Q. What was your inspiration, or like how did you come up with this idea? Was there any particular incident or moment that laid the foundations for it all?
My first year was a bit of a whirlwind, a mix of adjusting to KGP life, trying different things, and just chilling. Academically, I was pretty average. When 2019 wrapped up, and we all ended up at home due to COVID, that’s when I started freelancing on Upwork. I worked in software development for clients worldwide and helped foreign students with their academics. This included assignments, coding, and even helping Masters’ students with their certifications. I did this for about a year. By my second year, freelancing was my main focus. In fact, I only did one internship that summer. One day, I was chatting with my first-year roommate, Avyukt Agarwal, who just graduated this year. I mentioned what I was doing on Upwork, and it turned out, he was also working as a subject matter expert at a company at that time. Interestingly, he had a network of clients — students he was assisting academically — similar to what I was doing. We saw it as an opportunity and combined together we had enough clients with overwhelming demand. So we thought, why not start our own company? That’s when on December 28th, 2021, Avyukt and I decided to take our individual efforts a step further and incorporated our first company — Minisodas Education Private Limited. We added another co-founder, Vishesh Sood, an Economics graduate from Delhi University, to help with operations and client management. While Vishesh handled these aspects, I took on the role of managing the tech and product side. We established two brand names, Wriper and Heltar. Wriper, a blend of “Writer” and “Helper,” was primarily customer-facing, providing a platform for customers to place and track their orders. Heltar, designed as the backend counterpart to Wriper, was where we handled order tracking and management. Our team started small with just five people, but it quickly grew to over 15, and our operations expanded accordingly. We dealt with a broad range of work, spanning fields like computer science, finance, and law, which posed a challenge to meet the demand in-house. That’s when we introduced the concept of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) at Heltar. These SMEs were students from various Indian Institutes whom we entrusted with the tasks we had. In less than a year, we had over 1500 SMEs on board, a testament to our growth and outreach.
While running our operations, we encountered a communication bottleneck. Our clients were managed on Wriper, while SMEs were manually coordinated by our customer support agents on WhatsApp, which extended our task delivery time. Clients found tracking orders on the website less convenient and were seeking an easier alternative.In May 2022, the introduction of the WhatsApp Cloud API presented a solution. We leveraged this to create our own CRM called “HeltarChat’’, which revolutionised our operations. HeltarChat wasn’t just a communication platform; it also handled orders, payments, and pretty much everything else we needed. As a result, our sales grew significantly, and our operations became much faster and more efficient.
However, over time, we realised that many small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) faced similar challenges to ours and could also benefit from a WhatsApp-based CRM. That insight led us to pivot Heltar towards addressing this broader market need.
Q. Can you shed some light on your startup ‘Heltar’, what is it exactly about and how it works?
Heltar is a B2B SaaS company that empowers businesses to transcend traditional communication boundaries, by revolutionising the CRM landscape with a robust and scalable platform that integrates WhatsApp Business capabilities, nurtures client relationships, and promotes innovation through its unique monetizable app store for developers. HeltarChat is our flagship product which you can access at app.heltar.com. HeltarChat offers a variety of powerful features, including a user-friendly messaging interface similar to WhatsApp. It also provides seamless client management, enabling businesses to effortlessly store and access information about their clients. Additionally, HeltarChat facilitates bulk messaging, allowing businesses to run targeted campaigns with personalised attributes. The platform also offers a business team inbox, where different employees can have separate HeltarChat accounts for effective lead management, with designated roles and customisable account settings.
Our standout feature and unique selling proposition (USP) is the HeltarChat App Store. This innovative platform functions similarly to popular app stores like Google Play or Apple App Store. Within the HeltarChat App Store, businesses can access a wide range of apps developed by HeltarChat, other businesses, and even third-party developers. They can utilise HeltarChat APIs and webhooks to build their own apps and publish them on the HeltarChat platform. The HeltarChat App Store serves as a hub for businesses to discover and leverage a diverse range of applications that can enhance their workflows, streamline processes, and unlock new functionalities. By enabling third-party developers to create and share their apps through our platform, we foster an ecosystem of innovation and collaboration, empowering businesses to tailor their HeltarChat experience to their unique needs.
