At BrilliantRead Media, we always strive to bring some of the meaningful and powerful stories from India and around the world to empower and motivate our growing community of entrepreneurs, investors, management students and aspiring entrepreneurs. This week we invited Kunal Karani for an interview with us. He is a Passionate Entrepreneur, Investor, Business Consultant, Growth Strategist and Crypto Expert. Let’s learn more about his inspiring journey so far and his advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Kunal:
Talk us through your background and your journey as an entrepreneur, please;
A 3-time entrepreneur with a deep understanding of several industries. I have worked with Toyota Tsusho where he was managing the supply chain process for a range of stainless steel products. As a Purdue University alumnus, I try to bring to the table extensive international experience after spending a good part of my life in the US and Japan.
My focus has been new-age technologies that are causing a paradigm shift in the way the world does business. I have proactively contributed to digital transformation by driving the mass adoption of blockchain technology.
It all started back in 2013 when I did not get my H1-B work visa in the US, I decided to move to India to prepare for Gmat. Despite getting into the B-school I wanted to go to, I ended up not going. The reason for this was I met my first business partner in Mumbai, and before I knew it, my journey of entrepreneurship had started. I had started and failed in businesses in various spaces such as the OTT, influencer marketing, nightlife and entertainment.”
In late 2016 I was introduced to the world of blockchain and cryptocurrency. I have worked with various crypto exchanges, clients from more than 6 countries for blockchain implementation. I was an employee at some companies, founder at some.
In 2020 when Covid-19 hit I decided it was time to crack innovation and entrepreneurship from the investment side. Hence decided to invest as an Angel investor to work with entrepreneurs and startups who had amazing ideas but not the correct network and resources to reach a commercial scale.
We are aware of all the good work you are doing in your space, what keeps you going?
I enjoy when I see my products in the open market or in the hands of clients, and they like using what they have i.e. Customer satisfaction with my products.
Another factor that really keeps me going is meeting new people. When I moved to India in 2013 I barely knew anyone, but slowly started networking and meeting new individuals, and started learning from everyone I met. I still try to have a chat with one new person every week.
I believe every person you meet has something interesting to offer.
Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a corporate career?
After being in corporate America for a Year, and having internships in the past as well, I realized a 9-5 job isn’t for me. Yes, the stability and regular source of income are always good, but that got very boring very quickly. Coming from a family where my great grandad moved to Japan from India to start his own business, and 3 generations of entrepreneurs, I thought why not try my hand at becoming an entrepreneur.
Please share with us some of the challenges you faced in your journey;
I have failed, I have been broke. The reasons for this was some products were just not a right fit for the market, and we would force the product to launch without listening to our users/customers.
There were many times early on in my career where I thought people were not taking me seriously, or the thought that in certain cases. The longer I was in the space, the more people I spoke to, my confidence started building.
I have also faced challenges where the products I was building were too early for their time, but I gave up, I urge others to stick to their gut when facing a similar situation, they should continue working on it.
What is your business mantra: Money or Emotions?
My Mantra would be honesty and transparency. I always believe building an honest and transparent business will lead to money sooner or later.
How do you handle the pressure and manage stress?
I have been blessed with having a very supportive social circle and an amazing family. Surprisingly some of my closest friends are entrepreneurs I have met during the initial days of my journey. These friends and I share our stories, problems, and discuss potential opportunities. I also call myself lucky to have found some like-minded peers which have stayed on to become very close friends.
What has worked well for you so far?
Until this day, the one mantra that has worked is a proverb my dad taught me as a kid: “Nana Korobi Ya Oki”. The actual translation is: “fall down seven times, stand up eight”. Through all my failures this has really pushed me through.”
My ability to learn new technologies, and always trying to solve the hardest problems, has really evolved my knowledge and brought upon a different set of perseverance in me.
We would love to know your advice for all those starting out as an aspiring entrepreneur?
There are a lot of different advice people give out there, but the advice I would like to impart would be that, do not try to learn from the success stories you see everywhere. Be hungry for knowledge from anyone you meet which will help you thrive in multiple sectors and not just business.
Speak to entrepreneurs that have failed in previous ventures, who have struggled. Here you will learn what not to do while starting out. These individuals will also give valuable information and will be more than willing to help you out from making introductions, coming on as advisors, etc.
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.
