JAM salutes the kindred spirit of entrepreneurship
(after all we began on the same note 14 years ago)

Orkut, Facebook, Microsoft, Google. There is a common string that binds them all. These are all companies that began as projects during graduation or were started by students fresh out of college. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Start-up companies have gained enormous ground over the years. Banking on campus placements, or joining tried-and-tested companies are fast becoming passé. Call it the recession effect or the desire to beat the untrodden path, more and more freshers are now striking out with their own ventures. Here’s a look at some of India’s hottest startups…

Indusgeeks
It is India’s first virtual worlds development company. If you don’t know what we are talking about, think Second Life. Indusgeeks help develop a part of the world that you see in Second Life. We talked to founder Siddharth Banerjee.

1. Tell us more about your background.
I was pursuing a Chartered Accountancy certification alongside my BCom degree. When I realised that was not something I saw myself doing in the future, I decided to drop out of college and skip the CA course to start Indusgeeks.

2. How did you get the idea for Indusgeeks? How did you go about it?
I read about Second Life and virtual worlds in the New York Times in late 2006. The idea seemed fascinating to me, as I was always interested in gaming and in virtual social environments. I logged on to Second life and soon realised the potential of the medium to deliver heretofore unparalleled interactive experiences on the Net. At that time, not many people in India were aware of Second Life or even virtual worlds in general. So, I had to convince some family and friends to invest in the business and that’s how we started Indusgeeks in April 2007.

3. A little more about your company and its services
Indusgeeks is India’'s first and largest virtual worlds development company. We are a Gold Solution Provider for the Second Life platform and have partnerships with Intel, Sun and IBM in this space. We create 3D or 2D virtual environments for corporate entities, educational institutions and non-profit organisations. We operate largely in two verticals -- digital marketing/advertising and education and training. This is based largely on the fact that about 100 million people, on a conservative estimate, use or interact with virtual worlds like Second Life today and marketers want to get a hold of this growing audience. Also, virtual worlds by means of avatars ( digital personas), bring people located in different parts of the world together at the same virtual (cyber) space and thereby allow for creation of great learning, training and collaborative environments. So, as a company we are not just focused on creating virtual worlds, but rather on how they can be practically used by organisations today.

4. How many employees? Are you in a hiring mode?
We are 13 now and we are looking to hire smart young gaming enthusiasts or Internet savvy community managers for the company to manage our online communities and us! Also, we are always on the lookout for talented programmers who are interested in virtual worlds /game programming.

CreADivity.com
This is another new venture with a difference. It’s basically an online marketing and advertising company, but the content and ideas come from the many registered members called creatives. The creatives can collaborate or individually provide solutions to the clients and the best solution is paid for. The company makes its profits from a commission from the creatives and a subscription fee from the client. Their USP is the large pool of talent that is students. 45 % of their creatives, are freshers and college students.

1) Give us some background information?
The three of us (Sitashwa, Manik Kinra and J Pradeep Sonthalia) came together during our B-School days at Great Lakes, Chennai. Sitashwa is an engineer from HBTI Kanpur, Pradeep is a finance geek and Manik also comes from an IT background. All three of us completed our MBAs in 2007.

2) And how did the concept become reality?
We had this idea during our MBA days. It gave all three of us a chance to build something on our own and a lot of freedom. There is also a huge untapped market for advertising and marketing. It basically started as a platform for all creative individuals in this world, who need an outlet for their suppressed creativity. Also, it is for all those companies who can not afford to hire the likes of O & M. We started getting a full team in place, when we were selected by TiE Bangalore for its Entrepreneurial Accelerated Program (EAP) in 2008, making us a TiE Venture.

3) Please elaborate a little more about your company and services?
We provide a technology platform where organisations especially small and medium ones -- colleges, social clubs and NGOs can get innovative solutions to their design, advertising and marketing related problems. creADivity has, within it, India's first and largest marketplace of its kind with 525 creatives from across 45 cities.

