A visit to TBI

One of the major factors which I considered while deciding to join IITB SJMSOM was the exposure one gets about entrepreneurial activities. Today it was more than justified. Prof. Banerjee took us to the TBI (Technology Business Incubator at IIT Bombay). And boy were we not impressed.
The first stop was an operational area of Zeus Numerix, a start up dealing with complex computational fluid dynamic problems. It was housed in a dingy room, giving the feel of a typical silicon valley startup. A few computers were scattered here and there on a few benches as people were religiously working at something with lot of fat books placed beside the computer screens. Not a single guy belied the nerdiness in the air there, till i noticed someone happily scrapping at Orkut. Thank God I shared something in common with them.
The director spoke to us. The director was a twenty something lad, dressed in semi formals and looked more like a student than a boss. He impressed us when he said that the company was already making profits. 30 Lacs on a revenue of 1.5 crores. The atmosphere there struck a chord with me as I could sense the excitement in the quiteness of the room. A silent determination and love for one's work was emanating from every corner of the room. People seemed to be proud of what they were doing. What else can you expect from a job. Interestingly the director was the least paid guy there !!
Then we proceeded to the more posh TBI. The infrastructure provided there was excellent. The companies were housed in plush rooms. Space seemed to be a constraint everywhere, as people worked side by side like students in classrooms. No personal space and no cubicles and probably no coffee vending machines too. Everyone meant business and there was no room for usual comforts/air of big companies. But unlike employees of big companies the body language seemed to reflect that theirs is the best work in the world. The spirit touched me, as my entrepreneurial spirit got a huge fillip and I became really restless.
I hope I realise my long cherished dream of doing a startup. Only time will show.