Thank you so much for joining us, Deepak. Do you think you could tell us a little bit about yourself and your company?
Absolutely. My background is in food science, and I hold a master's degree in the field. I worked as a food scientist in the US for approximately two and a half years. Though I’m from India, I pursued my studies and early career in the US, eventually deciding to quit my job there and return to India to found my company, GreenPod Labs.
The primary objective of GreenPod Labs is to address the issue of food wastage and losses, particularly in developing countries. As a biotech company, our focus revolves around developing solutions to extend the shelf life of fruits and vegetables, ultimately reducing spoilage.
Can you tell us more about the technology you're using?
Our product uses “active packaging” technology. Active packaging finds applications in various fields, and we employ it specifically for extending the shelf life of fruits and vegetables. Active packaging involves the material emitting or absorbing substances to interact with the food or surrounding atmosphere.
Our product emits different components, triggering a response in the fruits and vegetables it is in proximity with called the defence mechanism. Like the human immune system, fruits and vegetables have their own kind of immune system, which we activate using our proprietary formulations. We use various plant extracts and plant polymers that are released as volatiles. These volatiles interact with the fruits or vegetables, extending their shelf life.
Let's revisit your roots and move away from the startup momentarily. You mentioned living in America for a while, but let's go even further back. Where did you grow up, and what was the environment like during your early life?
I was born and raised in Chennai, India, one of the metro cities. I spent around 21 years there, completing my schooling and college before moving to the US. It was a pretty middle-class life. Both my parents worked for the state government, so we had all the necessities covered, like a good education and basic needs. My parents instilled specific fundamental values regarding life, society, and personal philosophy from an early age. Asian parents are known for prioritising education, and mine were no different. Despite struggling in my early schooling years, I improved in the later stages and did well during college.
One crucial aspect emphasised in our household was food. We were very conscious of the effort it took to put food on the table and never wasted it. My dad in particular would not tolerate any food wastage on our plates or at the household level. This instilled in me a deep appreciation for the value of food and a mindset against wastefulness.
During my early days, I also explored when to take risks and determined my comfort levels with uncertainty. It was a journey of self-discovery, understanding what I was okay with and what I wasn't. These experiences shaped my worldview significantly. Moving to the US presented me with even more opportunities.
Before you went to the US, did you ever think about becoming a founder or having your own business, or was this just a distant idea? Was it merely a dream?
During my time in school, like in 12th grade and 10th grade, I never saw entrepreneurship or starting a company as something I wanted or considered. It wasn't within my realm of thought. I began exploring different interests only when I entered college for my bachelor's. Robotics caught my attention, and I started participating in various competitions, realising that problem-solving and innovation were essential aspects that intrigued me. My mindset towards entrepreneurship and problem-solving started to evolve during my college years.
As I progressed through my bachelor's degree, particularly in the final year, it became evident that I wanted to pursue something related to entrepreneurship. Although I might not have fully understood the intricacies and challenges of entrepreneurship at that point, I began to engage with the concept. I joined multiple entrepreneurship clubs in my city, attended pitching events to understand how they operated and delved into the evaluation process. This exposure provided me with valuable perspectives on the entrepreneurial landscape.
After moving to the US, my determination to start something became crystal clear. I wasn't certain about the specifics yet, but I knew entrepreneurship and problem-solving were my passions. I aimed to either join a startup as part of the founding team or create something on my own.
Consequently, I invested considerable time learning about entrepreneurship, reading numerous books, listening to podcasts, and actively participating in various clubs and forums. Whenever I could converse with entrepreneurs or founders, I took the opportunity. I engaged in consulting during my master's, assisting early-stage entrepreneurs with food product development and R&D. Then I began working for a startup within a large corporation which helped me explore the entrepreneurial life.
While I had a clear inclination towards entrepreneurship, one aspect I initially struggled with was identifying the specific problem I wanted to solve. This took some time, but once I figured out the problem I wanted to tackle, I promptly quit my job and returned to India to start my journey. I was resolute in starting the company in India.
You worked for a startup. Did you join them immediately after your master's, or did you have several other jobs?
After completing my master's, I began working directly with a startup in Boise, Idaho. The company was called Happy Families. I worked there from early 2017 to early 2019, around two and a half years. In mid-2019, I decided to quit and move back to India.
How did the idea for your current business originate, and when did it start to develop?
