Inspiring Innovators: Chandralika Hazarika
Co-Founder of BigThinx, On The Right Place, The Right Time.
At SAP.iO, we work with innovative people and new technologies that positively impact our world every day, and we think it’s time to share their stories with you! In our series, “Inspiring Innovators,” we get to hear how leaders of cutting-edge startup technologies overcame, thrived, and pursued their goals. SAP.iO’s Alexa Gorman sat down to discuss the road to success and lessons learned with some of our most inspiring startup founders.
Meet Chandralika Hazarika
Having someone anticipate your needs before you ask is something of a talent. Waitstaff that refills your glass at a restaurant without being asked, a business offering umbrella’s on a day you’ve forgotten yours, or a friend that drops by with coffee on the morning you’ve run out. Being able to think ahead and predict what your family, friends, or even customers might need is a tricky skill to manage, but useful. Sometimes it is a case of the right place and the right time, as it was with our next inspiring innovator Chandralika Hazarika. Her unique combination of skills and strategic vision allowed her to anticipate a need in the marketplace BEFORE it became critical, thus allowing her company to come ready with a solution as soon as it was sought. Most useful indeed.
With more than 15 years of branding and marketing experience, Chandralika turned her attention to entrepreneurship with a focus on building digitally empowered brands. An architect by education, she always wanted to do something on the creative side of the business with people. While she worked as a branding manager, she gained experience understanding design and working with technical people.
In an instance of the right place, right time, Chandralika met her future co-founder, Shivang Desai, by chance in Bangalore when he was searching for tech talent. With a background in finance and strategy, Shivang had already started three technology companies. The two realized that their strengths were completely different but complementary; thus coming together to create something new would have a great chance of success. Looking to build simple, intuitive high-tech products that are quickly adopted, they came together to form Bigthinx in 2016.
Bigthinx is an artificial intelligence company building software for online fashion retailers, using mobile body scanning, virtual try-ons, and digital twins. Their technology creates a 3D body scan using two full-body photos for precise instant apparel size and fit predictions, creating a personalized virtual avatar that is a digital replica and automates the production of 3D digital clothing from catalog photos at scale. This technology enables try-ons of any clothing virtually to see how it would look and fit as if in reality. These quick, easy, and impactful virtual shopping experiences drive significant reductions in returns and increased conversions for online retailers. Bigthinx works with the world’s largest retailers and fashion brands in the US, Europe, and Asia.
At Bigthinx, Chandralika continues to build new ways to put consumers first, still looking to anticipate their needs before they ask. In addition, she is a fashion design enthusiast and owns a fashion label called Velvet Piano. If all of this were not enough, Chandralika also received the distinguished Accenture “Women in Tech” 2021 award.
Let’s Chat
How do customers use your technology?
Chandralika shared an example of when a CEO came to speak with her about a recent shopping ordeal. He ordered seven shirts as his work travels have increased but after receiving his order, five shirts did not fit, and he soon realized that the company was not return-friendly. In the end, he lost money on the five shirts and will likely not shop at this retailer in the future. The customer loses, the retailer loses, and the environment suffers. He stated that had he used Bigthinx, this situation could have been avoided.
Retailers use the Bigthinx solution to reduce returns, increase conversions, boost sales, increase brand engagement, and break into the metaverse. Customers use the technology to help with standardizing issues in the sizing of garments. Using any phone, you can generate a 3D avatar with your skin tone, hairstyle, and other body measurements. Bigthinx also has first-of-its-kind AI technology to recreate physical clothing in 3D so that you can try it on virtually and obtain a Fit score to help with your selection.
“After replicating the garment in 3D and your avatar, you can try that piece on from XS to XXXL. Because this is visual, you see the garment’s fit on your body. Does it drape how you like? Should you try a different size? You can get an idea of the material by seeing how denim is slightly stiffer than satin. We also have clients that use the technology to create immersive environments. In the end, it enhances the customer experience while saving time and money.”
What are your goals for Bigthinx in the future?
