Aastha Verma: Revolutionizing the AI Space in India

According to research, 59% of all the fortune 500 companies experience a minimum downtime of 1.6 hours per week, which costs millions of dollars yearly. So, enters, Tardid Technologies Pvt Ltd, which helps enterprises to understand their assets’ health condition by using Machine Learning and Cognitive technology thus reducing unplanned downtime. The organization’s clients include heavy industries, defense, operators, and R&D. Tardid has entered into a technology joint venture with Blockchain for strategic go-to-market and technology development to address autonomous waste management.

Under the leadership of Ms. Aastha Verma, COO, Tardid has built Brainbox®, as the first step towards AI-based Enterprise Asset Management for monitoring asset performance, prescribing health, and providing remaining life. With modular design, Brainbox modules and solutions can be customized to suit even the smallest of the small requirements. It brings a full-featured prescriptive maintenance program and applies its benefits to structural components, engines, motors, alternators, pumps, compressors, fans, valves, gearboxes, energy synchronization, and optimization or to any other equipment deemed critical to operational excellence. Brainbox® Prime & Brainbox® Xander help the organization to achieve this. The Brainbox® Stormbreaker helps provide critical answers to the end-users with its cause and impact analysis.

Tardid has another product, Brainbox® Knowhere, a threat intelligence product only for government agencies.

The organization has developed the world’s first AI hardware named SPICA, which is mainly for autonomous inspection and rejection stations for the Zone1 environment.

Currently, SPICA is being used to detect, leaks, strains, and fatigue of LPG cylinders.

Exceeding Clients’ Expectations

The clients of Tardid Technologies Pvt Ltd are from multiple sectors including, Defense, Shipping, Oil & Gas, and manufacturing.

The organization has multiple projects from the Indian Navy, Aditya Birla, and Bharat Petroleum among others. According to Aastha Verma, the company has earned faith by exceeding its clients’ expectations and delivering the first of its kind of solutions to them.

COO of the company Aastha Verma thinks the primary challenges have always remained on how to keep the team together at times of challenges when it needs to reinvent and regroup, to keep the team motivated, and to ensure that funds never went low, to have enough orders in the pipeline without compromising on Tardid’s core values. The organization often gets tempted to follow the market and deliver what many other companies were already doing. However, remaining undeterred from the path was one of the biggest challenges for the company.

Tardid had to fight very hard to get the right valuation, which was necessary. The leaders never had another company from which the investors could take reference, and it worked both ways. In its early days, Tardid had the option of being bought over. However, Aastha Verma and the team knew to have freedom of continuous innovation, the control was needed to be with the founders. Eventually, the team worked tirelessly and ensured the company a stable income. And this income helped them focus on research without getting any outside pressure.

Persistence and Perseverance is the Key

Aastha Verma believes persistence and perseverance have got her where she is today. Many people have supported her during her journey. Aastha Verma also can’t thank enough her business partner who had more confidence in her than what she had in herself while starting Tardid. Aastha’s parents inspired her to continue her fight and to give her best, no matter what was the situation. Her children and personal struggle always kept her focused and didn’t let her lose sight of the finish line no matter how hard it got. Creating something which would be a unique technology product from an Indian Company was a constant driving force for Aastha.

“The challenges have and shall keep coming but as we say when the going gets tough, the tough get going.”- She added.

Tips for Budding Female Entrepreneurs

When it comes to suggestions for upcoming entrepreneurs, Aastha Verma suggests not forgetting the reason for starting the entrepreneurial journey. She says, “Always attach it with one of your emotional quotients and you will never stop pursuing your dream till you achieve it. Often when we relate our success to materialistic happiness, it fades as soon as it comes.”

Additionally, Aastha advises staying focused on the emotional goal, which will never let anyone deter from her path. As a woman, she has an inherent quality to multitask and also keep everyone’s needs addressed. She thinks, if a female entrepreneur can bring her home managing skills into her business or workplace, then handling things becomes much easier.

Picture of the Future

AI was a buzzword even a few years ago but, it is now seeing a massive adoption in every industry meaning there’s so much to do in this space. This high adoption rate of Artificial Intelligence eventually makes the future of Tardid bright and challenging. Currently, there’s a demand for Brainbox® and it is finding its place in this ever increasing requirement of the industry.

“At Tardid, we are ready to take up the challenge and very excited about taking Brainbox® to the world.” – added Aastha.

Quote

“World will always have an opinion, it’s up to us to prove them right or wrong, either way, whatever we do, should be what we feel clear in our conscious, the rest will find its place automatically.”