1) The Founders
Nitin Sood holds a master's degree in Computer Science from the George Washington University. He was a government consultant in the US and then shifted to the World Bank. He has expertise in data, enterprise architecture and artificial intelligence (AI). Wife Sana did her post-graduation in International Relations from the same university and worked for various firms, including PwC. She has a creative streak, published a children's book and now blogs about her entrepreneurial journey. The couple has two children and moved to Delhi after staying in the US for 27 years.
2) The Big Idea
The celebrations market, weddings in particular. "Despite being a $40 billion industry, there is very little ease and joy in having the celebration one has always envisioned. We combined our tech knowledge and creativity to launch India's first social media-meets-fulfilment platform," says Sana. Users can browse photo inspirations, which are pictures of fashion, decor, food, travel or what's trending. These ideas can be saved onto personalised Dreamboards to ensure they are not lost. One can decide if a particular idea/product saved on the Dreamboard will be suitable for Diwali or a wedding. Happy Shappy will then connect the customer with vendors who can customise and fulfil that idea within budget.
3) Rivals
No direct competition yet as similar platforms do not exist in India. The start-up resembles Pinterest in many ways. But Pinterest is heavily rooted in the do-it-yourself model while that culture does not exist here. So, the founders have combined a get-it-done functionality.
4) What's Cool
Nitin's background in AI means the company can start predicting who all are likely to celebrate soon.
5) Revenue Model
Free for users, but vendors are charged. Vendors can purchase credits to bid on a customer's 'dream' or feature their works prominently.