Millions of people lost their jobs during the testing times of COVID-19 pandemic as many companies had to shut down their operations due to a drastic dip in their revenues. Almost every working professional was affected by the coronavirus-induced lockdowns, but the jobs of blue-collar employees were severely impacted. In order to help those workers, Nirmit Parikh, ex-Apple executive, launched a professional networking and job platform that facilitates seamless connections between job seekers and employers. Founded in 2019, Apna became India’s fastest startup to join the much-coveted unicorn club with almost zero annual revenue.
In this blog, we will discuss the full success story of Apna and its founder Nirmit Parikh.
How did it begin?
It all started when Apna’s founder Nirmit Parikh came to know about the challenges faced by his relatives and friends during the process of recruiting. Ironically, in India, lakhs of people actively search for jobs every day but still there are numerous employers in the country who couldn’t find even a single ideal candidate for their company. The same thing happened with Nirmit’s friends and relatives. Despite a large number of individuals looking for employment, there was a significant shortage of workers. Therefore, to fill the gap between job seekers and employers, Parikh decided to launch a professional networking platform to connect both sides.
In order to gain a deeper knowledge about the challenges faced by workers in their day-to-day lives, Parikh immersed himself in the labour market. He talked to several workers from different sectors and tried to understand their problems. Nirmit even went undercover and took on the roles of electrician and floor manager to gain firsthand experience. All these observations provided valuable insights to Nirmit and so, he was able to successfully start Apna.co in 2019.
Success Of Apna
Within the two years of its launch, Apna managed to reach a valuation of $1.1 billion. What makes it more interesting is that Apna was in the pre-revenue stage, with no revenue at that time. The company witnessed a 3.8x increase in its operating revenue, reaching Rs 64 crore in 2022 from Rs 16.93 crore in 2021.
Apna aims to reduce network gaps for workers. Parikh created a multilingual Android app with over 70 categories tailored to specialized occupations such as carpenters, painters, and field sales executives. Users can engage with one another with this app, sharing leads and professional advice. It also provides resources for skill development, interview preparation, and job advancement. The company has seen rapid growth since its inception in the market, supporting over 20 million job interviews every month. All thanks to its user-centric approach, data insights, and a continuous feedback loop.
Reason Behind Its Success
With its unique strategy and commitment to enabling connections, Apna has become a valuable platform for both – job seekers and employers in this ever-changing employment market. The platform mainly assists first-time internet users in accessing professional possibilities, collaborating with others, and learning new skills.
Apart from the white-collar employees, this includes the communities for beauticians, carpenters, painters, and telemarketers as well. Being a job seeker, all you have to do is enter your personal information on the site, which is subsequently converted into a virtual business card and distributed to potential companies. According to the Apna app, a hiring process can be finished in less than 48 hours, with candidates immediately communicating with recruiters.