EP #64: Rajan Bala - Missing Out On A "Big Exit" As The Co-Founder Of Retail Tech Startup Hiku

Rajan Bala (@im.provising) enjoys being a tech builder - he was a co-founder at retail tech startup Hiku.Rajan joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to how Carleton University (@carleton_u) is underrated when it comes to engineering talent, how the idea for Hiku was formed along with how they got the idea off the ground, missing out a big exit with Walmart, starting a charity to help transfer knowledge from the Tamil diaspora back to Sri Lanka, financial independence and more.Follow Rajan:- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajanbala/) Timestamps00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Rajan Bala01:25 - Rajan speaks on how he got into building03:49 - Being 1 of 5 kids and all of them having stereotypical Sri Lankan careers04:33 - Is Carleton University underrated when it comes to engineering programs?07:48 - Working for BlackBerry before coming up with Hiku; the idea, the name, using kickstarter12:17 - What Rajan envisioned for Hiku’s revenue model; was it a one-time free, ongoing subscription, etc.?15:30 - Why Hiku didn’t charge end users during the data collection process17:34 - What was the plan to monetize data?19:40 - How Hiku built relationships with big retails and/or big consumer brands24:01 - Rajan’s mindset as Hiku began taking off31:31 - Why Hiku didn’t go down the path of ‘leasing hardware to consumers’34:33 - Integrating with Walmart and receiving $2.5M in funding, almost being purchase by Google, and more44:03 - Rajan has no regrets about not getting a ‘lavish exit’ - what he’s learned45:55 - What the future holds for Rajan; Amazon being an incredible place to learn52:42 - Rajan’s interests outside of work; travelling, hiking/walking and simultaneously listening to podcasts53:55 - Co-founding a charity58:36 - What he’s insecure about; becoming complacent1:00:12 - The power of consistency; how it has improved Rajan’s life1:00:56 - The personal legacy he wants to be remembered for by friends and family1:01:50 - Rajan’s view of financial independence for others, and his own view of money1:04:20 - Who he admires from the global Tamil and non-Tamil community1:06:35 - Creator Confessions1:11:33 - The Wrap UpIntro MusicProduced And Mixed By:- The Tamil Creator- YanchanWritten By:- Aravinthan Ehamparam- Yanchan Rajmohan         Support the show