Your Next Leap (www.yournextleap.com) is one the hottest startups in the Indian education sector. It is a platform that helps students and young professionals get regular career guidance. It is a recommendation engine that leverages social curation, psychometric evaluations and the career graph to help with career guidance, college decisions and fresher jobs.
The company started by Suruchi Wagh has raised Series A venture capital funding and is backed by the Patni family.
Sowjanya D. Reddy talks to the 26 year old co-founder & CEO Mohit Gundecha about the company and his experiences in starting up.
Q. Please introduce yourself sir.> I am the CEO and Co-founder of YourNextLeap.com. Before this I was Head of India Operations at mig33, world’s biggest mobile-first community. Prior to that I was studying at Stanford University.
Q. What is your Company all about? What does it do? How many people are involved in it? Who are the founding members?
> YourNextLeap helps students and young professionals make career choices and get their first jobs. We are a team of 18 people. Suruchi Wagh and I are the founding members.
Q. What made you start this company?
> The ability to impact the way millions of students and young professionals make career choices through a web platform excited us to start this company.
Q. How difficult was it to startup? Did you receive any set backs? How did you deal with them?
> Start-ups are always full of ups and downs. One has to be very passionate about the idea and have a lot of self belief to make it happen.
Q. How did people close to you react when you told them you were going to start a company of your own? How did you feel?
> Parents were little sceptical initially. But they are very supportive now.
Q. How will your work affect the masses?
> We will help millions of people make informed career choices and grow in their careers.
Q. What were the sources of finance you could leverage?
> First we put our own savings and then got venture capital financing.
Q. Where do you see yourself 5 years from now? What are your plans for the future?
> We want most of the 100 million Indian students and young professionals to use YourNextLeap.com to make their career and job choices.
Q. Some tips for upcoming entrepreneurs?
> Listen to your heart and have no fear!
Q. How was your college life? What are your favorite memories?
> It was very interesting at College Of Engineering Pune, India’s 2nd oldest engineering college. I was involved in lot of extra-curriculars. We even organized the 150 years celebration with President Abdul Kalam presiding over it.
Q. How has the experience been?
> Entrepreneurship helps you appreciate life, people and relationships better than ever before. I am so glad to be an entrepreneur.
Q. Who has been your inspiration and driving force throughout your career?
> My family has been a source of my inspiration. My father’s honesty and brilliance, my mother’s vision and my wife’s support and participation in my career progress has been very inspiring and humbling.
Q. Any such belief as a formula for success?
> Dare to Dream. If you think you can, you can!
> Listen to your heart and have no fear!
Q. How was your college life? What are your favorite memories?
> It was very interesting at College Of Engineering Pune, India’s 2nd oldest engineering college. I was involved in lot of extra-curriculars. We even organized the 150 years celebration with President Abdul Kalam presiding over it.
Q. How has the experience been?
> Entrepreneurship helps you appreciate life, people and relationships better than ever before. I am so glad to be an entrepreneur.
Q. Who has been your inspiration and driving force throughout your career?
> My family has been a source of my inspiration. My father’s honesty and brilliance, my mother’s vision and my wife’s support and participation in my career progress has been very inspiring and humbling.
Q. Any such belief as a formula for success?
> Dare to Dream. If you think you can, you can!
