Sujoy Chaudhary, the founder of AIRIM funnily puts it, “My experience with starting AIRIM was like a video game. It started at Level 0 and got to the next level, one after another.” He further added, “We chose the name AIRIM because all the companies with the word ‘AIR’ in it are massively successful”
Like most of our companies even Sujoy got to know about NSRCEL from a college senior whose firm was being incubated and all great ideas alike, AIRIM started as a vague one.
Originally, AIRIM’s core idea is to help users discover information quicker and to get their question clarified in seconds and still the core idea remains the same but with a lot development around it. Sujoy explained, “It is basically a website widget. If someone is on a website and they feel lost they can navigate without typing or even without speaking. There are a lot of ways to interact with the consumer for a brand and lot of interfaces are being developed.”
Later Sujoy and the co-founder Samvit Majumdar applied to NSRCEL’s launchpad program which was in process and finally they decided to quit their current jobs. The benefits that AIRIM got from NSRCEL was more then they asked for.
- Infrastructure: Sujoy and his team were thrilled because they would get a base to operate from and brainstorm ideas without worrying about infrastructure problems. They would get access to the internet and office space which are the most important factors if you want to run a business.
- Pilot: They ran their pilot at the campus. They shared the links with other incubated start-ups and the feedback they got was both positive and constructive. They took all the feedback and incorporated into the product to get a deeper idea.
- Mentors: Mentors played a key role in determining the target market. The path paved by the mentors allowed them to aim as high as possible and to escape mediocrity. He says, “The mentors will provide solutions to the problems which can’t be found on the internet”
- Workshops: Sujoy knew that there will be workshops for start-ups which can help them expand their horizons.
- Peer Network: The peer network was one of the helpful factors for AIRIM because heading a company is not a five-finger exercise. They would just talk to people around them and de-stress.
One year of the incubation and AIRIM is one of the superstars. Not only has it been approached by a number of VCs for funding but other large companies have made acquisition offers as well. AIRIM is going to graduate very soon and moving into a large office space to accommodate a team of 10.
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