strategy
Company
TechBuddyConsulting
Founders
Prasoon Gupta (in picture right)
Abhishek Sharma (in picture centre)
Ankush Sharma (in picture left)
Nikhil Chowdhary Tanmaya Mathur
Location
New Delhi, Jaipur,
Udaipur, Mumbai
Numberofemployees
9
Founded
November 2008
Revenue last month
2.25 lakh
Projected revenue for next year
95 lakh
Businessmodel
TechBuddy conducts skill training programmes with colleges and students. Fees are mostly borne by students
Chargesforservices
5,000 to 15,000 per student
Sizeofclientbase
500 plus students across 15 educational institutions
Fundingsought
60 lakh
Fundingsoughtfor
Online and offline marketing, and to develop the technology platform
Elevator Pitch
TechBuddy Consulting helps students become job-worthy.
Can it tutor investors to give it 
60 lakh?
The Pitch “TechBuddynurturescollegegraduates.Itworksontheirstrengths andhelpsthemfocusontheirintereststherebyenhancingtheiremployability. Ourshort-termandlong-termGyanBuddyprogrammemodulesofferstudents standardisedqualitycontent,developedanddeliveredbyindustryexperts.The syllabusisrelevantandupdated.Wefocusonpracticalapplicationstomakethe programmesinterestingandeffective,whichguidestudentstooptforcareersin theirinterestareas.Byhelpingstudentsfindjobsthattheywishtokeep,Tech- Buddyhelpslowerindustryattritionrates.Becausewecandelivercontentboth physicallythroughourcentresandvirtuallythroughourTechBuddyplatform, thisisascalablemodel.Thishybridapproachdifferentiatesusfromothersimilar marketofferings.”—As told to Charu Bahri
Investors Weigh In
PROVE YOUR WORTH
TechBuddy’s success in attracting investors depends on getting it right. Our experience suggests that it helps to tailor design packages for students coming from different streams. That helps serve the target placement market better. At the end of the day, it’s the programme’s quality and result which will attract funds. If the programme delivers, the charges ( `5000-`15,000) will contribute to healthy revenues. The pitch must clearly show how the results are being measured. Are previously unemployed students getting placed in jobs of their choices? Are students who had job offers in hand, being able to improve upon their options?
Dr Ashok Jhunjhunwala, Professor, IIT Madras, Chennai
TWEAK the MODEL
Investors are likely to wonder why the company hasn’t been able to scale up—500 students in three years is not a very large number. Training to bridge the education- industry gap may be offered in several ways. It could be a part of the curriculum, it could be imparted directly to students or institutions may offer this training to students as an add-on service and pass on the cost. There’s a lot that may be done by way of devel- oping a business model. The pitch must describe what kind of train- ing is being offered and how well it can be offered online. For instance, investors might question the feasibility of imparting soft skills training solely online.
Meena Ganesh, CEO & MD Pearson Education Services, Bengaluru
HIGHLIGHT KEY DIfFERENTIATORS
India’s private education sector is slated to be worth around $40 billion. It’s expected to grow by 70 per cent in three years. Tech- Buddy Consulting is in a high- growth space. But it needs to put in more work on its business plan. It needs to mention names of its competitors. If it genuinely believes that it offers a unique service, then the team must show how its services differ from what is already available— investors will want to see how TechBuddy stands out. The team must demonstrate the break-even point and risk fac- tors. Lastly, any investor will be interested to see a clear exit and fund deployment strategy.
Srini Chakwal, MD Redclays Capital, Bengaluru
november 2011 | INC. | 61