Delhi Entrepreneurs Launch Global Hyperlocal Networking App, Netclan - Connects 200,000+ Users For Jobs, Dates, & Business In Local Ecosystems

We all received tons of emergency messages during the Covid-19 pandemic. And India stood together in the crisis.

Someone from Bihar, for instance, would be looking for an oxygen cylinder…. And people from Karnataka would try to connect him to resources that could help.

While times like that taught us the importance of community, it highlighted a key social networking gap. And Brijesh Awasthi, an established entrepreneur with decades of rich experience in innovation, realized it.

In an exclusive interview with Startup Pedia, Brijesh says, “During the pandemic, I got an emergency message on a WhatsApp group. It was a friend, 800 kilometers away from me, asking for help in finding a plasma donor. Almost immediately, the group members, myself included, started forwarding the message in the hope that it would reach the right person at the right time. That is when it struck me that what we were doing was a scattered attempt - what if my friend was unaware of someone near him, in his local network, who could help him with the plasma?”

Brijesh immediately wanted to build something that connects people who are in close proximity to you - even if they’re not necessarily in your contact book.

That is how the seed of Netclan, a hyper-local networking platform, was sown. 

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

Brijesh Awasthi has been an entrepreneur for a long time. 15 years ago, he was a promoter in an e-governance company and worked on large citizen-centric government projects such as the automation of the Public Distribution System, Elections, AADHAAR Enrolments, and Transport Applications.

He exited it to pave the way for himself and enter the space of fintech. In 2014, Brijesh co-founded RapiPay, a fintech platform, and exited during its M&A in 2017. 

In 2020, after realizing the importance of local connections with people around you, he decided to launch a networking platform that leverages numerous use cases and takes people beyond just texting through a screen.

Brijesh founded Netclan in 2020 along with Ajay Bidyarthy, a techie from IIT Guwahati with almost 12 years of robust experience in Research, Application Development, Data Sciences, AI, and ML. Ajay had been running a successful consulting startup by the name of Blackcoffer.

He tells Startup Pedia, “A friend of mine wanted Ajay’s help with a project. So I met Ajay to discuss that project. I randomly told him about my idea of connecting people on a hyperlocal level, and he was more than interested in joining me. In the next few days, we drafted and finalized a co-founder agreement.”

When Brijesh and Ajay started working on the app, they conceptualized an app with limited connectivity. But very soon, they decided to pivot NetClan to connect entire local ecosystems of individuals, professionals, and businesses over a hyperlocal networking platform.

Brijesh says they were following the approach of ‘from whiteboard to development.’ Along with the core team, the founders would brainstorm on new functionalities of the app every single day.

The next step was to get the tech in place. Brijesh wanted to build everything from scratch and didn’t want to rely on some third-party API.

He hired developers and coders to build a world-class system that seamlessly integrates personal and professional networking within local ecosystems with communication features like instant messaging, calling, video calling, location sharing, media sharing, profiles, groups, voice tags, video tags, etc.

“We got it right the third time around. There was a lot of trial-and-error, but the core team preserved. We wanted zero scopes of glitches, because for Netclan, user experience is key,” Brijesh adds.

When Brijesh got an office in Dwarka, Delhi - the pandemic hit and they shifted to operating remotely.

Brijesh advocates remote work and believes in having the mindset of letting people operate from wherever they want to - as long as the results and outcome do not get compromised.

He says, “My tech people are from Meghalaya, Calcutta, Surat, Delhi, Punjab, Bangalore. They work in their own time and are 100% dedicated to growing Netclan. Calling them down to Delhi doesn’t make sense to me. I don’t want to disturb them.”

“The best part is that the team uses Netclan Webapp group chat to collaborate and share work,” Brijesh adds.

NETCLAN - A NETWORK BUBBLE THAT MOVES WITH YOU

Netclan has positioned itself as a global hyperlocal networking app and platform that connects businesses, individuals, professionals, and services - all on one app.

In the space of networking applications and platforms, this is a unique feature where demand and supply are both on one single app, available to each other to network and grow.

It is like a locational bubble that a user creates on the app based on their requirements, and it moves with the user wherever they go.

