Best printers for Home

Best Mixer Grinder

Best wired Earphones

Best 43 Inch TV in India

Best Wi Fi Routers

Best Home Theatre in India

Smart Watch under 5000

Best Laptops for Education

Best Laptop for Students

If you think <keyword id="10387" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Microsoft">Microsoft</keyword>’s prolonged search for the next <keyword id="5645" type="POSITION" weightage="100" keywordseo="CEO">CEO</keyword> is getting a bit nutty, especially with a disgruntled <keyword id="62333" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Steve-Ballmer">Steve Ballmer</keyword> waiting on the sidelines to hand over the mantle, you are not far from the truth. But then, that is the actual state of the coveted C-Suite nowadays – volatile is the right word if you want to sum it up. There is no job security at the top and even the best performer for years can get redundant within the span of a few weeks. The issues could be many – right from <keyword id="646347" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="poor-performance">poor performance</keyword> to <keyword id="610960" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="business-restructuring">business restructuring</keyword> to alleged <keyword id="6375736" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="corruption-charges">corruption charges</keyword>. But the biggest factor is relevance, a perfect future-fit that can take companies ahead, according to <keyword id="67736" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Industry-experts">industry experts</keyword>. In a difficult <keyword id="34412" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="economy">economy</keyword>, companies are compelled to twist and turn to keep track of profitability and their requirements change accordingly. Hence, their leaders have to adapt, shape up or ship out, as the case might be. 
 India is no exception and business leaders across the country have been frequently ‘released’ by industry giants. Many of them leave with ‘immediate effect’ while others are on garden leave or worse still, waiting for their predecessors to turn up (just like Ballmer). Yet, most of the C-Suite executives are tight-lipped about their departures, at least here in India. We are yet to come across an announcement like the one made by <keyword id="384914" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Groupon">Groupon</keyword>’s founder and former CEO <keyword id="488139" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Andrew-Mason">Andrew Mason</keyword>. But exit happens all the same – be it discreet or blatant. Here’s a quick look at some of the top-notch C-Suite executives from India who parted ways with their respective companies in 2013, their official exit lines and what happened behind the scene.

Strife At The Top: These
11 C-Suite Execs From India
Were ‘Let Go’ In 2013

<ul><li><keyword id="2823" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Akshay-Kumar">Akshay Kumar</keyword> has invested an undisclosed amount in <keyword id="2143783" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="GOQii">GoQii</keyword> – a health and wellness <keyword id="138263" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="startup">startup</keyword>. </li><li>With the investment, Kumar will also be the brand ambassador for the startup. </li><li>GoQii counts investors like Ratan Tata, Vijay Shekhar Sharma, DSG Consumer Partners etc.</li></ul><keyword id="143" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bollywood">Bollywood</keyword> actor Akshay Kumar invested an undisclosed amount in health and wellness startup GoQii and is now the brand ambassador of the company as well. “Health is not a short-term goal and can be achieved by adopting a healthy lifestyle. I along with the team of leading GOQii Coaches will be working to making 1.3 billion Indians healthy,” said Akshay Kumar. The actor will also be a GOQii coach conducting live video sessions on GOQii Play. GoQii, which is founded by <keyword id="211471" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vishal-Gondal">Vishal Gondal</keyword> in 2014, recently started a legal battle against <keyword id="6354742" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword> for deep discounting of its products. With the investment, Kumar will also host the India Health Quiz on GoQii’s OTT platform GoQii Play. Gondal, who used to run a gaming company Indiagames, came up with the idea of GoQii when he stopped exercising during his stint at the gaming company, and gained a lot of weight. “I tried everything and the only thing that worked was a coach in my neighbourhood who remotely coached me. I ended up running marathons, went to Everest Base camp ,” Gondal had told Business Insider during an interview. He realised back then that people didn’t lack access to gyms but instead lacked motivation to work out. Today, GoQii has marquee investors like Ratan Tata, Vijay Shekhar Sharma Mitsui, DSG Consumer Partners among others on its board. For Gondal, it has been a great journey from being called crazy for starting a hardware startup with a subscription model to today being one of the market leaders along with Xiaomi in the affordable <keyword id="18974" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="fitness">fitness</keyword> wearable space. “Another big thing we were able to do was use the health data to give our users discounts from insurance companies. So we went from being a coaching and wearables company to have an entire healthcare ecosystem on our platform,” said Gondal.

