There are times when you ask yourself about your achievements in life. We start with your career not knowing what is in store for you in the near future and one day you come across an idea that would have an impact on the society as a whole. This is when true entrepreneurs are born. Debprotim Roy started his career as an associate at Quikr and quickly moved on to bigger roles at Housing.
A young and energetic person with a knack of delivering timely solutions, Debprotim often faced a huge dilemma when it came to finding good designers in India. This is what led to the launch of his first startup Canvs.in. It is a one-stop gateway where consumers can find Graphic Artists and Designers. Within a short span of few months, the platform has already managed to rope in more than 1200 artists and designers.
Please provide a brief overview of your product/ service.
Canvs.in is a community of designers and artists in India. Canvs.in allows its members to upload their work on a well designed portfolio, meet more designers and artists, sell their work, find jobs and projects and conduct exhibitions and workshops.
What inspired you to build the above product/ service?
The persistently knocking problems of finding a good designer to work with and getting work if you are in the field of art and design. Basically the need of a shift in paradigm to uncluttered the design and art community in India.
What is your life mantra?
I don’t believe having one mantra in life pays off.
What was the most challenging part of your journey till now?
Understanding the problems of the design community and being able to bucket them in larger silos to be able to solve them more efficiently.
Share some details about the investments that you have been able to fetch for the business till now.
We have been fuelled by a private fund of some senior officials from Investment Banks whose names we’d like to withhold. We are still raising more funds.
How do you protect yourself from the problem of Brain Drain?
We have a very simple dogma as far as our team is concerned. We keep it lean and smart. We have been so, right from the start, and don’t believe in overexpansion. Only they join us who are vested in the idea of Canvs and are smart enough to go neck and neck with the pace of the rest of the team. We belong to the school of thought where we don’t call humans as resources.
According to you, what are the three qualities an individual must have to achieve success?
Humility, Ambition and an appetite for destruction.
Share any one habit which you think makes you more productive.
Exercising
Share any one habit which you wish to change in yourself.
Introversion
Answer in less than 50 words
One tip to success:
Think fast and concentrate on execution.
One mistake you believe every individual must avoid:
Of judging people in first meetings. This can be finding founders or looking for people for your team.
One most important lesson that you have learnt till now:
Every moment spent with the wrong person is a moment wasted.
What are your plans for next 3 years?
Expanding the Canvs community to all fields of design and art and solving the clutter in design and art once and for all.
If you get a chance to start your career again what would you do differently this time?
Start much earlier.
What are your top three getaway destinations?
I’m afraid I don’t travel much.
Share a quote that inspires you the most.
“Fortune favor’s the Bold.”