A virtual design consultancy firm that he started along with his seniors marked the beginning of Prashant Subhedar’s career in product design.
Virtuality has inspired ideas and the only way to actualise them was through tangible products, making a difference to life as one experiences it. On this belief, in November 1999, he co-founded Bang Design along with his product strategist friend Vinay Rao. BD got its first big break when it signed a contract with TTK Prestige to design the Smart Plus Pressure Cooker in August of 2000 and hasn’t looked back ever since. This was a sleek, modern version of the ubiquitous household item and claimed a large part of the market share in the US and UK. Later, BD also worked on their Electric Pressure Cooker, the first in India. After dipping its toes into what could be considered a mainstay in most Indian homes, the BD team got busy with what Subhedar describes as a more challenging project, the Amida Simputer. This was a self-contained, Linux-based handheld computer and created waves globally when it was released in 2002. Carrying forward this innovative streak, Subhedar revealed plans entering the creative lifestyle space soon. “There is truth in the concept of democratic luxury in the connected world. I feel this will be the next wave propelling India from being a commodities trader to a manufacturer of products the world wants,” he beams.