Bollywood star Akshay Kumar invests in GoQii, which took on Flipkart for its deep discounts

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">Vishal GondalVishal Gondal, founder at GOQii</div></div></div>Wearable technology has the potential to enhance our surroundings, improve our health, and change the way we interact with each other.
But while fitness trackers like the Fitbit and Jawbone Up aim to help us improve our health, they're really not all that effective tools, GOQii founder Vishal Gondal tells Business Insider.
"I have used every possible fitness band," Gondal says. "While these devices promised to help you get fit, in reality, they didn't really work for most people." 
That's why a lot of people stop using these devices after a few months, he says. In fact, <a href="http://endeavourpartners.net/white-papers/" target="_blank">one-third of people abandon their wearable tech devices within just six months</a>, according to a report from January.
Enter GOQii, a fitness band that automatically transmits data to a personal health coach in India. A huge differentiating factor between GOQii and other fitness trackers is that the company gives away its band for free, and also allows you to communicate with your own pesonal coach. 
"Forget about looking at the device as the center of the ecosystem," Gondal says. "The device is not the ecosystem. The ecosystem is your coach."
The band and accompanying app are just tools for communication, Gondal says. Some apps have leaderboards and try to name and shame you, but Gondal says that doesn't work well. The real value, Gondal says, comes from a coach who is accountable and can help you actively manage your lifestyle.
These coaches, which will eventually be responsible for between 100 and 150 "players," are based in Mumbai, India. There are other companies that offer remote fitness coaching, but RetroFit, for example, <a href="http://www.retrofitme.com/" target="_blank">charges a minimum of $250 per month</a>. Outsourcing coaches is a lot of the reason why GOQii can keep its costs low. 
GOQii tracks things like steps, distance, time, calories, active time and sleep. The GOQii then automatically shares that data with your coach, <a href="http://www.goqii.com/" target="_blank">all of whom have been vetted by GOQii's team of experts</a>.
<h3>Why Gondal is the right person to fix the engagement issue in wearable tech </h3>
So if the GOQii band is free, how does the company make money? Well, it charges $99 for six months' worth of communication with your coach. For a full year, you'd pay about $169. As part of the service, you can always contact your coach via chat, in addition to a scheduled monthly call with him or her. 
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><a href="http://www.goqii.com/images/GOQiiBand.jpg">GOQii</a></div></div></div>
Gondal founded his first company, game developer Indiagames, in 1999, at the ripe age of 16. In 2011, <a href="http://allthingsd.com/20111006/disney-set-to-acquire-top-indian-game-developer-indiagames/" target="_blank">Gondal sold Indiagames to Disney for around $100 million</a>.
That's why Gondal could be just the perfect person for the job: because gaming is all about sustained engagement. <a href="http://allthingsd.com/20111006/disney-set-to-acquire-top-indian-game-developer-indiagames/">Indiagames was the top gaming company in India</a> when he sold it; Gondal found a lot of success getting players to engage with his games and keep them coming back. 
"Motivation is actually the holy grail when it comes to helping people make a change in lifestyle," Gondal says.
Gondal got the idea two years ago when his trainer started looking at his Fitbit data to help him set goals. 
<h3>GOQii's end game</h3>
GOQii is more so going for a platform play, Gondal says. But the idea isn't to make money off of the hardware. 
That's why GOQii would be more than willing to integrate with other devices like the Jawbone Up, Fitbit Flex, etc. 
Even if you decided you don't want to be part of the GOQii program, you can still keep the device at no extra charge. 
GOQii's end goal is about helping people become more charitable. For every 390 steps, GOQii "players" get one karma point. Those points all go toward a charity of the player's choice. 
<a href="http://www.snapdeal.com/product/goqii-life-fitness-tracker-with/1758712333" target="_blank">GOQii is currently only available in India</a>, but Gondal expects to launch in the US in December.
To date, GOQii has raised a few million dollars from Esther Dyson, Amit Singhal of Google, and Flextronics CEO Mike McNamara.

After Selling His Startup To Disney For Millions, This Founder Is Giving Away Fitness Trackers For Free

You Searched For "Indiagames" and got 3 results

Strife At The Top: These 11 C-Suite Execs From India Were ‘Let Go’ In 2013

Sanghamitra Mandal

Bollywood star Akshay Kumar invests in GoQii, which took on Flipkart for its deep discounts

Sanchita Dash

After Selling His Startup To Disney For Millions, This Founder Is Giving Away Fitness Trackers For Free

Megan Rose Dickey

Popular Keywords

Buying Guides