The Hindu Business Line : Powering search in India

Ten years of software development experience, deep-rooted familiarity with the US tech industry, IIT pedigree...Anyone would be misled into thinking Anurag Dod and Gaurav Mishra are just two of the many Indian software professionals dotting the US techscape.

But these two exemplify the new brave breed of techies who, having honed their skills in the US, decide to return home to India to tap the growing opportunities in a booming economy.

Having decided last year to jumpstart a search engine for the Indian user, called Guruji.com, the two have been quick to release early, and release often. The search engine’s latest offering is search in Tamil.

Speaking to eWorld on the genesis of their idea, its rapid progress, taking on Google and their future plans, Gaurav Mishra, who is Chief Operating Officer, says the decision to relocate to India was easy to make once the two decided to pursue their dream of building a search engine for India.

“Once we came up with the idea, we knew that the only way to pursue this dream would be to relocate to India and build a team here. The reasons are many: our market is India, so being present in the market becomes critically important. Also, the fact that engineering talent from IISc and the IITs is available was very enticing for us to build the company here.”

And he happily adds that they are not alone in the group of US-returned techies-turned-entrepreneurs.

“There are lots of NRIs returning to India to start new ventures, but this happens mostly in the technology sector. Of course, there are a few instances in the service sector too.”

Tech is where most of the VC money is flowing towards. Is there a herd mindset among investors, as is commonly insinuated?

“I don’t think so. It is more of where the opportunities are and India right now looks very promising. Anyway, most NRIs are skilled technologists and for them, these opportunities would reflect in the technology sector.”

Now that they have sounded the battle cry, the next big question arises: how does Guruji plan to take on Google’s might, especially when the search engine giant is bullish on India?

An unfazed Mishra says: “We have a vision to serve Indians with the best search engine. Focus is our edge: for Google the world is the market and they want to make sure they serve the global audience; whereas, for us, the Indian consumer is the target.”

The site has amply demonstrated its focus by releasing options such as city search and language search.

“For global players these are not important, as they don’t pay close attention to the Indian consumer’s needs. Over a period of time, with our focus, we will differentiate and innovate to be the best option for Indian users.”

Strangely enough, Guruji has bagged funding from Sequoia, which is also backing Google. Isn’t there a conflict?

“Sequoia plays a role consistent with what an investor plays in building a company. The people from Sequoia who are involved with Guruji are different from those involved with Google, so there are no conflicts between us.”

Summing up the differences, he says: “Basically, the Guruji story is very different from the Google story. We are focused on being the preferred search destination for Indians, while Google is not.”

Internet businesses have to contend with a great deal of scepticism in India mainly on account of the revenue model, or lack of it. Such questions have been raised in Guruji’s case too.

Gaurav Mishra

Mishra is clear that their revenue model would be based on monetising keywords being searched for.

“This model has been proven globally and we expect it to gain a lot of popularity among Indian advertisers as well.”

In a country that is adding millions of mobile users every month, no Internet company can afford to ignore the mobile opportunity. Guruji is serious about the mobile angle, according to Mishra.

“We have a mobile strategy that we are actively working on. We realise fully well that mobile penetration is much greater than Net penetration in India and we are working aggressively to launch a comprehensive mobile search solution. You should be seeing some interesting announcements regarding this in the next few months.”

He adds that the company is in active talks with mobile providers to power their search.

Are there plans to go beyond indexing sites, such as tying up with libraries and Universities?

“Yes, that is very much part of our plan but we are more focused on the immediate needs of the Indian consumer, for whom even basic city data was not available online till we launched the city version.”

The company has also developed some core intellectual property IP in the last one year. “We are going to file patents in due course,” Mishra informs.

As an entrepreneur who has tasted success, though it is early days and Guruji has a long way to go, Mishra believes that one has to think really hard before starting on the entrepreneurial journey.

“Then you must push yourself to the limits to achieve the impossible, but along the way, enjoy the journey as much as possible. Take time to celebrate every milestone — the key is to make sure that everyone in the company lives and breathes your passion.” Powerful words from a passionate entrepreneur.

Prior to his current avatar, Gaurav Mishra worked in senior engineering positions for Microsoft, Pillar Data Systems and Nokia, while Anurag Dod’s engineering experience includes key contribution to two successful startups and positions at eBay, Synopsis and Delsoft.

dmurali@thehindu.co.in