Ikarus 3D
Elevating the Digital Experience to A New Dimension with Customized 3D Models
A3D model is a breakthrough scientific gift to the world that has the incredible potential to elevate the human experience to new heights. It is a technique that can produce 3D items of any shape from a digital model. This technology has been garnering a lot of attention because of the diverse range of applications it may be used for, including quick prototyping and applications in the construction, architectural, engineering, medical, automotive, aerospace, and many other industries. India is undergoing fast-paced development, which has pushed the startup ecosystem in the country to embrace this technology and do marvels with it.
Renowned for creating specialized, high-end, and lightweight 3D models, Ikarus 3D has established itself as a pioneer in the field and a trustworthy partner for some of the largest brands in the AR, VR, XR, and WebAR sectors. Incepted in 2019, Ikarus 3D has obtained a firm footing in the market as a one-stopshop for all the 3D modelling needs with various applications encompassing product visualization, applications in the metaverse, AR and VR virtual try-ons, 360° virtual tours, virtual events, training environments, and showrooms.
Ikarus 3D, a Punjab-based IT firm, has maintained its clients’ competitiveness by creating specialized 3D models rapidly and striving to build lasting relationships. With a creative team of over 70 3D artists dedicated to using their skills to bring you AR and VR-ready 3D models, Ikarus 3D specializes in photorealistic 3D models and photogrammetry models, as well as 3D scan clean-ups and 3D file optimization, and has become a reliable partner for some of the biggest names like Meta, Spectrum, Nexttech3d.ai, and Floorplanner.
Envisioned to develop accessible technology to add a new dimension to human life and drive growth for industries to scale their businesses, Ikarus 3D makes the clients’ lives easier by:
• Working at scale (a team of 70+ 3D artists under one roof, which plans to scale up to 120 3D artists in the next 6 months.)
• Providing an in-house-developed QA tool that reduces corrections by 35%
1. Grid Helper to check the model’s position in 3D space
2. Axis Helper to view the direction in which the model is facing (X, Y, or Z).
3. Channel Debugger to resolve any issues in the base colour, metalness, normal, roughness, opacity, etc.
• Establishing a single point of contact and a seamless process with several checkpoints
Unfolding the Victorious Journey
The man behind the idea, Ishan Kumar Giddu, holds over 7 years of professional experience in the startup world. He kicked off his journey at the age of 18, after which he ventured into numerous things and eventually settled down with Ikarus 3D. A graduate of B.Tech. from Thapar University, he thinks of himself as a man who values consistent effort and smart mistakes. He has always encouraged his team to grow professionally as well as personally because Ikarus 3D is nothing but a journey of growth. Growth for the people, growth for the clients, and growth of patron’s money and skills.
“Through my experience, I’ve understood that if you strive for perfection in your work, you deliver results with incredible innovation. At Ikarus 3D, we have managed to strike a balance between pursuing excellence and adopting a practical mindset. We put a priority on producing the best outcomes while also enhancing our execution. This has enabled us to constantly provide our clients with high-quality goods and services while also preserving a healthy and sustainable growth trajectory.”
Distinctive Marketing Tactics
Ikarus 3D sees content as an essential tool for securing its dominant position in the AR, VR, and MR environments since it is a big proponent of vision-guided action. The vision calls for developing thought leadership and employing media to express stories visually. Ikarus 3D acknowledges the significance of innovation and consistency in the content creation industry and has ambitions to go beyond blogs and articles to include e-books and client testimonials.
Ikarus 3D also recognizes the value of search engine marketing as an additional strategy for increasing organic visitors. To increase its online visibility, the company plans to put into practice a successful advertising strategy along with improved SEO. Ikarus 3D also views college outreach as a crucial component of its business strategy and has plans to boost participation in college events and workshops and strengthen university collaborations, which it feels will subsequently improve the quality of the talent it has on staff.
Additionally, Ikarus 3D is a supporter of a data-driven strategy. It holds the belief that intuition is fundamentally the processing of input by the subconscious. In light of this, the business strives to create a culture where customer feedback is highly valued and meticulously recorded, as this will improve its capacity for constant innovation. In conclusion, the goal of Ikarus 3D includes smart digital networking and marketing, robust content production, and a feedback-centric culture, all of which are intended to strengthen its leadership in the AR/VR/MR sector.
Ishan’s Take on the Industry’s Evolution
Augmented Reality (AR), once a novelty, has established itself as an essential tool in this landscape, fueled by advancements in WebGL and mobile devices. The ubiquity of these technologies, along with the introduction of LiDAR on mobile phones, has democratized access and usability. This invention has revolutionized customer involvement by bringing 3D scanning of objects into daily use.
The metaverse and virtual reality (VR) are experiencing tremendous transformation at the same time, ushering in a new era of virtual events and commerce that transcend physical boundaries. The metaverse offers a plethora of options for creative customer connection, rather than just being a passing trend.
A striking example of this digital shift is in the fashion industry, where Virtual Try-Ons have become a popular feature, significantly improving online shopping experiences. These digital fixtures provide entertainment and convenience, highlighting the consumer-centric focus of this transition. In conclusion, these technological developments are setting new standards for digital customer experiences. Ishan and his team are actively involved in this transition and are living in the future rather than just observing it.
