At Robosoft, our mission is to create digital solutions that simplify lives of millions across the globe. Our talented team of software and product engineers, design thinkers, digital consultants and more, consistently work towards driving this mission.

In this interview-based series, we chat with the ‘behind the scenes’ experts – know their passions and inspirations. We also try and understand what drives them to create digital solutions that touch the lives of millions of users and drive business results.

Today, let us get to know Gourav Bhandari, Digital Consultant at Robosoft. Gourav started his career with Robosoft and has been a part of our team for close to 3 years now.

Q: Tell us about yourself and what you do, your hobbies, and more?

I come from a Rajasthani lineage, but I was born and brought up in a town bordering Maharashtra and Karnataka, and now I am living in Hyderabad. Multicultural experiences and good memories from every place I have stayed have guided and taught me a lot of life lessons so far.

Empathy and putting the needs of others before my own has been my guiding principle in life.

I am always excited to meet new people and learning about their lives and experiences that make them who they are. I find it fascinating to know these stories, there’s so much to learn from everyone. I strive to make people feel comfortable in my presence.

I love traveling and going on solo treks. Before the pandemic, I traveled to a new place every season. I really hope to do that again soon, after the pandemic is over. Traveling allows me to adapt to new situations and use my planning skills to ensure I have the most fun I can. In my free time, I also love to binge-watch, some times I watch my favorite shows or series multiple times.

Q: What inspired you to choose Robosoft Technologies & what is it that inspires you?

After completing my MBA in Marketing, I joined Robosoft as a digital consultant almost 3 years years ago. When I was starting my career, I was unsure of a career path, but I found the right mentors and the right direction for my career here.

Interacting with global clients, working on multiple domains & various projects, and solving a new problem daily are the reasons why I love to work here. Robosoft has always given me a lot of scope for future growth – I don’t think any other company would have given a fresher like me the challenging responsibilities as I have here. Every time I faced difficulties in my work, I was mentored and guided by my supervisors and peers. Whatever I have learned so far, has positively impacted my career and will help me grow in the future too. The experience I have had with Robosoft has done wonders for my self-belief and made me a more confident professional.

To be a part of an organization where the learning curve is great, hard work is appreciated, innovation in work styles and freedom to express and explore is encouraged is a perfect fit for my expectations, and like-minded colleagues make it an icing on the cake!

I like to grow every single day. Incremental growth is what drives my happiness, and not long term milestones and achievements. I like to be challenged in any task I pick up, and that is why I chose the path to be a digital consultant at Robosoft.

Q: How has the quarantine phase been? What is it like to manage home and work responsibilities and your advice to peers alike?

For me, the quarantine phase has been about learning new skills like cooking and realizing that I am rather good at it 🙂

For someone who loves to travel, quarantine would have been hard if not for the valuable time spent with family, which has been a blessing in these times. That being said, I have a newfound respect for a productive environment to work in and the importance of balance in self-discipline and socializing.

Over time, not having a team to rely on just a few feet away has made me more independent and proactive. One thing that has been a revelation is the importance of taking short breaks every 2-3 hours. I have realized working for long hours continuously without breaks is counter-productive, it is always better to take out some time to relax even in between a very busy day to maintain your efficiency.

Q: Your advice to students & freshers exploring opportunities in this field?

When I was starting my career, I wasn’t too fixated on what I wanted to do, and that I think helped me at some levels. What also helped was exploring different opportunities and roles, to find a role that gives me inner happiness. My advice would be while starting your professional journey, try to not stick to a concrete role definition, instead to be open to different experiences. Everything seems challenging at first, but “nothing apart from rocket science is rocket science”. A fresher’s real talent is the hunger for knowledge and experience, and one should make efforts to sustain that hunger by learning every day and resist complacency.

Q: In your view, what is the scope of this industry in the years to come?

Digitization is no longer a desire, the market now sees it as a need. The world has been forced to innovate, and companies have tasted what agile offerings can do to their business. Drastic change seems to be the new normal in the coming years. IT is an enabler industry that helps organizations gain a flexible, scalable, and connected relationship with their customers, and as such has an optimistic scope in the perceivable future.

At Robosoft, our mission is to create digital solutions that simplify lives of millions across the globe. Our talented team of software and product engineers, design thinkers, digital consultants and more, consistently work towards driving this mission.

In our interview-based series, we chat with the ‘behind the scenes’ experts – know their passions and inspirations. We will also try and understand what drives them to create digital solutions that touch the lives of millions of users and drive business results.

Today, let us get to know Prabhav Kumar, Project Leader at Robosoft. Prabhav has been a part of our team for close to 5 years now.

