While it is certainly possible to transform your hobby into a career, building a sustainable business out of your hobby is a completely different animal, because it requires patience, dedication and a “never say die” attitude !

Abhisek Mallick, our next pathbreaker, Senior Manager at E&Y (AI & Machine Learning Solutions for Business Optimization), also runs his company Blue Vale Lifetech LLP, which provides high quality research backed pet foods, supplements, and medicines, with the vision to make premium products more accessible to Indian pet owners.

Abhisek talks to Shyam Krishnamurthy from The Interview Portal about how his passion for pets—especially Shrimp keeping—kept growing, and transformed into a full fledged business.

For students, there are no hard and fast rules that define what you should do with your career or life. Stay curious, stay humble, and keep pushing forward.

Abhisek, can you share our background with our young readers?

This is Abhisek Mallick, I was born in and raised most part of my life in Durgapur, West Bengal. Durgapur is also known as ‘Ruhr of India’ or Steel City of India due to its significant steel production capacity. My father was an employee of Durgapur Steel Plant, where he worked in the Steel melting division. My mother is a home maker, and I don’t have any siblings. My parents always ensured that I did get proper education, study materials even it meant compromising on their quality of life. So, from childhood, I always had access to things related to education and my parents were always supportive of my career choices. I was always attracted to computers and animals. As our ancestral home (Bankura) has a big pond adjacent to our property, while staying there, I used to keep the fishes in drums and learnt how to make them survive. This started when I was 8-9 years old and when we moved to city this got a kick start. 

What did you do for graduation/post graduation?  

I have completed my BTech in CSE and followed up with an MBA. 

What were some of the key influences that led you to such an offbeat, unconventional, and unique career in Aquatics ?

I have always been a data-oriented person who eats, sleeps, loves data and facts, that is, quantitative rather than qualitative. Even during my CAT preparation, I realized data and math are my strongest part and English like verbs, adjectives, nouns are not my forte. So, during my mock CAT, I used to concentrate on the fields where I was strong and the remaining time on English. I did try a few tests where I tried to distribute equal time on all 3 areas, but failed miserably. That’s when I realized that one can’t be an expert in all areas, but needs to identify his/her core strengths and hone those. My final CAT score was skewed because I couldn’t clear the sectional cut off for English, but was able to score freely on Data and Math. So post my MBA, though I had offers from companies who might have paid me higher in other roles, I chose Data Analytics as it aligned with my core strengths. From Data Analytics, I slowly moved towards Statistical Modelling, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence.

Along with my job, I always had a keen interest in pets, it started with an aquarium and I gradually started growing in this field too. Post my job in Bangalore, I got exposed to dwarf shrimp keeping in my aquarium. I was so fascinated with them that I decided to stop keeping everything else and just concentrate on them. I started with 2 aquariums which, in few year’s time, escalated to 200+ aquariums dedicated to shrimps. Through this shrimp keeping, I am till date, the only Indian who has judged International shrimp competitions, presented research papers about Indian shrimps in Poland, Germany. Why I was attracted to shrimps – is the challenge of keeping them. Shrimp keeping is a new area, and because there was very less information and data available, along with browsing, I needed international experts from Japan, Germany, Sweden, Taiwan to help me out in keeping them. Also, I always had a knack towards the biology side, and so I started cross breeding and line breeding shrimps. While keeping these, I realized Mendel’s law and its importance. As in shrimp keeping there is no reactive measure, we need to be proactive so it kept me engaged and always on my toes. 

I am the only person in my entire family tree who has moved out of my home town to explore other states, cities and also to complete my masters. Relatives were hard on my parents by saying that I will get spoiled once I move out of home state/city, but they had faith on me and let me do things which I wanted to.

Sandip Kayal who was center head of Career Launcher in Durgapur, helped me in shaping my own potential. Being from a state government school, my English – both spoken and reading was horrible. He made me read English books, and sometimes even asking me to come to center and read the books infront of him so I don’t cheat in home. I got hooked to reading English novels and increased my words per minute through this.

My wife, who has her own successful career (BStat + MStat), has been an anchor so that my personal life is well balanced and I can work more towards my hobby and business.

There were numerous other people who have provided support, guidance when I needed it, including my teachers who helped in shaping my career. 

How did you plan the steps to get into the career you wanted? Or how did you make a transition to a new career? Tell us about your career path

I started my career at Symphony Marketing Solutions as a Data Analyst in Reporting & Analytics. This company was later acquired by Genpact, but the foundational experience in handling data-driven insights set the stage for my future roles.

