Manoj Meena and Sibabrata Das failed five times, but the sixth time, they built Atomberg as a startup manufacturing energy-efficient fans. How far will home appliances take them?
Thangadh, Gujarat, December 2015
“10 lakh kaise maange tuney? (How dare you asked for Rs10 lakh),” the industrialist fumed. The tall man in his mid-40s was sitting bare-chested on a cushy red sofa. His frail personal assistant, standing close to him, started trembling in fear. “Aap shaanth ho jaiye (Please calm down),” he implored. Sibabrata Das looked clueless, so did his colleague Arindam Paul. Both had made an urgent trip to the industrial town of Tahangadh to deliver 500 fans through their fledgling fan startup Atomberg, and had requested for an advance payment of Rs10 lakh to deliver another 1,000 units. The duo was desperate. There was almost no money in the bank, salaries had been inordinately delayed and could not be pushed any further. Getting an advance payment was the only way to wriggle out of the crisis.