Your Tech Story

Inspiration

Li-Fi

Harald Hass- German Professor who coined the new Li-Fi technology

Leave a Comment / Founder, Inspiration, Product, Tech Story / By

Generally, we all know wired and wireless communication technologies because we all use it. For example, the telephones(the cable ones) as a wired communication device, and of course mobile as a wireless communication device. But like all fields, communication technology is also improvising day by day, many new inventions are there like Li-fi technology. It is introduced by Harald Hass for the first time in the world. Well, it is a form of wireless communication known as light fidelity technology.

In 2011, at TED global talk, Hass made the reference of visible light communication, and based on this he introduced the advanced Li-fi communication technology for the first time. After this, it became the center of attraction for many researchers and scientists. As well, Time Magazine listed the Li-fi technology in the list of Top 50 inventions of the year 2011.

About Li-Fi

Li-fi stands for Light Fidelity. It is the Optical Wireless communication’s derivative. In common language, we can say it as an advanced form of optical wireless communication. Light-emitting diodes are the center of this technology. The light emitted from these LEDs is used as a medium to deliver the network to mobile phones and enables high-speed communication. Similar to Wi-Fi, but Li-fi uses light as a medium.

A person who introduced Li-Fi for the first time- Harlad Hass

He is a German professor who is best known for many scientific types of research, Li-Fi is one of them. In fact, he has been credited for introducing li-fi for the first time. Presently, he is working at the University of Edinburgh as a professor in the field of mobile communication. However, he has a Ph.D. degree from the same University. As well, Hass is the Royal Society of Edinburgh’s fellow since 2017.

Career and Notable researches

He is a professor at the University of Edinburgh and director of life research center at the same university. Also, he contributed to establishing pureLiFi ltd where he is serving as a director and chief scientific officer.

Coming to his research field, Hass’s special area of research is wireless communications. Specifically in Hybrid optical wireless/RF communication, spatial modulation, optical wireless communication, and interference coordination in wireless networks. However, he coined Li-fi and spatial modulation, and among these researches, Li-fi became most popular.

In 2011, Li-fi was in the Time Magazine’s list of Top 50 inventions. As a matter of fact, Hass introduced the world about Li-fi in TED Global talk in 2011.

Contribution to promote Li-fi

In his TED talk, he represented Visible light communication, whose references found in history(Particularly 1880s duration). Base on this, he introduced Light fidelity, attributed to Li-Fi. He not only coined the term but also try to market it with setting up a company known as PureLiFi. Today, this firm is working to commercializing Li-fi products.

Awards and recognition

Harald Hass received many awards for his contribution to wireless communications. In 2015, for his Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking, Hass received EURASIP Best Paper Award(Co-recipient). Also, he became co-recipient of the Jack Neubauer Memorial Award of the IEEE Vehicular Technology Society in the same year. EPSRC offered him Career Fellowship in the UK in 2012, it is one of the prestigious fellowships. Moreover, the University of Edinburgh honored him with Tam Dalyell Prize in 2013 for his contribution to engaging common people with science. Recently, EPSRC selected him as one of the RISE Leaders in the UK in 2014(RISE- Recognising Inspirational Scientists and Engineers).

Future of Li-fi technology

As of 2018, the Li-fi market had projected to deliver the 6 billion dollars per year. But till now the market is not developed as wi-fi. Because there are few limitations. Like as of now, it is not ideal for mobile communication purposes. However, Li-fi technology offers many advantages especially in electromagnetic sensitive areas. Like hospitals, nuclear power plants, aircraft cabins. Therefore, it can be turn out useful in the future.

Bottom Line

Harald is working on commercializing the product that uses Li-fi technology with his PureLiFi firm. As well, many scientists are working on this. It is just the beginning of Li-Fi, in the future it may get more advanced and scientists can find the solution to its restrictions. Also, we know that whenever any technology is new, there are some limitations and people take some time to accept it. But once it is accepted it becomes part of daily life. Hopefully, it will turn out useful for humans in the future.

Tradesy

How Tracy DiNunzio Helped People Build Wardrobes on a Tight Budget?

Leave a Comment / Founder, Inspiration, Tech Story / By

Every business requires the entrepreneur to put in countless hours of hard work because it is no easy task. It takes countless hours of sweat, sleepless nights and long-drawn flights and travels to make your dream a reality. Most entrepreneurs work harder than most of their employees to ensure the success of their company. Tradesy CEO Tracy DiNunzio remembers her early years, wherein she worked over 18 hours a day and gave out her bedroom on rent to make ends meet. The founder got candid about how she slept on her couch for months to make sure she is able to pay her bills on time. Here’s a look at how this woman grew Tradesy into the stellar success it is now!

