Amit Agrawal is CEO of Janaki Technology, a Nepali IT company that has delivered award-winning products such as Sparrow SMS, Picovico and Khalti ( winner of mBillionth award for innovations in mobile technology 2013, Startup Chile Program 2012 and Google Business Stories Contest, 2017 respectively).
While this decade has seen a proliferation of IT companies in Nepal providing outsourcing services worldwide, there has been a lack of quality original products designed and developed locally. Janaki Technology has addressed this gap with their exemplary products that have not only served our local market but also made a mark internationally and inspired IT companies and professionals in Nepal.
In this podcast interview with Amit Agrawal, we talk to him about this very journey of creating Nepali products for Nepali market. According to him, while Nepal is an unevolved market with many difficulties (lack of awareness and investment), it is also a vast unsaturated market with immense needs and possibilities and some unique perks- such as media and community support and comparatively less stressful lifestyle.
When asked about the secret ingredient that keeps them competitive locally and also in the possible future with multinationals, he shares that their tight-knit team of co-founders who are personally involved in the actual development process is their biggest strength. He emphasizes that the support from the co-founders is also one of his strongest assets as a leader. Speaking very candidly, he also shares the areas where he feels the knowledge gaps as a leader – lack of experience of working in other companies prior to leading Janaki and having no formal knowledge of the business, management, and sales.
While leading Janaki for almost 10 years and working with IT professionals inside the organization and outside, he has gathered valuable advice for IT professionals about recognizing addictive mindset and moving towards reflective holistic one. Having a critical yet balanced approach to life and work is one of the defining aspects of Amit and his enthusiasm and eloquence to share his stories have made him a valuable role model. He has helped various startups and aspiring entrepreneurs and has contributed to Nepali IT ecosystem as a mentor, facilitator, speaker, and organizer.
Amit recently got elected as an Executive Member of Federation of Computer Association of Nepal. He was also selected for prestigious IVLP (International Visitor Leadership Program) by US Embassy Nepal. Amit also leads GBG (Google Business Group) community in Nepal as Manager.
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