Invent India Innovations Pvt. Ltd.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and director of InnoEmbed Technologies, an innovation embedded company. We are in the product domain where they’re trying to build a product for certain healthcare domains. It’s a startup. We’ve been in this space for about four years now.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Invent India Innovations Pvt. Ltd.?

We were looking for a partner that could help us design our product. We also had an app to go along with the product, and we needed the UX design for the app. We also needed our branding, logo design, and a pitch deck.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We were making an Android app for our product. For that Android product, we needed to have a clear user flow because it is made for the elderly, and we didn’t want it to be too complex. 

They helped us with our website, pitch deck, logo, tagline, and color scheme. They helped in branding our product and company. They built everything from scratch, including the website, the UX design, and product design. The product went through multiple iterations. The product design specifically included things like customer surveys to figure out what the customer needed. They made 3-D prototypes and got it out to various customers before we finalized it.

What is the team composition?

I primarily worked with three different teams, including the product design team, the UI/UX team, and the marketing team. I worked with 1-2 people from each of the teams. I also worked with the CEO and his business partner. 

How did you come to work with Invent India Innovations Pvt. Ltd.?

We got introduced to them by another company. We really liked their portfolio, so we decided to work with them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invested about $45,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from March 2017–July 2019. We’re currently in a funding phase, and once we have more money, we’ll bring them back for more work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

They met all the requirements. It was a very iterative process where they’d come up with something, and we’d go back to them with suggestions and ideas until we came up with something that really worked for us. 

We’re satisfied with their work. Everyone has been pretty impressed with where we’ve gone. They’ve really liked the presentation that we made. We’ve gotten lots of positive feedback. 

How did Invent India Innovations Pvt. Ltd. perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management wasn’t their strongest point. There was a tendency for things to get delayed. However, the people were all excellent. They knew their work and what they were doing. We primarily used Skype to communicate, but we also met a couple of times in person for meetings. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their design is impressive. When you talk about product design, branding, and positioning, they really know their stuff. I’ve seen many other companies in this space, and I think they’re one of the top ones.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Project management could improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I suggest working with the CEO. He has a very innovative mind. They’re a company that can help anybody go from the product ideation phase all the way to the product launch.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and executive chairperson of a sanitation services company. We primarily work with large foundations and organizations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Invent India Innovations Pvt. Ltd.?

We needed help with a project that we were working on with a large university. We wanted a team that would design and develop a water treatment system for an onsite toilet.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Invent India Innovations designed and made water tanks. The team designed the deliverable in India, had it manufactured in Southern China, and delivered it to Beijing. They were tasked to set it up and then take it down later.

What is the team composition?

We regularly worked with 3–4 people from their team.

How did you come to work with Invent India Innovations Pvt. Ltd.?

The team was referred to us. We learned them through their design works in India and China.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested $50,000–$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project ran through February–November 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

We were happy with the engagement since it illustrated what we were trying to do. It didn’t become a product or a project because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and we still needed to do work in India and China. Everything’s been put on hold until next spring or summer, but Invent India Innovations met our goals.

How did Invent India Innovations Pvt. Ltd. perform from a project management standpoint?

Invent India Innovations did well in terms of project management. They had a good grasp of the constraints and design goals. The team took care of some reworks we asked for. They coordinated the work and got everything done on time. It was a tight schedule but they did a good job.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Invent India Innovations can take a project from the concept and design to the build, and then to the setup. We’ve had other projects that were handled by 2–3 teams, but Invent India Innovations handled this entire project, which was good.

The team was able to handle everything, from design to build. A lot of companies don’t want to do both because builders often blame the designers when there’s a gap, and Invent India Innovations bridged that gap.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We should have told them what our budget was rather than just what we wanted. I'm sure there are things that they could have done differently or better if that were the case. There are different ways to go about it — one is the concept of what you want to build, and the other is the budget.

Saying that you want to build something versus saying what your budget is for the project could push them to find another creative way to build it. In the future, perhaps we could find a way to combine those where there is more flexibility on their side to do things and still meet the budget. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Define what you want and provide them further details because they might want to give in on some of the details to get more for the budget. Don’t get hung up on components unless it’s critical to the design. Those may be the roadblocks that keep the whole project focus on the 80–20 rule. Sometimes, 20% of the project is spent on 80% of the budget, and that can be avoided if it's discussed clearly.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing director at a security devices manufacturer. We manufacture biometric devices, card readers, access control panels, and other security devices.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Invent India Innovations Pvt. Ltd.?

We partnered with them for the mechanical design of a product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Invent India provided 3D CAD enclosure design services. They also coordinated with manufacturers to get the mold done, and inspected the first-trial lot.

