Interview with Mayank Pande, CEO & Founder - Carina Softlabs Inc.

Mayank Pande  

CEO & Founder, Carina Softlabs

Give us a quick overview on Carina Softlabs. When and how did you begin this journey and what were your motives to be successful in app development?

We began our little startup in the year 2011. Initially, being a web development company, we established ourselves. Mobile app development was a rising dimension of IT industry at that time, so we didn’t jump into it. First we prepared ourselves and then got our first Mobile application development project in 2013.

Our motive to come into mobile app development and to be a renowned name in it was that we wanted to provide the Value for money which our client invests into the project. We wanted to let new start-ups grow, and allow them a technical hand at the minimum possible cost. This made our mobile division grow beyond expectations.

What is your role in the management and development of Carina Softlabs?

I am acting as the CEO of the company from past 10 years. My job role gives me the opportunity to take futuristic decisions based on recent market trends, analyze the upcoming risks and make plans to keep the company profitable. Along with that, we have been constantly working on making the company the best employee-friendly company, so I am quite involved in meetings with HR department for the same.

Carina Softlabs started on the pavements on roadside. So from there to a team size of 50+ people in a well-furnished office, is what we have worked for.

Tell us about your biggest achievement in the industry

Our biggest achievement is being the biggest game development service provider company in Central India. We have started our game development and design division in the year 2015. Since then, we have worked with many international game studios to provide them with many successful games. And slowly, due to the team’s hard work, and proper strategy from the management we achieved this position.

Also, we have been awarded as runner-up award for “Most Innovative Technology Company” by an Australian firm named “Corporate-visions”.

How do you schedule the development phases of the apps to promise the timeline to your clients?

We divide the projects into two segments. First includes the task which we have done previously in some or the other application, and the second one includes the tasks which are new.

Now we make weekly sprints, and get team started on the tasks which they already know about or have done. We put a separate team to work on the tasks which are challenging or tough and might affect the timeline parallel to the development of the application.

So by the time we need those features, we ensure that everything is sorted and is working. This helps us never lose the deadline.

How do you help your clients in choosing the right yet profitable platform for app development?

Many of our clients are the ones who have not got funding in their startup. So they have limited funds to make their dream come true. For such clients, we suggest them the cost effective platform which can full fill their requirement.

We also deal with many corporate clients, so for them we go with the best technology as per the requirement they have shared. We don’t define technology platform based on the budget, but on what platform can help our client get a very scalable and effective application.

When we receive a requirement, after about 4-5 days of research we go for the call with client and suggest them the best technology stack possible. We show them the Pros & Cons of the same, and also provide them other options too. We emphasize on what is best for them but the final decision is made based on the one factor we believe in “Value for Money”.

Which would you suggest for a successful and profitable business progression, Native or hybrid apps? How do you define the factors that influenced you to make this choice?

Native and Hybrid apps both are successful and profitable for business progression. But we make decision based on what stage your business is in and what is the need based on requirement.

Hybrid apps are cost effective solutions to develop, but have some limitations which can be developed only in native apps. So, the decision is always based on what is best for a particular requirement.

The basic factors which help us in making the decision are: features feasibility, cost of development, scalability for future and most important, which platform will provide the best user experience for this requirement.

How do you scheme your pricing model? How do you fix your budget?

Our pricing model is very simple and is solely based on two factors. One is the complexity of the requirement and how many resources we do need to allot to the project. We have a team size of 15 developers in our mobile application development division, and the experience range we cover is from 1.5 years to 9 years.

So based on the complexity of the project, and the features required by the client, we finalize the team for the project and so we decide the cost based on the duration our team will be engaged on the project.

When we work with startups, we ensure that we can keep the cost close to the budget they have planned, so we put more time in research and then come up with the cost which suits them.

How helpful are the mobile apps developed by your team, for enhancing your clients’ business?

Most of the applications we have developed now have 10 million+ downloads. We worked on different type of applications like e-commerce, payment solutions, dating platforms, AR/VR apps and many more. Before we developed and launched their application, they were only on web platform or on direct sales. After their application is launched, they got a whole new way to reach more customers, and so we can say that our applications have been a key factor in our client’s success.

Mostly we have worked with the companies who were developing their application for the first time. And when we see their business grow and having millions of people using it. It shows the work quality and the commitment we made on the very first day, that the application will be user friendly and will be liked by masses.

What according to you are the best practices to attain client satisfaction?

I think being transparent and pre-notifying client about any upcoming delays or complications are the key to ensure client satisfaction. I have seen a problem in IT industry, that till last day client is not updated about any problems or technical difficulties the team is facing. And on the last day when client finds out he becomes furious, and I think it is right to be furious.

The best approach is to keep the client informed on every step and aspect of the project. If you accomplish inform that to client, and also if you are stuck somewhere inform that to your client too. Clients do understand the complexity which may arise while working, so they will surely support you and might help you come out of the problem.

How do you update your business system to be in pace with the technological advancements?

I am fond of reading magazines like Digit, Chip, PC World and many more. I am also a contributor on many technology blogs. So I do keep myself aware about any upcoming technologies, updates, changes etc. and then I do my own research about the use of that technology for Carina.

We do invite industry leaders, and developers to do seminars in the company. We also encourage our team to go for online courses provided on many platforms to keep up with the pace. Also, every week in our Digital Marketing division, our head of operations list out the new updates and provides team with short notes on them. This way we keep our team curious and always learning and advancing themselves.

What are your thoughts about AR, VR and Internet of Things (IoT)?

The future is in AR, VR and IoT. If you notice changes in your life in past 5 years you can see the advancement technology has made. Now we have Smart Homes, Smart Offices, Smart Cars and many other things. All this is done using IoT. So there is immense scope in it.

2 years back we were part of a project which helped army people do their training using XR devices. XR is mixture of AR and VR functionality in one application. There are thousands of VR applications which can give you a live feel of a game, a stadium, a concert or a stage show. AR is giving you more productive applications than ever. You just point camera, and you can understand whatever written in any mystical language.

15 years back, touch based controls were the most innovative thing. And in recent future all you have to do is see something and things will work. This will be the power of AR/VR technology.

What do you think will be the future of Mobile technology?

For next 15-20 years, I don’t think we will be switching to any other device from our mobile phones. Mobile phones are becoming smarter day by day and so are the developers.

Mobile application development is yet to see a revolution, and the way we are using the applications now will change. But it will still be the most popular device on the planet. With emerging new technology, solutions and the ways user can interact with the device has significantly increased, it has given the mobile developers a power to make the user interaction very easy and fast.

Devices will get smaller but more powerful and probably be controlled by looking at them or we might be wearing these gadgets, so it can be directly brain controlled. No one has seen future, but I think this is what is left to come.