Q: Tell us about yourself and what you do, your hobbies and more?

The importance of being kind, humble, straightforward, transparent, and understanding the difference between the “needs” and “wants” in life are some of the ideologies I have learned and refined at the right time in my life. I’m ever grateful to my parents for encouraging my interests and lending support in all my endeavors. I take life as it comes and don’t complicate life-events.

I’ve been an avid sports-person since childhood. I’ve had the opportunity to explore skating, table tennis, and badminton at state and district levels. I also engage myself in music, and singing continues to be my go-to stress buster. Look me up on YouTube. I hope I just got myself another subscriber 🙂 and… I love pets!

As a professional, I’ve been a QA engineer & worked on test automation in the insurance domain, developed applications on iOS platform on the VMS domain, and am now working as a Project Manager delivering projects on web and mobile platforms.

I follow a very simple Mantra in life. “Did something great happen? Don’t get ecstatic! It’ll pass. Did something terrible happen? Don’t worry. That too, shall pass!”

I believe in keeping it simple, having fun, spreading love and happiness, and that is something everyone needs to embrace. It invariably gives us the strength, courage, and competence to tackle all our problems easily. This applies at work too.

Q: What inspired you to choose Robosoft Technologies & what is it that inspires you?

During my engineering days, I had heard about Robosoft being the tech innovator where employees got to work on fancy Apple gadgets. Around 11 years ago, for a select few in my class, it was a feat in itself to get through all the screening rounds at Robosoft. Unlike the tech giants, where freshers “have fun” enjoying the amenities, we knew we’d actually have fun getting our hands dirty working on the latest tech with profound professionals, who were enthusiastic about making a difference in the industry. December 2015 is when I received an interview call from Robosoft, and my journey began in January 2016 as a Senior iOS developer.

I worked in that role for around 3 years with some great tech minds and learned a lot. In due course, I approached my mentors with my plans and about my other areas of interest at work. I was thrilled when I was given an opportunity to transition to project management and delivery. I took maximum advantage of my experience in QA & Mobile app development and put it all into action along with the newly assigned responsibilities. It gave me a holistic view at a microscopic level, right from inception to delivery of the products we worked on. It only proved that Robosoft respects and supports the interests of their motivated employees who can make a difference – this inspires me and propels me to give my best in the interests of the company and our clients.

Q: How has the quarantine phase been? What is it like to manage home and work responsibilities and your advice to peers alike?

Well, being home-bound for a prolonged period is something that no one anticipated, and let’s accept, no one was equipped with all the necessities for a pandemic like this.

I stuck to my Mantra. For the teams I work with, it was all about how mentally prepared we were to adapt to the changes presented and collaborate. Without a doubt, Robosoft did a fantastic job of helping with the initial set up when we started working from home.

Yes, the transition was tough & challenging. Yes, we felt lonely with minimum human interaction. Yes, we missed working at our office spaces, hanging around with friends, lunch & tea breaks. But we did make the best of the alternatives we had at our disposal. We had video calls occasionally to catch up with the team, discussing everything but work, and everyone had stories to share.

We also had “Chai-pe-Charcha” with our HR team and COO. Everyone had a gala time dressing up and sharing stories. People sang & played instruments. It was a subtle gesture, yet extremely refreshing. These small moments made a big difference in these tough times.

Most of us would agree that the reality is that we are working longer hours from home. Initially, I believe, it was the absence of face-to-face communication that led to us taking a longer time to achieve even the smallest of tasks. But now, we’ve acclimated ourselves around it and found effective ways to communicate. So let’s use that additional time we have—especially the time saved from “not commuting”— to be with family, friends and loved ones.

I’m certain the transition after the office reopens would be equally challenging as we wouldn’t be able to dedicate the time we’re now giving towards work. We’d have to re-think around making adjustments to the schedules that we are now set to. We’ve got to be prepared for that!

My advice to peers: give yourself at least an hour every day to meditate, workout, listen to music, read novels or do anything that freshens your mind and body. Avoid News during this time as it only poisons your mind with political drama, crime, hatred, and all the heinous acts of the so-called humans. Mental rejuvenation plays a critical role in being productive at what you do. Do something that relaxes your mind and doesn’t get you anxious or worried about what’s happening around.

Q: Your advice to students & freshers exploring opportunities in this field?

Always follow your dreams; not someone else’s. Listen to the inner voice that tingles happiness when you do something productive. Yes, there are researches going on in edge computing, XR (Extended Reality), AI, ML, IoT, Blockchain, Data Science, etc., to make our lives easier, but that’s not the only path to the future. There’s a plethora of unexplored paths that might be perfect for you. Identify the path that gets you going and pursue a career in it.

