Livspace’s Anuj Srivastava loves Italy, adores Superman
Quick Bytes with Anuj Srivastava, Co-Founder and CEO, Livspace
Anuj Srivastava’s accolades are many – he is an IITian, a former Google Commerce Head, angel investor, a startup mentor, and most importantly, an entrepreneur. Anuj co-founded the online home interior platform Livspace in Bengaluru in 2014
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Italy.
What is your greatest fear?
Irrelevance.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
I tend to do too many things.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Lack of commitment
Which living person do you most admire?
Mark Zuckerberg.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Shoes
What is your current state of mind?
Hopeful.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Experience and past knowledge.
On what occasion do you lie?
If it helps someone, or to avoid hurting someone.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
Nothing.
Which living person do you most despise?
None; I am not a hater.
What is the quality you most like in a man?
Kindness
What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Power and femininity.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
In Hindi, Kyun– because I am very curious, and Fod diya yaar (you did a good job)
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
Besides my wife, my nine-year-old daughter Kaavya.
When and where were you happiest?
I like to be with people I care about and in places I care about. Being with my friends and family in the Mediterranean would be perfect.
Which talent would you most like to have?
I wish I was a better swimmer, considering my love for the Mediterranean.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I should have attended more classes in school. I bunked all my classes at IIT.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
As someone from a normal household in Kanpur, building a company and working in the best companies possible, and going through some amazing experiences – I have made the most of all the opportunities life threw at me.
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
As a happier Steve Jobs; he was a bitter person. Imagine how much he could have done if he was a happy person.
Where would you most like to live?
California and Italy.
What is your most treasured possession?
Relationships I have built over time
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Successful people being miserable.
What is your favourite occupation?
Creating.
What is your most marked characteristic?
I am a thinker – I don’t need to know interior design to break it down.
What do you most value in your friends?
They treat me exactly how I was treated 10 years ago. They know exactly who I am, without all the jazz and glamour.
Who are your favourite writers?
Roald Dahl and Peter Thiel.
Who is your hero of fiction?
Superman.
Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Julius Caesar.
Who are your heroes in real life?
I like everyday heroes – those who make the best of opportunities. I don’t have an icon. But it could be someone I work with, or it could be Priyanka Chopra, or Jennifer Lawrence.
What are your favourite names?
My daughter’s name, and I like Persian names like Zuhi. I like Portia – Caesar’s wife’s name. That’s what I named my dog.
What is it that you most dislike?
Superficiality, and people who lack depth.
What is your greatest regret?
If I could do it all over again, I would probably do my under graduation from outside India – Stanford or Harvard. But it is not a major regret.
How would you like to die?
I would like to be missed.
What is your motto?
Get big things done; never be irrelevant.