Don’t know coding to create VR and AR content? Dont worry, Scapic will help you out

Sai Krishna V K and Ajay V P are the founders of Scapic.  Scapic was incorporated considering the end users who can build AV and VR content easily even if they are not aware of coding.

Scapic is focusing on the next iteration of the internet broadly called the Immersive web. They focused on bringing the promise of the Virtual and Augmented reality to storytellers, creatives, businesses and everyday users. The Scapic platform provides a suite of simple tools needed for users to build their own experiences in VR/AR in a matter of minutes.

We got an opportunity to talk with one of the founders of the venture Sai Krishna. Check out what are his views and vision about Scapic.

 

What made you start your startup and what problem does it solve?

Scapic really started out as a problem we all face in the team. As late night discussions go, we were all discussing Elon Musk, life and a little more. The interest quickly spiralled into a question: “What if computers were not limited to the screen they have?”

This led us to ask why the digital world, which is rapidly evolving into the fields of Virtual and Augmented reality, has not been able to involve a larger audience in the creative process yet.  We then discovered that the technical skill set required is too high, the time taken to make content is too long, the process too inefficient. Hence, we’re trying to remove these barriers to entry for VR/AR and that’s what keeps the team going

 

Tell us about yourself, your previous jobs/ventures? What were you doing before this startup?

“ When you get right down to it, I’m a builder, entrepreneur and tech geek. I am what the textbook calls as an ‘accidental entrepreneur’. My journey began back in the undergraduate days in Bangalore. As a technology guy, I found myself constantly drawn towards building things, and that I believe is the empowering nature of tech. Since then, I have had the chance to play roles of value at multiple startups, endear through business school courses and currently, am the founder of Scapic. “

 

Where is your startup based out of? Why do you think that is the best place for you?

At Scapic, we often like to call ourselves as a Silicon Valley company by DNA, and a Bangalore based company by geography. The reason we do so, is an echo of the technology first thinking of both these cities, and the ecosystems they comprise of. The Valley serves as the hotbed of innovation for deep technology startups like Scapic, and Bangalore as always has a bustling startup ecosystem to engage with. As a product startup, it then becomes important to be mindful about your geography while being inclusive in your innovation cycle.

 

As a startup founder, what are you paranoid about? What keeps you awake at night?

Culture. I think it is often underrated in the Indian scenario, but culture Is what defines the startup, right from the product it builds to the people who build it. We constantly work ourselves to better the organizational culture. Also, how fast we should grow is a question that I ask myself all the time. How do we grow our implementation base whilst at the same time ensuring our current customers are happy? The decisions we make now will dictate how well we scale, and knowing that is pressure enough to keep you awake at night.

 

Who are your competitions and how are you better than them?

We think that VR/AR will be fundamentally important shifts in computing. In that pursuit, our goal is to make Scapic the easiest way for users like you and me to get started with these new technologies. This is a significant goal, and one that is bound to have competitive organizations. However, we’re strongly focusing only on the end customer experience, and how to make that as efficient as possible. We view more organizations in the space as a great sign of growth and are excited about what lies ahead.

 

How hard is it to have a work life balance as a startup founder and how do you manage it?

It’s often joked that entrepreneurs work 80 hour weeks, so that they can avoid working 40 hour ones. As a founder, the gravity of a fast growing venture promises momentum, but requires steep climbs. This often has a significant impact on the debated concepts of work-life balance. The way I see it, The whole point of doing a start up is to “unbalance” everything around you. One of the most important lessons I ever learned was that you need to be a fanatic and when you love what you do, work becomes a way of life. When something is a way of life, you begin to not feel burdened by it.

 

What’s the biggest misconception people have about you? Why do they have that? What’s the reality?

I think people at large have a superficial take on entrepreneurship. Often times, it’s only the success that ends up making the headlines. This means that people at large view starting ventures as a ‘cool’ thing to do, or desirable by association, and fashionably if so. I wish there was more done to provide context to stop this misconception. Starting up is hard, very. If a large populous of folk were shown the process, path and potential hazards first up; it might make for significantly more informed decisions, and better choices. It really isn’t about the champagne, but every bit of toil that it takes to get there rather.

 

What gets you excited about this company?

I believe that immersive computing marks an inflection point. That this is much more than the latest gizmo or fad, but rather the genesis of a fundamentally new technology platform — one that will change how we communicate, connect and exist. VR & AR are just its first manifestation. The last time we saw a shift like this was in the 1800s, with the invention of the fundamental technologies behind recording and broadcasting moving pictures and sound. Out of those technologies evolved radio, cinema, television, the telephone, the internet — spawning a multitude of new industries and creative works.

The modern world, the world you and I know, wouldn’t exist without the arrival of those technologies more than 150 years ago.

We are at one of these extraordinary moments again

 

Tell us how a day in your life looks like? Your schedule for a day right from the time you get up till you hit the bed at night.

My day begins with multiple alarms jolting me awake. I then immediately plan my tasks for the day, with a schedule. I swear by my ToDo list, and use it extensively to coordinate on my priorities. Days are usually spread between technology reviews, sales meetings and doubling down on coordinating between different internal teams. I believe food as a source for just sustenance, and used to live on Soylent, a food replacing drink, back in Silicon Valley. Hence, I keep my meals engineered towards simplicity. I try to get in a workout towards the evening, with generous cups of coffee through the day. I then review larger strategic goals once the workday concludes, and begin on additional tasks that require attention. This is usually followed up with a session of reading books. I then review the ToDo list for the day, to look at how the day progressed, and close the day anywhere between 2-3AM. Clearly, not the early bird who caught the worm, but I believe in work rigors that subjectively work for you as an individual.

 

A sneak peak at my ToDo list chart

 

Tell us about your team and how did you meet each other?

The Scapic team is exceptionally young, and 10 members strong now. Almost all team members are < 24 years old. I think this gave us the audacity to think from ground up, and build on technologies that on the frontiers of tomorrow. We have a very hacker and Silicon Valley driven DNA in the team, and this keeps the enthusiasm about the big vision strong.

My co-founder, Ajay and I met almost half a decade ago. It was a mutual acquaintance over a trip to Chickmagalur where we were introduced as fellow geeks who might have thrive on nerdy conversations. What started as banters about the technology space quickly evolved into deeper discourses. As late night discussions go, we were all discussing Elon Musk, life and a little more. The interest quickly spiraled into a question: “What if computers were not limited to the screen they have?”. Here we are, today, trying to answer that very question. Here’s to more.

 

 

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