From there, I moved to HP Analytics, where I specialized in Statistical Modeling and Analytics, refining my skills in quantitative analysis. This was followed by a stint at Wipro, where I continued working on Statistical Modeling & Analytics, deepening my expertise in predictive analytics.

My transition into Machine Learning and AI took place at IBM, where I expanded beyond traditional analytics into Artificial Intelligence, automation, and advanced ML algorithms.

Currently, I work as a Senior Manager at EY, where I lead a team that builds technology solutions spanning Analytics, Machine Learning, AI, and Robotic Process Automation (RPA). My role involves both technical leadership and strategic business alignment, ensuring that the solutions we create drive tangible impact.

Can you tell us about your entrepreneurial venture , Blue Vale Lifetech LLP?

Alongside my corporate career, my passion for pets—especially aquatics—kept growing. A turning point came when I discovered dwarf shrimp keeping during my time in Bangalore. I was fascinated by the challenge of maintaining them, as there was very little structured data available on their care. This led me to collaborate with experts from Japan, Germany, Sweden, and Taiwan, refining my knowledge through hands-on experimentation.

Between 2012 and 2018, I scaled up from 2 shrimp tanks to 200+ aquariums, becoming the first and only Indian to judge international shrimp competitions. I also presented research papers on Indian native shrimps in Poland and Germany.

Recognizing the lack of high-quality shrimp food, supplements, and medicines, I founded Blue Vale Lifetech LLP (https://bluevalelifetech.in/) in 2018. This company now operates under multiple brands:

Teraa – High-end fish food competing with imported brands. Teraa is our medium range fish food brand.

Teraa is one of our aquarium brands. In total we have around 8 brands already trademarked . we have categorised each of our brands into a segment or 2 brands in one segment. Our focus is to compete within brands and bring volume. Teraa started as our first brand where we used to import shrimp food from Germany and repacked in India, but now we are a collaboration partner with our German manufacturer where we work with them for new formulations and manufacturing. Teraa started as a shrimp food brand but is now a full fledged aquarium brand. Along with a good domestic sales, we also export our products through http://www.teraa-intl.com

Superfish – Specialized patented products like worm pellets and paste food. “Worm pellets” refer to either pellets made from earthworms or bloodworms, used as food for fish. Superfish is our premium brand in the Aquarium segment. 

Paste food is our innovation which can be used or stored in room temperature, doesn’t need any refrigeration. This is ideal for hobbyists staying in tropical weather like India. This paste food can be used for all types of fishes, even newly born babies to adults. We can train the fishes to eat the fish from hand as well by using the paste food stick it in our finger and attract the fishes. This increases interaction with the hobbyist and their pets.

We have a global patent for this and along with this, we also have a patent for soft feed which will be our upcoming product. Soft feed will be a new kind of feed which we will be the first to bring to the market globally. Instead of hard pellets, it will be soft like sponge, because we have seen fishes digest it better.

Leas – A premium brand initially focused on birds, with plans to expand into small mammals.

Leas is our premium brand for non aquatic animals like birds, reptiles, exotic rodents, exotic mammals. We have substantiated, by publishing a research paper, how our bird supplement works by testing on a sample of 40 birds through baseline and incremental methodology. Baseline – before our supplement dosage, Incremental – 3 months timeline post our supplemental dosage. This has helped us in getting orders from large aviaries (India), and international aviaries (USA, UK). We are working on reptile and exotic mammals too.
Leas will provide – food, supplements and medications too. 

Today, Blue Vale Pet Care is an ISO 9001:2015 certified company, and my focus has gradually shifted towards scaling it into an internationally recognized pet brand.

Lessons from My Journey

My career transition wasn’t an abrupt switch—it was a gradual evolution where my corporate expertise in data, AI, and automation influenced how I structured my pet business. Whether it’s in shrimp breeding, statistical modeling, or AI solutions, my core belief remains the same:

Data-driven decisions, a strong foundation in analytics, and deep domain expertise have created a lasting impact in my approach to problem solving..

How did you get your first break? 

My first break came when I joined Symphony Marketing Solutions as a Data Analyst in Reporting & Analytics. This was my entry point into the world of data-driven decision-making, and it shaped my entire career.

Unlike traditional IT or management roles, this job leveraged my quantitative strengths and love for data-driven insights. It had a foundation in Analytics – It gave me hands-on experience in data processing, visualization, and reporting, setting the stage for my future growth.

Stepping Stone to Advanced Roles – This experience helped me transition into more complex roles in Statistical Modeling, Machine Learning, and AI at HP, Wipro, IBM, and eventually EY.

What were some of the challenges you faced? How did you address them?

