Dipankar is the CEO and founder of ALLDOX Pte. Ltd. the company behind ALLDOX, a one-stop, easy and secure document management tool for regular (non-tech) people.
What’s your story?
I come from a tiny village in West Bengal, India. An engineer and MBA (IIM, Ahmedabad) by education, I spent 20+ years in CPG, telecom, consulting and retail. My last assignment was with Walmart, India where I first lead their supermarket business (Easyday) to a 100+ store chain and then built the foundation of their multi-channel presence. Backed by 2 start up experiences, at a young age of 45, I started my own venture. I am the CEO and founder of ALLDOX Pte. Ltd. the company behind ALLDOX, a one-stop, easy and secure document management tool for regular (non-tech) people.
What excites you most about your industry?
With the rapid growth of Smartphones, more and more people without home computers are consuming technology enabled services. Space constraints, time pressures and convenience are driving adoption of digital documentation like never before. We are super-excited to take an active part in this big transformation. More than the size of the potential market which could be all the homes on earth with a smart phone, what excites me is the fact that we are ushering non-tech, regular people to use technology in daily life and to get peace of mind about their important documents.
What’s your connection to Asia?
I was born in India and a large part of my family still lives in India. On the business side, as of now our development and technology support team is based in India. On the consumer side, more than 50% of ALLDOX users are Asian, and that includes Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and India. Asia is and will remain in the core of my existence, personally and professionally.
Favourite city in Asia for business and why?
Singapore. Love the vibe of the city and discipline. Its business environment is one of the best in the world. With a focus on supporting technology ventures or creating a silicon valley equivalent in Asia plus ALLDOX Asia consumer focus, we are happy to have our operating HQ in Singapore.
What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
‘No one will ever understand your business better than you, so stay focussed on your path and do not let uninformed opinions distract you.’ A brilliant piece of advice from Rajat Goel, a fellow entrepreneur and a B School senior.
Who inspires you?
Howard Schultz, Herb Kelleher and Sam Walton.
What have you just learnt recently that blew you away?
Product potential truly unlocks when it moves up from a commercial version to a remarkable version. Remarkable version of a product is achieved when customers can’t stop telling their friends how amazing the product experience was. Many of us stop short after the commercial version. Awesome learning from Daniel Priestley in a video that I stumbled upon on LinkedIn a few weeks back.
If you had your time again, what would you do differently?
Possibly nothing. We can always connect the dots looking backwards but I always believe in looking ahead and taking my best possible step forward. I also believe that every moment is unique. No matter how much you calculate and plan, your next step and the next, and so on will define where you will go.
How do you unwind?
I read, cook, paint, travel and play golf. I also love listening (and watching) unknown musical talents on reality shows like X factor and Voice, for great music and to stay fired up!
Favourite Asian destination for relaxation? Why?
Asia has so many favorites. Our family loves Japan, Kyoto being a favourite. It is beautiful, serene and has that traditional Japan experience.
Everyone in business should read this book:
It is tough to pick just one book. My personal favorite is ‘Pour your heart into it’ by Howard Schultz. I believe magic happens when head and heart come together.
Shameless plug for your business:
We follow Evernote closely on the technology side, especially Under-the-hood. They have awesome algorithms in many places.
How can people connect with you?
LinkedIn is the best way to connect with me. https://www.linkedin.com/in/dippankar/
In cases of urgency they can also email me at [email protected].
Twitter handle?
@DippankarHalder
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This interview is part of the ‘Callum Connect’ series of more than 500 interviews
Callum Laing is an entrepreneur and investor based in Singapore. He has previously started, built and sold half a dozen businesses and is now a Partner at Unity-Group Private Equity and Co-Founder of The Marketing Group PLC. He is the author two best selling books ‘Progressive Partnerships’ and ‘Agglomerate’.
Connect with Callum here:
twitter.com/laingcallum
linkedin.com/in/callumlaing
Download free copies of his books here: www.callumlaing.com
