- How would you describe K.K. Mookhey as a person?
I would describe myself as being committed to anything I take up in life, pursuing goals more for the love of the journey than the eventual outcome, strong believer in the philosophy of doing good work and not worrying about the results, and also quietly ambitious. I have a fairly clear vision of what I would like Network Intelligence to achieve during my lifetime and what sort of legacy I would like to leave.
- What gave you the inspiration to work in the field you are currently in?
Ever since I can remember, I’ve always wanted to be an entrepreneur. Information security was a field that seemed extremely intriguing and also very nascent back in 2001 when I was toying around with the idea of what sort of company to start. Since I already had an IT background, and wasn’t too keen on starting a software development company, this was the field I chose.
- Please share something about your journey as an entrepreneur.
I started my company with a capital of Rs. 2 lakhs and today we are on track for a turnover in excess of Rs. 30 crores. So it has been quite a journey. But there have been a large number of challenges as well! Doing business in India is very difficult and the overall business environment isn’t usually conducive to the first-time entrepreneur. Most large organizations never want to risk giving you a piece of their business. So it took us a while to get to the larger clients, but now we’re fairly well established and on the path to fast growth in the coming few years! What is important is to never rest on our laurels or let pride or arrogance dictate the way we do business. We need to keep our heads down, nose to the grind and keep on hunkering to do better, spread geographically, and ensure quality of work and client relationships are always improving.
- How do you see the environmental, political, economic change impacting the world of IT? Also how do you see the youth channelizing their energy towards their goal with the changing times?
First of all I see a huge and positive change in the entrepreneurial environment in the country. With capital flowing in for new ventures and many educational institutions running incubators, we are really in for some exciting times as far as startups go. Politically, of course the world is looking at us quite differently and the current government is making all the right noises to promote entrepreneurship. IT will continue to get a significant share of attention, investment, and interest amongst the various sectors. With the thrust on Smart Cities, Skill Development, etc. definitely IT and related business sectors will get a boost.
- How was your experience at SCIT?
I have high regard for SCIT and its students. Every year we hire at least 3-4 of them and they do quite well in their careers. I was at SCIT this time speaking at the National Seminar on Mobility. The panel was really well put together and I think the overall experience was highly positive. The event was very well organized, the students and faculty of SCIT were warm and gracious hosts and the full house showed the keenness of the students to explore this new subject.
- Rapid Fire:
— Your favourite place in Pune:
Our Pune office at Aundh, Bremen Square. Meeting with the team and seeing it grow is one of the most fulfilling experiences!
— Your favourite books:
Too many to mention – but some that had a life changing impact – Zen & The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, My Experiments with Truth, Thinking Fast and Slow, etc.
— A must visit website for tech geeks:
Of course our company blog, www.niiconsulting.com/checkmate 🙂
—Would you love to visit SCIT again?
Yes, most definitely!