These connections are based on common interests, location proximity, and individual needs.

Apart from hyperlocal networking and messaging, the app also offers numerous optional services that people can opt for based on their networking requirements and community engagement such as: 

• Jobs listings

• Buy/sell/rent listings

• Matrimonial communities

• Dating communities

• Business cards exchange

• Self-notes

• Broadcast channels

One of the sections gaining a lot of traction is the employment one. 

Netclan Explorer is getting popular for jobs listings, especially for finding internships and jobs locally by listing job profiles for the employers nearby. The app is also coming out with a feature for employers to create and list job posts for local hiring.

In addition, Netclan has a mico-blogging facility called Groups. It operates just like Twitter - people can create instant open groups by using tags, post on Groups about a specific topic or follow other groups, and react, like, or respond to the posts on the group.

Brijesh tells Startup Pedia, “Service providers like startup owners and freelancers can start a hashtag, post their work and quotes on their group, and anyone who follows that hashtag will get to see it. They can then connect with each other, discuss synergies, send and receive portfolios, and finalize things.”

The app runs a monthly subject matter expert quiz on the group Events section which is participated by thousands of students from India, African, and Asian countries. This has been one of the contributing factors to the app’s traction. Participants are given participation certificates and winners are given prizes.

Another unique offering of Netclan Explorer is the online instant generation and redemption of vouchers and coupons on the app. This is helping thousands of businesses and professionals run their loyalty programs, and in the process, retain more customers.

Netclan has also found its way to events, expos, and tradeshows for networking. Its unique business cards broadcast and exchange feature allow users to broadcast business cards in local areas which others can collect online and save in a catalogue - all in the app itself.

It is important to note that Netclan is not a city-centric networking app, like many in the market.

It is hyperlocal but global at the same time.

When someone travels from Location A to Location B, their network bubble also shifts to people present in Location B. 

This makes Netclan a truly global networking app that connects you to people around you - no matter where you are.

For example, if someone from Pune shifts to Chandigarh for a brief trip, their network bubble will now show people in Chandigarh. They can build connections there, securely message people, call them, discuss common interests, and meet in real life.

This is the age of social media - but despite that, people are also becoming increasingly lonely. 

Brijesh says, “One of the reasons for this is the artificial, surface-level connections that conventional social media usage gives us. People are holed up in their rooms, listening to and watching people through a screen. There is no connect, no personal touch. Netclan is bridging that gap - we’re bringing souls beyond screens and encouraging people to get in touch with real people around you and reap the benefits of mindful networking.”

Brijesh and Ajay firmly believe that hyperlocal networking addresses issues of loneliness, isolation, low attention spans, and popcorn brain syndrome.

When asked to elaborate, Brijesh Awasthi says, “Popcorn brain is a term coined very recently in brain science. It is the condition when you feel constantly distracted and seek high-stimulation activities. Excessive use of social media is one of the biggest contributing factors to it. What Netclan aims to do is shift the focus from online activities to humanizing interactions, community values, and compassion.”

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GROWTH

Netclan has a freemium and subscription model for users.

While the personal users get basic services for free, the premium professionals and business users have a small subscription of $10 a month.

On the subscription, business and professional users can create audio and video galleries, form an impressive visual presence on the app, increase their visibility, run instant online vouchers, coupons, benefit from the loyalty program, and ultimately improve their customer retention.

Netclan currently has students from more than 1000 colleges and universities that network regularly on the Netclan Explorer app. They also actively participate in the monthly online events and quizzes.

Across 500+ Indian cities, and countries like Thailand, Canada, Dubai, and the Philippines, Netclan has found more than 200,000 businesses and individuals that use the app to connect to local customers and promote their goods and services.

LOOKING AHEAD

Brijesh Awasthi is currently preparing to take Netclan ahead and raise a funding round.

While some funds have been raised from friends and family, the startup has remained bootstrapped till now.

As more people join the platform, the plan is to enable them to transact through the app itself and find a way through which businesses and service providers can create more value for their local customers.

Also Read: This Bangalore Man Left Corporate Job to Help Indian Startups Innovate