Two young IT whizz on a mission to digitally transform local business in India.


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From cosy, high paying job, to call of the country, these two techies of Indian origin, Maan Singh, and Hakeem Javaid are set to transform local business with their contribution to the Indian Digital Transformation story.

 

What inspired you to dream & incorporate Groww?

India is on the IT Map. Corporates across the globe respect and understand Indian IT talent as we are the backbone of many fortune 50 Companies. Top IT companies have more than 10% of Indian origin workforce outside India. Still, the sad part is, 90% of the small businesses and shops across rural India and tier 2 & tier 3 cities are still untouched by the IT way. We wanted to change this. That’s our inspiration. We would like to see 90% of these small businesses and shops be connected to the digital world, and they can do that on our Groww network. We are talking about AI enabled smart websites, optimized on local google search, at the lowest possible cost.

What’s the vision behind Groww?

Digital transformation and digital connectivity at an affordable cost, bringing amazing value proposition for small businesses and shop owners. We want these untapped &digitally unconnected establishments to connect to the world, particularly to the local community on the internet & grow. Affordable, high quality, interactive, intelligent website is the first step in this direction.

What exactly is Groww?

Groww is growth. We are aware of how important growth is for a business and we know what they need in order for them the ensure that their businesses strive in the right way. Bigger companies have the capital and the capacity to be running and updating websites constantly in a way that smaller businesses struggle to. Groww aims to challenge that struggle by using pin code based, Google-powered web building to create these websites for smaller businesses, taking out the hard work and the big cost. If you’re able to use a smartphone or simply send emails, any business owner will be able to engage with their customers and run their businesses with ease.

So Groww is some sort of online template with subdomain or co- for a small business?

Oh no!  Website created through Groww, is a website with its own domain name, it’s fully functional and independent, only it caters to the local demands of a business. The business will have a domain name, the same as any other professional website, hosted with e-mail ID’s, social media integration and Search Engine Optimisation. We keep in mind the local needs of the business which is why pincode based technology is used for local SEO on Google. Our technology is powered by Google.

How do you think Groww will help businesses grow?

It is a digital transformation for small businesses at an affordable cost. Our services are designed to give small business owners the same opportunities as fortune 500 companies, to help them use technology in this new age to their full benefit. This means that people can be made aware of the quality services on offer and owners can engage with customers in a way they have never been able to before.

Digital India vision is going to be imperative to propel the country into its next phase of growth. While the government is trying to connect remote areas/villages via high-speed internet services to digitally empower people, it has to deal with multiple issues. Groww is going to play its part in this vision by enabling businesses to go online.

The government plans to make India a truly digital nation by offering a plethora of e-governance services across sectors by using cloud, mobility, IoT and analytics. Where do you see Groww in this vision? 

The true value of digital means that workflow becomes automated. Efficiency has to be brought into the processes, and it needs to be much faster and transparent. Only then it makes sense to be called digital.

The challenge is around change management as the government has been working in a particular way and suddenly, we want them to work in a completely different environment. We are now asking them to put information online, respond to grievances and criticism. All this is difficult for people who are not used to function in this manner. Another aspect is to make them understand and educate on the advantages that digital will bring in running the government.

If we were to take a single organization like the Election Commission of India with a single objective of conducting elections, then technology becomes much easier to implement. But if we are dealing with hundreds of government organizations, each having a different objective and diverse kind of citizen problems, the implementation is challenging.

We are trying to address only one issue – bringing businesses across the country, especially the smaller ones, the shops, online, by giving them a permanent online identity. It’s the first step. Once this is in place, we will see a digital transformation in those smaller cities, villages, and towns. Groww will play its part in this digital transformation. The cost at which we are offering our services itself tells that we are here to transform and connect, and not to make profits.

With over a thousand organised players offering domain & website designing and hosting services, where do you see Groww in this highly competitive environment?

We love competition. It challenges us to take our service and quality of website to next level. Yes, there are thousands of big players in this segment and many of them promise to build website the easy way, but there is only a handful who have developed technology that is needed for small businesses and shops. Our USP is the quality of website, optimised for both PC and mobile. Our USP is local SEO and visibility on local searches for product or services. Our USP is communication with the customer for the business owner, be it on social media platforms, or via emails on a single click, or sending messages. Groww has everything customised and designed for small business owners, who wants to grow. We also know there is practically a web developer in every street of this country, but they cannot deliver a high quality coded website, fully customised and optimised for local SEO, at the price we are offering.  

What are Groww’s short term and long term plans and what has been achieved?

Groww started at the UK with similar objective and we are today the UK’s leading player in this segment. We have connected many shops and small businesses on our platform. We are starting our operations in the USA and India. The market looks optimistic, and with the digital boom and connectivity, we feel that India will be our growth engine. We have made the most advanced AI enabled website building platform that’s powered by google. It’s our achievement, we have taken three years to conceptualize and build Groww to where it is today. In the next three years, every town and village in India will have at least one website on Groww platform. That’s our target for India.

How many employees are there in Groww?

Growwhas a 50 plus workforce at its headquarters in the UK. In India, we have just started and have 10 people helping us largely with sales. In the coming time, we shall have all our technology development happening from India. In the near future, Groww also will proudly showcase Made in India tag.

How is life at Groww?

Groww offers its employees an amazing opportunity to grow, learn and evolve. We believe in cohesive working, with common mission and objectives. Our office is a fun place to be for a techie. We have tried our best to keep the environment at an office as light as possible. Being a technology company, we have to be at the top of our game. And technology is something that changes so fast, we constantly motivate and encourage our employees to update themselves with the latest technology and are constantly looking for talent in this ever-changing market. Doors of Groww are always open for people with a craving for technology.Groww offers its employees an amazing opportunity to grow, learn and evolve. We believe in cohesive working, with common mission and objectives. Our office is a fun place to be for a techie. We have tried our best to keep the environment at the office as light as possible. Being a technology company, we have to be at the top of our game. And technology is something that changes so fast, we constantly motivate and encourage our employees to update themselves with the latest technology and are constantly looking for talent in this ever-changing market. Doors of Groww are always open for people with a craving for technology.

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