Metvy: Simplifying Networking
Sometimes a problem of exceptional proportions might have the easiest solution, while at the same time it might be exceedingly hard to locate a solution to a seemingly unassuming task. Professional networking at local levels is a Gordian knot that can be classified under the latter condition. In a country as large as India both in terms of area and population, and coupled by the characteristic that a lion’s share of its landmass is covered by residential pockets of high density, it is facile to ascertain that finding the right person — especially for highly specific needs — is often challenging.
The fact that the country’s work sectors, both formal and informal, possess a tremendously diverse range of multifarious sub-sectors and job portfolios only serves to compound the problem. Nevertheless, Gordian knots are meant to be cut, and to accomplish the same in terms of professional networking, out comes the perfect candidate: Metvy.
Founded by Shawrya Mehrotra and Rajan Luthra (currently the CEO and COO respectively), two students of Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi in 2018, Metvy is an intuitive need-based networking platform that helps users to connect face-to-face with the kind of individual/organisation that they are looking for. The vision of the company is to entirely automate one’s networking experience end-to-end, from need discovery to face-to-face interaction according to the user’s personalised needs and personal conveniences through artificial intelligence.
It aims to function under hyperlocal settings so as to have the ability to serve specific needs as well as cover a denser demographic. Metvy’s services are available for public access via a mobile application that can be downloaded from the Google Play Store and shall soon be available on the Apple App Store as well.
The first feature that will strike a user once he/she opens the Metvy application shall certainly be the wide range of domestic languages that it offers apart from English — Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Marathi, Punjabi and Telugu. Subsequently, the user will be greeted by a plethora of detailed features designed to allow him/her to customise personal preferences in terms of skill requirements, interests and location. The smooth and structured interface, centered around a map, only enhances the user experience. The apparently arduous task of networking with the right person or organization has been whittled down to such an extent by Metvy that the entire process is almost akin to, and as easy as booking a cab on a ride-sharing application.
The AI-based processing works as follows: First it gathers information such as the user’s current work experience, education details, skills, likes etc. (data provided by the user), after which it uses the input to draw out connections between the aforementioned details. Finally, the AI classifies like-minded people or those with similar networking needs based on these details.
Metvy can be put to use for a variegated set of needs including but not limited to hiring an employee or finding a new job, looking for projects to invest in or locating investors, looking for someone to mentor or locating mentors, hiring freelancers or finding freelancing gigs etc.
Since its inception, the two-member core team has grown into a four-member one with the additions of Shivay Lamba (Head of Product) and Manik Dua (Head of Revenue and Analytics), accompanied by a team of 100+ members spread across various departments under numerous roles. Composed of several interns recruited via a vigorous recruitment process that is usually active throughout the year, each department is led by a head and one or two sub-heads, covering areas such as human resources, branding, growth, revenue, design amongst others.
A thriving work culture accompanied by a thoroughly organized distribution of work has ensured Metvy’s swift rise over a relatively short period of time. We recently graduated as a startup from Y Combinator Startup School, one of the world’s most successful seed accelerators associated with big names such as Airbnb and Reddit. Under Metvy Learn, a newly launched addition, Metvy aims to provide a comprehensive educational experience with projects such as the Metvy Business Program and the Metvy Research Project.
Starting the beginning of the end (of this article) on a slightly harsh note, India has over 50,000 registered startups as well as tens of thousands of other unregistered organizations — and yes, it is easy to get lost in the crowd. While a booming startup culture has come about in the country’s corporate circles, one can frankly admit that a co-founder syndrome fueled by a bandwagon effect has come into existence with increased access to knowledge and monetary resources, especially among the country’s youth. Startups are being established for the “sake of having a startup under one’s name” and the resultant brouhaha, without a coherent framework to actually make a noticeable impact on day-to-day human lives and functions.
Clichéd as the thought might sound, Metvy doesn’t belong to this category. A quick glance at the startup’s ethos, and functioning is enough to prove so. Each and every team member behind Metvy, from the ones who’ve been with the startup since the beginning to the ones who joined it a week back, sincerely believe in one thing: that the work which they are putting in shall impact someone else in the world apart from them. This underlying spirit of collectiveness and unconscious elimination of personal interests ensure maximum productivity and define the spirit of this startup.
Distinct goals in clear sight and an intricately organized structure in place, Metvy is a well-oiled machine running at full throttle, with enough fuel to reach greater heights and impact more lives along its journey in the coming few months. The future certainly holds many promises, and hopefully, many more networks.