It all began while pursuing my master's degree and simultaneously working with several food processing companies, particularly in the beer and wine industries. The focus was on reducing their food wastage, primarily consisting of by-products such as spent grain from beer production and grape pomace from wine production. This wastage amounted to a significant loss for these companies. The initiative took shape around 2015 and 2016 before the concept of "upscaling" gained widespread recognition.
At that time, the magnitude of the problem was staggering. I remember discussions around the wastage of approximately 15 tons of wasted by-products per week or some other equally astonishing figure. This raised the question of why smaller beer and wine companies were generating enormous by-products and what could be done about it.
During my master's program in the United States, I had the opportunity to participate in a business pitch competition. Inspired by my experience with food waste and its potential, I pitched the idea of creating a company that could take by-products from various food industries and transform them into high-value products with nutritional benefits.
Initially, I paid little attention to this idea, but in 2018 when contemplating entrepreneurship seriously, I explored about ten different problems and ideas. I discussed these ideas with my brother and a friend, seeking their input. Interestingly, they were drawn to a different idea that they believed had immense potential, but I personally found the concept of tackling food waste more captivating and decided to pursue it as the foundation for my business.
One specific statistic about food waste caught my attention: in developing countries, approximately 40% of fruits and vegetables and other commodities go bad before reaching consumers. In contrast, in developed countries like the US, about 35% of food is wasted after reaching the consumer due to consumer behaviour. This contrast highlighted the different causes of food wastage and made me more determined to address the issue.
The original idea I started with was quite different from my current business direction. Over time, through customer feedback and market research, the concept evolved and refined to align with the needs and demands of the target audience. This journey led me to where I am now, working on a business that aims to significantly impact reducing food waste.
How did all this change happen? What changes did you make, and how many times did you explore different directions?
It was a pretty long journey. When I moved back from the US, I believed that India needed better cold storage facilities, as it lacked them statistically. My initial idea was to develop a cost-effective replacement for cold storage using a different technology. I designed and built a small prototype for this purpose.
Then, I embarked on a three-month journey to visit different villages in my home state. During this time, I spoke with farmers, distributors, retailers, e-commerce players, exporters, and other stakeholders to understand their perspectives on fruit and vegetable losses and the reasons behind them. I gained insights into the entire process and supply chain.
While discussing my product idea, a farmer humorously pointed out that just a 15-minute drive away, two cold storage facilities had been shut down for years. This made me question why these facilities weren't being utilised.
Upon further investigation, I discovered two main issues: firstly, cold storage was not only capital-intensive from the start of construction but also expensive to operate. Secondly, even if cold storage was used during storage, there was no proper cold supply chain, leading to higher spoilage rates. People preferred storing and transporting the produce in ambient conditions to avoid risks.
Understanding that most losses occurred in the supply chain, I shifted my focus to finding solutions for this problem. During my master's program, I worked on a project involving active packaging technology to extend the shelf life of meat. This allowed me to explore how active packaging could be adapted to my current goal.
It took around six to seven months from the initial idea to the point where I conceived the concept of activating the defence mechanism in fruits and vegetables. From there, it took another three months to build a prototype, and then we scaled up the project.
What would you say were the biggest challenges on this journey?
In the early days, India still faced a significant challenge: the need for a supportive ecosystem for entrepreneurs. Comparatively, the startup ecosystem in the US is much more mature. If you have an idea, you can easily get grants, access to labs, opportunities to interact with customers, and a comprehensive support system to propel you from zero to one faster.
My challenge was that the journey from zero to one was very difficult for me. Developing a product like this without adequate access to labs and facilities proved challenging. Though I was part of multiple incubators, they had limited understanding of the technology and space we were working in. It's not anyone's fault; it's just that the technology we were building was very new, and no one had any clear idea of how to approach it. As a result, I had to conduct extensive research, reading nearly 2,000 to 3,000 research papers, which led me to accumulate a massive repository of about 13 GB of data. I had to learn independently, which consumed a significant amount of time, and figuring out what was right and what wasn't required a lot of trial and error since no one was readily available to answer my questions.
Nonetheless, the upside of spending so much time on the fundamentals and foundations was that it enabled us to build a solid business from there. Understanding how things worked and what needed to be done technically made hiring the right people and communicating with other stakeholders much easier for me. So, despite the initial struggles, it eventually worked out well.
During the first year, I faced numerous challenges and obstacles. Fortunately, in mid-2020, we got into a European Accelerator, which turned out to be a turning point. It gave us the right foundation, valuable insights, and a strong grasp of the fundamentals, saving precious time. Looking back, I wish we had gotten into the accelerator a year earlier; it could have saved us some struggles. Nevertheless, everything happens for a reason, and I believe every part of our journey has its purpose.