Challenge 1: Transitioning from Reporting to Advanced Analytics (Early Career Challenge)

When I started in data analytics, my initial work was largely focused on reporting and dashboards, but I wanted to move into statistical modelling, AI, and machine learning. The challenge was that most entry-level jobs in analytics focused on data visualization rather than predictive modelling.

Solution:

I took up self-initiated projects where I would apply predictive models on business problems, even if it wasn’t officially required.

I learned R, Python, and ML algorithms in my free time while working full-time, and proactively volunteered for projects that involved more than just reporting—slowly transitioning towards ML and AI-driven roles.

This helped me break into AI/ML roles at IBM and later EY, where I now lead teams in building end-to-end AI and automation solutions.

Challenge 2: Moving from an individual contributor to a Senior Manager role at EY meant shifting focus from hands-on work to people management, stakeholder engagement, and driving business outcomes. The challenge was balancing technical depth with strategic decision-making.

Solution:

Delegation & Team Empowerment – I started trusting my team with execution while focusing on business strategy and client interactions.

Bridging Tech & Business – Learned to simplify AI/ML concepts into business language, helping senior leadership see value in technology investments.

Mentorship & Leadership Development – Actively mentored junior team members to ensure I had a strong second layer of leadership.

This shift allowed me to scale my impact, leading multiple high-value AI, ML, and RPA projects at EY today.

Challenge 3 – Scaling Shrimp Keeping into a Business (Product Challenge)

Shrimp-keeping was a hobby initially, but I realized there were no high-quality shrimp food and supplements in India. The challenge was:

  • No local market knowledge – Imported shrimp food dominated the market, and people didn’t trust Indian brands.
  • Product Formulation – Needed to ensure nutrition, water stability, and palatability for shrimp food.
  • Manufacturing & Scaling – Setting up a production process while maintaining quality control was difficult.

Solution:

  • Data-Driven Approach – Used controlled testing on shrimp tanks, refining formulas until the products performed better than imports.
  • International Collaboration – Worked with experts from Japan, Germany, and Taiwan to optimize nutrition formulations.
  • Branding & Marketing – Launched Teraa and Superfish, focusing on premium quality to compete with imported brands.
  • Today, Teraa is a recognized brand among hobbyists and breeders, proving that Indian-made shrimp food can match global standards.

Challenge 4 – Balancing Full-Time Job & Business Growth (Time Management Challenge)

  • Running a full-time job at EY while scaling Blue Vale Pet Care meant severe time constraints.
  • Handling R&D, production, branding, and sales while leading a corporate team was overwhelming.
  • Needed to grow the business without quitting my corporate career immediately.

Solution:

  • Prioritized & Delegated – Hired trusted employees to handle daily operations, allowing me to focus on strategy and R&D.
  • Automated Business Operations – Streamlined supply chain, inventory, and marketing using automation tools to save time.
  • Built an Expert Network – Partnered with breeders, distributors, and resellers so I wasn’t handling sales directly.
  • Long-Term Vision – I see my business as a gradual transition, not an overnight shift. This mindset helps me balance both roles effectively.

Where do you work now? 

 I currently work as a Senior Manager at EY (Ernst & Young) in the Technology domain. Here, my work is focused on AI & Machine Learning Solutions for Business Optimization, Data Engineering & Advanced Analytics, Intelligent Automation with Robotic Process Automation (RPA).

I am also the Founder of my company Blue Vale Lifetech LLP. As founder, I work on continuous improvement of our products, sales and marketing.

Though initially Shrimp keeping started as a hobby, it is now a full fledged business. I am now a little slow on shrimp breeding as I need to concentrate on my family life as I have a toddler son. Once he grows up, I will reactivate my breeding units. We used to sell Shrimps to customers in Singapore, Thailand, Japan, Germany, Sweden etc. I only breed exotic shrimps to maintain premium quality. Shrimps were a starting block and still a big part of my identity nationally and internationally , but as a company we have now started expanding with shrimp keeping as an anchor. We now have a large collection of cichlid fishes and finch birds also. For cichlids, we are targeting close to 300 aquariums along with 200+ cages for finches breeding. And in both the segments we are doing the exotic segment only as that’s where my capabilities are.

We plan to evolve as one of the top brands from India that focuses on quality. Our target is International European, American, German brands who have built their reputation and customer bases on quality, not by providing cheaper products. We wish to become a complete pet solution brand from India who should be known for quality not lower price or bulk manufacturing. This is the same reason from 2024 onwards I have personally started doing more research and investing in Intellectual property like patents, research papers to quantify us, to build the trust into customers nationally and internationally that though we are from India, we are capable of High Quality International standards. I have started reducing the non-value adding stuff like aquarium water change, feeding, cleaning etc by doing automation so we can just concentrate on value adding steps. I have started working with 3-4 core AI, ML folks from India on an AI, ML model for pet related things from India and we are using Open AI along with Python, SQL and MS Fabric to create innovations which will elevate us. Will discus about this in details once this is developed and we protect the IP 😊 

What skills are needed for your role? How did you acquire the skills? 

