Interview with Dr. Mithileysh Sathiyanarayanan
Dr. Mithileysh Sathiyanarayanan
Scientist | Entrepreneur | Philanthropist
MIT Square, London, England, UK
Q1. Please share your inspirational journey with us?
When I was 15, a serendipitous event inspired me to take up research, development & innovation. I always had a dream of becoming a scientist and entrepreneur. This sparked my interest in Engineering at the UG level and Communication Science at the research level. I pursued PhD at the City, University of London and later went on to complete the Industrial Postdoctoral Fellowship. Currently, I am the Guest Faculty at the University of London.
My expertise in research – at both theoretical and application levels – ranges from industrial projects to academic ones in domains such as Education, Engineering, Healthcare and Agriculture. Working with several industries in various countries has led to several innovations, publications and patents.
Now, I am the Founder & CEO of MIT Square™, a product development company, which focusses on the latest technologies to build scalable and reliable products that can make a visible difference to our community.
Coming from a humble background, people around me discouraged saying I am not realistic in my dreams and over ambitious. I took only constructive comments and left the rest. I had to put painstaking efforts to reach the targets I set myself before I touch 30 (age).
Q2. At a young age you started a charity foundation and today it has played an influential role during COVID. Share that journey with us?
At the age of 19, I started a charity foundation by providing free training programs & scholarships to the underprivileged people. Today we are focusing on education, agriculture and healthcare sector. I would like to thank all the patrons and the volunteers of Raj Square Charity Foundation who have played a significant role in the last few years.
During COVID, we understood many underprivileged people were not able to afford face masks, face shields, food and shelter. We connected with CSR partners and provided the requirements to tackle coronavirus spread. We also had several volunteers across India who connected with people through direct phone lines and skype/zoom calls to motivate and explain the reality about health & hygiene, personal protection, isolation and physical/social distancing based on the WHO guidelines. We mainly supported senior citizens and vulnerable people in fighting coronavirus.
We also developed a mobile app that help the public update about the COVID situation with helpline numbers and get connected to the nearest hospital.
In the education sector, we conducted “Women in Science and Engineering (WISE)” program that focused on research & innovation to help students publish papers in an International conference (virtually). We are also supporting various institutions by establishing campus radios to empower youths in creativity and innovation.
Q3. You have achieved several awards at a young age. Which are the ones that are close to your heart?
The one that is very close to my heart is the grant I received (almost 1 Crore) to carry out an industrial project which was part of my PhD. The award helped me to present my innovation in the USA and Germany. The other awards such as International Achievers’ Award, Young Scientist Award and Young Entrepreneur Award has really motivated me to create more positive impact to our society.
Q4. You are the founder of MIT Square. Please share some brief about it?
MIT Square™ is an ISO Certified Company headquartered at the center of India’s high-tech industry, Bangalore, which is “Silicon Valley of India”, and has a presence in London. MIT Square™ support in incubation/start-up, business operations, talent enablement (training & learning), talent acquisition, innovations, patent filing, product design & development, manufacturing and supply of various technological and non-technological products.
As of Jan 2020, India’s ecosystem has been very exciting when it comes to innovations – its success in filing patents and deploying products in the market. With the Government’s initiative of ‘Digital India’, ‘Make in India’, `Startup India’, `Skill India’, ‘Standup India’, and ‘Self-reliant India’ gaining momentum, the trend is supposed to be upwards for many years to come. India turning into a “Manufacturing Hub” with a “Make for World” model, we are passionate and committed in making your dream a reality by providing various services and products within India and Abroad.
Q5. What is essential to get success for any Startup?
First, business model must have a right value, an ethos, and the most important thing is user-centric solution (innovation is not always necessary). The product/services should be ready to go to the market. These are the clear indication that shows, that the business founders have thought about the business. A proper market research is a key to a business. Right product at the right time with right strategy helps to grow. The market should be ready to take in the product or services to be provided.
The people behind the company should be competent and have the right background. For me, education is not the factor but the experience they have in the space matters. Execution is key as excels and boardroom talks are great but if the team is not able to get it to live there is no use.
Q6. What do you like to tell the next generation engineers or scientists who are passionate to get into entrepreneurship?
It is a great idea to use your technical knowledge in the business world. Having a firm and providing employment opportunities to others is a special feeling.
It all comes down to results at the end of the day. If you want to earn more, you need put more effort to where the business can grow. Your income is in your complete control and the opportunities are limitless. You get the benefit of making an impact on other businesses, while being paid for the results you bring to them.
You need to be a creative and dynamic personality in consistently penetrating new markets to ensure sustainable revenue growth. Leverage exemplary communication to establish a presence and build a positive brand while fostering continuous customer/client engagement. You must also be adept at working effectively to achieve goals both as a cross-functional team member and individual contributor.
Technological and business development in tandem impacts my personality and makes me incredibly optimistic and outgoing, regardless of the situation I’m in. I really enjoy being a scientist and an entrepreneur. So, the next generation – why not try it???
Read more about Dr Mithileysh and his organisations
Personal webpage: https://sites.google.com/site/mithileysh/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mithileysh/
MIT Square: https://www.mitsquare.com
Raj Square Charity Foundation: https://www.rajsquare.com