Have you ever made significant mistakes or experienced numerous failures from which you gained valuable learning?
Yes, many. We encountered various failures and learned from each one. I can't just pick one. Initially, we made several mistakes, particularly in needing to understand our customers' needs fully. For example, would everyone buy the product? Who's going to buy a product? What are they going to use it for?
We spent time with them and tested our product, but we needed to look deeper into their financial aspects. We failed to determine if they would purchase the product if their problems were solved. It was a surface-level understanding, and we should have probed further to know if they would immediately buy the product. This was one significant mistake we made, which took some time to realise.
Additionally, on the research and development front, even though I operated from a first principle perspective, we still failed in certain areas where we didn't grasp the fundamental truths. We were operating superficially, resulting in inconsistency in our product and the value we offered. It was like going around in circles, and that was another mistake.
Another early mistake I made was not providing the team with proper direction. I hired the best people and shared the vision, but I failed to repeat the direction frequently enough. They won't figure this out for you. As a result, there was a lack of alignment, and we wasted about four or five months in 2021. It taught me the importance of regularly communicating the right ideas to the team. While I don't have to micromanage, I realised the importance of guiding them properly.
What would you say is the most fulfilling aspect of your work?
From two perspectives, the most fulfilling thing is witnessing the successful resolution of a problem for a customer and adding significant value to their experience. It's an indescribable feeling when you've discussed the issue, thought of potential solutions, and then seen it become a reality for that customer. It's incredibly fulfilling. We've provided our customers with remarkable returns, averaging around eight to ten times the revenue they invest in our product. That's a tremendous difference we've brought about. We were amazed when we achieved this for our first customer.
The second aspect is the joy of hiring talented individuals who take ownership of their work and are genuinely motivated to solve problems. When these talented team members join the journey and become equally passionate about making a difference, it elevates the experience and makes it even more fulfilling. It's wonderful to see more people invested in the success of our mission and excited to push the boundaries further.
These two aspects fulfil me enormously: positively impacting our customers' lives and building a team of enthusiastic problem solvers who drive us forward to the next phase.
You mentioned that you always knew you wanted to return to India to start a business. What were the reasons behind that decision? Why didn't you want to pursue the American dream instead?
In the US, there are more entrepreneurs and fewer problems. The balance tilts heavily in favour of entrepreneurs in the US. On the other hand, in India, it's the opposite— there are way more problems, but fewer entrepreneurs to tackle them. As someone who is a problem solver at heart, it made sense to do it when the challenges were vast and multiple problems were waiting to be addressed.
Despite the higher risks, limited funding, and an underdeveloped ecosystem, I still pursued this path. Hiring talented individuals was difficult, and progressing to the next phase was even harder. Additionally, there were various challenges, including politics. However, numerous problems and the potential for impactful solutions made it all worthwhile.
One thing that comes with entrepreneurship and having a business is a lot of uncertainty, numerous ups and downs, and various challenges. How do you stay grounded, calm and maintain a clear head?
It’s hard. I find myself losing focus quite often. However, I make sure not to let it affect the team. You see, it's like embarking on a journey. If you have a clear destination in mind, uncertainty becomes manageable. When your destination is unclear, dealing with uncertainty becomes more challenging. So, I always emphasise the importance of clear objectives with my team. With a clear destination, you can adapt to uncertainty and change your direction to reach your goals.
I also stress the significance of making decisions quickly, even with limited information. By doing so, we can adjust our course if needed. The real challenge arises when we hesitate to make decisions due to uncertainty and lack of information. These two principles— clarity in objectives and swift decision-making— form the foundation of my approach.
Over time, I have improved this framework. The decisions I took two years ago with limited information have been much better than the ones I make today under the same circumstances. I primarily rely on my gut instincts while making important calls, and thankfully, this approach has served me well so far.
Have you ever had big "Aha!" moments that shaped you, not just in your career or business, but in your general life?
In my general life, there is one particular aspect I've always focused on, and that is cultivating a growth mindset. I try to maintain it in myself and seek out talent with the same growth mindset. However, it wasn't until 12th grade that I really got the hang of this.
In India, the 12th-grade finals are critical in shaping one's career path. The scores obtained in these exams determine which college and course you can pursue. So, until three months before the finals, I was just an average student, scoring around 50s. I wasn't particularly outstanding or driven. But then, one day, my family had a serious conversation with me. They expressed concern that if I continued this way, my dream of pursuing engineering might not be feasible, and I might have to settle for something else.
