“Never settle for less than your best,” says serial entrepreneur Dr Somdutta Singh

Assiduus Global is helping brands in Middle East grow and scale globally

Going global is not an option anymore, it is a business necessity.

The global e-commerce ecosystem is accelerating at a rapid pace and is expected to total to a whopping $5.55 trillion by the end of 2022 and the MENA region single-handedly is being estimated to add close to $49 billion to the number. Dr Somdutta Singh , a serial entrepreneur and investor, talks about how her company, Assiduus Global, an AI-powered cross-border e-commerce accelerator is facilitating brands in the Middle East to witness massive global expansion and growth.

Dr Som, tell us a little about yourself and your journey.

I am a first-generation entrepreneur from a family of doctors from Kolkata, India. I have been intertwined in this entrepreneurial journey for the last 16+ years and am currently running my third entrepreneurial venture Assiduus Global, an AI-powered cross-border, cross-platform E-commerce accelerator. I am also an angel investor, bestselling author, and motivational speaker. I have sat on the Board of some of the most prominent global organisations, have been bestowed with awards by the Government of India for my breakthrough initiatives, social innovations, and leadership capabilities.

An adage that defines my perspective towards life is “Every adversity comes with an opportunity!”

After founding two successful businesses, an ad-tech and a crowdsourced multi-million-dollar fashion label, both successfully acquired, what drew you to e-commerce?

It was the year 2016 and Assiduus was already owning and managing several domestic brands in the nutraceutical, health, and personal care verticals on Amazon in the US. We were able to rapidly scale these brands and soon we realized that we could take Assiduus’ strengths, technology, supply chain, logistics, and operations to multiple other brands and advance and expand their businesses across multiple E-commerce marketplaces.

The rest as they say is history.

E-commerce is the future and D2C brands are at the helm fuelling this massive growth. Period! With our tech prowess and expertise in supply chain and distribution management, we have been able to help businesses defy the common challenges that brands face such as barriers to enter global marketplaces, frequently changing APIs, and comprehensive lack of business resources and expertise.

Tell us about Assiduus Global Inc. and the vision you have for your company.

Assiduus Global Inc is the world’s leading and fastest growing, AI-powered cross-border, multi-platform e-commerce accelerator. Assiduus is powered by patent-pending technology that helps brands launch, scale and grow across multiple E-commerce marketplaces and geographies by enabling their digital commerce through the end-to-end supply chain and distribution management.

My vision for Assiduus Global is to make this company the most prominent and chosen E-commerce accelerator and partner for D2C brands and companies that are looking to conquer the global E-commerce ecosystem. I see Assiduus expanding its global presence to reach even more brands around the world.

We work across four continents, 12+ marketplaces and leverage data and intelligence, and offer brands research-based, actionable insights that drive higher E-comm rankings, ROI and deliver results with credibility and consistency.

What is your outlook on the developing Middle East?

The Middle East presents a massive untapped opportunity for e-commerce as well as traditional players who want to establish an online presence. With the Middle East becoming the global hub of innovation and investment, it was only a matter of time before Assiduus Global permeated into the Middle East.

I live between Dubai and the US to ensure that we’re making the best of both worlds.

What makes Assiduus Global so exclusive?

Assiduus has helped launch, scale and expand 10+ digital 1st brands across global e-commerce marketplaces in four continents by enabling their digital commerce through end-to-end distribution and supply chain management. Brands have witnessed a 150 per cent growth in sales on average and access to at least one new international market.

Assiduus’s AI tech allows us to analyse data from multiple marketplaces across borders and gives us intelligence into various consumer behavior and purchase factors. This allows us to smartly map projections and markets for specific products.

Some of the largest names in the industry have chosen use as their E-commerce accelerator partner and have witnessed tremendous growth in terms of revenue generation, operational growth, sales, and rank improvement. We continuously identify new insights for each of the brands we serve to boost their sales margins and increase productivity.

Like you have mentioned, the Middle East is full of opportunities. How is Assiduus tapping into this potential?

We were able to analyse the potential the Middle East market has. We are always looking for a market that is worth going after and offers an opportunity to build non-linear growth – very steep growth curves. In evaluating new market opportunities, we always look for the genuine pull from customers and then cater to them by bridging the gap that the market requires.

How is Assiduus helping businesses in the Middle East?

When businesses in the Middle East or from the MENA region partner with us, our AI-powered technology simplifies and combines complex intelligence to help facilitate their scaling and growth across global marketplaces. This is just one aspect.

Our global distribution competencies across 10+ global locations enable D2C brands to sell across the world and enter new markets effortlessly. Brands have been able to experience quantifiable, valuable growth by employing our expert E-commerce strategies and acceleration technologies.

Any pearls of wisdom to emerging entrepreneurs looking to enter the E-commerce sector in the Middle East?

When I started out, nobody had told me what direction to take. I had to make my own path. What matters more than the skills you possess is the attitude, mindset, fundamentals, and ethics with which you build companies and teams.

Entrepreneurship doesn't have an end destination and my mother always told me, “Never settle for less than your best.”