This Startup Aims To Be The LinkedIn For Artists - Got 7,000+ Sign-ups

“I was looking for my ikigai. And I found it in a movie.”

This is what Hema Kala, the founder of Tap Your Talents tells Startup Pedia during an interview discussion. 

Hema Kala was brought up in the United Kingdom. She studied in India for ten years and that’s when she gained exposure to Indian culture. Eventually, she married and settled in Leicester, United Kingdom.

It was back in 2009 that Hema was watching the Aamir Khan movie 3 Idiots with her family. 

She tells us, “I liked the movie, just like everyone else did. The message was very impactful - to follow your talent. But it left me wondering the ‘how’ behind it. Sure, we must follow our inner callings and hone them. But then what? How do we showcase it to the world?”

The idea to build a platform that helped artists gain visibility was on point. 

But then….life happened.  

Along with her husband, Hiral Kala, in the United Kingdom, she started a decade-long career as an IT professional. Together, they started H2K Solutions Limited, an IT consultancy firm.

Along with managing work and her two kids, the idea took a backseat. But only temporarily.

HOW IT BEGAN

Fast-forward to 2017, and Hema Kala decided to develop a prototype.

With whatever resources she could gather at the time, Hema hired a team to build on the prototype. But the team didn’t deliver and the end result was a bit glitchy.

It was next in 2019 that Hema and her husband, Hiral Kala collectively pooled in a significant portion of their personal savings and officially started Tap Your Talents. 

A new, functioning prototype was built, a development team was hired, and features were added. 

“At that time, I didn't realize that I was initiating a tech startup. My only goal was to help artists find a community to grow,” adds Hema. 

Finally, Tap Your Talents was launched in India in 2021. 

The response was positive, especially the platform’s feature of competitions. Hema knew she had done something right.

ROADBLOCKS

In 2022, Hema Kala had to undergo health issues and even went through surgery. Bedridden for a lot of time, she wondered how Tap Your Talents would be faring without her. Unfortunately, her mother fell severely sick right after this - and Hema had to pause the project.

For some time, she was naturally worn out - but always knew at the back of her head that she could either give up on her dream of Tap Your Talents or get back up and run the startup with a laser focus.

Once her health and her mother’s health got slightly better, Hema resumed operations and began understanding the key market gaps that Tap Your Talents could address. 

Delving deep into market research, she identified some key gaps. Artists in India needed a dedicated platform where they could find jobs and opportunities to learn, not just some place to showcase their talents.

So Hema launched the second version of Tap Your Talents in 2024. It is now equipped to help organizations and artists form an ecosystem to earn, learn, and sell. The platform also released its brand-new Android and iOS mobile applications.

TAP YOUR TALENTS

Simply put, the bootstrapped startup acts as a platform that connects artists to organizations looking to collaborate with them. 

It wants to become a complete ecosystem for the artistic community in India.

Hema says, “One of the main gaps that I am looking to address is that while artists are flocking to the platform, organizations aren’t. There is an awareness problem - and I know I have to reach out to more people associated with organizations and companies and then establish firm partnerships.” 

Staying in the UK and connecting with Indian people is a little difficult too. But Hema is not one to back out now.

While integrating organizations that support art is something Hema is currently working on, Tap Your Talents has successfully garnered a community of 7,000+ artists in India.

Tap Your Talents aims to solve the current problem of disconnections between resources and artists. The plan is to provide a unified platform where artists can learn from pros, find jobs, and set up their own online shops - all in one place.

The Indian Government has said that the creative economy in the country is now a 30 billion-dollar industry. In the face of such rapid growth, it makes sense for a platform like Tap Your Talents to come in and bind things together.

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THE VISION 

What's in it for the artists?

1. Find a community of artists, showcase work, and get noticed by top organizations in the country 

2. Get contacted by organizations for paid gigs and other employment opportunities.

3. Create your unique portfolio and find work locally.

4. Develop and hone new skills related to a niche talent field.

5. Find products targeted to enhance  specific talents.

6. Participate in themed Competitions held by organizations and win prizes. For instance, a photographer can participate in a national photography competition, get visibility, and earn exciting rewards.

What's in it for the organizations?

1. Discover the most popular talent on the platform and connect with them 

2. Post gig or job requirements and hire artists for collaborative projects. 

3. Enhance brand awareness by engaging with content posted by the artists and mentoring them on forums. 

4. Set up an online Shop for products catering to a specific talent group. For example, if a brand makes customized notebooks, advertising them for creative writers makes the most sense. This is significantly cheaper than Meta advertisements that often take a while before getting shown to the desired audience. 

5. Launch Competitions, organize quizzes, and contests, and get more brand visibility. 

6. Set up Paid Courses and sell them to the specific talent group, thereby earning passive income. For instance, a workshop or course on guitar tips can be easily advertised to musicians. 

Currently, Tap Your Talents has seven talent groups: singing, dancing, acting, music, photography, painting, and creative writing. 

Hema Kala says, “As a welcome promotional offer, Tap Your Talents is onboarding the first 100 organizations for absolutely free. They can promote their businesses, hire artists, sell products, launch courses, and collaborate without any charge.”

LOOKING AHEAD 

Hema Kala is currently gearing up to onboard more organizations on the platform. 

From schools and coaching centers, to production houses and theater companies - every kind of organization is free to contact Tap Your Talents and join the platform. 

In addition to getting access to a wide talent pool in specific niches, Tap Your Talents will also promote the organizations across social media platforms. 

Hema Kala is looking to raise the seed round of funding for her startup, which she is very excited about.

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