Growing up in a middle class family with deep ethos in the rich cultural heritage of India, playing gully cricket and flying kites from the rooftops, has shaped a strong sense of pride and sentiments in the founders. They were quite shaken to see the effects of the pandemic, where millions of migrant workers were suddenly uprooted and displaced. The plight of millions trekking across vast distances by foot splashed all over the world, appalled them. They had to do something and that’s where the current journey of Qaddoo starts. Read More

Graduates of Cornell and Brandeis universities respectively, co-founders Sumit and Anurag always had an entrepreneurial vein. Fate brought them together when they met while working together for a Silicon Valley start-up known as Interwoven during the throes of the dotcom boom. Participating in the wild ride as the company grew 10 fold almost overnight and went public, they are proud of the experience and contribution to the company’s success. This and subsequent start-up stints lit that hidden spark and kept it going, they knew they had to do their own start-up at some point. Their paths diverged for a while as they went through multiple successful start-up journeys, but the itch to create something of their own always persisted. They saw tremendous potential in the artificial intelligence (AI) sphere; and their desire to create something that would catch the pulse of this technological trend led them to come together to found multiple successful companies. Zorang (Dawn of Colours) in the services space is a highly successful services company that is focused on building AI-driven intelligent solutions for eCommerce and Content Management. Serving clients across the globe, Zorang has nailed the formula for customer success and delivery.

Qaddoo started out on the back of a paper napkin. In the ever- increasing intrusion of technology in our private lives in the name of connectivity, even when we visited public venues such as conferences, concerts etc., we were not able to engage with people that shared similar interests. The idea of Qaddoo was simple: connect people around locations securely and
anonymously. People should be free to share their personal information when they feel comfortable without a fear of intrusion. Qaddoo further launched multiple other complimentary services, such as ecommerce, events, etc. It became a platform that allowed people to connect around shared interests, especially businesses. ‘Anonymity’ was at the core of the platform as the founders felt that personal information was being compromised on the internet.

Qaddoo gained traction and was featured in the media however, unfortunately, the pandemic hit in early 2020. Everything abruptly stopped, conferences, concerts etc., all but disappeared or went virtual. Brick and mortar retail suffered as customers en masse migrated to buying online. The Digital economy adapted extremely well to this change. As the footfalls fell silent, local shop owners and independent businesses suffered as they relied heavily on a loyal and regular client base from the neighbourhood, people lost their means of survival overnight.
Anurag and Sumit decided to work towards a solution that would cater to consumers and businesses alike. Small businesses and their consumers are the soul of a country’s economy and terribly needed someone to be in their corner.

The buying habits of people changed considerably during the pandemic. People preferred buying everything, even groceries, online as it was safer. This in turn would be great for big business. But what about the local street vendors, small retailers, home chefs, and millions of small businesses? Having done e-commerce for two decades, Sumit and Anurag realised that not only could they connect smaller businesses back to their customers, it could be done in an absolutely secure manner. They thus hastened the commerce capabilities and Qaddoo turned into a platform that brought shops and businesses online quickly, efficiently and securely, while preserving the integrity and identity of the business owners and their customers alike. Qaddoo was thus reborn as a platform to not just connect people around their vicinity but also one that allowed them to conduct commerce.

Qaddoo is a unique platform that helps connect small retailers, home chefs/bakers, or any independent business, even an electrical supply store, by providing them with a space that helps them conduct business as usual with their customers online, seamlessly. The khata or galla has now moved online.