Annkur Agarwal, the Co-Founder of PriceBaba.com started his business journey at the age of 15. It’s been more than ten years now that he reigns digital world and is immensely active in Indian Startup community. Apart from being a full time online entrepreneur, he has acted as crucial planner of Barcamps, Blogcamps and Startup Weekends.
His venture, PriceBaba.com is a platform that shoppers find a product at best price. The idea of creating this portal emerged from real life situation faced by Annkur many years ago. His friends, associates, colleagues would ask him several times to help with shopping and the queries were common- what to buy, from where to buy, what’s the best price available in market. Discovering this commonest problem of shoppers was enough to think of a website that could give necessary recommendation, offer price comparison and other information.
Brief overview of product(s)/service(s).
Pricebaba is a location based product research engine. We aim to help people choose which mobile phone to buy, where to buy it from, how much to buy it for and what to do after you have bought the product? PriceBaba.com helps users to make a well-informed decision while buying mobile phones in India.
Our USP is availability of prices from local retailers in your vicinity. So, that one can make a better decision whether to buy it Online or Offline. And if offline then, from which shop of which area.
What inspired you to build the above product(s)/service(s)?
I happen to be the go-to person for all my friends, family and distant family to get recommendations & help on their gadget purchases. Needless to say, the constant phones and messages from them for help inspired me to start PriceBaba.com
What is your life mantra?
Make a difference at everything you associate with. So basically leave things better than what you found it as.
What was the most challenging part of your journey till now?
The most difficult part of building PriceBaba has been to educate local retailers in 11 Indian cities on how Internet can be their friend. Most local retailers are scared of the Internet and see it as an enemy. We are changing that.
How did you overcome those challenges?
Our field executives who onboard stores are extensively trained to understand what a local shop owner goes through and thus enable them to empathize with our retail partners. As ex-retailers ourselves we talk to a local shop owner with deep understanding of what their business is and help them deal with the digital age more powerfully.
Share some details about the investments that you have been able to fetch for the business till now.
Pricebaba is backed by a group of Angel Investors in India. The investment is led by Pune based Angel investor and entrepreneur Karamveer Singh. Other investors include Dinesh Tejwani of Fast Fact Computer Systems (acquired by Thomson Reuters), Aditya Mishra (Founder & CEO, SwitchMe.in), Ashutosh Rathi (Basil Partners), Ranjeet Walunj of The Service Solutions, Farrhad Accidwala & Nwaz Accidwalla & Rasesh Tridevi.
PriceBaba raised two rounds of seed investment from 500 Startups, a Silicon Valley based Venture Capital firm. PriceBaba also raised money from 500 StartupWallah, the India focused fund by 500 Startups.
How do you protect yourself from the problem of Brain Drain?
We love Brain Drain. That helps us get the best talent to us
The best people stay for challenges and growth. PriceBaba provides both constantly.
According to you, what are the three qualities an individual must have to achieve success?
1) Integrity – Doing what they said by the time they said they will do it.
2) Sticking to a plan – Maintaining an active structure of their goals and working toward them.
3) Collaborating – You cannot do everything alone. One needs to make others believe in their goal and work together to achieve it.
Which online tools/ services/ apps do you use the most and would like to recommend as well?
Trello. I maintain a personal Trello board that helps me organize & prioritize my short term and long term goals.
Google Calendar – Helps me in sticking to the plan.
Share any one habit which you think makes you more productive.
One secret. Ruthlessly cut down tasks that doesn’t move you towards your goal.
Share any one habit which you wish to change in yourself.
Multi-tasking. I would love to do one thing at a time.
Answer in less than 50 words
One tip to success:
Maintain one version of what you say in private and in public. That builds confidence in your words.
One mistake you believe every individual must avoid:
Fearing to make a mistake.
One most important lesson that you have learnt till now:
In A Startup Life – Survival is Winning.
What are your plans for next 3 years?
Make PriceBaba the best product research engine on the planet.
If you get a chance to start your career again what would you do differently this time?
I would spend more energy on training myself in things I don’t know.
What are your top three getaway destinations?
Half Moon Bay Beaches In California
Share a quote that inspires you the most.
If what you are is what you have and what you have is lost, then who are you?
– Covey