Mr. Apoorv Gehlot is the Founder and Board Member of Matellio, a leading software engineering service provider. He studied Human Ecology with a concentration in GIS from the College of the Atlantic. At a considerably young age, he took on the challenge of building Matellio operations and an extensive enterprise customer base.
He is usually the one people seek help from when they find themselves in a tight spot. Outside of leading Matellio, Apoorv loves to explore new technologies, attain environmental sustainability, debate government policies and has a never-ending passion for cars. He enjoys traveling, reading, cooking, and knowing obscure facts.
In Conversation with Mr. Apoorv Gehlot, Founder and Board Member at Matellio
1. What motivated you to select the field of Technology? Was it all planned?
I was always intrigued about technology and its outcomes, the positive impact on our lives, and its potential to change the world for good. The world of tech possesses a unique craft of building revolutionary and innovative products. Technology is now omnipresent and attainable for most and that has had a monumental impact on improving and sustaining human life. I feel fortunate and humbled to be a part of all the innovative things we do at Matellio for our customers and partners.
Being in tech was not my childhood dream but I was always intrigued by the inner workings of technology. As a child, I aspired to become an Automobile engineer or Designer.
2. We know the tech industry can be challenging at times, have you ever had second thoughts about your career choice?
The Tech industry has its fair share of baggage that ranges from gender disparity to access equity. If you focus on its negatives, it’s easy to get discouraged. Being an action-oriented and optimistic person I believe the best way to face a challenge is to be positive and look for solutions and remedies. I try to stay away from dwelling on things, instead, I focus my energy on the solution to the problem based on knowledge of the topic and learnings from the past. And it just so happens that technology is probably the most powerful tool to help solve some of these challenges.
3. Founding Matellio and taking it to the level it is at today, you may have come across some hardships in the way, some setbacks, and challenges. Please share some of them and how you dealt with them?
Building and nourishing a company often presents you with a number of unexpected setbacks, and as a leader of the organization, I believe the focus has to be on forwarding momentum. As a Founder, I consider it my responsibility to shield our teams from any setbacks that are not directly related to that team’s work. This is important because this keeps them focused on doing what they know best and continue to deliver excellent outcomes to our customers.
I am fortunate to feel this way about my work. There certainly are times when I have to make tough choices, where a larger group of people would benefit in exchange of creating hardship for an individual or two. Having the responsibility to make such life and career-altering decisions for hundreds of people is the most challenging part and one that I take very seriously.
4. You have achieved so much in life at this stage of your career, is there any achievement close to your heart?
Being the Founder of Matellio, my most significant achievement is the diverse and exceptional team we have built. We continue to grow it with highly skilled talent that genuinely cares about their work and its impact on the world. I am proud of our continued focus on our work and strive for perfection rather than being the jack of all and being average.
5. How do you tackle with problems when you hit a dead-end?
Instead of sharing an example of out-of-the-box thinking, let me tell you about something I read a while back on how to encourage it. Start by visualizing the problem and then try to connect the uncommon data points and finally question the current state of things. Combining these three things especially in a group or team setting leads to what is often called out-of-the-box thinking. This often works very well for me and my teams.
6. How do you unwind? What keeps you at peace?
Unwinding is an essential aspect of life. Mostly I love reading non-fiction, researching and diving deep into topics that I am passionate about. Doing these things boost my motivation and keep me energized. Self-reflection is extremely important as it helps keep me honest and stay focused. This gives me an opportunity to be thoughtful about my day and help set goals. I strive for a healthy work-life balance; spending time with family and catering to my numerous passions.
7. Technology fascinates the young generation. Would you like to convey any message to the young tech enthusiasts who are starting their journey in this genre?
I would advise, don’t to be afraid to take risks, make mistakes and learn from them. While it is an overused cliché at this point but I still believe in something that Steve Jobs used to say, ‘stay hungry stay foolish. Never stop experimenting; try to learn from actions and diversify in terms of skills. In the world of technology, your growth stops the day you stop learning and evolving from a depth and width point of view. Never stop learning something new and keep experimenting with your ideas.
8. The COVID-19 pandemic has devasted the economies of various countries around the world. The Tech sector has also been hit; what’s your take on the future of the tech industry?
Indeed, the world has suffered a lot in the last year, but I am oddly optimistic about the future. The human race has overcome every challenge by working together, and I am sure we will overcome these rough times by working together and protecting each other. I believe we have to lead with Empathy and Compassion during these times. COVID-19 pandemic is unchartered territory for us all, and we can overcome it with our strength of unity. One plea that I have for everyone is; please get vaccinated to protect yourself and others around you.
Quickies
a. What is your Life Mantra?
Logic is my religion | To each, their own. Live and let live | Don’t worry about, ‘what will people say?’
b. What is success to you?
Success is tied very closely to your goals. To me, the person who ends up on the cover of Forbes is as successful as someone at home taking care of kids, as long as that is what they chose as a goal for themselves. In my personal life; being a present, hands-on parent to my daughter, and being a loving, equal, and respectful spouse is success to me. In my professional life, I try to consciously set goals with timelines and measure success against them. Sometimes these goals are focused on learning new things and at times on achieving specific milestones.
c. What are you passionate about?
Technology, environment sustainability, debating policy and cars
d. What keeps you happy-peppy?
Traveling, reading non-fiction, cooking & knowing obscure facts
e. One word that describes you
Not a word, but I do believe and operate with the mindset, plan for the worst, and hope for the best. This keeps me sharp, covering all the bases, but it does not stop me from taking risks to grow and being optimistic.
