Praveen Paulose - Formal Education Does Help in Getting Your Foundation in Place. It Is a Metric That Makes It Easy for Companies Like Us to Identify Eligible Candidates (Co-Founder - Celusion)

It takes a lot of determination to start and run a company. You need to wake up every morning, without the burdens of the previous day and start afresh. There is no overnight success, even if you read about them all over the place. It is years of hard work that deliver success.

Tell us about your background, journey, and upbringing.

I am a first-generation entrepreneur who took an early liking for programming at the age of 10. In the early years, I helped my school build a library management system and an examination results management system. 

This passion for programming led me to complete my bachelor's in Computer Engineering. With this degree, I worked for 5 years in both programming and leadership roles that eventually gave birth to the idea of Celusion, when I was 26 years old.

I hail from a middle-class family and my parents are from a service background. Starting a business was not a favorable idea until my parents saw progress and believed in the company we built.

When and how did you get clarity on what you wanted to do?

It was after 5 years of professional services, that I realized that there is a great opportunity for companies that can deliver high-quality enterprise software. I took the plunge along with 3 of my childhood friends and have never looked back. 

In the last 5 years, I have had further clarity on the direction of the company and how technology can help financial institutions streamline their customer acquisition and operational processes.

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What does your typical workday look like?

I am a little different from most other leaders and believe in a more hands-on approach when it comes to technology. I start my morning with a plan to achieve 2-3 major tasks, either with colleagues or customers. 

I have a review a day with different functions in the organization and try and align them to organizational goals. Later in the night, post spending a couple of hours with my kids, I read on the latest trends in technology and work to see if any of them complement our current offerings or take us to the next level.

Several global companies have come out and thrown their support behind not needing a formal education. What is your opinion about this?

Formal education does help in getting your foundation in place. It is a metric that makes it easy for companies like us to identify eligible candidates. At the same time, you could gain exposure and have great learnings through internships that give you insights into a professional workplace.

In today’s world, with all the online learning and information, it is very easy to learn new skills and subjects. While I do think that there are smart people out there who can be great for the company, the real challenge is in assessing their candidature. I am sure the global companies have come up with a process to assess and map candidates without a formal education.

How do you handle someone who has lied on their resume?

I would not like it if people have lied on their resumes or at any time during their tenure with the company. It calls for immediate action on the candidate. One of our core values is integrity and lying does not adhere to this core value. I think you can always be truthful and come up with a solution, however difficult it may seem.

What are some of your typical challenges and how have they evolved over time?

Our industry has some typical challenges that revolve around keeping up with the fast-paced changes in technology and the people required to build a great company. 

While we do keep on top of the fast-paced technology changes, by implementing a culture of self-learning and a collaborative environment that allows knowledge sharing, the challenges in finding the right people do continue in various forms. The people challenges have increased during recent times, with the new normal of work from home and talent moving to other cities.

                                  

What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs or those eyeing the top job?

It takes a lot of determination to start and run a company. You need to wake up every morning, without the burdens of the previous day and start afresh. There is no overnight success, even if you read about them all over the place. It is years of hard work that deliver success.

Which is your favorite book and why?

Shoe Dog is one of my favorite books. I can relate to many of the stories in the book and gives me the strength to chase my dreams and aspirations. It teaches me the value of being persistent in order to achieve business success