The Leisung Way

Building a Technology Business on Trust, Not Transactions

When Sumesh Satyan and Sujithra Nair founded Leisung Technologies in 2018, they had no office, no car, and not a single bank willing to open a corporate account. What they did have, however, was an unshakeable belief that business is about people, not percentages. Seven years later, Leisung stands among the U

AE’s leading audiovisual technology companies , a brand synonymous with innovation, integrity, and extraordinary client loyalty. With 100% client retention and a team that genuinely describes their Leisung as a “movement”, this is not a conventional corporate success story. It’s a lesson in building a business the hard way , and the right way.

From Humble Beginnings to Bold Vision

Sumesh’s path to entrepreneurship was anything but typical. Born and raised in Baroda, Gujarat, he had no business lineage, no inherited wealth, and no elite education to lean on. After completing his diploma in electrical engineering in 1991, he took on every job that came his way   courier delivery, restaurant service, and even motor rewinding   before discovering his true calling in sales. His natural gift for connecting with people propelled him through roles at Siemens, ABB, and Schneider Electric, where he rose to become National Director for Sales Excellence in India. In 2010, he moved to Dubai as Head of Marketing for the Italian brand marking his entry into the Middle East’s rapidly evolving AV and automation industry.

Meanwhile, Sujithra , then a mathematics teacher, found herself drawn to Sumesh’s world. “I’d cook for his sales team and listen to his sessions,” she recalls with a smile. “I was fascinated by what motivated people to perform.”

When the couple relocated to Dubai, Sujithra made a remarkable career shift   from teaching to selling insurance at MetLife Alico, one of the toughest sales environments imaginable. Without a driving licence, she navigated the city by metro and bus, consistently emerging as the highest incentive earner. In her words “Others sold insurance, I sold life.”

Building from the Ground Up

The couple’s move to Dubai wasn’t driven by ambition, but necessity. When a restructuring left Sumesh & Sujitra without a job, they found themselves at the crossroads and chose to start anew.

It wasn’t until 2018 that Leisung Technologies truly began operations, without capital, with significant debt, and using borrowed funds from friends who believed in them. Over 20 banks refused to open an account. “I told Suchi, let’s begin where others don’t look,” Sumesh recalls.

At the time, digital signage was still confined to luxury malls and big-name brands. Sumesh believed that would change   that one day, every business would need a digital voice. Suchitra set out to test that idea. Armed with a simple questionnaire, she visited 150 retail outlets across Dubai’s shopping centres in four days, speaking directly with store managers to understand their communication needs.

“The goal was simple,” she explains. “Don’t sell what you have, give people what they need.”

While competitors chased million-dirham projects, Suchitra focused on small but consistent retail clients. That 150-store survey became the backbone of Leisung’s retail strategy, proving that smaller, recurring engagements could build stronger foundations.

“Retail gave us consistency,” she says. “A 20,000-dirham project might seem small, but when you do 700 of them in a year, that’s stable revenue without the drama of big contractors.”

Today, Leisung manages over 7,000 digital screens across the GCC under a subscription-based content model  one that transformed their client relationships from one-off transactions to ongoing partnerships. “We call every client by name,” Suchitra adds. “My first hour every morning is spent speaking with them. It keeps me grounded.”

A Defining Turning Point

Their breakthrough nearly broke them. Leisung secured a 1.2 million dirham order that required an advance payment of 700,000 dirhams to a Chinese supplier before the Lunar New Year shutdown  and they had nothing in the bank.“One customer lent me 400,000 dirhams,” Sumesh remembers. “Two senior executives from OEMs offered 100,000 each  simply because they trusted me. I even borrowed from informal lenders, risking our passports, not knowing if we’d pull through.” The project succeeded  and so did Leisung. “That experience taught me everything,” says Sumesh. “Be genuine with people, and they’ll stand by you. You might lose an order, but never lose people.”

This philosophy became the company’s foundation. To Sumesh, the term AV integrator no longer fits. “Integration today is about line items and margins,” he says firmly. “We’re not an AV company  we’re an experiential technology solution company. We create experiences that make communication seamless.”

Today, Leisung serves 900 active clients and has worked with 2,700+ organisations including major blue chip, corporate and government organisations.

Culture as a Competitive Advantage

At the heart of Leisung’s success is its culture a deliberate, people-first ecosystem built on respect and empathy. “We don’t hire for skills,” Sumesh explains. “We hire for character. Technical skills can be taught. Empathy cannot.” Ninety percent of the 50 +person team comes from outside the AV industry,  former teachers, engineers, and fresh graduates. New hires spend their first month on project sites, learning not just systems but the spirit of service. “If you show ego, you’re out,” says Sumesh. “I’ve let go of highly skilled people because they disrespected technicians. The ecosystem must remain balanced.”

