Monday, July 16, 2012

ENTREPRENEUR/STARTUP SPECIAL...LESSON NO.16 FROM REAL EXAMPLES



 SANJAY PUROHIT
Founder, iProf A Global Teacher

Sanjay Purohit, a gold medallist at the Indian Institute of Management has always been skepticalof thekeyboardbecauseheconsideredtyping to be a cumbersome task for students from smallstates.Thetouch-screentechnologydrove Purohit to establish a personal education application called iProf. Hailing from a small town of Rajasthan,Purohitwasonaconstantlookout for technological solutions that would increase the access to quality education to all.
He launched iProf in September 2009, three years before the concept of tablets took off in India. “If Sachin Tendulkar plays at one place and the world can watch it from anywhere, then why can’t a good teacher teach from a place where the whole world to watch?” says Purohit. He feels the demand for good teachers exceeds the supply and through iProf, such gaps can be narrowed through an audio-visual form.
Purohit came to India after quitting the post of a Managing Director of a New York based company- Loughlin Meghji. He self-funded iProf for the initial one and half years years, followed by an angel investment from a close friend, Sethu Raman in November 2010. The company managed to raise first round of funding worth Rs 22 crore led by Norwest Venture Partners and IDG VenturesIndiainMarch,2011.Gettingtimefrom the investors to pitch in the ideas was an intricate task, adds Purohit.
“For any future entrepreneur, it is important to have a network of prospective friends and partners,” says Purohit who had to face challenges like attracting a good workforce and infrastructure issues in the early days. Now students can buy android tablets and download the iProf app to prepare for competitive exams. Purohit believes as prices of tablets drop there willbeabiggermarketforiProf applications.
Sreejoni Nag
3 TIPS TO RAISE MONEY
Have a competent team
Clear-cut focused business plan
Some proven expertise in hand; a proof of concept should be done
Radhika P Nair ET 120621

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