Halasuru to SpaceX (2/3)
My journey with a team that started from a scrappy garage and reached the quarters of Elon Musk.
Continued from Halasuru to SpaceX (1/3)
Growth DNA
Among the most successful people I’ve had the opportunity to meet or study with, a resounding commonality is their uncanny ability to embrace uncertainty. They don't merely survive, but thrive in spaces that would appear outrageously uncomfortable to most. These individuals seem to harbor an instinctive aptitude for thriving in the face of adversity, a characteristic I have always admired.
Reflecting on my early days at AIESEC during college, I understood that the power of wide-ranging, dynamic networks could significantly enhance the quality and diversity of life's opportunities. A fundamental lesson I learned then was that the world is interconnected in ways more profound than the obvious, and that these connections could be harnessed to fuel my dreams and ambitions.
However, upon setting foot in Bangalore and joining Hyperloop India, I found myself in an environment unlike anything I had experienced before. The very nature of the project demanded a multi-disciplinary approach, and every team member brought a unique skill set to the table. This wasn't just a random gathering of individuals with different expertise, it was a symphony of innovators, each contributing their own unique melody to the composition of our shared venture.
We were an eclectic mix of engineers, designers, economists, artists, writers, management students, and freelancers - each bringing a valuable perspective to the conversation. The ambiance in Bangalore felt less like a traditional academic setting and more like a controlled simulation of running a startup. Even though we were still nestled within the familiar confines of a university, we found ourselves building a product from scratch, learning to master the art of salesmanship, and navigating the intricate dynamics of pitching our idea to a myriad of stakeholders.
Entrepreneurs across the globe can attest to the pendulum-like nature of their journey: there are days when you feel you have an intimate understanding of every single cog in the machine, and then there are days when you feel like a stranger in your own venture. We were no different. However, the epiphany that this oscillation was actually advantageous to us was something we did not anticipate.
Shot in the dark
Our working style found resonance in Jeff Bezos’ philosophy of making decisions at a 70% conviction rate. The slight deviation being that we were operating at a slightly lower rate–perhaps 50-60%. In retrospect, I’ve come to realize that decisions often seem logical or illogical only in the aftermath of their implementation. At the moment of decision-making, it invariably feels like a leap of faith, one that must be taken after a certain amount of diligent research and instinctual trust in one's abilities.
“When Henry Ford made cheap, reliable cars people said, ‘Nah, what’s wrong with a horse?’ That was a huge bet he made, and it worked.” - Elon Musk
From the outset, we decided to position our pitch as the fifth mode of transportation. Elon Musk’s white paper on the hyperloop, which envisioned travel at the speed of sound, was sure to ignite the imagination of stakeholders. It was a narrative that combined the allure of novelty with the promise of practicality - a narrative we decided to carry forward.
In close collaboration with Prithvi Sankar, who was leading business development at that time, we chalked out a dual strategy. Our first request when we pitched our project to any stakeholder was for monetary sponsorship. However, we were not blind to the possibility of failure in this ask. As a contingency plan, we’d propose engagement in kind. The funding we were seeking was critical to cover manufacturing costs, insurance, travel, and marketing expenses. Recognizing these priorities, we initiated the process of arranging meetings and drafting contact lists.
Our team was a melting pot of talents from some of India's premier institutes like Indian Institute of Management - Ahmedabad, BITS Pilani, Indian School of Business, National Institute of Design, and others. Harnessing this advantage, our first course of action was to reach out to their vast alumni associations for mentorship and potential partnerships. This strategic move opened doors to the manufacturing industry in Peenya, Bangalore. We met a senior executive of Ripple Technologies who agreed to partner with us on manufacturing and R&D, and the Director of Miracle Electronics, who generously offered assistance with testing and component procurement.
Once the manufacturing puzzle was solved, we turned our attention to funding our operations and meeting other financial obligations. Thus, for starters, we decided to embark on the journey of crowdfunding. We knew that many individuals in the alumni communities, while not fitting into our sponsorship brackets, still harbored a desire to contribute in their own ways. Our campaign aimed to raise Rs. 30 lacs.
A promotional video, a series of engagements with channels like TVF, and interactions with personalities like Biswapati Sarkar helped us create significant hype around our project. Inviting eminent figures like Rakesh Sharma, the only Indian citizen to have traveled to space and a man who needs no introduction in the scientific fraternity, to visit our workspace was another step we took to build momentum. To our delight, we overshot our funding target and managed to attract corporate and government organizations like RITES, Niti Aayog, PMRDA, Startup India, and others to recognize our work.
As June arrived, our business development team exceeded all expectations. Delivering on top-tier partnerships and closing a successful fundraiser were milestones we had never achieved before. The feeling was a heady mix of exhilaration and relief. We had transitioned from what felt like a frustratingly stagnant phase, where significant energy was expended with no visible output, to a stage where we were far ahead of where we imagined we could be.
Come July, procurement and manufacturing were in full swing. Money in the bank was the much-needed fuel that propelled the team towards the impending competition. Anticipation hung thick in the air as our gamble in uncertain waters paid off when we received an official invite from SpaceX.
We were on the cusp of a formidable challenge, ready to compete with some of the brightest minds in the world. The anticipation was electric, the air charged with the potential of what lay ahead.
At long last, we were flying to America.