India's Cool Executive Officers

Young, college drop-outs, casual, competitive, and reasonably arrogant. A new breed of CEOs is set to rule the technology sector.

- Lhendup G Bhutia

From within the office, one hears a monotonous, almost drill-like noise of several keyboards clacking away at a vigorous pace, interspersed with moments of raucous laughter. I peep into notice several young men, many of them dressed in shorts and seated atop tables, participating noisily in an animated conversation. I am at the first-floor office of an interesting startup in Andheri, several minutes ahead of schedule. Called Truebil, this virtual marketplace company has entered the disorganised and dodgy space for used cars. But the company does everything, sending automobile engineers to meticulously jot down every detail and provide an objective valuation of the car to taking care of the tasks of paperwork, loan and insurance. Started in March this year, it operates in Mumbai and Delhi, and has already raised $500,000, and, we are told, is in the process of securing another round of funding: about $7-10 million.

I am still waiting for the CEO, Suraj Kalwani, at the office reception, when a young man comes to inquire about me. I had seen him a few minutes earlier, when he had appeared at the doorstep dressed in a T-shirt and rolled up denims and carrying with him an umbrella, having just disembarked from an auto-rickshaw. Shaking his hand, which he demurely offers, I explain to him the purpose of my visit.

“Yes, yes,” is all he says by way of reply.

“You don’t understand,” I explain to him again.“I am here to meet the CEO.”

“But,” the young man in the red-and-white striped T-shirt replies, clasping my hands even harder. “I am the CEO.”