Aaron Fernandez, Serial Entrepreneur and Founder, Kilowott, in an exclusive chat, speaks about Kilowott, its global footprint, how it has been reshaping digital customer experience and the trends that will shape the industry. He discusses the challenges and opportunities that Kilowott has faced, the rationale behind the centralization of its acquired companies and how its services are helping SMEs grow.

Aaron, along with his siblings Judah and Caleb, founded Kilowott, a digital strategy, design and development agency based out of Goa with a global presence in countries like Norway, Holland, India, France, Switzerland and the US. At Kilowott, he spearheads the brand and navigates the firm through the digital maze to make it future-ready.

Tell us about Kilowott, its global presence, and its footprint in India?

Kilowott offers consultancy and strategic support in customer journey mapping, customer experience process assessment and surveys, consulting, assessment, roadmap ideation and modelling with use cases, brand positioning and go-to-market strategies, brand identity development, concept design and prototyping. All strategies are customized as per real data analytics and right down to the minutest detail generated through innovative coding.

Kilowott’s vision is to blend digital and design seamlessly to craft enduring digital user experiences that have a direct impact on customers’ business outcomes. The company is led by the core philosophy of the founders, “to offer cutting-edge digital solutions in a global marketplace to enhance digital customer experience.”

Kilowott is headquartered in Goa and operational across three continents. The company has already clocked more than 2500 projects all over the world and works with various Fortune 500 companies, governments, international agencies and has a strong association with the Norwegian Diplomatic Mission in India.

We recently consolidated all our diverse businesses under a single banner of Kilowott. We are 150+ strong at present, and there are plans to make it a 500+ team with a global footprint. Our  long-term plans are to become a global tech powerhouse rooted in Goa.

Tell us about Kilowott’s different verticals and what sets it apart from other agencies. 

We recognized that there were very few companies that offered a whole spectrum of services within the IT-sphere. That’s where Kilowott steps in. Kilowott’s USP lies in its consolidation of different services to create one single platform where the clients can get diversity of services. Our impeccable insights generated through an in-depth understanding of core markets gives us an advantage over various other generalists.

Kilowott creates customised digital interfaces and operational solutions by using design elements like CX, AR and VR as well as the latest technologies like analytics, AI, IoT and others to ensure customers’ business growth and profitability.

Kilowott uses an amalgamation of cutting-edge technologies and innovative approach to offer consulting and strategy services in customer journey mapping, customer experience process assessment and surveys consulting, assessment, roadmap ideation and modelling with use cases, brand positioning and go-to-market strategy, brand identity development and concept design and prototyping.

The desired outcome is achieved on the basis of real data analysis, down to the minutest details which are extracted through innovative coding. It helps the customers enjoy desired marketing, revenue generation and profitability success.

How has Kilowott been reshaping digital customer experience globally?

Kilowott builds interactive experiences and implements goal-oriented disruption by combining strategic vision, product innovation and design, emerging technologies and superior digital marketing. We are clued into disruptive digital technologies, outcome-driven philosophy and an imaginative approach.

We work closely with our clients to build customer experiences across all platforms and brand touchpoints. Working across platforms, disciplines and industries, our approach is based on a deep understanding of the interplay between design, technology and the needs of our clients. Kilowott’s’ vision is to blend digital and design seamlessly to craft enduring digital user experiences that have a direct impact on customers’ business outcomes.

What does the current roster of Kilowott clients look like (Indian and global), and where do you see yourself in the pecking order today?

‘Kilowott’ has more than 150 employees on its payroll spread across three continents collaborating with various government and international agencies and Fortune 500 companies, while also fostering a close association with the Norwegian diplomatic mission in India.

To date, we have executed more than 2,500 projects globally. We are a high-performing, cohesive team with strong leadership. We collaborate with organizations and often construct combined teams with our clients to help drive transformations from within. We believe that great brands have the power to change lives, ignite the imagination, affect culture and generate behaviour.

Due to the pandemic, many businesses have tried to adapt to the digital way. How has Kilowott helped them on that front?