Having said that, technology keeps evolving in ways we cannot fathom at times. Have a progressive outlook and keep yourself updated on what’s upcoming & trending in your field of work. Follow relevant Blogs, Podcasts, YouTubers, and the multitude of options you have access to, to gain all the knowledge you can absorb. Never stop learning, and you’ll never run out of opportunities in your field.

I’d also recommend subscribing to websites like Udemy, Skillshare, Edureka, Coursera and similar platforms to learn more about technology that interests and inspires you.

Q: In your view, what is the scope of this industry in the years to come?

In my view, the “as a Service” model would be the way forward. Most companies use SaaS to obtain services for a fee so that they can focus on their core business. So why not work on building one! Think of a modern tech and make it available as a service and you’ll find a customer base for it. Eg: AIaaS (AI as a Service), BaaS (Blockchain as a Service), DaaS (Data as a Service), IDaaS (Identity as a Service) to name a few.

This is again a small fish in the ocean, and the ocean is out there for us to explore. The tech industry will never fade; it’ll keep evolving, and as far as we are equipped with the technology and knowledge to support the evolution, we’ll always remain in the spotlight.

At Robosoft, our mission is to create digital solutions that simplify lives of millions across the globe. Our talented team of software and product engineers, design thinkers, digital consultants and more, consistently work towards driving this mission.

In our interview-based series, we chat with the ‘behind the scenes’ experts – know their passions and inspirations. We will also try and understand what drives them to create digital solutions that touch lives of millions of users and drive business results.

Today, let us get to know Cyrus A D’silva, our Creative Group Head. Cyrus has been a part of our team for over 7 years now.

Q: Tell us about yourself and what you do, your hobbies and more?

I live in the suburbs of Mumbai. While growing up, my mom would tell me that music was an integral part of the family and had been practiced regularly, for ages. Eventually, me and my brother had to pick up an instrument to learn. While my brother was a natural musician, I always enjoyed listening to it more than playing it. My grandmother used to make art from any object lying around. She inspired me to learn new art forms and sketch out my ideas. Since then I have always been more attached to arts and crafts. I have always seen creativity into everything I do.

I always wanted to create games, animations, gaming characters, visual graphics for games. But as I said we live in the suburbs we were not so well versed with how to start a career into gaming, as back then print media was booming and game design was a fairly new concept. But soon I decided to deep dive into design and took it on as a career option. Till this day, I still practice arts & crafts as a hobby. I have seen the same in my daughter. She is more inclined towards it and I encourage her to practice the art. She is really good at it.

Q: What inspired you to choose Robosoft Technologies, what is it that inspires you?

As a designer, I always like to keep up with the new design trends and stay updated with the design industry. When I was at my previous organisation I wanted to learn or know more about UX design.

Back then, Behance had just started, and as till date, is a good platform for designers to showcase their work. I was really looking to join a company that would understand the importance of working hands on with both UI & UX. I came across Robosoft Technologies, and I found it is a perfect fit for my expectations. I decided to apply for a position of UI designer with my Behance portfolio, passed the interview round and I got a break into Robosoft.

I joined Robosoft Mumbai, when it was just small set up in Mumbai. Being the core member of the team has been really exciting. Since my first day, I got to meet exciting designers, share my ideas & learn a lot from them. My mentors Dean and Vikram guided and helped me to take my design skills to the next level. I had seen design through the colours, typography & iconography, but credit to these two mentors, who helped me bring in the perspective of form factors & how to modulate the design.

At Robosoft I have worked with different team members, who are more than just colleagues. They have always stood by me in my happy and difficult times, both on a professional level and a personal level.

As design is never constant, there are always new trends in the market that you need to adapt to. The tools or software that we use, are constantly updating and so are the devices we design the products for. The challenge is always to be at par with it, and that’s what inspires me to to keep learning and doing better at my work.

Q: How has the quarantine phase been? What is it like to manage home and work responsibilities and your advice to peers alike?

Quarantine had been very challenging during the initial stages. For us, how to ground the kids into the four walls of the house was quite a task at the beginning. Children’s safety was our top priority. Thanks to my wife and all her hard work, we could put up a routine for everything now with time we have managed everything very well.

In the month of February we luckily moved into a much bigger place than the previous one, which came in handy while setting up my office space. My son is always happy to see me at home when he gets up in the morning.

Things are not the same way it used to be in the past as there are so many restrictions and “the new normal” in which masks have become integral part of our lives. But a peek into history teaches us that humans can adapt well and find a solution to everything.

