How a powerful team can help build a powerful product -- Helpshift founder Abinash Tripathy at Techsparks Pune
Abinash Tripathy, founder & CEO of Helpshift appeared very unassuming, to say the least. But the genius that he is became evident when he started to talk about the product that they have built, and the entire process of recruitment at TechSparks Pune, held last Saturday at Hotel Aurora Towers. One thing that must have awed most participants at TechSparks is the quality of talent at Helpshift. From mathematicians, to experts in AI to master programmers – the team at Helpshift is one of the best we have heard about lately. A stroke of genius by Helpshift was the technique they used for hiring their staff. “A stealth code was embedded in the home page for prospective employees to find. People who could spot the puzzle and solve it were the ones who moved ahead in the recruitment process,” says Abinash proudly.
Therefore, you need to be really smart if you want to join Helpshift. But that does not necessarily mean passing out from top colleges or being top of class. Abinash is a firm believer in being self made, and therefore has no qualms in taking individuals who may not have a fancy degree in his team. Abinash turned to writing code because as a youngster when he wanted money to party, “so I thought let me write some code. And people were ready to pay me well for the codes I wrote,” admitted Abinash. But writing code didn’t just fund his partying needs, it helped him gain scholarship to the US and buy a car within six months of being there.
Before Abinash decided to breakaway and do things by himself, he wrote codes for Oracle, Sun and Yahoo! “While customers vary by size and industry, they have one thing in common: an understanding that customers, and therefore customer service, are critical to their business,” said Abinash about the Helpshift product. Today, Helpshift services businesses of all sizes—from indie developers to Fortune 500 enterprises with their mobile offering.
“Dare to be different and play to your strength,” Abinash advised the entrepreneurs present at Techsparks Pune. It is equally important to enjoy what you are doing, and one of the methods that Helpshift follows to do this is by bringing together artists and hackers. The commonality between the two, said Abinash, is the need to be perfect, the constant need to refine their work, and if you have a combination of these two people in your team members, they can help create magic, he asserted.
A strong team, belief in self, and the motivation to make a mark were some of the success mantras that Abinash had for participants at TechSparks. “Your canvas needs to be unlimited, that’s how big your vision should be, and failure is not an option” said Abinash quoting Gene Franz, flight director of NASA to conclude his talk at TechSparks Pune.
Stay tuned for more about Abinash & Helpshift on YS TV!