1. Machine Learning & AI – Acquired through hands-on work at IBM, HP Analytics, and Wipro. Kept learning through self-study (Python, R, TensorFlow, NLP, etc.).

2.Project & Team Management – Developed by leading multi-functional teams at EY, handling delivery from ideation to execution.

3. Continuous Learning – Invested in online courses, certifications (Google Cloud, AI/ML), and research papers.

4. Same always want to learn I have applied in my business also.

Whats a typical day like?

Corporate work – 

Morning Stand-ups & Strategy Meetings, Client Consultations & Problem Solving, Project Executions

Business Work – 

Market Strategy & Brand Growth, Logistics & Sales Management, Customer & Community Engagement

What is it you love about this job? 

Corporate Work – Solving Complex Problems, Leadership & Mentorship, Global Exposure, Strategic Influence

Business work – 

Passion for Pets, Building a Brand from Scratch, Community & Networking, Freedom & Creativity

How does your work benefit the society? 

My work benefits society in multiple ways, both through my role at EY and my business, Blue Vale Pet Care. At EY, I contribute by implementing AI and analytics-driven solutions that enhance business efficiency, reduce errors, and enable smarter decision-making. By mentoring and upskilling young professionals, I help shape future leaders in technology. Ethical AI development is also a priority, ensuring fairness and transparency in automated decision-making.

Through Blue Vale Pet Care, I am improving the pet industry by developing high-quality, research-backed pet foods, supplements, and medicines, making premium products more accessible to Indian pet owners. I actively educate hobbyists and breeders through seminars and workshops, promoting responsible pet care and ethical breeding practices. Additionally, by producing locally manufactured alternatives to imported pet products, I support India’s growing pet industry while generating employment opportunities. My work in shrimp breeding also contributes to species conservation and sustainability. Ultimately, both my corporate and entrepreneurial efforts allow me to make a meaningful impact on industries I am passionate about.

Tell us an example of a specific memorable work you did that is very close to you!

One of the most memorable projects in my career was when I led the development of an AI-driven automation solution for a Fortune 500 company while at EY. The client was struggling with inefficiencies in their data processing pipeline, causing delays in critical business decisions. My team built a custom AI model that streamlined their data workflow, reducing manual effort by over 60% and improving accuracy. Seeing our solution directly impact their operations and drive measurable success was incredibly fulfilling.

On the business side, my proudest moment was when I became the first and only Indian judge for international shrimp competitions. When I started shrimp keeping, there was no structured information available in India, and I had to learn from international experts. Over the years, I not only mastered shrimp breeding but also represented India on global platforms in Poland and Germany, presenting research on Indian shrimp species. This recognition validated my years of dedication and reinforced my mission to develop India’s shrimp-keeping community.

Your advice to students based on your experience?

My advice to students is to identify and focus on their core strengths while staying adaptable to new opportunities. In my journey, I realized early that I excelled in data and quantitative analysis, so I doubled down on it instead of trying to master everything equally. Rather than forcing myself to be good at subjects I struggled with, I worked strategically—leveraging my strengths while improving my weaknesses just enough to stay competitive.

It’s also important to embrace challenges and failures as part of the learning process. Whether in my corporate career or pet business, I faced multiple hurdles—from struggling with English in my early years to navigating an industry with little structured knowledge. However, persistence, curiosity, and a willingness to learn from mentors helped me grow.

Lastly, always network and seek mentorship. The right guidance at the right time can accelerate your career more than any degree or course. Stay curious, stay humble, and keep pushing forward.

Future Plans?

In the coming years, I aim to continue leveraging my expertise in data, analytics, and technology to drive impactful solutions. However, my long-term vision is to expand and scale my entrepreneurial ventures in the pet and aquarium industry, which has already gained significant traction.

With Blue Vale Pet Care, my focus is on:

  • Expanding our brand footprint in both domestic and international markets.
  • Innovating niche pet products that fill existing gaps in the industry.
  • Building a strong ecosystem of research, development, and customer education.
  • Automating and streamlining operations to make the business self-sustaining at scale.

While I continue to contribute in the technology domain, I see myself gradually transitioning into a full-time leadership role in my business, ensuring that it reaches its full potential. My ultimate goal is to establish Blue Vale as a dominant brand in the industry, making a lasting impact in the pet care sector while creating a sustainable and scalable business model.