Lebanese-American writer and poet Kahlil Gibran once said, “Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls, the most massive characters are seared with scars.” 

An epitome of this saying is Pallav Agarwal, a 35-year-old entrepreneur, who fought adversities and managed to build a data centre company that has clients in India, as well as in the US, the UK, and more. 

He tells SMBStory, “I am the first in my family to start a business, and frankly speaking, this wasn’t even a planned step but a means of survival for me and my family. When I go 10 years down memory lane, I feel content. But, there’s a lot more to do.” 

Founded in 2013 in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, Hts Solutions was started as a website development company and gradually forayed into software development. Today, Pallav claims the company is one of the few in India to have its own data centre at this scale of business. 

When asked how he made it possible in the tech industry with no money and no formal education, he says: "Through sheer confidence in my capabilities.” Read more. 

The Interview 

“True leadership is about building a successful team and making a lasting impact,” says Asha Kurup, Client Partner, Infosys. Asha’s career spans over two decades, where she has garnered diverse experience across organisations, cities, and continents. 

YourStory caught up with Asha to know more about her milestones, learnings, and life hacks under its ‘I am the future’ series that spotlights dynamic and successful women leaders at Infosys.

Editor’s Pick: Starting a natural D2C brand in India 

Direct-to-consumer (D2C) beauty startup Light Up offers a superfood-inspired Smart Skincare regimen that promises glowing skin, the Natural way. 

Meenakshi started Light Up with her mother, Janaki Ganesh. The duo spent close to nine months on formulation and they came up with a simple skincare regime with six products that focus on natural brighteners, antioxidants, and hydrators. Read more.

Startup Spotlight

Helping youth develop skills through games

Quizbee is a knowledge and skill-based mobile gaming startup that offers multiple paid challenges that vary across different genres like movies, cricket, travel, food, general knowledge, and puzzles. Read more. 

News & Updates

• Venture capital firm 100X VC revealed its 10 new startups for its Class 07 VC pitch day. It shortlisted the selected startups from a total of 2,488 pitches. In its seventh cohort, 100X VC has backed startups across categories, including fintech, cybersecurity, direct-to-consumer (D2C), and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS).

• GoSats, which rewards shoppers with Bitcoins, started Bitcoin Premier League on March 26 to enhance a community leveraging the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL). The platform will reward users on every purchase made through GoSats only during match hours. 

• SaaS startup Cubyts raised $1.8 million in a seed round from Better Capital, an early-stage investment firm. Cubyts will use the funds to expand sales and marketing in the US and develop products in India in the next 18 months.

Before you go, stay inspired with… 

“Luck plays an important role, but it’s your actions that decide your trajectory.” 

— Masoom Minawala, Content Creator, Entrepreneur

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