Kunal Abhishek: Making Millennials Wear What They Want To Wear
Kunal Abhishek
Co-Founder
Kunal is enthusiastic about investing in startups, mentoring people, and working on new ideas. Below is an excerpt of the CEO Insights’ exclusive interview with him.
Talking about your professional journey tell us what inspired you to establish BoStreet?
I started my earlier years of corporate life in routine jobs. My first brush with startups was in 2008, when I joined the founding team of a technology startup named Kony Solutions. After a couple of years, I decided to launch my own startup, a cloud devops platform named Native 5. Native5 was later acquired by Myntra. In 2016 I joined Paytm and had an amazing experience of leading the company
as the Vice President of the cross border business. The idea of BoStreet was seeded during this stint. I was fascinated by the ability of certain companies, such as Shein, to vertically integrate with their manufacturers, so as to enable ‘realtime’ fashion.
How would you define BoStreet as an organization?
BoStreet is a fashion tech company that provides a wide selection of trendy western wear to young fashion-conscious women in India. We have the unique capability to deploy smart technologies in curating and selecting the latest trendy products for our consumers.
What are the learnings that you acquired from IIT Dhanbad and how do you apply them in your current role?
As opposed to my schooling, IIT Dhanbad introduced me to people from different parts of the country with very diverse back grounds. Humility, grit and collaboration are the three things that I have learnt from my days at IIT Dhanbad and I always try to incorporate this in my daily life.
What are some of the challenges you have experienced in your professional journey so far?What has been the success mantra?
BoStreet is a fashiontech company that provides a wide selection of trendy western wear to young fashion conscious women in India. We have the unique capability to deploy smart technologies in curating and selecting the latest
My mantra to overcome the challenges is to take one day at a time. I do not get daunted by any huge task, instead, I break it down into smaller pieces and come up with solutions, one at a time
How would you define BoStreet as an organization?
BoStreet is a fashion tech company that provides a wide selection of trendy western wear to young fashion-conscious women in India. We have the unique capability to deploy smart technologies in curating and selecting the latest trendy products for our consumers.
What are the learnings that you acquired from IIT Dhanbad and how do you apply them in your current role?
As opposed to my schooling, IIT Dhanbad introduced me to people from different parts of the country with very diverse back grounds. Humility, grit and collaboration are the three things that I have learnt from my days at IIT Dhanbad and I always try to incorporate this in my daily life.
What are some of the challenges you have experienced in your professional journey so far?What has been the success mantra?
BoStreet is a fashiontech company that provides a wide selection of trendy western wear to young fashion conscious women in India. We have the unique capability to deploy smart technologies in curating and selecting the latest
trendy products for our consumers.Building a successful innovative business in a competitive market is one of the hardest things one can undertake, and every step of the journey requires you to face challenges on many levels. My mantra to overcome these challenges is to take one day at a time. I do not get daunted by any huge task. Instead, I break it down into smaller pieces and come up with solutions, one at a time.
What kind of leadership style do you follow? What advice would you like to give to upcoming leaders in the industry?
As a leader, I give ample freedom to my team to express themselves. They are encouraged to ideate and debate. They are encouraged to make mistakes and learn.
As a leader, it is upon us to bring the best out of people. After all these years, the words of Peter Drucker, the legendary consultant and writer, still rings true - “Culture eats strategy for breakfast”. I have seen too many instances of great organizations not performing to its potential because they did not get their culture right.
I would advise future business leaders, especially entrepreneurs, to create an environment, a culture, that is built on trust and respect. An empowering culture is a surer route to success.
Kunal Abhishek, Co-Founder, BoStreet
An alumnus of IIT Dhanbad & IIM Calcutta, Kunal has over 18 years of experience in leadership roles in large firms & startups. He is leveraging his learnings & insights into the development of not just his professional ventures but also mentoring technology and e-commerce firms in the Indian startup ecosystem.
What kind of leadership style do you follow? What advice would you like to give to upcoming leaders in the industry?
As a leader, I give ample freedom to my team to express themselves. They are encouraged to ideate and debate. They are encouraged to make mistakes and learn.
As a leader, it is upon us to bring the best out of people. After all these years, the words of Peter Drucker, the legendary consultant and writer, still rings true - “Culture eats strategy for breakfast”. I have seen too many instances of great organizations not performing to its potential because they did not get their culture right.
I would advise future business leaders, especially entrepreneurs, to create an environment, a culture, that is built on trust and respect. An empowering culture is a surer route to success.
Kunal Abhishek, Co-Founder, BoStreet
An alumnus of IIT Dhanbad & IIM Calcutta, Kunal has over 18 years of experience in leadership roles in large firms & startups. He is leveraging his learnings & insights into the development of not just his professional ventures but also mentoring technology and e-commerce firms in the Indian startup ecosystem.