Interview with Vijay of OliveScreens

Another top 10 finalist of the Martell VSOP The Ultimate Start-Up Space challenge is OliveScreens. Here, we got Vijay to share his thoughts.

(For a quick overview of the prizes the ultimate winner stands to gain, read this.)

Describe your idea and how you think it stands out from all the finalists.

OliveScreens, a unique concept restaurant, combines two best things in life – The Food and The Movies. The food menu and the ambience of the restaurant depend upon the movie that will be screened. For e.g., if we screen a Spanish movie, the food menu and the restaurant culture will be Spanish. Same goes for all the other international movies. With the movie and the theme changing every week, Clarke Quians will have a unique fresh experience.

To keep up with the spirit of Clarke Quay, we focus on two of our core competencies, ‘unique’ experience and customer service. All the top 10 finalists are unique in their own space. In case of olivescreens, I would say, we want people to have an “aha” effect every time they visit our movie restaurant. Eventually, we want Olivescreens to become an attraction for visiting tourists and get melted into the “Uniquely Singapore” Tag.

[View their 60-second video submission for TUSS.]

How did you come up with this idea? Did you already have this idea before hearing about this competition?

Yes, this idea has grown together with me a long way. It’s an interesting story. I have been a movie buff since my school days and as I grew up, I slowly developed my appetite for international movies. When I moved to Singapore in 2004 for my Masters at NTU, this multi-culture environment favored this thought all together and gave me a different experience. Most of the restaurants I tried so far come with good music that suits the food menu.

But, hold on a second, Why not a movie experience? This is when I allowed my thoughts to grow on this crazy idea. It is very matured enough now and ‘I think’ it is still a unique concept which hasn’t been tried anywhere yet. It is so coincidental that I bumped onto the ultimatestartupspace contest being covered in SGE. Rest is history. Long story isn’t it? Some other crazy ideas which I submitted are here.

Why do you think you should win the top prize for The Ultimate Start-Up Space?

This contest tests two aspects -creativity & the business feasibility of the idea. Olivescreens fits very well into both these factors quite nicely. It is innovative in its own way and holds a feasible business model that would fit the Clarke Quay culture. I’m pretty sure, our concept restaurant will not only add spice to Clarke quay but also to Singapore as well. Birth of new trend, I would say. You believe it or not, we have spent lot of time in researching and finding out ‘How to bring the two best things (The food and the movie) together with a unique unforgettable experience’. Also, we believe in execution. Lot said, I ‘hope’ everyone can see us in action soon.

Tell us your team’s background and what you are doing now.

I did my Masters in NTU and I’m currently working for Microfocus (previously Borland) as a Research Engineer. I co-founded carpoolz in 2006 and smsnoodle in 2008/09. Also, I have won the Technology business plan competition (iaccelerator 2008) at IIM-A(Indian institute of management –Ahmedabad) and have been incubated there for a quarter. I have undergone lots of ups and downs in my life and it’s really been a roller coaster ride so far. My buddy Naveen, is a senior consultant at an enterprise software firm. He graduated from a premier university in India (BITS,Pilani) and had worked for his family textile export business before becoming a consultant. He is an extensive traveler and brings with him a lot of international experience for our team. Also, he is a vivid share trader and an investor across various industries like steels, textiles, spices etc. His number crunching abilities and his business experience will add more values on overseeing finances and making business strategies at Olivescreens.

If you win, tell us your plan moving forward to turn your idea into reality. And would executing on this idea be a full-time commitment on your team’s part?