Brijraj Vaghani, Birds Eye Technologies on his entrepreneurial journey

Brijraj Vaghani has a Masters in Electrical Engineering from University of Missouri, USA. He has almost half of decade of experience working for reputed companies like Qualcomm and Nextwave. He started off as a software engineer in Qualcomm and within a span of 4 years scaled up the technical lead of Nextwave India operations. Brijraj has published research papers, technical posters and a patent and also participated in many conferences.

At Birds Eye Technologies, Brijraj is in charge of system and algorithm design. He is in charge system deployment strategies and business development.

In a quick chat with Venkatesh Krishnamoorthy, chief evangelist, YourStory, Brijraj shares his entrepreneurial journey.

YourStory: Thank you for talking to YourStory. Can you tell us about your background?

Brijraj Vaghani: I am an engineer in Electronics and Telecommunication. I have done MS in electronics engineering from the US, after which I worked there for 4 years, of which 2 years were in a startup.

I have never been academically brilliant but have been curious and inquisitive by nature. I have tried to doing things differently over the course of my educational and professional experience.

YS: What inspired you to become an entrepreneur?Brijraj: I was happy doing my job, however I always thought that my capabilities were not fully utilized. There was a desire to do/contribute more than what I was. At the same time India was booming with ample opportunities which convinced me that this is the right time to take the plunge. I moved back to India and started the quest.

YS: When was your venture founded?

Brijraj: March 2009.

YS: What does Birds Eye Systems do?

Brijraj: Birds Eye Systems is into the intelligent traffic systems industry, providing real time traffic information to road commuters in developing cities. Using our innovative technology, we hope to reduce road travel times of all commuters by at least 15–20%. Our system is of use to road commuters, traffic police, emergency service providers and infrastructure and city planning agencies.

YS: What were the challenges of being an entrepreneur and those of Birds Eye Systems?

Brijraj: To my mind, every day poses a new set of challenges if you chose the entrepreneurial route. To begin with it would be translating your idea into commercial proposition, which encompasses the technical and financial feasibility and proving your business model. Getting the right people to work for you and retaining them is another key area. Finally what one would need all through out is to keep the belief in yourself and your work unwavering. If you overcome the last challenge it will enable you to supersede all the others.

YS: You were a finalist of the Q Prize last year. What benefits did it give you?

Brijraj: Q Prize was an experience in itself. We took part in Q Prize when our company was at its very early stages, the selection gave us some kind of validation which is always useful.

At the basic level, it gave me a dispassionate feedback into my business and lots of insights as to what all issues I need to tackle. At a higher level it opened several doors for me in the form of business opportunities as well as mentors.

YS: Final word...

Brijraj: I am at the very early stages of my entrepreneurial journey in which the first step is always the most difficult to take. I would like to thank all my family members, friends, colleagues and well wishers for encouraging me from the outset. I hope to do them proud someday.