Ice People: Bala Manian

Start up stalwart

Bala Manian

Problems excite him, challenges drive him and long working hours never bother him. If you think this refers to a 28 year old man, you are wrong. Meet Bala Manian, 59, professor at Rochester University in the US, an Academy award winner, an entrepreneur with seven ventures to his credit and a mentor.

He began his career in 1974-75 with the Silicon Valley-based Spectra Physics Inc, where he helped develop the first compact Barcode laser scanner for supermarkets.

By 1980 he had set up his first company, Digital Optics Corporation, which developed the first three-colour laser film reader/writer system. In 1983, the technology was transferred to Star Wars director George Lucas's Industrial Light and Magic.

This helped film makers to insert or merge special effects into movies using computerised digital imaging. Films such as "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" and "Return of the Jedi" used this technology. For this Manian was honoured with the Technical Academy Award in 1999 by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (he modestly ducks all mention of the award).

His speciality is creating start ups, making them profitable and then selling them to industry majors. By 1998, he had set up companies such as Molecular Dynamics (which was acquired by optics and instrumentation company Amersham Pharmacia) and Lumisys Inc (another optics company, bought by Eastman Kodak).

Another of his start ups, Biometric Imaging Inc, was acquired by Becton, Dickinson and Co. He also was the founder and CEO of Quantum Dot Corporation and Surro Med Corp.

Says Manian: "I call myself a problem solver. Given a challenge I have a tendency to go deeper into the problem and not rest until I arrive at a solution."

His current passion is life sciences. And in India he sees a huge opportunity to tap this sector. " The cost of innovation in India is far more atttractive than in the West, thanks to people and talent. We have so much talent around that it is exciting to recruit people and work," says Manian.

His latest venture is ReaMetrix which he set up in 2003, and which he describes as an East India company in reverse. In the West, a researcher spends 80 per cent of his time collecting data for testing and validating. ReaMetrix collects and tests data on behalf of researchers.

"The business model is such that we take the risk of developing the product and selling it thereafter. It is like selling an advanced form of pre-packaged food," says the amiable serial entrepreneur. For the project, he shuttles between Bangalore and the US.

Despite this hectic life, he still finds time for mentoring. Manian is a firm believer in knowledge sharing and networking. So what does he do when he is not working? Smiles he: "I don't have the time to do anything else at all; this is what I do."