Passion, they say, can take you places. And so it happened with Shahnawaz Karim. Karim, who belongs to a family of lawyers, was always a rebel of sorts. When most of his friends at DPS R K Puram took up Science and opted for engineering, he chose Humanities and graduated in Psychology from DU.
At 18, when his parents refused to get him a bike ‘for safety reasons’, he took up a job (during college), saved money and then purchased his own bike in 2002. In 2007, he launched wheelsguru. com, and last year he quit his marketing job to launch his own business Ulkagearz Adventure Pvt Ltd. Late last month, he launched Ulka Hakkit, a riding jacket that can be converted into a back pack. Ulkagear’s Hakkit Forever – a summer touring jacket is priced at Rs 10,999 and Hakkit V2 – summer city jacket is at Rs 8,999. Karim is working on his second modular product, Integrated Motorcycle Pants. Excerpts:
Tell us the story behind Ulka Hakkit.
The idea of a convertible jacket came into my mind when I was struggling to manage my helmet, gloves, etc., while riding a bike. Out of sheer need, I converted my riding jacket to a backpack. That was my Eureka moment. I then did rigorous research for over a year from concept to testing to understanding the need, and finally launched it last month.
What challenges did you face?
The biggest challenge is the sourcing quality and appropriate raw material to make the product functional and light so that it can be used more frequently. I developed 27 prototypes and sold them to my friends before coming up with the final jacket. This will be the game changer in the industry.
What makes you claim that?
After 1932, when leather jacket padding was introduced, there has been no design or utility innovation in the riding apparel category. I don’t know why nobody thought of a smart conversion because many motorcycle riders face this challenge every day. They don’t wear a helmet because it is difficult to carry, and my jacket addresses that issue.
You have patents on this jacket from across the world. Why?
Global patenting enables us to ship and sell in various countries. It gives us an edge when we enter those markets as a registered entity; we already would have holdings with respect to IP’s and then eventually many trade benefits. Nowadays, startups can scale to any country with a small A/B test on their website sales. For example, we are getting great responses from Spain, Italy, Portugal, and the USA. We got patents in those countries and already have the right to protect our IP when we ship there.
What about your biking trips?
My passion for motorcycles was initially more on the racetrack. I used to visit the Madras motorsports racetrack to participate in races. Later, I developed a flair for adventure traveling. I have travelled a good section of commercial India and several cities abroad. My most interesting trip was the recent one to New Zealand for the BMW Motorrad GS trophy where I was a marshal for the Trophy. We did the length and the breath of the country multiple times in a matter of 27 days completely on a motorcycle.
How was it to quit a full-time job and pursue your passion?
It is very difficult at first to find that the next month’s salary will not come in. Thankfully, my passion was able to support me (training people who ride adventure motorcycles). But it’s almost a nomadic life when you have to think about new avenues every day. This year of entrepreneurship has taught me a lot. To run a business, one needs to know every aspect of it be it sales, marketing, finance, operations or distribution. IT is not easy, but I am content.