The company operates with a flat hierarchy where every employee is empowered to make decisions. “Our vision is simple,” Sumesh says. “Be the easiest company to work with,  for employees, partners, and clients.”

Leisung’s family-like culture extends to celebration, too. Its annual gatherings are legendary  not corporate retreats but full-family getaways. Last year, they chartered an entire flight to Azerbaijan for every employee and their families and this year it seems even more exciting.

“People say you can’t run a company like a family,” Sumesh reflects. “But I have built a family. We don’t hoard profits  we share them. We live comfortably. What more do you need? We don’t want to be the biggest company. We want to be the best.”

The Experience Revolution

Leisung’s creative spirit comes to life in its XP Zentrum Experience Centre, a dark, immersive space designed not to sell products, but to inspire imagination. “I told Suchi one morning  we need a place that feels like a museum, where people walk in and say ‘wow’ at every step,” Sumesh recalls.

The centre features holographic avatars, transparent displays, anamorphic visuals, and custom-built control systems,  all developed entirely in-house by Leisung’s young creative team. Its virtual host, Leah, a hyper-realistic metahuman, greets visitors through interactive holographic experiences. “What makes XP Zentrum special isn’t the tech itself,” Sumesh explains, “it’s that everything   software, hardware, content   is created by our own team. We have developed a lot of tech from India. India’s true strength has always been its mind power. If you look closely, you’ll find brilliance in every corner of this country quiet innovators, problem-solvers, and creators who can turn the impossible into reality. You just have to look, listen, and believe in them.

The Next Generation

Sujithra brings structure and discipline to Sumesh’s vision. “Sales isn’t about chasing targets,” she says. “It’s about consistency. One genuine conversation a day builds empires.”

Their daughter Samyukta represents the next generation of the Leisung story. After studying at Symbiosis and Insead, she joined the company as a marketing intern, rotating through every department before moving into sales. “She grew up watching us work,” Sujithra says. “She saw the highs, the lows, the late nights   and decided she wanted to be part of it. She combines creativity with strategic thinking beautifully.”

Samyukta’s involvement ensures that Leisung’s legacy continues, blending the founders’ values with a modern outlook.

Their son Shantanu, a downs syndrome kid whose quiet strength and pure-hearted presence ground the family each day, remains a constant reminder of what truly matters kindness, resilience, and living with purpose.

Sustained Growth with Purpose

Today, Leisung operates across the GCC, with a strong presence in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, the latter now accounting for nearly half of its revenue. The company has also delivered projects in the Philippines and India,  including installations at major airports,  and is now expanding into Europe.

But for Sumesh, growth has never been about numbers. “We’re not chasing size or valuation,” he says. “We chase simplicity, trust, sustainability, and happiness.” Our partnership with Sacred Groves reflects the same philosophy protecting nature the way we protect relationships. It reminds us that building a business is not just about growth, but about giving back and leaving the world better than we found it.

Leisung recently secured a six-million-dirham project, with another worth eight million on the horizon. Yet, Sumesh remains grounded: “We don’t chase projects, we attract them. We were named Khaleej Times Best Company of the Year. What better validation do we need?”

His advice to the AV industry is simple: “Don’t just sell, build relationships. Sales isn’t about talking, it’s about listening. Ask questions, understand people. Business is human-to-human. Be genuine, and others will sense it.”

His approach to meetings reflects this ethos. “People ask what my plan is, before negotiations. I tell them  I have none. I’ll listen, understand their needs, and respond honestly, even if it means saying, ‘I can do this, but it’ll cost me.’ Planning shouldn’t be scheming; it should be authentic.”

The Leisung Difference

From a living-room startup to an award-winning enterprise, the Leisung story is one of resilience, empathy, and belief. “We started with nothing,” says Sumesh. “No capital, no office, just conviction. Today, we’re among the top three in our sector. We may not be the biggest, but we are proud to be the best.”

Their goal remains unchanged “To be the easiest company to work with, for employees, partners, and customers.” Seven years on, with perfect client retention, an enviable culture, and a growing legacy, Leisung proves that when you build on trust rather than transactions, success follows naturally.

And that, perhaps, is the real lesson of the Leisung way, that technology may power the business, but it’s humanity that powers the brand.

Published in AV Today Magazine, December 2025 Edition