It is an old theory that great leaders are born, not made and they are passionate about their dreams so they work tirelessly till they achieve what they aspire for. As a passionate leader Srinivasan Sampath kumar is consistently hustling for his goals and reconstructing ideas into successful businesses to impact the lives of people at large. After completing graduation from Cass Business School London, Srinivasan started working with a boutique investment firm, during which he always thought of innovative business ideas. A goal driven person, he made his first move towards his dream by setting up a restaurant that was thoroughly loved by the masses.

He brilliantly used his entrepreneurial skills in other domains of service sectors, he then moved to the telecom industry catering the best telephonic experience to customers around the world. He took his next step to eliminate the issue of connectivity in remote areas and then he established SMOAD. it is a software defined network solution with the power of LTE and Broadband that provides seamless, secure, and stable internet services helping organizations and small businesses to connect with the rest of the world with a resilient network at 5G speed.

"We are looking to set a benchmark when it comes to what a well supported and great group of people can achieve and contribute to society and the world"

Srinivasan Sampathkumar recently engaged in an exclusive interaction with CEO Insights magazine. The following is an excerpt from Srinivasan’s conversation with CEO Insights.

Could you give a brief about your professional journey so far? What drives you today as an entrepreneur?
After completing business management at Cass Business School, London, I got my first job as an assistant manager at Boston Scientific. While working as an Assistant Manager, I was driven towards inventing new ideas that motivated me to start my own business. As a small step, I commenced a business named Phones Unlimited which supplied mobile phones and sim cards to businesses across the U.K. I was always attracted to cuisines and catering, to make people consume something extraordinary which led me to establish NALAS APPAKADAI, an epic South Indian Restaurant that brought back the original taste of South Indian cuisine and proved to be the best among other counterparts. We spread across the country and around the world, ensuring best in class services and delicious taste of our cuisines that made us customers’ favorite. My next move was in the telecom industry, from there, VIVA Communications originated to provide solutions to communication problems. We continued to be consumers’ most liked telephone company which boosted us to update our products in AI and cloud telephony. An unfortunate natural disaster demolished the Infra of most businesses which gave birth to SMOAD Networks. Post pandemic era raised the major issue of security all around the world, SMOAD Networks provides solutions to complex connectivity issues to consumers using SD-WAN.

After his post grad from CASS Business school, London, Srini started working with a boutique corporate finance firm, advising clients on the technology transformation part of the business. Throughout his stint, he has helped large French Telcos to migrate their operations to India thereby saving huge costs for the organizations. This transition triggered the entrepreneur in him and that inevitably lead to his first venture out on his own, thereby giving rise to his own telecom company called “Phones Unlimited”.

Srini grew the business to 5 million Pounds and then had a successful exit from the business. But his entrepreneurial journey continued with starting an MVNO in Australia, which was a success but a brief journey. This business has to reach its end due to its frequent cash dependency. Just like any how a passionate businessman never stops, Sri went on to establish NALAS APPAKADAI, an epic South Indian Restaurant that brought back the original taste of South Indian cuisine and proved to be the best among other counter parts. We spread across the country and around the world, ensuring best-in-class services and delicious taste of our cuisines that made us customers’ favorite.

My next move was in the telecom industry, from there, VIVA Communications originated to provide solutions to communication problems. We continued to be consumers’ most liked telephone company which

boosted us to update our products in AI and cloud telephony. An unfortunate natural disaster demolished the Infra of most businesses which gave birth to SMOAD Networks. Post pandemic era raised the major issue of security all around the world SMOAD Networks provides solutions to complex connectivity issues to consumers using SD-WAN.

Tell us about the challenges faced by SMOAD Networks? How does it troubleshoot connectivity issues?
We got to know about the connectivity issue at the time when we were serving our customers with their telephony needs, we found that organizations who were spreading their offices across the region were facing last mile connectivity issues. SMOAD ensures top security and uninterrupted connectivity, it enables multiple carries to the enterprises without requiring additional hardware or setup costs. Our SDWAN provides the ultimate control to the headquarters over the branches of the remote areas and allows uninterrupted seamless internet plus, topnotch security helps our clients to access data sensitive operations with ease.

We are looking to set a benchmark when it comes to what a well supported and great group of people can achieve and contribute to society and the world

How are you going to adapt to the latest technological changes with the onset of 5G?
SMOAD Networks has a research team of experts and scientists who are consistently working and researching advanced technology. Our team is continuously vesting its focus on 5G and creating 5G-enabled devices. Our experts have initiated working on Quantum Key Distribution and Quantum Cryptography to tackle the network threats of tomorrow.

We are testing 5G-based solutions for connectivity. We are also testing a 5G/4 G-based combination in the UK as 5G is already prominent in geography. We have developed a complete 5G-edge device to cater to future communication needs. We are adapting “Make in INDIA” to facilitate faster deployment when 5G is launched.

What are the leadership methodologies that you follow to lead your team?
My idea of leadership is participating which means leading my team, working with the team members, and respecting the ideas presented by my team, after all, we are all working for the same goal. It is the trust and belief I have in my team which kept me going for new ventures in multiple areas. I always encourage my team to work according to what they have learned from their experiences and help them to do better at every designated task.

do you see yourself in the coming years? What would be the kind of future responsibilities you have envisioned about yourself?
SMOAD has a great responsibility to make sure that the connectivity is no longer a trouble for organizations to operate well, it is also focusing on pioneering edge based applications and facilitating day-to-day operations to be done with ease and efficiency. As a founder of SMOAD, my responsibility to the firm is to support talented minds and to help them achieve their goals.

What would be your advice to the entrepreneurs who are aiming to pursue their dream in this domain?
My suggestions to them will be to always keep a tab on the market and its activities, in this industry only those people succeed who understand and forecast the demands of the market in near future. Always make a mind map regarding your growth concerning the technological advancements in mind.

Srinivasan Sampathkumar, Founder & CEO, SMOAD Networks
A dedicated entrepreneur who started his professional journey with a restaurant is now a founder of a software defined network solutions company that is enabling small businesses to connect with the world

Hobbies:Reading, Fitness and Mentoring, Traveling
Favourite Cuisine:Lebanese
Favourite Book:The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell The Ride of a lifetime by Robert Iger.
Favourite Travel Destination:
Barcelona