I believe that the digital transformation has helped us live through this pandemic. Right from the local grocery stores to restaurants to schools, all of them have gone digital. My local grocery store guy who use to always believe in cash based transactions, now says “Paytm karlo Sir”. Schools have shifted to online platforms, which was challenging for both teachers as well as the kids initially, but now my daughter can begin the sessions of her class by herself. This year we had to celebrate all festivals indoors. The pandemic has taught us the core values and importance of nurturing nature. If you don’t treat it well it will come back at you.

Q: Your advice to students & freshers exploring opportunities in this field?

Art and creativity is not something that can be taught, it always comes from within. It is for you to express your thoughts and mould them in your performance. You need to find the form you like & enhance it by regular practice. Picking a right tool or software enable you to explore the different dimensions of that form. Looking at different people’s work adds more perspectives and helps you widen your thoughts. It provides you the necessary inspiration to continuously learn and grow.

Q: In your view, what is the scope of this industry in the years to come?

I think that the digitalisation has given a boost to the IT industry. Every kind of business, be it a small scale or large scale, is supported by IT, and it enables businesses to go beyond survival & grow to higher levels. Design has been the most important factor in the process helping businesses translate their value to users.

In the near future, AI & Machine learning are going to be the most innovative and exciting enablers of technology, making them key skills to learn. It will be fascinating to see and adapt to the changes they will bring in the design industry.

At Robosoft, our mission is to create digital solutions that can simplify lives of millions across the globe. Our talented team of software and product engineers, design thinkers, digital consultants and more, consistently work towards driving this mission.

In this interview-based series, we will meet these ‘behind the scenes’ experts, know their passions and inspirations and understand what drives them to create digital solutions that touch lives of millions of users and drive business results.

In this interview, we will get to know Navin Kumar Math, Technical Architect at Robosoft Technologies. Navin has been a part of Robosoft for more than a decade.

Q. Tell us about yourself and what you do, your hobbies and more?

Navin:  Originally I am from Vijayapur (Bijapur), which is a heritage city well known for its historical monuments. I am a simple and fun-loving person and I apply the same principle in my personal and professional life.  At Robosoft Technologies I work as a Technical Architect, that’s part of the project delivery division involved in developing custom-built platforms for the BFSI, e-Commerce & Healthcare industries. I’m currently working on a mobile payments and commerce platform, for a client based out of Japan which is into the Finance domain.

I love watching movies, playing cricket & carrom. I also enjoy shopping and traveling with friends and family once in a while.

Q. What inspired you to choose Robosoft Technologies & what is it that inspires you?

Navin: I was recruited through the Campus interview process and was fascinated to be a part of Robosoft as it was working on Mac and Windows drivers during that time. Honestly,  it was an overwhelming experience to begin my professional journey with one of the best in the industry, but they were so open and accommodating that it just felt like home.   Additionally, I love where the office was located, Udupi. It is such a scenic and serene place and the idea of working in a place like that was even more exciting.  Well, it’s been 12+ years since then and counting.

What makes this place really special for me is, first and foremost all the learning and opportunities, but most importantly that it is driven by a deep sense of purpose, which makes work so meaningful. The culture is deeply embedded with the purpose of – ‘Simplifying lives through delightful experiences’. Thus, before developing any digital solution, we link it to our purpose and look back at why the organization exists, what problems it’s here to solve for users, and the impact it wants to bring to each individual’s life.’ The team is very well-knit and we work on each other’s strengths.  We have a lot of team outings, events, and games, that bring us closer to stay united as a team and family.

Q. How has the quarantine phase been? What is it like to manage home and work responsibilities and your advice to peers alike?

Navin: The Quarantine phase is new, yet challenging for everyone. In terms of work though it has been smooth for us so far. Along with my project team, we have been able to manage work and keep-up with the timelines of our deliverables. It has been a novel experience and I have enjoyed working with my team.
Personally, in the initial phase, I did find it difficult to manage work along with household responsibilities especially in the mornings and late evening. However, now I have adjusted my routine in a way to manage both to the best of my abilities.
Advice to peers will be to just enjoy this work from home phase, as you get much more time to spend with your family. While work is important, health is important too hence have food on time. In terms of work – share even the small bottlenecks with your team or manager so that it can be resolved on time.

Q. In your view, what is the scope of this industry in the years to come?

Navin: The industry trends and scope evolve in the most unexpected ways. And what’s fascinating is that the most interesting opportunities often come by at places where they intersect. The global digital experience platform market size is projected to reach USD 15.80 billion by 2025, and enterprises across industries are developing customer-centric strategies by disrupting digital platforms due to the massive impact it can have on its growth.

