Passion Driven by Innovation

“Explaining to your close family why you want to quit a well-paying MNC job and risk starting something on your own is the most difficult task,” says Anshuman.

Before he took the plunge, he had to reassure his parents and defend his decision to his eight-year-old son, who argued, “But I love Sennheiser headphones.ˮ

When starting something new, fear and uncertainty are always present, says Anshuman. He completed the paperwork to register his company in 2020, but the pandemic changed everything for him. “COVID was learning time. I had a lot of time to think. I had completed 15 years in Sennheiser, and I finally made my decision.ˮ

Sennheiser gave him a good farewell, and they parted on very respectful terms.

Anshuman had strong reasons to back his new beginning: the manufacturing industry was booming, and there was support from all quarters – the government, technical partners, distributors and dealers. “For years, we were just importing and selling. I wanted to look at local manufacturing,ˮ he says.

Anshuman always had a creative streak. This is what led him to design attractive packaging for a product that his Taiwanese employers manufactured and a catalogue for Sennheiser, even when he was in sales and technology.

At his own company, Stapes, he introduced changes in the conference system he was selling, with a new slant, a nickel finish, and a blue colour. Stapes has a two-pronged focus—to make the product attractive and to make it in India. “It is difficult [to make in India], but we have to start some day,ˮ he says.

As of now, Stapes is funded by himself and his wife. Interested investors do get in touch,says Anshuman, but founders and investors often donʼt agree on stake holding and directorship matters.

Today, the company is focusing on the government and corporate sectors with its audio guides and conferencing systems. Stapes is in partnership with Look2innovate, a Luxembourg-based company for its audio guide product.

Audio guides, typically used by museums and tour operators for visitors, consist of a receiver and headphones that offer individuals access to pre-recorded information. At Sennheiser, Anshuman was heading the audio guide business and sold systems to 100 museums in 50 countries. However, in 2015, Sennheiser discontinued the product, believing that the mobile phone would make audio guides redundant. In India, on the other hand, where internet connectivity is still patchy, Anshuman felt that the vast majority at museums and even noisy factory shop floors would prefer to have a receiver in their pockets connected to headphones so they could listen to pre-recorded content.

“It’s not just about selling the product. We have to consider ambient sound, where the user is standing, and the language of choice. The content can be pre-recorded or a combination of pre-recorded and real-time transmission. The device can be connected to a TV or video display for synced audio. This is the part that we can do, and nobody is doing this in India,” he explains.

In fact, it is a very complex system involving very difficult programming. Look2innovate is imported from Luxembourg but assembled in India. “We are not really manufacturing it here. That may take 6-5 years,ˮ he admits honestly. But assembly is the first step towards learning how to manufacture – a fact that government organisations also appreciate.

Stapes is also looking at table-top conference systems in the Indian market. Both Sennheiser and Bosch, with their European market focus, have decided to discontinue all the table-top concept systems portfolio of products, saying they were obsolete. But in India, Ahuja, the market leader, has been selling those for the last 80 years and continues to sell them, Anshuman points out.

“It [AV] is a difficult market.You can survive only if you do some R&D and change designs,ˮ says Anshuman. European companies are now focusing on ceiling microphones. At Sennheiser, Anshuman suggested design changes to introduce colour and texture options. Europe, however, was a “black and whiteˮ market. In India, the option to customise is appreciated. Customers ask for colours to match the ceiling and for their logos to be printed on the product.

Stapes also sells the older table microphones. Though it is not a new concept, Anshuman created his own that can be shared by three people. “And people loved it,ˮ he says. He has sold it to the Indian Army. He is also listening carefully to feedback and suggestions, such as adding camera control. “It takes time to add a process to change things. But companies who are receptive to feedback and make those changes will actually grow,ˮ he says.

Anshuman finds himself in direct competition with MNC giants, including Sennheiser, in the market. “Stapes definitely competes on price,ˮ says Anshuman. Sennheiser has great people, a great logo, and a great company culture. I respect them, and I will never say that I can better them on those values. So, it is their pricing that I am competing on.ˮ The journey is not always smooth. Potential customers have questioned Anshuman about his background. They want to know if his products were really made in India or just bought from China and passed off as Indian. In such an environment, Anshuman finds his contacts and network from his earlier days truly helpful as he tries to establish his credentials. “Without a good network or good relationships, it is impossible to sell even a phone,ˮ he says.

He is in touch with most of the leading integrators, dealers, distributors, and consultants. “Consultants play a big role, but they donʼt want to switch overnight. I understand that. These things take time,ˮ he says.

Stapes closed the year with revenues crossing one crore. In this upbeat mood, the company plans to increase the number of products before zeroing in on a “hero product.ˮ

Stapes has hired a small factory to assemble the products. “Sometimes, I have to stop myself from taking over and doing everything myself,ˮ Anshuman laughs. He is learning to transition from a tech guy to a start-up founder. “I need to change and delegate work to people I hire,ˮ he says.

Plans for the year include networking events and a presentation in Infocomm. Besides training shows for partners, Stapes is also making videos unboxing and demonstrating its products. Anshuman plans to make his website and social media marketing more professional.

More than anything, the start-up is very close to Anshumanʼs heart. It gives him freedom. “When working for someone, your ideas and creativity never find their full potential,ˮ he says.

“And if your innovation and dreams are constantly being killed, at some point intime, you become content with the salary and the 9 to 5 working hours. Before you know it, you are too old to do anything,” he says.

Anshuman ends the interview with an exciting secret—he is close to bagging a contract for his audio guides at a prestigious museum complex in Gujarat.