This conversation hit me hard, and from that moment onward, I completely changed my approach. I put all my effort into my studies and improved my scores dramatically within those three months. I went from scoring in the 50s to around 97%. This experience taught me a valuable lesson— if I set my mind to something and put in the effort, I can achieve whatever I desire. It was a life-changing realisation that transformed my perspective on everything.
Another pivotal moment in my life was the sudden loss of my dad when I was 19 years old, during my bachelor's degree. This tragedy profoundly impacted me and altered my outlook on life. Until then, I had been carefree and unaware of life's responsibilities. But losing my dad made me realise the preciousness of life and the limited time we have. He had passions he never pursued, which made me understand the importance of making the most of every moment and following your dreams.
These two moments have shaped my life significantly, prompting me to pursue what truly matters to me and find happiness and meaning in everything I do.
In your entrepreneurial journey, where do you draw your inspiration from? Have you found motivation in specific books, people you've met, or speeches you've listened to?
I find much inspiration from key figures like Steve Jobs and Elon Musk. I also follow numerous other individuals because I admire true innovation and the ability to disrupt an industry completely. Witnessing such transformations excites me greatly. For instance, examining the successes of companies like Apple, Pixar, and Tesla helps me understand their operations and strategies, fueling my inspiration.
Books have played a crucial role in shaping my perspective on entrepreneurship. "Zero to One" by Peter Thiel and "Lean Startup Mode" by Eric Ries are among the books that have resonated with me profoundly. Additionally, "Good to Great" by Jim Collins has been instrumental in shaping my approach to business.
Podcasts have been an invaluable resource for me as well. "How I Built This" hosted by Guy Raz is a podcast I particularly enjoy, as it explores the stories of different entrepreneurs, showcasing their vulnerability and willingness to share their experiences. This authenticity shows that entrepreneurship is achievable and not an insurmountable challenge.
I've also gained insights from shows like "Shark Tank" and other similar content, collectively contributing to my understanding of entrepreneurship.
What would you say was one of the bigger compromises and sacrifices you had to make personally to get to where you are today?
I feel like I haven't reached anywhere specific; it's just been a journey so far. I don't see things as sacrifices but as necessary steps towards achieving my goals. If you want something like losing weight, you need to reduce sugar. If you are clear about what you want, you must figure out how to get there.
One of the compromises I had to make was on my salary. I used to earn a lot in the US, but when I moved back to India, I had zero income for two years. I was completely fine with it because I considered it a worthwhile problem to solve; I was willing to dedicate three to five years to seeing what would happen.
I never viewed it as a sacrifice, but my family, especially my wife and mum, had to sacrifice a lot. They had no direct involvement in my journey, yet they sacrificed so much to support me in achieving my goals. So, while I don't see my actions as sacrifices, I know that my family has made significant sacrifices for me, and I am deeply grateful for their support.
What future do you envision helping to create with GreenPod Labs?
We must keep emphasising this message: food waste is a preventable problem. It requires collective efforts from multiple entrepreneurs to tackle it effectively. That's the future we are heading towards, transitioning from wasting food to a world represented by GreenPod Labs, where we can confidently assert that food waste is preventable. We are committed to doing whatever it takes to achieve this goal; it's the direction we are working towards.
From your journey, what would you like other people, perhaps even future generations, to take away? What key learnings should they derive from your experiences?
I feel guilty about sharing this since I haven't travelled much. I've only been in entrepreneurship for about three years, so it might be too early to impart profound wisdom. However, one important lesson I keep emphasising is the significance of being passionate about the problem you're addressing. It's crucial not to focus solely on the technology you use or the solution you're building. Instead, direct your passion towards understanding and solving the problem itself. This mindset will propel you from point A to point B, overcoming obstacles.
My advice to aspiring entrepreneurs, and those in the future, is to gain crystal-clear clarity on the problem you aim to solve. Doing so has already accomplished a significant portion of your journey. From there, you can build and create solutions with a strong foundation. Embrace a profound intention towards the problem, and everything else will fall into place.
If one lasting message could reach anyone on this planet, what would that one be?
I've always considered myself a curious person, and being curious is something I often talk about. We seem to have lost the ability to maintain our curiosity and to keep learning and exploring. If there's one last message I could convey, it would just be to stay curious. I also believe in taking risks, so, to sum it up, I suppose I would like to say, "Be curious and take risks."
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