Assiduus Global: A multi-platform chain that utilizes several supply chain solutions to deliver goods

E-commerce has undoubtedly boomed over the past decade or so. With billions in trades being executed per day, it’s quite a vast conglomerate linking traders with a global market. There is no stopping this force and undoubtedly has made everything quite accessible indeed. But newer companies that might be looking to ship faster but at a better price can’t afford huge e-commerce sites to sell their products. So instead, they can rely on Assiduus Global. 

Assiduus Global is a shipping company that takes on several D2C orders to fulfill them globally at a much faster scale. The company is a multi-platform chain that utilizes several supply chain solutions to deliver goods and products from the manufacturer to the customer. The brand has scaled exponentially and is being used to scale up deliveries with e-commerce giants such as Amazon, Nykaa, Myntra, eBay, Walmart, etc. Bangalore Insider got the chance to speak with Dr. Som Dutta of Assiduus Global that shed some light on the inception and operation of the company. The excerpts from the interview are provided below.  

Give a brief info about your startup?

Assiduus Global is my third venture. It is a seamless platform powered by data-backed insights, cutting-edge technology that offers end-to-end cross border E-commerce supply chain solutions for D2C brands globally. Assiduus is the world’s fastest-growing cross border, multi-platform E-commerce supply chain solutions company.

What made you start your startup and what problem does it solve?

Assiduus is redefining the global E-commerce landscape. Assiduus is right now the only player in the world offering an end-to-end E-commerce solutions package. Assiduus helps brands combat the basic E-commerce onboarding challenges which include understanding the different ball games of selling on their own platform v/s selling on global E-commerce marketplaces, taking their brand cross-border, cross-platform, integrating a ton of different platforms thanks to constant changes in their API, algorithms & other components and finally having resources & skills to manage these platforms because each is extensively different from the other.

We are a business’ go-to partner to make their brand successful on global E-commerce marketplaces such Amazon, Noon, Walmart, eBay, Etsy, Nykaa, Myntra and many more.

Tell us about yourself, your previous jobs/ventures? What were you doing before this startup?

I am a serial entrepreneur and an angel investor currently operating my third venture, Assiduus Global. My previous ventures, Unspun Group, an Adtech company and IRA – House of Designers, a crowd sourced multimillion-dollar fashion label have been successfully acquired. In 2020, I was featured in Fortune India’s most powerful business women edition and became a member of the coveted invitation-only Forbes Business Council. I am the proud owner of 3 proprietary brands across diverse verticals – Biotevia, a Make in India premium wellness health supplements brand, Irotica, a premium maternity lingerie line and Boss Lady Beauty, a unique, modern skin food & skincare brand for multitasking women, currently available in the US and was recently featured in Femina, India’s oldest women’s English magazine.

I have served as the youngest and only woman Vice-Chairperson of NASSCOM Product Council and have been the first woman of Indian origin on the Board of Kotler Impact. I have facilitated the Government of India to form the visionary Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) by NITI Aayog that has helped lakhs of enterprising and revolutionary women across India on their entrepreneurial journeys.

I have also authored the best-selling book – Decoding Digital: Unlocking Digital Barriers that entails a detailed analysis of digital sciences, its impact on marketing and serves as a manual for students and businesses. My second book is in the process of publication and I am at present writing my third book. I am also a patron of the esteemed Indiaspora Global Forum that brings leaders and change agents under one roof to engage in intellectually stimulating discussions and powerful networking on issues that affect the Indian diaspora. I have been bestowed with several prestigious awards that include the 2017 Digital Leadership Award for Social Innovation by Times of India, 2017 Women Leadership Award by Economic Times and 2019 Mentor of the Year by the Government of Andhra Pradesh. 

Where is your startup based out of? Why do you think that is the best place for you?

Assiduus is headquartered in the US with offices in Dubai, Manila and India.

As a startup founder, what are you paranoid about? What keeps you awake at night?

I am relentlessly working towards raising more funds for my company so that I can enhance my product portfolio and company footprint across the globe. Here. I would like to add, it’s a mad world out there and in order to break the glass ceiling, women need to push through their self-doubt in order to rise. We must recognize and grab the opportunities the industry offers. Develop your own management style, period!

Who are your competitors and how are you better than them?

At the moment, our closest competition is Cloudtail but they are India focussed while we are global. Assiduus provides price adoption strategies, competition, market, pricing and customer insights like no other company, in India or otherwise. We are the only cross-border, cross-platform company with operations spread across 5 continents and more than 10 marketplaces.

How hard is it to have a work-life balance as a startup founder and how do you manage it?

The importance of striking the right balance between work and life goes beyond the immediate, individual achievement. If there is a suitably encouraging environment that enables us to productively channel energies from either side, individual efforts add up to holistic systemic impact. As demonstrated by successful examples from Ireland to Chile, the right workforces have the power of moving economies to new stages of development and helping societies become more participatory and all-encompassing and it all starts with a workforce that is contented, one that is gratified.

Balance is subjective and variable. My balance will be different from yours. You are not trying to fit your life into mine and vice versa. Introspect – What is your precedence? Are you physically and mentally healthy in the situation you are in? Are you working too much? The answers you give yourself will alter every day, every moment. It will never be constant, thus find your own balance.

Have you raised funding? If yes, then we would like to know the details. If no then please tell us if you are looking to raise.

Yes, we raised a Series A round of funding from multiple investors that include Kratzel Partners LLP and a few notable HNI’s.

What’s the biggest misconception people have about you? Why do they have that? What’s the reality?

Misconceptions are based on ambiguity and I do not believe in anything that is not factual or comprehensible.

What gets you excited about this company?

What excites me about Assiduus and keeps me on my toes is the fact that we are able to help businesses overcome the classic challenges that they witness that have been mentioned above and scale them globally. Assiduus is disrupting the E-commerce ecosystem and helping D2C brands with seamless access to multiple global E-commerce platforms, dynamic and real time insights on competition for better decision making, deep insights through category-based analytics, pricing automation modules and cross-border, cross-marketplace onboarding. These are some of the most prolific reasons why more than 50+ Fortune 500 companies and 100+ SMEs have trusted us with scaling them.

Tell us how a day in your life looks like? Your schedule for a day right from the time you get up till you hit the bed at night.

My day begins with meditation, yoga and some cardio exercises without fail. There are two hours in the morning when I switch my mobile off come what may – when I exercise and meditate.

Then I get started with work. My typical day usually consists of back to back calls, meetings with clients and the team. I am a very organized person and my day is planned down to the last minute. This goes for everyone, not just me, not just an entrepreneur, if you do not plan your day or stick to a schedule, how can you accomplish something? It’s quite a challenge to juggle his or her personal and professional life, more so for an entrepreneur.

Yes and one thing. Whenever possible, I plan my tomorrow, today. Also, I ensure I get good rest and recharge myself.

Tell us about your team and how did you meet each other?

With my tech acumen and experience in building and scaling D2C brands at the helm, Assiduus is propelled by a team that is young, passionate and most importantly understands how global E-commerce marketplaces function for 2021 and beyond. 

Know a great startup story or want to share your own? Write to us at bhumikka@insidermediacorp.com and we will get back to you. For more updates follow Bangalore Insider on Facebook and Instagram.

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