Globally, many businesses have made a digital shift at work, to attract customers in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even as the virtual world has emerged as the new normal for trade and transactions universally, entrepreneurs still appear hesitant, when it comes to making the transition.

This dilemma is just what Kilowott is addressing by creating awareness as well as coming up with pocket-friendly modules, which can assist local entrepreneurs to take their business to the world wide web.

Kilowott deals with clients all over the world and assists them in getting ranked higher on search engines through digital marketing strategies. Local businesses in various geographies require proper guidance and consultancy. We work closely and get an understanding of how their business operates and help entrepreneurs see the value of investing in technology.

What has been the impact of COVID-19 on your business, and how have you helped your clients navigate the COVID-19 crises?

Consumers are dissuaded from stepping out to make their purchases, due to fear of contracting the Covid-19 virus and due to pandemic-related paranoia, they tend to browse and shop online. And that’s where the product needs to be placed, especially in the times we live in.

Using social media, as a tool, not just amplifies your brand, but it also helps build the brand’s own identity. Businesses are now demanding more bang for their buck. And the key to getting the ratio right, is getting your business geared up for the digital revolution ahead. That’s where we step in and handhold clients through the process.

Due to the Covid situation, we looked inward and realigned ourselves. We had to shift the entire marketing plan and turn it around to focus on clients overseas. Post-Covid business for IT companies has grown due to increased integration of technology.

How are entrepreneurs and SMEs carving a way to grow business during these challenging times? Also, tell us about Kilowott’s services that cater to the needs of budding entrepreneurs across the financial range?

Local businesses require proper guidance and consultancy. We work closely and get an understanding of how their business operates and help entrepreneurs see the value of investing in technology.

While the initial investment required for embarking on new online strategies is a key hindrance for businesses looking to go digital, Kilowott has a range of packages that could cater to the needs of budding entrepreneurs across the financial range.

Kilowott and its acquired firms recently centralized their operation under a single banner. What was the goal behind this, and what results have it yielded?

2020 witnessed sweeping changes across the globe as humanity is still adapting to a ‘new normal. We embraced that change. We have streamlined and consolidated some of our offerings into a single entity – Kilowott. It seems like a big change. However, our core philosophy stays the same – to offer cutting-edge digital solutions in a global marketplace to enhance the digital customer experience.

There is a significant uptick in the quantum of interest in brands wanting to expand their digital presence across geographies. We saw an opportunity and have realigned our strategy to meet the needs of the global business community.

As an agency that caters to both Indian and global clients, what are some of the challenges and opportunities you’ve faced / come across?

I had been working in Norway for a number of years, and when I launched my start-up in India, the transcontinental differences had to be dealt with. The work culture and approach in India are very different from Norway, and there were challenges in terms of quality and timelines.

We started off by hiring freelancers from various locations – Israel, Ukraine, Vietnam, Poland and India. What we noticed is that communication with resources from countries other than India as well as deliverables was a constant challenge. We then moved to working largely with Indian resources on technical aspects. However, things have since fallen in place.

Opportunities have been plenty. We are blessed to have a great team of 150+ employees and a fantastic leadership team who love what they do and we are proud to have them all be a part of this Kilowott journey.

What are your plans for Kilowott’s brand building and growth?

Together with my brothers Judah and Caleb, we have built Kilowott from the ground up and today have 150+ employees working on incredible cutting-edge projects. We aim to be a 500+ employee company in the near future, something the company’s COO Nitish Raikar, formerly associated with Infosys and IBM, is helping us inch towards.

The work culture at Kilowott displays the iconic Goan vibes to the hilt. There are no formal rules related to attire and appearances and the focus is solely on the timely delivery of quality performance. Whether someone walks in with dreadlocks or shorts is of little consequence at Kilowott. We did hold great parties too, though this was pre-pandemic.

Our work culture is centered on having fun and learning as we grow.

What are some trends in the digital marketing industry that we should look out for in the coming years?

A big trend we foresee is Artificial Intelligence. Tech giants have predicted way ahead that AI is going to be playing a much larger role in defining customer experiences. Over the past years chatbots have played a massive role in digital marketing where an AI programme chats real-time with customers. The dependence on chatbots is likely to increase in the future.

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