Foundation Behind Tradesy

Before starting out with this endeavor, Tracy was an artist who was looking for a career change. In 2009, once she finalized her idea, she launched a trial version named Recycled Bride. She then taught herself how to manage a website, maintain a blog and even SEO Optimisation. As Tracy herself lived on a shoestring budget while trying to set up her fashion empire, she realized how important it is to be able to create a good wardrobe while on a budget. It is exactly this need that Tracy tried to fulfill with her company Tradesy.

The company essentially acts as a bridging platform between buyers and sellers, making it easy for women to buy and sell their clothes. The company handles all the logistics involved in such a trade, such as online payment, return, exchange, and even shipping. Tradesy’s growth was a result of several years of hard work and commitment, and it wasn’t easy by any means. Tracy grew the company on her own, from a one-person venture to a successful business that employs over 100 people and serves more than a million people. The best thing about this being that Tracy did all this within a meager span of three years.

Story Behind the Success

The first step for Tracy was identifying her strengths, weaknesses, and passions. She then looked for how she could use her strengths to capture market share and solve a problem that exists, and in this case, it was building a good wardrobe at a low price. So, from the get-go, Tracy’s primary goal has been to help women like herself dress well at affordable prices, and this is one thing that hasn’t changed, even when the company grew. Once she knew which problem she wanted to help solve, she began researching the fashion industry to understand the market better. She began to identify key interest areas, market trends, and opportunities for her business, thanks to her qualitative research. She also went out and spoke to women from around the country to understand their needs better, and to figure out how she better the consignment industry.

Biggest Factors for Success

Tracy grew Tradesy from zero to a 10-million-dollar company within three years, and she believes this was solely because of the hard work of her staff. Tracy believes that luck favors the tenacious, as she recalls early days wherein she worked 18-hours a day, trying to figure out how to run a digital business, without knowing much about web design and development. In order to save money, she rented out her bedroom and slept on the couch for months! The biggest challenge she faced was self-doubt and secondly, fiscal deficit as she didn’t have much money on her.

To manage her self-doubt, she broke down big tasks into smaller, more manageable ones so that she could channel her energy more positively. Furthermore, to earn more money, she sold her car and some of her clothes and even took up data entry jobs. Founder of Daily Candy, Dany Levy was Tradesy’s first investor, and over the years, she has become an integral mentor for Tracy. Another important guide was the man who handled Tradesy’s first investment round, Jim Andelman, who is involved with Rincon Venture Partners.

What started as a small project in 2012, has grown into a multi-million-dollar business headquartered in Santa Monica. The company raised over $75 million through funding, with Richard Branson being a major investor. They recently acquired Fitz, which helps with closet organizing and has launched the service in New York. Tracy plans on expanding the model to other states and even wants to try her hand at men’s and children’s clothing soon enough. Furthermore, they are expanding their listing, in an effort to make the experience more customer-friendly. With global sales amounting to over $1 billion, it is quite safe to say that Tradesy is here to stay for some time now, thanks to the grit, hard work and commitment of its leading lady.

HopSkipDrive

Hopskipdrive- To Give Your Kids A Safe Traveling Experience

Leave a Comment / Inspiration, Tech Story / By

Every mom wants to raise their kids with all the care and pampering in the world. So, when they are out of sight for a fraction of the section, moms are worried! Well, this only happens when we are kids, right? Our moms running behind us all the time with any stuff we need irrespective of how insignificant it is. Because we all will be the little one for them no matter how much we grow up. In most of the modern families these days, both the parents are working.

So, the demand for babysitters is never going down any sooner. But, apart from babysitting, they also need a travel companion. Who is going to drop your kids to school? Who is going to take them to their best friend’s birthday party? Worry not, especially when three strong independent women are fighting for a good cause.

HopSkipDrive is a transportation company that exclusively gives transportation facilities to the kids aging from six to seventeen. Janelle McGlothlin, Carolyn Yashari Becher, and Joanna Newman McFarland founded the company in 2015. This start-up is a blessing for every nuclear family in the United States who can now worry less about their kids.

