Play and learn! Growing as an enterprise had never been this fun. QuoDeck, a game development firm, is using gaming design and technology to solve real world business challenges.

“With cutting-edge authoring and hosting features, QuoDeck is a one-step shop for all your micro-learning needs, which allows its users to speedily create and deploy game-based learning platforms. With users across 40 countries and an enterprise client list that includes Pepsico, Unilever, eBay, etc, QuoDeck has fast grown into the definitive product in its category”, says Kamalika Bhattacharya, Founder, QuoDeck.

With international board games, design awards and a marquee clientele underpinning its credibility today, QuoDeck is now gearing up to play the game the way it was meant to be played – BIG.

Excerpts from an exclusive interaction with Kamalika Bhattacharya of QuoDeck:

Background of Promoter

I cofounded QuoDeck with my husband Arijit Lahiri in 2010. I am the Managing Partner and heads sales and marketing for the company. I am also responsible for overall business management for the company.

Prior to this, I was Vice President at Intellecap; a culmination of a 13 years long and successful career in various investment banking roles. I had previously worked for leading financial sector firms including IDFC-SSKI, ICRA and ADP Wilco India. I have an MBA in Finance and Marketing from Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad and am an Economics graduate from Osmania University.

The initial period- the challenges & the ecstasy of quick wins!

We started with a concept that was alien to the Indian market. When we said ‘games’, people thought frivolity rather than serious engagement, but as we built up our brand and worked with larger teams and larger companies, we found validation for what we believed in. We were talking game-based and mobile learning long before it became almost a necessity for any enterprise wanting to train new-age learners and therefore, today we are recognized as one of the top products in this space.

The journey so far!

We started QuoDeck in the spare bedroom at home and are now a global product company with 30+ people across multiple cities. What got us here are phenomenal levels of commitment and passion from the team. QuoDeck has been built on belief and the passion shows through in our product. And I guess that’s what our customers like too.

Strategic Alliances & Partnerships

Frankly, our greatest strategic partners have been our mentors and investors. Not only did they believe in QuoDeck at a time when we were extremely small, but they have also advised and encouraged us at critical points in our entrepreneurial journey. That being said, we would be amiss to not mention ToyKraft and the Indian School of Business, who believed in us way before we became a brand.

The future, as you see, 3 years from now in terms of scope & scale of your business enterprise

QuoDeck is already a global product with users from 40 countries and in 7 languages. As a SaaS DIY platform, we have placed the power of the product in the hands of learning professionals. Our ambition for QuoDeck is for it to become the go-to product brand for new-age enterprise learning across the world.

Key moments of reckoning in business life

When my husband and I first started the business, we only had our savings to go on. We were dead in the water with no revenues in sight and dwindling savings. I remember, one evening, we were so disheartened that we desperately wanted something to make us feel better. We sat down and conceptualized and created our first board game, Kurukshetra. That was our first pivot – we commercialized that and won awards for it. And that win gave us the strength to carry on, to continue to believe.

The feelings on getting the first big order / contract for your company

Predominantly, relief! Entrepreneurship is a lonely journey and it can get very disheartening at times. As a product company, and unlike a services business, we don’t have the luxury of selling what the customer wants to buy, but have to convince them that we are what they are looking for. And the first time we achieved that, there was this overwhelming feeling of relief that this could be done. Honestly, it was the feeling of validation that was the most euphoric.