This YouTube video, titled “Kunwer Sachdev: On the SuKam Inverter Story, Success, Failure & Bankruptcy,” is an intense and revealing episode of The Journey with Simarpreet Singh (TJWS#39). It features Kunwer Sachdev, widely known as the “Inverter Man of India” and the founder of Su-Kam Power Systems.
The conversation is divided into three major chapters that trace the rise, fall, and reinvention of one of India’s most iconic entrepreneurs:
1. The Su-Kam Revolution
• Early Days: Sachdev shares his journey from selling pens on a bicycle to entering the cable TV business in 1986.
• Innovation: He explains how a poor experience with a local inverter led him to disrupt the industry by introducing MOSFET and Sine Wave technology.
• Building a Brand: At its peak, Su-Kam reached a revenue of ₹1,200 crore with over 1,000 distributors and seven factories across India and abroad [39:11].
2. The Downfall and Bankruptcy
• Personal and Professional Impact: Sachdev candidly discusses how a messy divorce starting in 2010 impacted his focus, leading to a decline in company momentum [40:42].
• The NCLT Battle: He provides his perspective on the 2018 insolvency proceedings, claiming that while the company had significant assets, the lending banks and the legal process led to the brand being sold for a fraction of its value [43:54].
• Personal Loss: He reveals the heavy toll of personal guarantees, leading to the sale of his home and assets to settle debts [57:40].
3. Chapter Three: Reinvention (The New Avatar)
• New Ventures: Despite losing the Su-Kam brand, Sachdev has moved on to new projects, including Su-vastika, a company focused on lithium battery storage and solar technology founded with his wife [01:03:06].
• Focus on AI: He is currently building Kunwer.AI, working with a young team to develop AI-based solutions for power monitoring and marketing [01:07:23].
• Philosophy on Life: The video concludes with deep reflections on resilience, the importance of emotions in business, and his shift toward spirituality after years of being an atheist [01:20:05].
This podcast serves as a powerful case study for entrepreneurs, covering not just the highs of building a household name, but the raw reality of legal battles, “do’s and don’ts” of management, and the mental strength required to start over at age 62.