HopSkipDrive is a transportation company that exclusively gives transportation facilities to the kids aging from six to seventeen. Janelle McGlothlin, Carolyn Yashari Becher, and Joanna Newman McFarland founded the company in 2015. This start-up is a blessing for every nuclear family in the United States who can now worry less about their kids.

About the Founders

Janelle went to the University of Pennsylvania and acquired his bachelor’s degree in International Relations. She also went to the Wharton School and received her second bachelor’s degree in Strategic Management. Apart from co-founding HopSkipDrive, Janelle has also founded Writebrand, a branding and copywriting company. She is married to Charly Kemp and has three small kids. Maybe her kids are one of the reasons she thought about this project.

Carolyn received her bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of California. And, later went to UCLA School of Law and received Doctor of Law. She also went to The Hebrew University for a one-year program.

Carolyn worked as an intern at the Democratic National Committee. In the beginning, she worked as a Paralegal but later she became the Attorney at Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLP. Apart from HopSkipDrive, she co-founded Becher Law Group, New Los Angeles Charter School, and The Neuromuscular Disease Foundation. Currently, she also serves as a Mentor at Techstars.

Joanna also went to the Wharton School and completed her bachelor’s in economics. In 2005, she graduated from Stanford University with an MBA. She started her career life as a Financial Analyst at Salomon Smith Barney and then switched to Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst. She worked at companies like Green Dot Companies, AT&T Interactive, OneWest Bank, and many more. Currently, she is the CEO of HopSkipDrive and an Investment Partner at XFactor Ventures.

The Story of HopSkipDrive

The company started of a simple conversation the three of them were having at a party. They were chatting with other moms too who were sharing concern about their children. It becomes a huge responsibility when both parents have the same working time. Because you don’t need a babysitter all the time. All you need is someone to drop them where they are supposed to be. So, the trio decided to work on the project of HopSkipDrive and made it a grand success.

A Quality Service

The screening process of HopSkipDrive is undoubtedly very strict. It’s the responsibility of taking care of children. So, the basic criterion of the company is to hire someone with a minimum of five years of experience. Since it is the caregiving experience that matters, most of the employees of the company are women. So, they basically work for a community their own kids are part of.

Parents can track their kids easily with the GPS tracking system. And, there is also a dual authentication process involving code word between the driver and the kid.

The Success

According to the reports of 2020, there are around 2.5 million homeless kids and 440,000 foster kids in the United States. HopSkipDrive wasn’t launched with the aim of taking care of kids from the upper-class society. So, the services have also extended their hands to these helpless kids who deserve equal opportunities.

Currently, HopSkipDrive is a team comprising of more than 100 people and conducting business with more than 7,000 contractors. They have expanded their services to more than eight states and the school districts in thirteen markets. The company has also raised $22 million from its last funding round.

John Cioffi

How John Cioffi Gave Life to the Internet Through the Broadband

Leave a Comment / Founder, Inspiration, Tech Story / By

Most of us cannot imagine a world without the internet now. We depend on it for everything from reading this article to shopping for groceries. However, forty years ago, the internet barely existed with the World Wide Web years away. Since then we have come a long way to technology such as 5G and crypto-currency, thanks to the internet. For most of this, we have engineer John Cioffi to thank. He realized that the copper wires used as phone lines could supply fast data to homes. This move made it possible for homes to get the internet without creating new networks. Years later, Joseph Lechleider turned that dream into a reality, and modern broadband came to be. Here’s a look at how those two men singlehandedly revolutionized modern-day internet and our lives.

What John Cioffi Did

Cioffi realized while at American Bell Laboratories in the 1970s, that someday the entire world would use the internet. However, making this affordable wasn’t an easy task. To make the process affordable, he imagined using copper telephone wires which have been around since a hundred years earlier. He moved to Stanford University by the end of the ’70s and began working on this concept. He tried to fit hundreds of data channels alongside phone conversations without causing disturbances. Cioffi named the technology DMT or Discrete Multitone. However, the high interference of the lines became a problem. So he built a device to switch data between channels to prevent this, creating the first broadband modem.

Joseph Lechleider’s Contribution

Cioffi’s broadband modem lowered the interference but not for high rate data sending. By then, Joseph Lechleider was working as an engineer at Bell Labs which had become Bellcore. He discovered that sending large data in one direction and smaller in the opposite could solve this problem. Hence, this process became the basis for the Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line technology. ADSL technology works great for people who don’t need to upload much data.

