If technology has made the world flat, internet has changed the dynamics of human engagement. And with the right idea, businesses can flourish, irrespective of location. This fact has perhaps been best validated by a start-up from a small town in Assam, quietly scripting a hugely successful story, away from the limelight by doing things many would still consider unimaginable – servicing tech giants with online data analysis, intelligence, research, etc. And with remarkable success.
Meet Hrishiraj Bhattacharjee, a tech buff, who is leveraging the untapped talents of Assam’s Karimganj district while providing highly cost-effective services to organisations globally through his start-up Team Karimganj (TK). Founded in early 2019 with just five employees, TK has grown to be an over 150-member-strong team now. It has set new benchmarks for start-ups not only in the Northeast but across the country.
Hrishiraj Bhattacharjee
Operating out of a modern 5,000-sq-feet office located in the heart of Karimganj town, TK is a Managed Technology Service Provider specialising in the field of Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) and Data Science. Currently, its services encompass the following verticals: i) Corporate Intelligence; ii) Harmful Online Content Moderation; iii) Data Science; iv) Research; v) Cyber Security; and vi) Full stack software development
Working for the leading tech giants, TK in common parlance is an Open Source Intelligence & Data Science, Data Collection, Analysis & Research Centre that strives to keep the internet clean.
A highly specialised IT service provider, the team tracks cybercrime, dark web to monitor online criminal activities, online child pornography, fake news, etc. TK’s reputation as a top tech service provider can be gauged from the fact that the leading social media platforms are among its clients (though Hrishiraj would rather not reveal their names for reasons of professional propriety).
Actually, tech giants like Google, Yahoo, Facebook, Twitter, etc, rely on companies like TK to take down fake news, child pornography and other crimes, thereby keeping their platforms clean by purging such content. And interestingly, TK is only a handful of such high-end IT service providers in the country today.
Out of its over 150 employees, whom the company refers to as research analysts, 110 are from the Barak Valley, while the rest, who are experts in foreign languages, are based across the country and even internationally.
About the Founder
A local from Karimganj, Hrishiraj holds a Masters in Intelligence & International Security from the prestigious King’s College, London with a specialisation in Taliban and Al Qaeda. He had worked for a Bangladeshi think-tank in 2009, before travelling to Afghanistan in 2010 where he served at a research institute run by then-Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s cousin. He returned to India in 2011 and worked for a Hongkong-based IT company before returning to his native place and founding TK.
Achievements
Northeast India’s first successful tech start-up catering to an international audience working in an extremely hi-tech domain, TK’s turnover has now touched US $1 million. The figure is quite impressive considering the fact that the start-up is mere four years old and operates from Barak Valley in Assam, which is not particularly known for successful business ventures.
Further, the company was awarded “Company of the Year 2022” in the start-up category by Business Connect in October 2022. Since its inception in 2019, the centre had a 2,500% headcount growth and a 4,500% growth in revenue.
Meanwhile, TK is not just resting on its laurels but contributing to the socio-economic welfare of the local community. The company provided three-month online and offline coaching totally free of cost to 2,220 youth of Barak Valley who recently appeared for exams conducted by the Government of Assam recently for Grade III and IV posts. The coaching was provided under the Late Srikanta Bhattacharya Memorial Coaching programme. Altogether 250 youths cleared the Grade III and IV exams.
Also, during the recent devastating floods in Karimganj district, TK carried distributed relief materials to the affected people. Similarly, Biplob Das, a gold medalist from Karimganj in mixed martial arts, is being sent to New Delhi for further training.
Hrishiraj attributes the success of his start-up to the internet revolution. He explains: “Historically, unemployed and educated youth from smaller towns and villages in India had to travel to big cities looking for jobs. However, TK believed that with the advancement of technology and the reduction in the price of data connectivity, this trend can be reversed.
“And today, India has the cheapest fibre and 4G internet connectivity in the world. Now the situation is such that talents don’t need to go looking for opportunities in bigger cities. Instead, opportunities can come to talents in smaller towns and villages of India. Team Karimganj is a manifestation of this vision.”