Bootstrapping A Software Company From Minnesota: Vicki Raport Of Quantum Retail (Part 2)

Sramana: How did you end up leaving Wilsons and head toward retail systems software? Vicki Raport: My last role in system redesign led me down that path. I wanted to take the knowledge of enabling business change via technology and see if I could apply it to a broader audience than Wilsons.

Bootstrapping A Software Company From Minnesota: Vicki Raport Of Quantum Retail (Part 1)

If you haven’t already, please study our Bootstrapping Course and Investor Introductions page.  Vicki Raport is the CEO and co-founder of Quantum Retail, a company that delivers a software platform that optimizes and automates retail processes related to localized forecasting and advanced order planning; allocation and replenishment; and assortment and range planning. Prior to co-founding Quantum Retail, Vicki held

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Building A Nearshore Outsourcing Company In Ann Arbor, Michigan: Systems In Motion CEO Neeraj Gupta (Part 7)

Sramana: What financing strategy have you followed to build Systems In Motion? Neeraj Gupta: When we started, we knew this was not a business that bootstrapping could facilitate. We needed a leadership team that could engage with senior-level management. We needed a legitimate delivery center in order to solicit work.

Building A Nearshore Outsourcing Company In Ann Arbor, Michigan: Systems In Motion CEO Neeraj Gupta (Part 6)

Sramana: In the nearshore industry, what dynamics are you seeing and who are your primary competitors? Neeraj Gupta: Clearly, companies are still trying to figure out what to do. They are cognizant of [what is going on in] Argentina and what is going on in Mexico. We have seen most of the Indian service providers

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Building A Nearshore Outsourcing Company In Ann Arbor, Michigan: Systems In Motion CEO Neeraj Gupta (Part 5)

Sramana: Are you finding future workers while they are still students at local universities and colleges? Neeraj Gupta: We are doing lateral hires in the market; we hire directly from the University of Michigan’s bachelors and graduate programs, from Eastern Michigan University’s bachelors and associate programs; and we are also getting candidates from the masters CS

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Building A Nearshore Outsourcing Company In Ann Arbor, Michigan: Systems In Motion CEO Neeraj Gupta (Part 4)

Sramana: Latin America, Eastern Europe, and the nearshore U.S. are all options that are coming up a lot now. What is the risk to India? Neeraj Gupta: India is the only place where software development works at scale. There has been a lot of investment in India, and I think it is here to stay.

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Building A Nearshore Outsourcing Company In Ann Arbor, Michigan: Systems In Motion CEO Neeraj Gupta (Part 3)

Sramana: When the three of you came together to found Systems In Motion, you had a set of analysis about the dysfunctions and gaps in the outsourcing industry. I have a piece that addresses this titled The Coming Death Of Indian Outsourcing. Neeraj Gupta: That was a great piece that you wrote, and we echo

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Building A Nearshore Outsourcing Company In Ann Arbor, Michigan: Systems In Motion CEO Neeraj Gupta (Part 2)

Sramana: Where in the Midwest did you establish operations, and how did you know Colin Chapman? Neeraj Gupta: When we decided to explore the low-cost domestic sourcing model, we spent three months looking at different locations in the U.S. We talked with various state governments. In 2009 there was a lot of debate about job

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