IIT-Guwahati startup develops app to help businesses go online

GUWAHATI: A hyperlocal tech startup of students of the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, called Sahara, has developed a mobile application that lets offline business owners create synergy with customers and potential business partners on a global platform using the power of digitalisation.
A statement from the premier institution said inspired by the “Atmanirbhar Bharat” initiative, this entrepreneurial endeavour is determined to deliver made in India solutions by providing the best services to the people and encouraging existing offline businesses to go online so that they, too, can enjoy diverse opportunities.
“With the idea of a one-stop solution for everything that people require, from food to shelter, the aim is to provide services that stand up to international quality standards at fairly low costs. The features on this app will also guarantee accurate navigating experience, especially to travellers, in the form of local language translation service, security for travellers by providing assistance in establishing contact with respective traveller’s embassy in case of emergency, emergency and SOS service especially for women etc.,” the statement read.
The members of this strategic vision are Sai Vara Prasad, co-founder and COO, Sai Praneeth, co-founder and CEO, Rahul Nagurtha, technical adviser, Praveen Kumar, business adviser and Shiv Kumar, operations adviser. Talking about the features of the application, Prasad, said, “The only aim of Sahara is to provide you best services whenever you go. It’ll be the best app for the whole travel industry, where travellers can indulge in local cultures easily, travel enthusiasts can take their blogging to a whole new level, as they can post media, and can also share to other social media platforms, which will be visible to anyone who visits or search for that place. For the safety of travellers, we have added many features”.
Speaking about the idea behind the application, Praneeth added, “A Neilsen report estimates about 12 million kirana stores in India, with a humongous 98% share of retail grocery market pumping billions worth monetary transactions into the economy. Sadly, 98% of these establishments fall into the unorganised sector because they lack access to basic digital infrastructure secluding them from outreach of potential customers. We are set out to revert this. We will empower them to earn their equity in the booming digital economy. It’s a win-win game. Oligopoly is always a better world. See, buying from local does make a difference, and with Sahara, it’ll be a great experience.”