This Man Went From Farmer to Footballer To Tech Millionaire
9 Oct 2017 2:48 PM IST
Till his late teens, Varun Chandran didn't know...
Till his late teens, Varun Chandran didn't know what the Internet was. Born in an impoverished family in Kerala, his ambition didn't go beyond chopping logs like his father. Disgusted by racism and verbal bullying at school, he joined football to channel his anger. One thing led to another and today, US returned Varun runs his own globally successful startup.
Varun's family survived on the basic minimum. A football scholarship by the Kerala government came as a blessing-- it funded his entire education. He made a mark in his sports career by winning a gold medal for being the best youth footballer in Kerala. Unfortunately, he met with a leg injury and had to quit the game and college. Watch the video to find out how Varun managed to emerge from this difficult phase and what motivated him to start Corporate360.
In the video, Varun describes what led to birth of his venture. "In 2002, I packed my bag and left for Bangalore, hoping to get a job in one of the many call centers. My limited English speaking skills proved to be a big setback and I was repeatedly rejected 40 times. I learnt English and everything about tech jobs at cyber-cafes and taught myself to be a programmer. I landed a job at NTT Data in US, where I was bitten by the entrepreneur bug. I wondered whether there was a way we can use all the data on the web to make companies grow and sell more."
His award-winning software company Corporate360 has introduced innovative sales intelligence software for the tech industry. With 40 executives in five countries, it is a fast growing multi-million-dollar revenue firm. Recently, Varun branched off and opened an office in his hometown. "I want to create opportunities for people here. We do not lack talent but lack opportunities. There will be so many like me who have the drive to make things happen. I have specifically sought to empower young women with no formal training." Needless to say, the self-made millionaire owes his success to his propensity to take calculated risks.
Varun's family survived on the basic minimum. A football scholarship by the Kerala government came as a blessing-- it funded his entire education. He made a mark in his sports career by winning a gold medal for being the best youth footballer in Kerala. Unfortunately, he met with a leg injury and had to quit the game and college. Watch the video to find out how Varun managed to emerge from this difficult phase and what motivated him to start Corporate360.
In the video, Varun describes what led to birth of his venture. "In 2002, I packed my bag and left for Bangalore, hoping to get a job in one of the many call centers. My limited English speaking skills proved to be a big setback and I was repeatedly rejected 40 times. I learnt English and everything about tech jobs at cyber-cafes and taught myself to be a programmer. I landed a job at NTT Data in US, where I was bitten by the entrepreneur bug. I wondered whether there was a way we can use all the data on the web to make companies grow and sell more."
His award-winning software company Corporate360 has introduced innovative sales intelligence software for the tech industry. With 40 executives in five countries, it is a fast growing multi-million-dollar revenue firm. Recently, Varun branched off and opened an office in his hometown. "I want to create opportunities for people here. We do not lack talent but lack opportunities. There will be so many like me who have the drive to make things happen. I have specifically sought to empower young women with no formal training." Needless to say, the self-made millionaire owes his success to his propensity to take calculated risks.
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