They created initial mockups based on our product styling. We had multiple interactions and reviews during the process. Once the CAD design was ready, we selected a mold manufacturer, and Invent India reviewed the design with them. They went through the design-for-manufacturing (DFM) process, making some minor modifications.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Sandy (President & CEO) and two CAD designers.

How did you come to work with Invent India Innovations Pvt. Ltd.?

We were looking for a design company, and one of my friends recommended Invent India to me. They happened to be in the same city as me, which made things easy. They were professional and had good knowledge in terms of plastic engineering and mold design.

How much have you invested with them?

The total cost for the five projects we’ve done with Invent India overall is close to $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve done five projects with them across our collaboration with the first one starting around August 2015. Our most recent project wrapped up around November 2019. 

We have another project coming up in the next couple of months, for which we’ll need design work from Invent India.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Before we worked with Invent India, we were getting product designs from local freelancers, and we weren’t getting the results we wanted. Invent India allowed us to change our entire product portfolio. We’ve surpassed international standards in terms of look and feel. We’re very satisfied with the amount of knowledge their team has.

How did Invent India Innovations Pvt. Ltd. perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve performed beyond my expectations. They’re organized and communicative.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their designs are very detailed. Invent India created a lot of mockups in the initial stage, to ensure that we’re satisfied.

Secondly, their engineering expertise is very good. They know what will happen if they do this or don’t do this.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could improve a bit on timelines.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Invent India is a great company, and they can do a good job, but clients should draw out the timelines carefully.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the associate director of communications for WaSH-AID, a nonprofit. We are a team of researchers that develop innovative technological solutions for water, sanitation, hygiene, and infectious disease.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Invent India Innovations Pvt. Ltd.?

The team was preparing to take prototypes of technology to a reinvent the toilet event in China that the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation for potential corporate partners. They built a mockup of one of our systems.

They also created large scale graphics of the systems that could be seen by people walking by that demonstrated the step by step process of the model and created animated videos to go along with it. The blown-up large-scale depiction of the liquid and solid processing system was built by Invent India Innovations Pvt. Ltd.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The model they built was a 3D form manufactured foam model. It was a six feet high and ten-foot wide blown-up model that allowed you to walk around and see where water enters and exits. It was conducive to the conference.

They had creative flexibility for the animated video. We knew what we wanted to say, but didn’t know how to say it. We explained what we were looking for, they created options and designs, and we went forward with their work and creative solutions.

What is the team composition?

There were a lot of people in the e-mails. I believe there were more than 10 people.

How did you come to work with Invent India Innovations Pvt. Ltd.?

The woman who was our program manager when I joined found Invent India Innovations Pvt. Ltd. She had a personal recommendation.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in January 2018, and that project wrapped up in January 2019. However, we’re still working together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We really enjoyed working with them. With so much happening at that time, we needed to have hard drop-dead dates. They were great with that. Manufacturing deadline issues came up, but their team members flew to China to ensure it was manufactured on-time which was fantastic. Their team had impressive commitment to the project and followed through on it.

How did Invent India Innovations Pvt. Ltd. perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very good at communicating with us. They were flexible, yet very clear about scope. They were adaptive to our needs — if we changed our minds, they would say make it work and tell us how it could happen.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were incredibly helpful and very good at project management.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Overall, we were quite pleased.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t hesitate at the time difference. We took advantage of the fact that they were an international partner. The time difference worked fantastically as we came into the office after they completed a full day of work. We’d have a call reviewing their work, and then when we were in the office we would do the work that we needed to do. Then, they could resume work when we left the office at night and they entered their office the following morning at the same time.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a private entrepreneur.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address Invent India Innovations Pvt. Ltd.?

I was looking to design a prototype for a product I wanted to bring to the market.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’re currently helping me make a prototype for a smart nightstand. We’ve worked on drawings and designs, and we’ve had numerous meetings about concepts, cost-effectiveness, and choices of material. We’re just working on the initial product itself at the moment. 

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with at least 10 people from their team. 

How did you come to work with Invent India Innovations Pvt. Ltd.?

I initially found them online, and then I traveled to India to meet them in person before making a commitment. 

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve invested about $30,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

I’ve been working with them for about 4 months. We started working together in February 2020, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

They’re fantastic. There isn’t one thing that they haven’t delivered on. I’ve been happy with their designs and mockups. 

How did Invent India Innovations Pvt. Ltd. perform from a project management standpoint?

I have no complaints. In spite of COVID-19, we’re still able to work together through online tools like Skype. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very talented. I spent two days in their office, and that is what stuck out to me the most. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t have any complaints. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

Just make sure you have as much information as possible before you start working with them.