Q. Congrats on receiving the Antler India Fellowship! Can you tell us more about the program and how it has helped Heltar in its early stages?
Our search for venture capital began in earnest this January. One of the firms we approached was Antler India, known for their Fellowship AIF program, which focuses on early-stage startup investments. We applied to the program towards the end of February and were shortlisted, with our initial pitches receiving positive feedback. While we were awaiting our final meeting with the Director of Antler India, a fresh opportunity appeared on the horizon. Entrepreneur First, a VC firm known for investing in talent, visited our campus seeking potential startup founders. Given the positive trajectory of our startup, I was recommended to EF by my peers at the E-Cell and my BTP Professor, Dr. Basab Chakraborty. A series of interviews later, both Antler India and Entrepreneur First extended offers to us. After careful consideration, we decided to go with Antler India as it was more in tune with our goals, making it the better choice for our team and the future of Heltar.
Talking about AIF, Antler India Fellowship comes with an equity-free grant of 10k USD and a potential fundraise of up to 125k USD. Antler India’s cohort, which begins around July, brings together a group of established and potential founders. This program offers a fast-paced, mentor-led journey from idea generation to go-to-market, providing broad exposure to top-tier entrepreneurs and VCs, aiding in networking. We began our journey with Antler on May 1st. We have weekly follow-up calls where we discuss product progress, customer acquisition, and other aspects of the business. Additionally, we have sessions with seasoned entrepreneurs who provide us valuable feedback on product improvements.
Antler India also provides resources to help reduce our current operational costs, such as free AWS credits. The holistic support from them has been of great assistance.
Q. Could you share some insights into your challenges while building Heltar as a student entrepreneur? How did you manage your time effectively between your academic commitments and startup responsibilities?
As student entrepreneurs, we faced numerous challenges, one of the primary ones being assembling the right initial team. Finding skilled individuals who can contribute effectively can be particularly difficult in the early stages of a startup. Our approach to overcome this hurdle was reaching out to our network — friends and acquaintances. We pitched our idea and successfully onboarded individuals who, while they may have initially struggled, are now making significant contributions to the company. In the early stages, it’s often necessary to train people to get the work done, which, in my opinion, is a crucial skill every founder should possess.
Balancing academics with running a business can be quite challenging. Until our fourth year, we had to put business activities on hold during exams, accelerating our work during the vacations to catch up. However, in our fourth year, we found a smarter way to manage. We decided to take on Heltar as our B.Tech Term Project under the guidance of professors from the Rajendra Mishra School of Engineering Entrepreneurship. We managed to integrate our venture into our academic coursework, focusing particularly on the B2B aspect. This not only allowed us to merge our startup efforts with our academic work but also gave us the chance to devote substantial time and energy to Heltar.
Definitely, challenges are a part and parcel of running a business. You come across hurdles almost daily, be it team management, resource allocation, making strategic decisions, or customer acquisition. However, as an entrepreneur, it’s essential not to fear these challenges. Staying calm, making timely decisions, prioritising tasks effectively, and maintaining organisation can help you navigate most of these obstacles easily.
Q. How was KGP helpful in different aspects for you? Be it the Rajendra Mishra School of Entrepreneurship, be it E-Cell or STEP, how were all of them helpful?
Absolutely, KGP was a significant pillar of support for us. My friends at E-Cell offered immense help, particularly when we were in the phase of fundraising, connecting us with potential venture capitalists and briefing us about different opportunities. Moreover, the guidance from the Rajendra Mishra School of Entrepreneurship proved invaluable. As a tech person, my understanding of the business and financial aspects was initially limited, but my time in the project enriched my knowledge. It allowed us to effectively document our work, refine our pitch deck, and understand the market better. Here, I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Basab Chakraborty, Dr. Ram Babu Roy, and Dr. Chandra Shekhar Mishra for their invaluable guidance and mentorship. All in all, it’s been an enriching journey filled with learnings and growth, and we owe this to the entire KGP community, not just the E-Cell or RMSOEE. We are determined to continue on this path and uplift our institute’s name on a global scale.
Q. Given your experience building and growing Heltar, what advice would you give aspiring student entrepreneurs looking to start their ventures while still in college?