The Unique Leadership Approach
“‘How to be a Leader’ is a subjective question that many might have different answers to. However, leadership, in my view, isn’t about creating a mistake-free environment but rather about fostering an atmosphere of growth through trial and error.” Monthly recreational activities to rejuvenate the energy of employees He asserts that effective leadership involves creating an environment at work where team members aren’t scared to make mistakes and instead view them as valuable stepping stones toward their own and the organization’s progress.
Instead of trying to prevent mistakes, a team leader should encourage their team members to make them, learn from them, and move on quickly. This knowledge is based on his personal experiences and the predicted patterns of errors he can already see his team making. The entrepreneur believes that encouraging them will be more beneficial than getting in the way of their progress. He conveys to them that it’s acceptable to make mistakes or have setbacks in their jobs, whether they include hiring, managing their particular departments, or dealing with clients.
“My vision of leadership isn’t about cultivating a herd of followers around me. I aspire to foster more leaders within my team to facilitate decentralized decisionmaking and inspire unique ideas and strategies. True leadership is the ability to develop leaders, not followers,”, he further adds.
Rewarding and Innovative Work Culture at Ikarus 3D
“We invite challenges to push past boundaries and surpass our own expectations of what we can accomplish while working on our mission to 3D everything—people, places, products—and make it universally accessible.”
Thriving on productive debates and feedback with utmost sincerity for the growth of the company and one another, Ikarus 3D is diverse in traits, yet one thing that connects them all is the utmost passion with which the team follows an honest work ethic. At the company, smart mistakes are welcomed as a crucial component of the learning process. The team is supported in this process by excellent infrastructure and the newest technology, ensuring a setting where each member is working at their highest level of productivity.
They set company goals by collectively deciding on a theme for each year and designing their entire year based on that. Ikarus’s work culture is competitive yet collaborative, where cross-functional learning is promoted and good work is rewarded disproportionately, in the best way possible.
By doing away with conventional methods of leadership, they evaluate employees exclusively based on their capacity to manage their workload and guide the team. In this startup culture, giving leadership positions to deserving individuals is essential to inspiring the rest of the company. Ikarus 3D’s key principles include the following:
Awards and Achievements Along the Way
Charting new horizons with a robust multi-faceted growth strategy toward accelerating the adoption of 3D techniques by various industry verticals, the company directs all of its efforts toward becoming the market leader. Ikarus 3D recently celebrated its 4th anniversary with an impressive growth rate – 4700% increase in monthly production and a skyrocketing growth of 830% in size.
So far, they have successfully delivered 246,500 3D models until June 2023 to clients in more than 17 countries around the globe. In addition, some of the latest recognitions that the company has been honored with are:
• Best Startup of the Year (AR/ VR Tech) In India Startup Awards 2022
• The Best Bootstrapped Startup of the Year By The Global Hues
• Top AR/VR Startups of the Year By Silicon India
Strategizing for the Future Destination
Ikarus 3D has grown exponentially since its inception. They have increased by 5x from the previous fiscal year (as of March 2023) and anticipate growth of 3x every year for the following three years, compounded annually. The number of employees has increased significantly, from 19 last year to 106 this year. The company has also released two new products, the first of which is Ikarus Nest, which will completely change the 3D artist market globally. The other product, called C-silly, is now being developed.
“The upcoming products of the company that our team is working on will be based on generative AI and include a lot of tech, as we always believe we are a tech-first company. We are rapidly growing our team and adding new talents to work on our upcoming projects. We are planning to open one new office in Gurugram as well as an international office in the coming 2 years”, he stated, shining more light on the future outlook.
Words of Wisdom by the Visionary Leader
One of the most important steps to becoming an entrepreneur is to first start from the ground up: learn to be an intern, be hands-on with the clerical work, and go out and seek clients yourself. You can only lead your new team by first putting yourself in their position and gaining knowledge of their roles. Create an understanding through reading books, participating in tactics, and doing research, whether it be in HR, sales, or technology. Don’t worry about too many stringent processes at first.
Create a balance between flexibility, staying lean, and creating a hierarchy. You will not achieve perfection on your very first try, so just go and do it. When in conflict, take massive action. Then, keep iterating and reiterating in the following versions to develop your strategy. One thing that entrepreneurs have to understand is that money is not their primary metric.
Focus on building your people, your product, and your organization. When the money comes in, focus on the unit economics before the revenue. Embrace the challenges, learn from the setbacks, and persistently strive forward, for every step you take brings you closer to turning your entrepreneurial vision into a thriving reality.
Founder’s Message to the Readers
Innovation isn’t born from comfort. But that by no means concludes that you’ve to be miserable to be successful. Balancing work and life becomes less of a task if you prioritize the important aspects first. Live a life full of zeal to build things, then sprinkle a bit of fun throughout your journey. To build something of your own is primary. So stay curious, be resilient, and always keep your goals in front of you whenever you make any decision. All the very best on your journey.