Broadband becomes Universal

Cioffi founded Amati in 1992 to build broadband modems, while companies such as BT began working on ADSL technology. Meanwhile, customers began using dial-up modems to access the internet via their phone lines. Since DSL required signal processors, they were too expensive to implement early on. However, as the 2000s rolled in, microchips became more affordable and internet connections became over a hundred times faster.

Cioffi then successfully worked on Dynamic Spectrum Management to make the transmission even faster. Soon enough, John Cioffi became the Father of DSL, with over 100 patents in the field. He works on projects to improve internet speeds and is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Lechleider died in 2015 becoming inducted into the US National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2013.

Continued Success

Cioffi also served as a professor of electrical engineering at Stanford University, supervising over 100 Ph.D. students over two decades. He left Stanford in 1991 to found Amati Corporation, building the world’s first DSL modem. The modem soon became a gold-standard as it was 4 times faster than its competitors, also being the first to transmit live television via a phone line. He sold Amati Communications to Texas Instrument for $440 million three years after taking it public in 1995. Cioffi returned to Stanford, to research on Dynamic Spectrum Management and vectored VDSLs, which will soon be launched in the US.

In 2003, Cioffi founded ASSIA which now has over 80 million worldwide subscribers and retired from Stanford six years later. The company makes software and hardware for companies involved in providing users high-speed Internet services. His wife works as the Executive Vice President owing to her keen sense of people, and management skills. His design for the VDSL powers almost 98% of the 500 million DSL connections the world now uses.

DSL accounts for more than 70% of the world’s broadband, more than even cable and fiber combined. ASSIA controls 90% of the U.S. market with regards to DSL management software, with its product making about $100 million annually for its users. The company began with three people, and by 2011 had over 170 employees. With the DSL industry has grown to one worth over $120 billion worldwide, it goes without saying that we have a lot to thank Cioffi for.

SanDisk

Sanjay Mehrotra: Never-Ending Journey For A Better Digital World of SanDisk Founder

Leave a Comment / Founder, Inspiration, Product, start-up, Story, Tech Story / By

There are many persons who believe in innovations. Although, very few of them are responsible to make that happen. But the persons, who dare to transfer those inventions from lab to daily use, make the world a better place. So, they set their name in the list of influencing entrepreneurs. Sanjay Mehrotra is one of them, who not only believes in innovation but also devoted himself to deliver a better one. He is the co-founder and former CEO of SanDisk that replaces hard disk drives with flash memory in the 19th century.

Image Source – Google

At present, he is the CEO of Micron Technology, which is one of the leading memory storage devices manufacturers. It has been never easy to climb the ladder of success. Yet, it is inspiring to know the untold journey of Sanjay Mehrotra.

Early life

He was born on 27th June 1958 in Kanpur, India. Sanjay spent his childhood days in the same city. Thereafter, the Mehrotra family shifted to Delhi due to his father’s work. He went to Delhi school for primary education. Also, at Sardar Patel Vidyalaya he completed secondary schooling.

UG course at the University of California

When the students were dreaming of post-graduation in foreign. At that time, Sanjay’s father inspired him for UG in a foreign country. BITS Pilani was well known for collaboration with international Universities. So, he took admission for UG program, in the hope of future chance to go abroad. He completed two years of Electrical engineering in Bits Pilani, and then the day came.

He grabbed the opportunity to study the remaining UG course at the University of California, Berkeley. Reaching there was not a cakewalk. At first, his visa got denied three times. But his father’s support and his ambitions do not let him stop. They had to request multiple times and countless meetings to the Indian US embassy. Finally, he got the passport and flight landed at the destination.

Earlier achievements

He applied for a master’s degree, at the same University as a UG program. During his master’s program, he worked on Integrated circuits. But his interest was more towards designing. Hence, he could not stop himself from discovering non-volatile memory design.

Sanjay named more than 70 patents. Also, he presented research papers on the Flash memory system and non-volatile memory design.

He joined Intel Corporation as a Non-Volatile design engineer in 1980. It was the opportunity to explore his area of interest in non-volatile memory design more.

What happens when one Indian, one Chinese, and one person from Israel meet? No idea. Well, when these three persons met, they founded SanDisk; that too in one different country.

Boom of SanDisk

In 1988, Sanjay Mehrotra, Eli Harari, and Jack Yuan started a small company in Silicon Valley. Initially, they wanted to replace hard disk drives with their flash solid-state drives (SSD). To achieve this, they designed the first flash-based SSD mounted in a 2.5inch hard drive for IBM. Though it was of only 20MB capacity, it was a great move to install the technology which was at the experimental state at that time.