We provide a platform for the clients to post their briefs. Based on a competition model, the client selects his design/solution and the creative gets paid for it.

4) What are you future plans?
We are working on a franchisee model to enter into deeper territories. Let's see how it goes. We are hoping to see the concept of creADivity accepted and adopted over the next 3 years or so.

Indyarocks.com
It is India's fastest growing online community. Yet another networking site, you say? Well, Indyarocks is more than your usual Facebook or Orkut. What the site offers is a complete platform to upload photos, videos and blogs. And within just 2 years, the website boasts of about 3.5 million users. What's more? They have just 14 employees!



We talked to Kalyan Manyam from Indyarocks.com

1. Tell us a little about your background?
After my graduation, I worked at Innova Health Systems. We sold it off and I went to pursue my masters in IT from E. Michigan University. After my post grad, I joined Solix Technologies as a marketing intern and I got a lot of opportunities and exposure during my stint there. It was only in June 2007 that Dr Vishnu Manyam and I officially launched the website.

2. Why another social networking website?
Basically on Orkut, there is nothing but scrapping, communities and profiles. It also has some privacy loopholes. Indyarocks not only provides customisation features to all users, but even allows uploads by the direct drag-and-drop method. Our focus has also been on entertainment. So, we have partnered with various channels to provide premium content to the users.

There is also an SMS capability wherein users can send SMSs to each other through the website.

3. What are the new features in store for the users?
We are working on providing music content. Also from the communication angle, we are working on some voice-based capabilities and our multi-chat feature where you can chat with all your friends from Yahoo, GTalk, MSN and AIM.

Jobeehive.com
This company provides what everyone is looking for. The website provides a unique platform for people to interact with other professionals by sharing career information on companies they have worked for. Basically, if you joined a company and loved it (or didn't), you can write a review on the website. It is the only website in India currently providing information of this kind. When you want to switch jobs and don't know who to ask about a company, Jobeehive.com provides all the answers.

We talked to Vishwas Mudagal from Jobeehive.com

1. Tell us a little about your background?
Well, I am a graduate of RVCE, Bangalore (2003 batch). I had first founded a company during my late teens called Infovision Computer Academy to equip rural kids with computer skills. I then worked for a few companies before forming Jobeehive.

2. What gave you the idea?
I wanted to do something, which would bring more transparency to the corporate world. Whenever you want to join a new company, what you do is visit the website, contact someone from the place and ask him about the place. We decided to make the process easier for jobseekers.

3. Tell us a little more about your company and how the reviews work?
We launched the site in 2007 and the beta version in 2008. You register with us and if you want to read a review, you have to write one yourself. The employee is the best person to rate a company. That is the core belief on which the system works. We have about 30,000 reviews online now.
For the companies too, it works out since they get valuable, unbiased feedback from their employees. We are also looking to provide official data to employers. Currently, there is also a salary comparison system up on the site.

4. How many employees do you have?
We are a small unit, with 12 people on board. But we do go hiring when requirements come up.

GreenOBin
These are guys with an eye for change. Their company provides recycling solutions to offices. Their solutions include recycling of all possible office items -- cups, stationery, kitchen rolls -- waste audit plans for offices, secure shredding, and even training programmes for the office staff. Their objective is to save landfill space and raise environmental awareness among offices.

We talked to Utsav Sharma (guy in suit) and Nitin Goel from Greenobin

1) Tell us a little about your background?
I am an engineer from ICFAI and have worked with Agilent Technologies International as an R&D engineer, while Utsav has done his Masters in Environmental Engineering from University of Melbourne, Australia.

2) How did you guys get the idea for GreenOBin?
After working in an MNC, we realised that our hearts weren't into such a job. We wanted to do something else. During our travel to office and back, we saw a lot of wastage of paper. Even at office, the waste management needed improvements. This was when we realised the potential of a waste management company and we wanted to explore it further. The market for this is huge.

