Suyash Kumar Sumaroo : A Pioneer in Blockchain-based Software

Driven by the passion of technology, Suyash Kumar Sumaroo, Director of Codevigor Ltd, was awarded the first runner-up of the Creative Young Entrepreneur Award 2018. A pioneer in providing generic Blockchain-based software development services in Mauritius, the entrepreneur is willing to make his company the leading technological enterprise in the Indian Ocean. 

Suyash Kumar Sumaroo founded Codevigor in 2014 after spending ten years in acquiring experience in software development. His aim has been to solve problems with the use of technology and his technical abilities. Although Codevigor started as a generic software development company offering application development services, since two years now, they have been specializing in the development and implementation of Blockchain and Cryptocurrency-based applications, which we usually term as Decentralized Apps (Dapps).

He explains that over the last two years, they have acquired a very valuable technical expertise in the Blockchain technology and they are currently offering local and foreign companies the services and expertise. “I have a few passions in life, namely football and technology. When I first stumbled upon Blockchain, I disregarded it as a sham. However, when I delved deeper in the technology and the technical aspect, I discovered something amazing called Decentralization. The technical difficulty along with the novel ideas captured my attention and since then, I have been allocating nearly all my time to this new technology. I realized that the more I was delving into it, the more there was to learn and the more opportunities were being brought forward to me.” 

My plan is and has always been to become the leading tech company in Mauritius, and eventually in the Indian Ocean."

Suyash Kumar Sumaroo started his career as a software developer working in different French software development companies including Orinux Ltd and Astek Mauritius. He was always interested in the way software systems work and how people interact with them. “Over 10 years, I gradually acquired more experience in the software development field specializing in the creation of mobile, web and cloud-based applications. After some time, I realized that I was no longer learning anything new while working in a corporate environment. This is the reason I decided to open my own company and indulge in my passion: technology.” 

Moreover, he reveals that the CYEA awards have been a bonus for him and this award represents the result of a team effort, with specific acknowledgement for his wife Asha, who has helped Codevigor in achieving its current status as an expert in the Blockchain technology. “My plan is and has always been to become the leading tech company in Mauritius, and eventually in the Indian Ocean.”

Uniqueness and target market

The entrepreneur highlights that Codevigor target start-ups or big, established companies that want to start working in the Blockchain technology. “Being in Mauritius, we can offer the same expert services but at a much lower price. Companies all around the world are beginning to show interest in the Blockchain technology, and are deriving new solutions based on the Blockchain technology. However, they do not have the necessary technical expertise to implement those solutions - this is where Codevigor and its team come in, that is, to provide the technical knowhow and actually build a working solution based on the ideas of our clients.”

It should be noted that currently, they are the only company providing generic Blockchain-based software development services in Mauritius. “However, we do not only create software for our clients. We also create and launch our own online services which include an online Blockchain-based Document Management System and an online platform for SMS marketing in partnership with Niven Rayapoulle, who is the founder of a digital marketing company.” 

Life of an entrepreneur 

Suyash Kumar Sumaroo confides that he never planned to become an entrepreneur. For him, it was just a natural process and he was just attracted to the freedom of creating things that he believed brought value to people and other companies. “I was also particularly interested in the way a solution required different disciplines for it to become a successful product. Finally, being entrepreneur is probably the most difficult endeavour that I engaged in and this encourages me more to be better at what we do.” 
Additionally, he reveals that being an entrepreneur puts you in front of various kinds of difficulties ranging from cash flow issues, lack of investment opportunities, lack of qualified personnel, direct or indirect discrimination and many other minor problems.

There is also the problem of solutions not adapted to the real problems facing many entrepreneurs. The Government is probably doing a good job to encourage entrepreneurs and help them, but the measures that they put forward do not really help us concretely. If they really want to help us, we are really available to propose real measures which would help us entrepreneurs and in turn help the country by employing more people and increase the GDP.” 

He states that as entrepreneurs, it is our job to find solutions to problems, with or without support. “For all the challenges, however, I have had the unconditional support of my wife, Asha, who has been ready to share her expert knowledge in software development and her acute business acumen. She is probably a better business person than I will ever be.”

Upcoming projects 

The company is working on at least three different large scale projects which will have far reaching impacts in the Blockchain sector in Mauritius and the surrounding countries. “I do not limit my role to be only the director of Codevigor. I also understand that being in the technology sector also gives me the opportunity to educate people about technology and more particularly about Blockchain and cryptocurrencies. I would encourage anyone who wants to learn about this technology to contact me and ask me questions. I am always ready to help and share knowledge about technological stuffs.”