Importance of Teamwork for Co-founders of Enterprises

Senapathy Kris Gopalakrishnan, co-founder Infosys and chairman, Axilor Ventures, addressed the students of the Indian School of Business (ISB) on May 5 in Hyderabad and telecast live to the Mohali campus as part of the ISB Dean’s speaker series launched last year where thought leaders are invited to the campus to share their views.

Talking about entrepreneurship, Gopalakrishnan says for aspiring entrepreneurs, it is important to have an alignment of purpose between the co-founders like a common goal by the founders. In the case of Infosys, all the founders shared the goal of creating a globally respected organisation.

The founders should work as a team so that no one drops out. They should also identify their own heroes in business “because it tells you of the qualities you want to see in yourself and want to aspire to become.”

“if you want to get funded then it may be better to start a company with co-founders than being a single individual backed entity.”

Then, there is the right kind of atmosphere to start a business. “You typically need to ride a wave. For instance, when Infosys was started in 1981, the personal computer was introduced by IBM, the proliferation of computers was started in 1981 and IBM had quit India after 1977 opening up opportunities for many start-ups.”

Gopalakrishnan says he was of the opinion that the IT revolution was far from over. “I personally believe that the next 30 years are going to be even more exciting because it is not just about IT now. It is about the use of IT in every aspect of our life and every industry that we can think of. The automotive industry is going to transform because of things like self -driving vehicles,” he added.

“In alternative fuels, a lot of innovations are happening, the healthcare industry is getting transformed because of precision medicine and personalised medicine, newer technologies and Internet of Things (IoT). There is revolution taking place in the Fin-Tech space. When every industry is getting transformed and getting disrupted, it is the best time to think about starting your own business,” he adds.

“By and large, disruptive ideas come from new businesses, existing businesses focus on defending their turf, working with their existing customers and protecting their revenue streams and profitability,” Gopalakrishnan said.He said India was an ideal location to start a new business “because in India you can leapfrog and think of the new model.”

About funding, he is of the opinion that it would be easier for a company with co-founders to get financing rather than a single owner. “if you want to get funded then it may be better to start a company with co-founders than being a single individual backed entity.”

On Axilor, he says it is an accelerator and a seed fund that helps founders improve their odds of success through its programs and a unique venture funding model.

On the founder’s challenge of disconnecting after leaving the company, he says, ‘There are no right or wrong answers. You cannot emotionally walk away from something that you have built over your lifetime – say over 33 or 35 years. But you also prepare yourself because that is what you said you will do and that is what need to do and want to do to create a second innings, get involved in something else. That is what I did personally.

“But then, if there is any news about Infosys, I am the first one to read about it. In India, most of the businesses are family run or family-owned and you transfer the ownership to the next generation. But if you want to step down and hand over to somebody else, please make sure that the process is defined and managed properly so that there is no hiccup in the business,” he adds.

Kris Gopalakrishnan, Chairman, Axilor Ventures, one of the co-founders of Infosys, was its Vice-Chairman (2011-2014), CEO and MD (2007-2011). A global business and technology thought leader, he is the recipient of several prestigious awards, including the Padma Bhushan. He serves on several boards including that of IIT Madras and IIM Bangalore.(Image source:google.com)