The first product of SanDisk traded out for $1000. After that, they changed their products according to market needs. SanDisk boomed the digital industry with its first mega-market sale of open standard digital films.

The Journey Continues

In the year 2011, Sanjay Mehrotra acquired the position as CEO. Under his policies, the company gained most of the electronics market. In fact, in 2012 SanDisk was the third-highest among other consumer electronics companies.

In recent years, SanDisk working on SSD for cloud computing. Also, they produce more than 2 million USB flash drivers per day. In 2017, Sanjay Mehrotra assigned as the new Chief executive officer of Micron Inc. Also, he is the onboard member of SanDisk.

Zilingo

Zilingo – Indian Entrepreneurs Create New Style Statement

Leave a Comment / Founder, Inspiration, Product, start-up, Story, Tech Story / By

We all love talking about fashion. Many of us have the urge to recreate their wardrobe every season. From a 5-years old little girl to a 60-years old man, we all want to look classic. A perfect fashion icon speaks through the language of style.

Brands can never define fashion. The idea behind fashion is creative and one can get inspiration from anywhere. It is a form of art that seeks ideas from a high-class designer dress to some really cool street style. Ankiti Bose and Dhruv Kapoor proved that in front of the entire world.

Who are they?

Ankiti Bose and Dhruv Kapoor are the founders of Zilingo, an online commerce platform for fashion. Though they are from different career background they hit it off pretty well.

Zilingo-Founders
Image Source – Google Images

Ankiti Bose

Before founding Zilingo, Ankiti Bose worked as an investment analyst Sequoia Capital. She worked at the Bangalore office. Bose studied Economics and Mathematics from St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai.

She is a fashion enthusiast. Her trip to Bangkok and witnessing their magnificent street fashion is what inspired her to create something of her own. She has also worked for McKinsey & Company.

Dhruv Kapoor

It is true that Engineers can be anywhere. One might get a B. Tech degree but for most of them, interest lies somewhere else. Dhruv Kapoor is an engineer who graduated from IIT, Guwahati. He studied Electrical and Electronic Engineering.

After graduating in 2012, Dhruv Kapoor joined Yahoo as a Software Engineer. After working there for a year, he joined Kiwi. Eventually, he met Bose, decided to quit the job and start a business.

The Back Story

None of them had the perfect plan to start a business. It happened all of a sudden. They trusted their guts and took the risk.

The story begins when Bose went on a Bangkok trip with her friends. It was back in 2014. She went shopping in a market called Chatuchak. According to her, it was the largest weekend market worldwide.

She witnessed more than 10,000 independent retailers with really inspiring designs. Unfortunately, none of them knew how to take their business online. This is when Bose thought of creating a platform where these powerful talents can be showcased and earned as well.

With the idea in her mind, she knew it would be better if she had a tech guy in her team. Because irrespective of the idea technology has a bigger role to play. After a few days, she met Kapoor at a party in her own flat. She shared her idea and Kapoor found it really interesting. They decided to take the next step.

The Beginning

They started with quitting their jobs. There wasn’t any second thought about their plan. Initially, they spend $30,000 each from their savings. Sequoia India backed Zilingo since Bose was a former employee. The company provided Zilingo the seed funding.

In 2015, Bose and Kapoor established Zilingo in Singapore.

What is Zilingo?

The company is a dream place for any potential designer who lacks a source. Zilingo is a fashion company that connects wholesalers, retailers and help them reach out to customers. It provides technical and financial support.

Within four years, the company has expanded to Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Australia, India, and the U.S. Every company or the independent retailer who wishes to do sell their products go through strict scrutiny. Zilingo charges a commission of 10%-30% for all of them.

The Success

From the very beginning, Zilingo raised a good amount of funding. It raised around $8 million in Series A funding followed by $18 million in Series B funding. Zilingo’s Series C funding round took place in 2018 and it raised $54 million. The amount almost quadrupled in the Series D funding round.

Zilingo has become one of the highest capitalized start-ups in South East Asia. The company’s valuation became $970 million in February 2019.

Zilingo, today, has more than 600 employees working over eight nations. The company’s valuation is on the course to become $1 billion. Bose is the first Indian woman who co-founded a start-up of such valuation. She has become a role model for all young women entrepreneurs out there.

The company has created a sign of dignity for both its business strategy and technology. What can be a better combination than an economist and a software engineer? Zilingo’s team is full of creative, inspiring and passionate people.