SMBs In Chandigarh: A Booming Market

The seventh edition of the two-day mega ICT event, e-Revolution 2011, held on September 23 and 24, 2011, in Chandigarh was jointly hosted by the Chandigarh administration along with the Government of Punjab and STPI in association with TiE and Nasscom. It witnessed many dignitaries from various parts of the country. The event focused on building SMBs in the region, with some prominent ICT majors sharing their experiences to help SMBs grow bigger and wider. With an aim to promote SMBs in Chandigarh and Punjab, numerous panel discussions and presentations were held throughout the two-day event.

Honoring Successful SMBs

Day 1 of the e-Revolution 2011 event ended with the award ceremonyJewels of the Crownwhere STPI acknowledged successful SMB entrepreneurs with awards and recognitions. Till the year before 2010, these awards were given out to STPI members alone. But since last year, STPI has been honoring even non-STPI entrepreneurs in different categories such as CSR, innovation and HR initiatives. Dataquest proudly introduces some of these successful SMBs from the region.

Enterprising SMBs

Soft Prodigy is a fast growing software development company in Chandigarh. A company with about 100 highly-qualified, top-notch software professionals on board, offers its services across various sectors and business functions like healthcare, finance, manufacturing, legal, education, sports, human resources and travel. Sunil Thakral is the co-founder and MD of the company and its corporate headquarter is located in F-95, Industrial area, Phase-7, Mohali - 160 059 (Punjab).

RedAlkemi is an internet marketing and web development company, which delivers measurable online success to organizations globally. Its co-founder and CEO Atul Gupta has been re-elected to the CII Chandigarh Council 2010-11 for the third time. It is located in SCO 353-355 Sector 34A, Chandigarh 160 022, and enjoys over 400 clients across the globe.

Sebiz is an IT solutions provider with expertise in product development, application development, e-learning and internet marketing solutions. With 430 employees, out of which more than 250 are software engineers, the company is growing rapidly and has extended its business to 4 global locations. Manipal Dhariwal is the CEO of the company, and in India it is located in Sebiz Square, IT - C6, Sector 67, Mohali - 160 062, Punjab.

In 2003, Harpreet Chatha founded TechTier Solutions, an IT solutions provider. Today the company has its presence in Philadelphia, USA and Chandigarh, and employs skilled staff to successfully architect, design, develop and implement a variety of enterprise-level custom applications, most notably in the global events and mobile marketplace.

Bursys Infotech was founded by Prat Gupta in 2005 and is now located in SCO 14, Sector-5, Panchkula 134 109. It has been in Panchkula for past 3 years, delivering software products and collaborates with clients to help them achieve business excellence.

Established in 2004, Graycell Technologies focuses on mobility solutions with a niche in web and desktop applications that deliver measurable returns. Munish Jauhar is the founder and CEO of the company, which is located in SCO-15, IIIrd Floor, Sector-17E, Chandigarh 160 017, and employs about 100 people today.

Beta Soft Systems, an IT consulting firm, was founded in May 2005 by husband and wife teamVishal Mangla and Ritu Mangla. Ritu Mangla serves as chief executive officer; Vishal Mangla is company vice president. The company has 150 employees today and is located in SCO 398, 2nd Floor, Sector 20, Panchkula, Haryana.

BA-Data Solutions, founder by Rasneet Kaur, has its office in Plot C-139, ELTOP, Phase 8, Industrial Area, Mohali. It offers services in web development, document management, data processing and management and online marketing (SEO & SMM) and has a considerably large clientele spread across all the domains consisting of medical transcription, education, financial, entertainment, media, e-commerce, and more.

Nama-Solutions, a service provider-outsourcing company founded in 2007, is based in India and has its presence in Germany as well. Kevin Singh, the founder and CEO of the company, was awarded the youngest entrepreneur of the year during e-Revolution 2011. In India, it is located in 506 Sector 8 B, Chandigarh - 160 009.

Sharp Web Studio, a web design company, was founded by Hemant Bhargava and it provides its services in United States, Australia, Canada, Europe, UK and India. The company is located in SCO 34, 2nd Floor, Sector 11, Panchkula, Haryana - 134 109.

Ironroad IT India, formerly known as Cross IT Business India, which was established in June 2010, and was taken over by Ironroad AB in March 2011. In a short span, it has grown to a strength of 50 employees with core emphasis on product development for the telecom market. Randhir Singh Mangat is the CEO (India) and the company office is located in Sebiz Square, IT-C6, Sector-67, Mohali.

Kayako Infotech, founded by Varun Shoor in 2001, provides helpdesk and customer engagement solutions which help organizations deliver better customer support. Currently, more than 30,000 organizations of all sizes and from all industries use Kayakos services. It has its presence even in the United States and in India, it is located in Midas Corporate Park, 37 GT Road, Jalandhar, Punjab-144 001.

Quark is provider of publishing software and solutions for customers of all sizes, whether professional designers, small and mid-sized businesses, or large organizations. Its Asia headquarter is located in A-45 Industrial Area, Phase VIII-B, Mohali-160 059, Punjab.

RChilli, a company that analyzes and parses multi-lingual resumes in real time. Vinay Jauhar, the founder and CEO of Rchilli, has his single focus on recruitment industry, and is committed to bring innovative solutions in the market to help recruitment industry get maximum value from technology. Its development center is located in E-51, Phase-8, Industrial Area, Mohali.

Idyllic Set-up

With a rich history of successful entrepreneurship which comes naturally to the local residents, no doubt the Punjab-Chandigarh belt is seen as an idyllic business expanse today. In addition the region boasts of an excellent quality of life, huge base of human and natural resources, improved infrastructure, prospering technical and business colleges in and around the city, and to top it allproactive policies of the local governments that are conducive to such investments.

In order to facilitate the SMBs in the region, both Punjab government and Chandigarh administration have come up with several initiatives and programs and have plans to build more IT Parks and incubation centers to accommodate future business expansions. Infrastructure has also been improved of late to support the SMBs in the region.