3) Tell us a little more about your company?
We aim to channelise waste paper segregation and collection service by providing end-of-the-pipe as well as head-start solutions. Based on the Reduce, Reuse and Recycle hierarchy, some of the services GreenOBin provides are:

* Organised waste paper segregation and collection service.
* Reusing waste paper to cut costs
* Secure disposal of confidential documents
* Training and awareness campaign
* Waste audit
* Customised recycling bins

GreenOBin provides a complete office recycling package, thus, helping consumers to understand their role in product stewardship and waste cycle. Endowing all the services gives us an advantage of understanding paper usage and waste generation patterns in a better manner that, in turn, helps in targeting the root cause.

I believe that with my experience in IT and technology and Utsav's experience and practical knowledge on various environmental issues, we can grow better and also help solve the problem of waste management.

EarnKarma.org
It is a free online web service founded in 2008 that helps individuals and organisations post opportunities that require any kind of assistance. Its hot quotient is the ability to be able to bring about change in a large part of the population by acting as a bridge between NGOs and volunteers. Their website is www.earnkarma.org

Candles and Petals
This company’s motto is to bring a smile to their customer’s face. Their philosophy is to “make every moment come to life by creating a unique amalgamation of the basic human senses of sight, smell and touch, with an innovative mix of Tarot and numerology”. They believe that their unique product positioning and customisation to the T is their biggest USP. They also provide event décor services. Meet them on http://candlesandpetals.blog.com

Giftwrapped
Want to buy a gift for your boss or your client? This is the place to go. They offer various packages for corporate gifting so you can keep your peeps at office happy. The company has crafted corporate gifting solutions for all price ranges, sizes, for all kinds of timelines. They offer a very large set of product categories, include apparel, bags, handicrafts, et al. So, go on to their website www.giftwrapped.biz and chose your gift.

Rage Chocolatier
Well, this is just like the movies. Rage Chocolatier is a Bangalore-based company that provides customised chocolates. Their chocolates and the premium packaging they provide are their USP. What is even cooler is that they have a website where you can create an account and gift chocolates to your loved ones. There is a wide choice of gift boxes for different occasions and they guarantee the finest home-made chocolates. It has become quite popular and their chocolates will soon be seen at retail stores. Sweet, I must say. You can check them out on www.ragechocolatier.com

Artin Dynamics
This group of techies and managers make AI based products according to the requirements of the client. Their technology helps make products that save on power, energy and time. Their first product is SPARA -- an integrated module that can save over 40 MW (according to their calculations) for a company operating with around 1000 computers. They already have 2 patents pending and are competing nationally and internationally. Check out this cool company at www.artindynamics.com.

www.scripthub.com
This is a web-based service that connects talented and aspiring writers to filmmakers and top TV show executives through a well established online application process as well as ground cross promotional activities. The company has been founded by Sahil Suri, a 23-year-old from Delhi. It provides a place where writers of all ages, genres and places share their ideas, sell them and showcase their talents. It gives producers an opportunity to choose from a huge bank of ideas. You can explore them further at www.scripthub.com

Managing Minds
If your city doesn't have the latest coaching classes or magazines for MBA preparation, there is no need to worry. They have a monthly journal primarily catering to the needs of MBA aspirants in Tier II & III cities. Their aim is to help the Buntys and Bablis make it to the top B schools.

PiggyJobs Online
This is a job site with a difference. They cater to the lower-paying jobs in the service sector, mostly for the ones looking for part time work, freelance jobs or internships. It also provides quick, easy and targeted access to employers to directly hire resources at a low cost. Tie-ups with NGOs to provide communicative English coursed are in the pipeline. Head to their website www.piggyjobs.com and look for your internship.

Media 4 Change
This is a company founded by a 21-year-old, Prabhal Bharadwaj, from Mumbai. A former freelancer with Hindustan Times, Bharadwaj seeks to engineer change in the society using the fourth estate as a medium. Their newsletter, SLAP, is quite popular among the youth and the main aim of the company is to bring forth the quality stories that usually get lost amongst all the celebrity hoopla. Check these guys out at www.media4change.weebly.com

- Saurabh Datar