How to win a startup contest? Ask TapChief

Photo credit: mikeg44311.

Over 100 startups have been mentored by TapChief’s experts. But they are not the only ones getting on the phone with this Bangalore-based startup. It can put you in touch with experts in, literally, any field.

“Seriously, any field? What about astrophysics, or fashion?” I ask.

“Yes, even those,” says co-founder Shashank Murali. “We have folks from something as obscure as DNA extraction to metallurgy to even standup comedy.”

If you have ever been at a crossroads in life and craved the right advice, you will know the importance of the product that three BITS Pilani graduates – Shashank, Arjun Krishna Vashisht, and Binay Krishna Shivam – have built.

Meet TapChief, the firm that has just hogged the spotlight by winning at Seedstars Bangalore 2016 over the weekend.

Swiss-based Seedstars aims to find, connect, and invest in top seed stage startups in emerging markets and has earlier produced winners like Strike, Scandid, and HackerEarth. TapChief will now compete with entries from 65 countries at Seedstars World in Lausanne next year.

What impressed the judges? Traction and the pain point it solves. Since TapChief went live in February, it has built up a community of 5,000 people, including callers and experts.

Pain point

TapChief founders Arjun Krishna Vashisht, Binay Krishna Shivam, and Shashank Murali.

In terms of concept, TapChief is somewhat similar to America’s Clarity that answers business-related queries from entrepreneurs.

The founders had earlier built Edvice, an on-demand tutoring app, which was bought by American edtech company HashLearn exactly a year ago. Shashank and Binay were still in college at that time.

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While building Edvice – today known as HashLearnNow – they had often felt the need for expert advice. “We could have avoided many mistakes,” says Shashank.

Yes, know-it-all

On a winning streak