Abilash Haridass of WEGoT Utility Solutions.
Tell us about yourself?
Abilash is the CEO and a Co-founder at WEGoT Utility Solutions – a company in the sustainability tech space focusing on smart metering of utilities.
The name of the company is a play on the term Internet of Things (IoT) for water, electricity and gas. Abilash is a seasoned entrepreneur backed by 17 years of experience in various roles.
Before venturing into the world of water solutions, Abilash successfully founded and ran a company called VBMS that specialized in integrating end-to-end security solutions.
Abilash studied Electrical Engineering from the State University of New York before working at Cisco. Both these experiences have given him an understanding of the business and tech of cloud computing.
He is passionate about technology for sustainability and believes that initiatives like WEGoT need to scale to make a dent in the global water supply crisis. Fitness, games and sports are Abilash’s favorite enthusiasms.
He believes that sport teaches you to be fair, competitive, and relentlessly pursue excellence – values that flow back into his life as an entrepreneur.
His favourite part of work is the adrenalin rush of getting together with smart people to solve really tough problems. When he is not in the office, you will find him training as a part of the national ultimate frizbee team or looking for hikes and new experiences as a traveler.
What do you think is the single biggest misconception people have when it comes to startups?
That it is about becoming a unicorn or making money. It is about solving a problem worth solving, and making it valuable for customers.
If you could go back in time to any moment from your journey, and give yourself one tip, what would it be?
Hiring is the most important job and changes everything from company culture to success outcomes. Hire the right resources at the right time and your startup journey will flourish.
What makes you stand out as an entrepreneur?
Sports drives my entrepreneurship journey. Fitness, games and sports are Abilash’s favorite enthusiasms. He believes that sport teaches you to be fair, competitive, and relentlessly pursue excellence – values that flow back into his life as an entrepreneur.
What are some of the best working habits you’ve gained over the past couple of years?
An entrepreneur’s life is full of meetings. But I protect the first two hours of the morning for deep work and workouts.
Give us a bit of an insight into the influences behind the company?
The scale of the problem of water scarcity across the world and the fact that reducing demand through awareness is the only sustainable way forward.
Where do you see your business in five years?
Currently our presence in 50k+ homes, 40 million+ sq.ft of Commercial space has saved 5 Billion+ liters of water already. In the next 5 years I see WEGoT saving 20 billion litres of water.
What do you think the biggest challenge will be for you in getting there?
Entrenched attitudes about water usage – conserving water is only remembered during crises. The mindset of people to pay for water did not exist because the cost of water is cheap.
But as the water crisis became more pronounced and people realised the importance of having and actionable way to save water that makes everyone accountable for the water they consume through technology ,there has been a shift in the mindset and far greater acceptance.
Talk to us about your biggest success story so far?
A premium residential client – 4.8 lakh litres of water saved every year 40,000 litres of water saved every month in the community 488 Litres of water saved per day in each apartment.
How do clients and customers find you? Are you much of a salesperson for yourself?
Our clients and customers find out about us from our website, our marketing outreach, as well as the work of my sales team and myself to reach out to potential users.
What one tip would you give to fellow startup founders?
Find a problem worth solving. Hire from the top. Like any challenging issue, the only way to come up with a solution is to break the issue into multiple smaller issues and solve the simpler issues.
And finally, what do you hope the future brings both you personally, and your business?
A world where the word ‘WEGoT readings’ becomes synonymous with accurate granular water data across every building.
Follow WEGoT Utility Solutions on Twitter or Linkedin.