When asked what she wants for the future of Bigthinx, Chandralika wishes to change the fashion industry by providing the right fit so retailers can reach their sustainability goals. She imagines a world where you understand body types of specific geographies because you have the actual body data. If you were to need to manufacture 1,000,000 pieces in a particular region, you would recognize what size would be the best fit and therefore reduce the waste of producing unnecessary sizes.
“When you know the body data, that can be shared with the designers, so they design better for the body types in that region. You know, it’s all about impacting the whole supply chain beyond just reducing returns. And in doing so, we would influence fashion design, reduce waste, and create happy retailers and customers!”
When you look at your journey, what makes you most proud?
Chandralika recently received the Accenture Women in Tech Award and has received many invitations to come and speak at conferences, feeling privileged to do so. Reflecting on her journey, she explained that she felt fortunate to be raised in the family she was. Her parents did not differentiate her expectations from that of her brother. It was clear to her that she should focus on making a life for herself of self-sufficiency. She understands that this point of view is not always the norm in families and that many women have that extra challenge.
“I feel many women out there may not have the same opportunities for education or family support. Now that my accomplishments are being recognized, I feel very proud that I can share my experiences with other women. I’m honored to help when someone contacts me and asks how to have a career in Tech. Or how they can break into an industry, or ask how I’ve started my company so they might do the same. I’m happy that I can connect them with the right people. Obviously, I don’t know all of the answers. But maybe I know someone out there that can help them out.”
What Challenges have you had as an entrepreneur?
When we discussed roadblocks Chandralika has encountered so far, she started by saying that there are obvious challenges of being a woman founder, but she understood that would be the case when she began her career. One of the more significant hurdles was changing the mindset of her future customers. As Bigthinx was ahead of the curve with their solution, people were unwilling to listen to the value proposition they offered or explore new technology. But as fate would have it, the pandemic made many companies reevaluate how they do business, and upon that assessment, many realized that the solution they needed to move forward was what Bigthinx offered. They had the right technology, and it was now the right time.
Pre-pandemic, it was hard to convince the market that they were not trying to replace the physical buying experience, only enhance it. The challenge here is that it is a constant education process. Chandralika is working to bring a digital presence and physical world together so customers feel more engaged.
“Before, people felt that I was trying to replace the physical experience, but what we do is improve your experience. The individual has more power with their avatar because how things look on you is very important to a consumer. It was a continuous process of educating people of the true value of the technology.”
What character traits do you think you possess that help you be a successful founder?
Chandralika has no EGO, which she credits as something that has helped her succeed in her role. She explained that she sees people who get down on themselves when someone insults them, but she tries to refocus them and be positive. Let people have their opinions, but don’t let that distract you from your accomplishments.
“I have no ego, and if someone insults me, it doesn’t shake me. What matters to me is that I remain focused and positive. People will always send you messages saying something negative. These things do not harm me. Remain focused.”
What guidance would you give a startup starting a new SAP.iO Foundry program?
Chandralika advises future program participants to be prepared with a solution that is ready to take to market in a big way. SAP serves the world’s largest organizations, all of which are looking for a product that they can adopt immediately. Being ready lets you close deals quickly, serve customers effectively, and face less difficulties when iterating your product offering to serve you customer’s deepest pain points.
What we learned
We learned from speaking with Chandralika that persistence and focus are key when you believe in an idea. At first, there wasn’t much interest in their solution as fashion is a very tactile industry; still, she anticipated that the future was in digitization and kept up with continuous education around their technology. After COVID made many companies reassess how they would do business, it became clear that this technology wasn’t just a “want” but a “need” for businesses to stay competitive and not only on the cutting edge of fashion but influence it. Anticipating this need in the industry, she was in the right place at the right time and has found a place as co-founder of Bigthinx.
Bigthinx was part of SAP.iO Foundry New York’s Omnichannel Customer Engagement program this year. The program comprised startups that help enhance and personalize the customer journey and experience. Customer Experience (CX) is SAP’s largest addressable market, with a strong demand for more CX partner solutions that SAP customers can leverage. If you are a startup looking to change customer experience for the better, like Bigthinx, check out our upcoming programs here.