Several of the decades’ trends represent intriguing combinations of macro forces and other technological advances.  A growing class of AI-driven solutions are redefining the way we experience technology today. In the coming years, more enterprises are expected to adopt technologies in aid to better understand and respond to humans. Combing AI with human-centered design techniques to recognize the user’s emotional state and context to leverage emotionally intelligent platforms and emotional data is one of the biggest scope of the industry moving ahead.

I also admire the work that E-wallet companies like Paytm and PhonePe are doing, as I am currently working on the BFSI domain and want to learn and explore a lot from their work. I also admire leading e-Commerce companies like Amazon and Flipkart and wish to explore this industry alongside BFSI.

Q. Your advice to students & freshers exploring opportunities in this field?

Navin: Given the current market value it holds and how technology is an indispensable part of our lives, the future is extremely bright. In a world of infinite unknowns, what can help students exploring this niche is to channelize their interests and narrow down on a meaningful collection of technologies and look beyond the obvious, which could perhaps be the onset of an invention that simplifies the lives of millions of people around the globe.

In subsequent interviews of this series, we hope to introduce other talented members of our team, understand their inspirations, and what drives them to innovate to create digital solutions that simplify lives of millions.

At Robosoft, our mission is to create digital solutions that can simplify lives of millions across the globe. Our talented team of software and product engineers, design thinkers, digital consultants and more, consistently work towards driving this mission.

In this interview-based series, we will meet these ‘behind the scenes’ experts, know their passions and inspirations and understand what drives them to create digital solutions that touch lives of millions of users and drive business results.

In this interview, we will get to know Saritha Shenoy, Senior Software Engineer at Robosoft Technologies. Saritha has been a part of Robosoft for more than a decade.

Q. Tell us about yourself and what you do, your hobbies and more?

Saritha – At Robosoft, I’m a Senior Software Engineer currently working with ReactJS Apps helping develop interactive UI’s for clients. What makes this role particularly remarkable for me is that I get to learn, work with a global clientele, and pursue my passion, coding! Besides that, being a daughter, wife, and a mother is a huge part of who I am. 

I come from a town close to Udupi called Mulki. I feel a certain equilibrium here, more in touch with nature and myself, I love the peace and tranquility this place offers. My hobbies include reading, trekking, and cooking. I have however been unable to indulge in trekking lately due to my responsibilities as a working mom, but the plan is to take it up actively a couple of years from now.

Q. What made you choose Robosoft Technologies & what is it that inspires you?

Saritha – Robosoft opened its doors to me 10 years ago and gave me the opportunity to have a perfect work-life balance. I have always preferred the tranquility that a place like Udupi offers and having my office in the same city as my parents helps me in supporting them. What inspires me most is the open and positive culture where new ideas are welcome and the focus has always been on how we can add value to customers and their business. It has also helped me hone my skills and competencies which have made me the professional that I am today.

Q. How has the quarantine phase been? What is it like to manage home and work responsibilities and your advice to peers alike?

Saritha – Although the quarantine phase has been stressful to juggle between home, work, and keep up to all the timelines, it’s a nice feeling to be able to spend some time with family. For all those who are currently working out of home, I’d like to say these few things that are helping me immensely – communicate often, clarify misunderstandings, stay organized, collaborate with the team, stick together like a family, identify the little things that keep you motivated, follow a fixed routine and explore ways to keep from distractions. I’m thankful to Robosoft and all my peers who have supported us through this challenging phase and have ensured our safety above all.

Q. In your view, what is the scope of this industry in the years to come?

Saritha – Technology is woven so intricately within the fabric of our lives that its scope is virtually immeasurable. The pace and reach that this industry has shown in the recent past are indicative of what’s to come. I feel that digital solutions in Healthcare, Retail, and BFSI will lead the way in the future.

Q. Your advice to students & freshers exploring opportunities in this field?

Saritha – The key for students exploring this field is to understand that we are not too far from being completely dependent on digital platforms & technologies for all our core requirements and its scope is extremely vast. To get a real-time feel while pursuing their studies, students can take up short internships between semesters even if this is not a mandate as part of their curriculum. This would mean a lot of hard work, but getting used to the work-life discipline can mold you in a lot of ways. The insights you gain can be incredible, and help in building communication skills, confidence and teach you how to be a good team player.

In subsequent interviews of this series, we hope to introduce other talented members of our team, understand their inspirations and what drives them to innovate to create digital solutions that simplify lives of millions.

Stay tuned.