Flycatcher - "No day Like Today"

There is no day like today, there is no time like now!
- Flycatcher Technologies Start up Story for Startup India - Notes Section
There is a backstory to every story
In 2012, If you told me that in the coming year, I would be elbow deep in garbage, I wouldn’t have believed you.

At that time, I was leading the Middle East and South Africa operations for a multinational company. Life was about to take a landmark turn, and I had no clue what was in store.  

Born and brought up in the city of dreams, Mumbai, I had a love for the city which grew with me. Years later, I was working the career path I’d chosen, and things were well on their planned way. Of course, if you know the city, then you would know how much of it influences your life.  And I was becoming increasingly aware of the changes around me.

The city was expanding and grappling with a growing share of problems. And the emergence of garbage dumps around the city, soon became a common sight. However, seeing one so close to my home, in some way, shocked me. The relatively new (was it?) sight of an overflowing, garbage dump was like an awakening call. Where did this come from, when did this happen? The stench and the sight pained me. It simply was not acceptable to me, that with everything we had and everything we could do, as a community, here was one thing that was just there, when it needn’t be.

Of course, garbage dumps can be found in any and every city in the world. It was just that some cities were better at covering them up or that they were just better at managing their waste?

It was then that I decided to do something.

The trials and tribulations

Typical of my ilk, I’m an engineer, I got to work at understanding the problem and building a system to tackle it. Soon enough, I got down to work and literally got my hands dirty. My own home became my research ground, my lab.

I began with the garbage we generated as a family at source, at home. All possible methods were looked at and all potential systems were put to the test. Thanks to the patience of my family, fortunately, they bore with me and encouraged me. All the different trials lead to odour and similar such inconveniences that left my family and my neighbors a bit disgruntled. And rightly so. I could see why and I didn’t blame them.

I just kept experimenting to achieve a better version that would address these complaints. Eventually when I tried anaerobic digestion using state of the art equipment, not only did it eliminate the odour but it also produced biogas fuel!

Of course, the initial system needed improvements in size and performance. And importantly, it needed to be sealed so as to ensure it would not attract pests nor mosquitos. Certainly could not create another problem while trying to solve one!

Thus the Dedko was born in 2013 and right enough, as proof of concept, we had a visitor to the house who liked it so much they placed an order for it right away. My first client!

The first steps to taking the leap

Designing and testing a product in your own house is one thing, but doing the same for a client meant I had to find a dedicated space. So in 2014, I rented a small workshop and started the production of Dedkos.

All the while I was convinced I was tackling a problem for our community, now I was certain there was a market out there and perhaps, I could actually make a living from this. So along the way, in this first year, I took the leap and quit my job.

The best part and the most reassuring, is that the first few enthusiastic clients are still using the machine as of today!

Support and encouragement in the initial years on the road to sustainability

All startups have their fair share of hiccoughs. We were no different. Fortunately, we had much needed support and encouragement from Start Up India and BIRAC.

Because we had enquiries from restaurant owners for a system to manage larger quantities of waste, we built the Rhino. The development of the Rhino was supported by BIRAC, and the first prototype was deployed in 2016.

Ever since we have sold over 60 digesters and have enrolled quite a few prestigious clients. We are now proud of offering a product range that covers the needs of a single family up to a large hospital.

Our most exciting news these days is our ongoing work on the next version of the Dedko which will be offered as an online product, hence the name, eDedko!!

A few lessons we learned along the way

Our first lesson would be to use your time & the grant wisely, for the following reasons:
- You have a responsibility to provide high returns on grant
- You need to create a valuable product / service
- You should work assuming this is the only investment you will get
- Do invest in people
- Be honest with failure
- Be nimble – drop an approach that doesn’t work and move on, something else will work out

 And when you’re ready, you should focus on getting to Market:
- Remember you are solving a social issue
- Ensure the robustness of the core science
- Utilize technology to make the product valuable
- Your initial offering will not be perfect so don’t be disheartened
- Accept criticism bravely
- Expect high service costs initially
- Iterate
- Highlight features to sell, service and generate revenue
- Be kind to initial customers they are learning, taking time out to test your product
- Accommodate inputs from team
In conclusion, an oft quoted but apt saying that spurred me on to what I do today, BE THE CHANGE YOU WISH TO SEE IN THE WORLD.