Shift in focus from product to customer need of hour:experts

A shift in the focus from product to customer is a prerequisite and that is the need of the hour in a state like Kerala endowed with a startup ecosystem, speakers at a seminar here said Thursday.

The greatest of fine products in the world has not achieved success without potential customers, experts said at 'Go to Marketing strategies for startups', organised by Maker Village, said to be the country's largest exclusive electronic incubator.

"At a time when Maker Village is showing competence on par with successful international startups across the globe, an effective marketing strategy can take it to another level of proficiency," said Prof Ruth P Stevens, Adjunct professor with Columbia University, NYU Stern University and IIM Bangalore.

"The facility, equipment and the ambience are truly world class and this could be the right kind of launching pad for creating world class products," Ruth said.

Maker Village CEO Prasad Balakrishnan Nair, speaking about organising the first-of-its-kind workshop at Kinfra Hi-Tech Park in Kalamassery, stressed the need for coming up with adept marketing strategies as a significant number of the products from the two-and-a-half-year-old Village are reaching the market.

"In the next six months, another 10 startups will reach the market. Hence, this is right time to seek more marketing, and at this point we need experts. Hence the syposium," he said.

Sanjeev Gadre, an Industry practitioner who worked with Adobe, Aricent, Uniphore and Subex as head of marketing, said marketing, like engineering, needs technical skill.

"Both need same consistency and meticulous analysis," added the expert with a quarter centurys experience in marketing.

Piyush Kumar Sinha, another expert and a faculty with IIM Ahmedabad and formerly with IIM Bangalore and XIMB, spoke on the dynamics of creating a marketing plan with focus on ground level realities.

Last month, India's first underwater robotic drone, EYEROVTUNA, developed at Maker Village that can send real-time video of ships and other underwater structures to help with their repair and maintenance, was launched and handed over to the Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory of DRDO.