With new company, father-son duo look to upend e-commerce

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There are a million ways in which fathers bond with their sons. While connecting over sports or video games is common, Lexington resident Vikas Kinger has teamed up with his son Savik in another realm: business. Last October, the two created Kinger Analytics, a company dedicated to redefining the online shopping experience. Vikas is a software design veteran who is imparting his wisdom to Savik, a rising senior at Lexington High School. We sat down with the two to discuss their business and what it’s like to start a company in Lexington.

This interview has been condensed for publication.

Tell us about Kinger Analytics in a nutshell.

Savik We sell solutions to retailers. For example, let’s say you want to buy some shoes on Amazon. Now shoes are normally something you’d buy in a store, you’d want to try them on, see how it fits. But if you want to buy online, you can’t talk to someone else in the store, you can’t try on the shoe, you can’t really get a feel for the product. We allow you to talk with someone who already owns the product you’re looking for. Through our platform, you can not only ask someone who owns the product what they think, but we connect you with people that have similar characteristics, a similar lifestyle, that are probably using the product in a similar way to how you would. You can ask them how long they’ve had the product, how durable it is, et cetera in a one-to-one conversation.

Savik, what’s it like being in school while still simultaneously working on this company?

Savik It takes a lot of time, but for me I’m not doing much of the coding, I’m mostly just calling people and working on marketing. If I’m not studying I’m doing this. But I find the time somehow. Because I’m in school, it actually makes it easier to make contacts in the academic world.

Vikas He pitches in wherever he can and wherever I need some help. I’m also on social media and things like that, but not as much as him, so he really brings that energy and that perspective from a younger generation. He brings that perspective and that helps me further redefine our product.

Do you want to do something like this once you get to college and beyond?

Savik Yeah, definitely. We’re really trying to get this off the ground first, but I’d want to work in this field for sure.

Vikas He’s really learning a lot here that, when he grows up and finishes his degree, he’ll be prepared to go out there and get things done. He’s not only finding new clients, but also working with developers. He’s learning how to find a common ground with people, to keep the customers in mind.

Vikas, did you have to convince your son to get on board at all?

Vikas No, not at all. He was a real force, he just wanted to do it. I run things by him, he has a point of view that I need.

What’s the process of starting a company been like?

Vikas It’s so exciting, but also scary. Something like 85 percent of startups fail, so that fear is always there. But our expenses are very low so far and we’re able to manage right now without putting up too much money now.

How unique is this service?

Vikas There are people out there that are doing things similar to our platform, but they’re doing it in a very basic or primitive way. There’s a gap in trust between what customers are getting and what online retailers are promising. This is widening all the time, and we want to try to narrow that gap. For example, if you go read reviews of products online, you’ll find ones that say how fantastic it is and how terrible it is, no in between. How do you decide for yourself?

Why is it important to you to increase trust between retailers and customers?

Savik The biggest thing we want to tackle is seller fraud. The fact of the matter is, when you use a system like ours, the sellers have no way of knowing which certified customer you’ll be matched with. And because of this, they’re more incentivized to provide consistently good products. An online retailer can’t stack positive reviews when a third party like ours is involved. Our main goal here is to make e-commerce something that is just as reliable as buying in a store.

Is Lexington a good place to start a business? Why?

Savik The most important thing about being in Lexington is that there’s so many connections to be made here. A lot of people that work at MIT or Harvard or really big tech companies live in town. There are so many people with so much expertise here. We have such a good network in Lexington that it makes starting a business like this easier.

What does the future look like?

Vikas Right now we’re trying to build a customer base who can reliably use our product. Right now Michelson’s Shoes has adopted our platform and will soon implement it on their website. We’re focusing on business in Lexington but also in Cambridge and Boston.

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