Graduated from Mumbai University at 21, incorporated his own multi-portfolio tech venture at 27, founded a relationship-tech startup at 29. How many people have spent the last 8 years of their lives like this? And especially when 2 of those 8 years have been consumed by the pandemic? But who's stopping Parth Kashikar, the Founder and CEO of Companion? If you ask him, you'll only hear one thing - I am unstoppable!
Born and raised in Mumbai, Parth was just like you and us - a student who worked through college and graduated from the University of Mumbai with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration. Then, he moved to Melbourne at the age of 21 to pursue his Master’s degree- A Master's in Business Information Management & Systems at La Trobe. The cushion that his family had provided had suddenly been snatched away. He was by himself in a foreign land and survival was a challenge every day.
He worked various part-time jobs at the service station, aged care facility & real estate sales to make up for the high costs of living in the second most expensive city in Australia, Melbourne. The glamour of studying in a foreign land looks fabulous on a social media feed. But in reality, there were times this hustling was not just for the experience but also to earn his daily bread. Most would get stuck in the grind - spending the rest of their waking hours chilling with friends or watching some Netflix. But not this guy. He was hungry for more.
And the opportunity came in the form of adversity. Being a migrant student, Parth had faced the difficulty of finding rental accommodation. While he could perhaps wriggle his way through, not many can do that with as much tenacity. And if something could be done to alleviate their troubles, well, shouldn't it? And Parth was at it for the very first time - He started his very first business of real-estate rentals for students and migrant workers helping them with renting accommodations with masterful ease.
In January 2020, Parth founded his very first venture - a Multi-Portfolio Tech holding company called PK Holdings Inc. The company started off with travel arrangements for its target audiences in Australia. And then the pandemic struck! A country like Australia which was intent on keeping its borders shut to keep the virus out of bounds was not a place where Parth could have sustained his life and his dreams. He had to make his move. And he did. He came back to Mumbai to let the storm that had taken the world in its grip blow over.
Although it was a heart-break period for him, he knew that he had to bounce back. A quote from Michelle Obama sums it up - “Grief and resilience live together.”
While we grappled with the shutdown of necessities and the distance from loved ones and travel and experiences, Parth was prepping for his next gameplay. In a completely opposite direction! He could see friends, family, and counterparts dealing with the lack of warmth and love in the cold embrace of the pandemic and this was where the idea of Companion struck him.
How about combining the need for a companion with the thought of exploring the world together once you have found them? And in April 2022, Parth founded Companion. Parth and his team define companion as a revolutionary ecosystem that promotes the retail of human time in the performing arts industry, live entertainment & dating. The core objective of the business is to provide companionship - at various levels, in various spaces, at various moments in life.
But such a space can be risque to serve and Parth and his team know it. They value privacy to the core just like the rest of us in the generation, they understand the importance of user security when they are introducing them to anyone via their platforms and they have made every effort possible and ongoing to ensure their patrons feel safe and understood no matter where they choose to look for their companion - be it for a meal together or to shop along, to host a party along with them or to demonstrate their product at an exhibition. The thought and depth of the understanding of human and business needs that the team has put together with Parth at the helm are absolutely amazing.
Like any other journey, he too faced severe setbacks, but getting up the next morning, and trying hard again was his mantra. Parth wakes up every morning feeling satisfied that with his work- he is contributing to society which will lead to change. The change that he dreamt of.
When asked, Parth said that the only thing he wished he knew before starting was the importance of team building. “Being able to find the right people with the right skill set, vision, and goals which would align is important.” A team is one of the pillars of a company. Without trustworthy co-workers, the progress of the company is nearly impossible. And people bring with them not just work but even perspective. It is the job of a leader to pick a diverse team- one whose fruitful disagreements lead to creative outcomes. An imbalance could negate the whole environment bringing morale down for everyone.
And Parth believes it should be the prime job of a Founder to do this right. He believes focus and patience are needed the most when you start out - if the individual is extremely focused on their goals, then no one has the power to sidetrack them, no matter how grand that difficulty is.
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