BELIEVE in your IDEAS and BOSS just DO it - Praneet Kumar, Co-Founder - WebDefenders

Few days back, I had blogged about an Unconference named IdeaCamp,Pune which was all about sharing and discussing ideas.There were lot interesting people that I came across during the span of the entire event.Amongst those interesting set of people , there was a startup guy Praneet Kumar who knew well about cyber law, patents, trademarks etc.

Praneet is the co-founder of a startup WebDefenders Consulting Pvt. Ltd [website under construction] which is into cyber law, ethical hacking and few other activities[which are listed below]. WebDefenders looked a different and interesting startup , in terms of it's offerings and services .

Below is a small Q&A with Praneet Kumar from WebDefenders.The Q&A session is divided into 2 parts : WebDefenders and Entrepreneurship.

Note : "I" in the conversation refers to Praneet Kumar.

WebDefenders [How,When, Why etc.]

Q. Can you tell something about WebDefenders ?

Well, WebDefenders is a unique endeavor in itself. It provides a complete solution package for cyber security which includes cyber law, cyber crime investigation, ethical hacking, cyber forensics and its related training and education.

Q. What are some of the sectors that WebDefenders caters to ?
Well! We wish to target initially the following sectors:

1. Banking and Finance
2. IT
3. Government
4. Authorized investigating body [both Government & Non Government]
5. Education [Higher or Specialized]
6. Defense
7. Matters related Legal Exigencies

Q. Cyber Crime & Security is a niche area, so when did you guys feel that the time is right to venture into this field ?
Well! We have been involved in this area individually from 2004-05 but it was in mid 2007 that we [partners] met online, later became friends and finally the partners.

Q. What is your take on the recent happenings in the cyberspace with respect to cyber crime, security etc ?
Hmm! We feel that the major problem which India, particularly, is facing today is an acute crisis of awareness about cyber security with respect to cyber vulnerabilities. It is a now the cyber-age and so chances of being victim of cyber crimes is very evident.

Q. Since, your startup also caters to Intellectual Property[IP] services,what are some of the basic things that startup should take care of while filing a patent ?
Hmm! If someone has a creative idea or invention, or is interested in starting a techno company (s)he may wish to protect, the first thing (s)he does is contact a patent attorney and file a patent application. (S)he believes that (s)he has protected his/her invention, so is (s)he protected? Not necessarily!!!

Preparing a patent application is "only" one of many action steps to consider. But along with it, I opine following things must be kept in mind:

1. Understand your product and market. When discussing your invention or idea, it is helpful to know "What is the ultimate goal?" & "What impediments to market entry exist?"
2. Expand and test the limits of your invention.
3. At least some analysis needs to be done to support broad claims of a patent.
4. Identify your competition.
5. It is important to understand the patents that protect your competitors.
6. Consider foreign markets.
7. Contemplate costs.
8. Select a proper attorney.

So, when one has an idea which (s)he intends to develop it, (s)he must be a bit more careful to consider all the requisites and technicalities involved before jumping into the patenting process. One may find that there is a lot more to consider than merely filing a patent application.

Isn't it!

Views on Entrepreneurship

Q. You took a plunge right after your internship in Persistent Systems, which is quite early; so what are some of things that came into your mind ?
It was one of my most adorable experiences as in how an organization has to be run transparently to such great heights.

I read a book called "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" by Robert T Kiyosaki, gifted to me by my dad when I was in my 2^nd yr of B.A.LLB.I then only decided that I am going for a business. After that I opted for a few internships to learn more about running a successful firm.I am a voracious reader. All these things together gave me the adequate impetus to choose for what I am today.

Q. You have a good team with you, what are some of the things you take care (as a startup) while building your team ?
Someone rightly said: It's not you [organization] who build team, it's your team which builds you. God gave me two gifts Neeket Pokharrna and Rohan Vibhandik..... rest happened automatically

Q. You were at IdeaCamp Pune, what is your take on such unconferences and how would that help startups ?
I feel that low mind talks about people, average mind talks about event but great minds talk only "IDEA". That's why a person of my frequency would have high stakes on such unconferences because any startup needs "the" association. In my views it's "the" place for starts ups which aspires high.

To corroborate this, I would like to state what my mind believes. Good association gives you good thoughts based on which one ends up doing good deeds. These good deeds, if performed again and again develop into good habits. All good habits if taken together form what we call a good "character" and no doubt, Character is the decisive factor.

Q. Can you throw some light on the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Pune ?
I as a person really appreciate and adore the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Pune. It's amazingly healthy, young, energetic, and explosive and it has what we call the "X" factor. One need less admit this fact, in presence of entrepreneurial endeavors like the Bajaj, the Punewalas, the Firodiya's, the DSK Toyota's, the Manikchand, the Persistent, the techie HUBS of the city and the list goes on. The silicon valley of east, the oxford of east, PUNE ROCKS….

Q. Many of startup activities happen in reputed institutes like IIT/IIM, what are some steps that an entrepreneur can take to carry Entrepreneurial message to other institutes (like yours or mine) ?
Wonderful question indeed! Just One expression for this - "believe in your IDEAS, have the hunger for right association and BOSS just do it, no excuse please"