https://bb.limenleap.com/ Mon, 25 May 2026 07:26:50 +0000 MyBB https://bb.limenleap.com/showthread.php?tid=2 Sun, 30 Jul 2023 20:32:51 +0000 admin]]> https://bb.limenleap.com/showthread.php?tid=2
Why do IT product companies do not really emerge from India, was a pressing question.

India has been seeing a lot of "startup" buzz, including incubation centres and accelerators. But what Sabu Francis noticed is that almost all of them fitted into a "formula" -- they gave a lot of theory and talk from the sides. But practically none of them actually put their skin in the game.  In fact many of them will not even give money -- they just give vacuous advice and some nice chairs to sit on and air-conditioning. Events they held were largely conducted by mentors who were only spouting theories -- with practically no scruffy experience in the world of startups.

Add to the mess, the youngsters who were often attracted to such incubation centres and accelerators -- sat with preconceived notions on how startups in the IT field had to be organized. For example: Get a brilliant idea, work on it a bit, get a team together (maybe not in the same order) and eventually raise funds. Only to fail miserably later.

The youngsters were not really solving real problems. They were coaxed/goaded into a preconceived formula.

This got Sabu thinking -- why is it that good problems are not being solved? Why is it that most of the IT innovations in India were really imitations of what happened in other countries? Why can't we have startups that go on to really become well respected IT companies? 

The answer had three parts : Exposure, maturity and a keen eye for BHAGs (Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals) 

Limen Leap Labs arose from the messy world of architecture and construction in a scruffy developing country called India. One cannot get a more intense, raw experience on what life demands. Sabu Francis, was 58 when he started Limen Leap Labs -- with plenty of maturity and hard knocks behind him. Having taught students in professional careers (both architecture as well as IT), he has a good understanding of the adolescent Indian brain -- and he has a pedigree of producing works that many did not even think were possible from India. 

Limen Leap Labs is an atelier -- a French term for the studio of a "master craftsperson" who actively mentors other artists and craftspersons. Not from the outside, but right inside the studio. Instead of investing money in others; Limen Leap Labs decided to invest intellectual properties in the youngsters of India. Each IPR would be given to a small group of enthusiastic and capable Indians who can create a startup around it. Sabu Francis would join them for a few months as an external CTO and handover the IPR via a B.O.T (build,operate,transfer) process. 

That is how we are now poised.]]>
Why do IT product companies do not really emerge from India, was a pressing question.

India has been seeing a lot of "startup" buzz, including incubation centres and accelerators. But what Sabu Francis noticed is that almost all of them fitted into a "formula" -- they gave a lot of theory and talk from the sides. But practically none of them actually put their skin in the game.  In fact many of them will not even give money -- they just give vacuous advice and some nice chairs to sit on and air-conditioning. Events they held were largely conducted by mentors who were only spouting theories -- with practically no scruffy experience in the world of startups.

Add to the mess, the youngsters who were often attracted to such incubation centres and accelerators -- sat with preconceived notions on how startups in the IT field had to be organized. For example: Get a brilliant idea, work on it a bit, get a team together (maybe not in the same order) and eventually raise funds. Only to fail miserably later.

The youngsters were not really solving real problems. They were coaxed/goaded into a preconceived formula.

This got Sabu thinking -- why is it that good problems are not being solved? Why is it that most of the IT innovations in India were really imitations of what happened in other countries? Why can't we have startups that go on to really become well respected IT companies? 

The answer had three parts : Exposure, maturity and a keen eye for BHAGs (Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals) 

Limen Leap Labs arose from the messy world of architecture and construction in a scruffy developing country called India. One cannot get a more intense, raw experience on what life demands. Sabu Francis, was 58 when he started Limen Leap Labs -- with plenty of maturity and hard knocks behind him. Having taught students in professional careers (both architecture as well as IT), he has a good understanding of the adolescent Indian brain -- and he has a pedigree of producing works that many did not even think were possible from India. 

Limen Leap Labs is an atelier -- a French term for the studio of a "master craftsperson" who actively mentors other artists and craftspersons. Not from the outside, but right inside the studio. Instead of investing money in others; Limen Leap Labs decided to invest intellectual properties in the youngsters of India. Each IPR would be given to a small group of enthusiastic and capable Indians who can create a startup around it. Sabu Francis would join them for a few months as an external CTO and handover the IPR via a B.O.T (build,operate,transfer) process. 

That is how we are now poised.]]> https://bb.limenleap.com/showthread.php?tid=1 Sun, 30 Jul 2023 20:21:08 +0000 admin]]> https://bb.limenleap.com/showthread.php?tid=1
The founder is an architect; Sabu Francis, who works both in real world spaces as well as architecting cyberspace. His office was one of the first (possibly the very first in India) architects office which was active in computing too. The architectural office was started in 1987 before he became 26 years of age. As nobody would really join an unknown architect, he rolled up his sleeve and worked on the theories behind architecture designing. This led to a breakthrough in the mathematics of architecture representation. Using that theory, he wrote a design software for architecture (called TAD) -- one of the precursors of BIM (Building Information Modelling) TAD is the oldest AI based design software in the world, still in use.

He also got the 1991 Special JIIA Award for his work. Subsequently, his (architects) office did several important projects -- including most architecture and interior projects of Konkan Railway and several other prestigious and demanding clients.  

The IT division of the office furthered several innovations in the IT field -- including one of the first use of Ajax for creating Javascript driven dynamic websites (In fact, Ajax had not yet appeared. The innovation was based on Javascript squirrelled away into zero size frames), one of the first PDF creation systems, a Prolog based language to develop web applications, a Journal management system, India's first XML and HTML editor and many other innovations. The core investigation that was happening in the background was to use TAD to fuel applications on the web, that used architecture concepts using graphics. 

This innovative insights on how we believe life has to happen in both real world spaces as well as cyberspace played a key role for the formation of Limen Leap Labs]]>
The founder is an architect; Sabu Francis, who works both in real world spaces as well as architecting cyberspace. His office was one of the first (possibly the very first in India) architects office which was active in computing too. The architectural office was started in 1987 before he became 26 years of age. As nobody would really join an unknown architect, he rolled up his sleeve and worked on the theories behind architecture designing. This led to a breakthrough in the mathematics of architecture representation. Using that theory, he wrote a design software for architecture (called TAD) -- one of the precursors of BIM (Building Information Modelling) TAD is the oldest AI based design software in the world, still in use.

He also got the 1991 Special JIIA Award for his work. Subsequently, his (architects) office did several important projects -- including most architecture and interior projects of Konkan Railway and several other prestigious and demanding clients.  

The IT division of the office furthered several innovations in the IT field -- including one of the first use of Ajax for creating Javascript driven dynamic websites (In fact, Ajax had not yet appeared. The innovation was based on Javascript squirrelled away into zero size frames), one of the first PDF creation systems, a Prolog based language to develop web applications, a Journal management system, India's first XML and HTML editor and many other innovations. The core investigation that was happening in the background was to use TAD to fuel applications on the web, that used architecture concepts using graphics. 

This innovative insights on how we believe life has to happen in both real world spaces as well as cyberspace played a key role for the formation of Limen Leap Labs]]>