Bengaluru-based start-up called WitWorks hopes to give the smartest existing watch in the world a run for its money! And it might as it can perform all the functions of your mobile phone, may be even better. Twenty-six-year-olds Somnath Meher, Chandrashekar Iyer and Ankit DP are the creators of India’s first smart watch called Blink. Naturally, we had to see why this watch, completely made in India and catching the West’s attention could be the next up and coming thing.
As batch mates from IIT Kharagpur, the enterprising trio identify themselves as makers. “It was this love for making stuff that got us together in the first place. We even had a group in college that would come together to collaborate on interesting ideas,” says Somnath. After completing college, with admits and scholarships from Indian School of Business (ISB), they quit high-flying corporate jobs, but as they tell us, they were on the cusp of a choice — to be job-locked for life or to pursue their passion. “We dropped out of college, quit everything and moved to Bengaluru to give fate a nudge,” says Ankit.
The creators were clear about what they wanted — a device that was visually accessible, yet very personal. A watch fit the bill, seeing that they each had their own quirks about it.
Who wouldn’t want something that allows you to store and play 1,000 songs through its inbuilt speakers? Perhaps a built in fitness app, a watch that allows you to make payments, book cabs or restaurants, navigate and respond to messages or emails and even comes with a system to generate a time-based one time password (OTP) to authenticate across services without Internet or cellular services? Their Rs 12,999 creation does it all, while hoping to standout as a fashion statement too.
The trio associated with traditional watchmakers who had worked with HMT and Titan in Kunigal, Karnataka. But there’s one feature that forgetful Joes will thank their lucky stars for. “We also took it a step further and marked every device with a code, so you can track it online and update software,” Chandrashekar pitches in.
As the co-founders get busy shipping out their very first orders, they can’t help but reflect on the journey it’s been. “Initially, our parents were apprehensive when we dropped out and didn’t get why we weren’t studying further or settling down. They eventually gave in, but you can’t blame them. They grew up striving for security,” says Somnath.
The trio was also told that they couldn’t build hardware and software together — something they decided to prove wrong. “It’s our attempt to prove that a small start-up can build technology and products beyond existing global benchmarks and take on the biggest technology giants of the world,” says Ankit, even as they look to setting up an international network, thanks to the response from across US, UK and Nordic countries. They may have started off with watches, but going forward, they hope to be ubiquitous – in our homes and lives.
