How Deskera tore its house down – and built it back up

The “number one integrated business software in Singapore,” proclaims the bright red Deskera ad, which can be spotted wrapped around the buses plying the city-state’s roads.

Before the company achieved this level of visibility, however, its co-founder and CEO Shashank Dixit had to walk the typical founder’s path first. During the startup’s early days, to save cost, he’d sleep at the Singapore Changi Airport after a day of knocking on doors and selling software.

Deskera has since drawn prominent investors like Tembusu Holdings, Naver, and Jungle Ventures, and a large backlit company logo now greets visitors in its Singapore headquarters. Over the years, the India-born Dixit has even come to call the country home.

But even with its high profile, the firm wants to shake things up. Beyond opening a new office and applying a fresh coat of paint, the company is undergoing the biggest overhaul in its 12-year history.

The changes are aimed at resolving some of the persistent complaints from customers about its software and from ex-employees about the company’s work culture.

They’re also aimed at attracting a new generation of smartphone-wielding business owners who would have never picked up Deskera’s software. “There’s a tectonic shift” happening, as Dixit has put it.

I’m sick of people taunting us.

Indeed, the changes – which began before the CEO declared his intention to seek a unicorn-level valuation as part of the startup’s series B fundraise – have shaken up the organization.

Deskera has laid off dozens of product and engineering staffers in India and is rebuilding part of the team in Singapore. It is also tweaking its distribution model and sunsetting its flagship products.

“We have to be on par with the best software – the Xeros and the Quickbooks. I’m sick of people taunting us because our software doesn’t look good,” Dixit tells Tech in Asia in an exclusive interview.

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