We all idolise Bill Gates, Zuckerburg, Steve Jobs, Page & Brin; founders of multi-billion dollar enterprises Microsoft, Facebook, Apple, etcetera. Sometimes I wonder - all these giants built their empires on
technology that involved computer sciences. Is there any hope for a chemical
engineer to achieve similar success in entrepreneurship? Or for that matter
let’s take someone from Physics/Mathematics background. Even though most
physicists are more absorbed in tearing the mask off nature and staring at the
face of God than creating jobs not unlike mathematicians who dwell in some deep problem of their own
making. Common sense suggests - it is possible. People have made money from all
kinds of non-sense (fart app, pet rock), why can't it be made
from the knowledge of Physics and Mathematics?
But has any Chemical Engineer made money recently? In 2009, Becton Dickinson Diagnostic Systems acquired Handy Labs, a molecular diagnostic start-up company, in a landmark deal valued at more than $275 million. One of its founders is Dr. Kalyan Handique, a former student of IIT-B and Kendriya Vidyalaya, Khanapara; this son of Assam co-founded the company while he was doing his PhD work in the University of Michigan. Shown below is an old youtube video of Handy Lab....
Currently, he is the CEO of another company DeNovo Sciences, which incidentally also won North America's largest business plan competition, the 'Accelerate MichiganInnovation Competition Award' this year. One of his interviews with details of DeNovo Sciences. Kudos to this gentleman and his team for transforming medical technology, and in the way improving the lives of many.
I think it's time for my batch mates to start looking beyond the traditional domains of chemical engineering like petroleum(I know it pays a lot). And also to move ahead and think bigger than campus startups Foodbeez, Hunger Connections, etc. (I am, in no way belittling the achievements of students involved. However, I shall put forth to you the same famous question that was once asked “Do you want to sell sugared water for the rest of your life? Or do you want to ….. change the world?”)
But has any Chemical Engineer made money recently? In 2009, Becton Dickinson Diagnostic Systems acquired Handy Labs, a molecular diagnostic start-up company, in a landmark deal valued at more than $275 million. One of its founders is Dr. Kalyan Handique, a former student of IIT-B and Kendriya Vidyalaya, Khanapara; this son of Assam co-founded the company while he was doing his PhD work in the University of Michigan. Shown below is an old youtube video of Handy Lab....
Currently, he is the CEO of another company DeNovo Sciences, which incidentally also won North America's largest business plan competition, the 'Accelerate MichiganInnovation Competition Award' this year. One of his interviews with details of DeNovo Sciences. Kudos to this gentleman and his team for transforming medical technology, and in the way improving the lives of many.
I think it's time for my batch mates to start looking beyond the traditional domains of chemical engineering like petroleum(I know it pays a lot). And also to move ahead and think bigger than campus startups Foodbeez, Hunger Connections, etc. (I am, in no way belittling the achievements of students involved. However, I shall put forth to you the same famous question that was once asked “Do you want to sell sugared water for the rest of your life? Or do you want to ….. change the world?”)
