Chennai entrepreneur on a voyage to make living out of cardboard
Of teams and dreams
These innovative ideas are not formed at scheduled brainstorming sessions or boardroom meetings. They are a result of a hands-on cardboard routine. 'Have you seen Phineas and Ferb? Our office is like that. Every day, someone is building something new. It might be a joke or a random idea, or something real. But we make things daily,' he says.
The team is planning to make their projects long-lasting, completely waterproof, fire-resistant, and indoor and outdoor friendly. 'We use our common sense and basic material knowledge when making something.'
Providing something unique, Karthic is steadily expanding his products. He now plans to dedicate an entire line of Montessori furniture, like slides, a ladder, and other play items. 'It's safe, super lightweight, and printable with colours. Even if it falls, it won't hurt the child. And it's light enough to lift with one hand,' he says. Following that, Karthic dreams of doing pop-up event booths, inspired by viral Chinese videos. And there is more on his wish list.
But maybe the most passionate idea floating on Karthic's mind, quite literally, is a cardboard boat. He had already experimented with this during the 2024 monsoon; the boat lasted for three to four hours in water. Later, he and his team built a kayak-style boat and took it for a sail to an island. 'We put it to the test. Since it wasn't designed with comfort for the person on the boat, it couldn't balance. Yet, it floated on water. That counts as a win ,too.' He is working on this with a vision to put this boat into use during emergencies in coastal and flood-prone areas.
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