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with him;
Tell us a little bit about yourself, your journey as an entrepreneur and where did the idea to start something like this come from, please;
After completing my degree in mass communications, I joined a multi-national shipping company. There, I spearheaded the planning, conceptualization and development of their business collaterals as well as oversee the internal and external communications for about seven years. During the last year, I became increasingly curious with the mechanics of businesses and it drove me out of my comfort zone into entrepreneurship.
While I was exploring my options, I was fortunate to be offered an opportunity to be part of an investment company that focused on Agriculture in Southeast Asia. Being introduced to many start-ups in the agriculture scene, I quickly learnt about fund-raising, executing business strategies amongst others. In addition, I had the privilege to play small roles in the founders’ other businesses as well. I believe having seen how multiple businesses grow or failed during this period played a vital role to whom I am today as an entrepreneur.
The desire to start my own company in gaming sparked during a LinkedIn course. It was something of an eureka moment because gaming was a hobby that stuck with since I was seven, having played both casually and competitively. It was a habit of mine to not just play but to also bring friends into the hobby as well as organise tournaments and gatherings. It was this habit in addition to how fond I was with LinkedIn’s ability to showcase its users’ strengths and experiences and connect them together to achieve greater career goals that eventually led me to pursue my own entrepreneurial journey to start Gioco – a community-building platform designed for gamers.
Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a job?
So based on the experience + interest + passion + connections + support and push of my friends, family and peers within the industry, I had to give it a shot. Taking the dive into entrepreneurship is scary, not for the faint-hearted, but with the right motivation and necessary precautions, it could be a very heart-warming experience.
I fell in love with the process of building businesses from ideation during my stint at the investment company, that I knew I would never see myself at a regular job ever again.
The adrenaline rush I experienced with every little challenge we conquered was addictive; be it us pushing our limits to bring the form to our ideas, bringing in investments, solving day to day problems and looking out for partnerships and collaborations opportunities. There’s rarely a dull day with so much going on.
What gets you out of bed in the morning i.e. what’s your source of motivation?
I think a person is blessed when they can work on something, they are truly passionate about. As for me, gaming has always been my favourite form of entertainment and to finally be part of this industry is reason enough. I never really saw myself putting a complete stop to my involvement in gaming when it was a hobby and now that I’m involved in it as a business; it got a lot more fun since I get to meet a lot of talented people in the industry, get the chance to see what happens behind game development and even get my hands on games before they get released. Work just got a lot more fun.
What challenges/obstacles did you face in your journey so far?
When we began, pitching the idea was quite a challenge as many of the investors we met initially were not familiar with the gaming scene; it took multiple attempts, but we eventually got better at how we sold our idea. We worked on our strengths and did a lot of groundwork in terms of surveys and forged multiple partnerships to bolster the business plan as well as turned our weakness into opportunities. I personally am glad it wasn’t an easy path as these challenges did make us combat them in innovative ways and made as more adapt to new challenges.
How do you handle the pressure and manage stress?
When facing difficult times, I manage this by taking a step away from the problem to talk to someone who is better equipped or I get some personal reading done to better understand the problem before facing it again with a fresh perspective. I try to stay positive to be honest, knowing there’s always that light at the end of the tunnel if I try harder. Other times, I just take a break and turn to games and in doing so, I get fresh ideas. It’s quite interesting because how many people can say their destressing method is productive work?
What is one strategy that you believe has helped you grow as a person?
One of my favourite takeaways from my time at Uni was my lecturers’ advice to stay connected with our surroundings. It involves a lot of simple actions; be it taking that brochure that’s handed out to you, listening to conversations by staying earphones free to the simple act of asking why.
It can be surprising what you can learn from these little actions and like how Steve Jobs puts it when you connect the dots, it may eventually become relevant. That brochure you took might be the business you need for your next partnership or its visual appeal just gave you an idea for your next project design. Perhaps that conversation you focused on could be the missing puzzle in user analysis.
Cultivating this habit has helped me improve not just my observational skills but has also made me stay relevant to the happenings around me and many times, the little information I’ve gathered along the way has eventually found some use in my journey.
In your opinion what are the keys to success?
1) Forgoing
2) Cultivating
3) Acknowledging
I believe forgoing the fixed mindset and cultivating the growth mindset as well as acknowledging mistakes when they occur instead of pretending it did not happen are three keys to success.
What advice would you give to someone starting out as an aspiring entrepreneur?
Always remember why you began this journey, the passion and all. It won’t be an easy ride, but it will be worthwhile. I also believe in adding value to the people around you by supporting and encouraging their growth. You will be surprised how the seeds you plant today will eventually turn out to benefit your cause.
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.