When it comes to embarking on entrepreneurial ventures during college, there are several vital factors to consider. Firstly, I’d suggest students to enrol in the Entrepreneurship courses offered by our institute at an early stage. Even though I didn’t personally take these courses, I firmly believe they help in solidifying your foundational knowledge in Entrepreneurship and Product Development. Secondly, it’s essential to leverage the supportive campus resources, like the Innovation lab and the Rajendra Mishra School of Engineering Entrepreneurship. My advice would be not to wait until your final year project, as I did, to seek guidance and mentorship. Instead, approach your professors early on and share your innovative ideas. They’re generally very receptive and eager to provide assistance. Initiating a project under their supervision can offer you a rich experience and potentially even attract investor outreach as it happened in our case.
Cultivating leadership abilities as a founder is very important and requires the capacity to delegate tasks and motivate others. Influencing and effectively communicating your product’s vision and value proposition is equally important. Remember, venture capitalists are seeking unique and differentiated products. Therefore, identify your specific USP (Unique Selling Proposition) that sets you apart from competitors. Also, being a founder especially at an early age, a strong work ethic should be there. You have to have a right balance of professional and personal life as both are equally important.
Incorporating emerging technologies to your product and being the next-gen is something I feel is very important to build a successful startup. For e.g. Generative AI nowadays. Stay updated on technological advancements and identify opportunities to integrate them into your business.
Avoid reinventing the wheel by utilising existing third-party solutions or open-source products whenever possible. Minimise complexity and introduce it gradually as your team grows. I have always tried to simplify things and you should do it for your business too focusing on core functionalities initially. Complexity should only be introduced when necessary and manageable.
From a fundraise perspective, you always have to be well prepared about your startup. Small loopholes could lose you great opportunities. Have a thorough understanding of your product, market, USPs, vision before a pitch. Never underestimate the importance of research, as it forms the foundations and gets a better understanding of how your product is gonna do in future.
There’s something I want to share that I think often worries students — the relentless pressure concerning internships and jobs. They often perceive these as mandatory, leading to unnecessary stress. But my journey offers a different perspective that might change this mindset. I’ve done only a few internships, and during each one, I was committed to learning new things and applying them to Heltar. Rather than blindly pursuing these opportunities, I believe it’s important to focus on what you enjoy and aim to excel in it. Don’t just settle for an internship or job for the sake of it.
My strategy was to concentrate on enhancing my abilities, striving for mastery in the areas that intrigued me. As the CTO of my startup, these technical skills became the cornerstone of our success today, playing a crucial role in our product development.
To sum up, if you’re a student with entrepreneurial aspirations, here’s my advice: Enrol in entrepreneurship courses, actively seek advice from professors, focus on enhancing your skills, carve out a solid USP, and harness emerging technologies strategically. Simplify your processes and prepare diligently for fundraising. Keep in mind that the path may be strewn with challenges, but with commitment, perseverance, and the right mindset, you will succeed.
Q. What is your take on the entrepreneurial culture at IIT Kharagpur? The amount of help it provides to budding entrepreneurs and how excited they are about entrepreneurship, and how passionate people are. Just your take, your observation.
From my perspective, the entrepreneurial spirit at IIT Kharagpur, while growing, seems a touch less vibrant compared to institutes like BITS Pilani, IIT Delhi, Roorkee, etc. It’s not about sounding biassed, but it’s a gentle nudge to my peers to rise to their potential. Despite a handful of successful startups emerging from our campus, I feel there’s a gap in the experience and knowledge required to kick-start and manage a venture.
It’s not just about ideas, right? It’s about making them happen. We need more action-takers, people who will start turning their ideas into reality. Like, there was this student who started a restaurant right here on the KGP campus. How cool is that? Then, we have KGP Launchpad by Aryansh, MasterTag, etc which have got recognition. It feels good when people take initiative and push boundaries beyond the expected, proving that we’re capable of shaping our own futures and making an impact.
Sure, starting a venture comes with risks and sacrifices. You might have to let go of some internships or other opportunities. But trust me, the reward is worth it. So, I think more of us here at IIT Kharagpur should give entrepreneurship a shot. Let’s not just dream — let’s do.