1Bridge to recruit 5,000 advisors in Telangana

To create opportunity for local youth to earn additional income

Hyderabad: 1Bridge, a last mile platform that provides products and services at the doorsteps of consumers in rural areas through a network of local entrepreneurs, has plans to recruit 5,000 advisors in Telangana. These 1Bridge advisors will be given access to its technology platform. Transactions happening through the platform will bring additional income to them, according to 1Bridge founder and CEO Madan Padaki.

Existing kirana shop owners, local youth and women will be selected as 1Bridge advisors. “We are promoting entrepreneurship at the village level. Some of them will also aid in the last mile delivery by e-commerce companies. Currently, we have 500 advisors in Telangana and plan to increase that number ten-fold in a year. This will entail an investment of about Rs 5 crore in the State. We will also set up delivery hubs of about 5,000 sqft or more in select districts,” Padaki told Telangana Today.

Currently, the entrepreneurs were earning about Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000 by offering the products and services through the 1Bridge platform, he said and the effort was to double the income by adding new services and products. It now offers mobile recharges, bill payments, PAN services, two-wheeler insurance and direct money transfers among others. It also brings various products as an assisted commerce player.

“We are focused on agri-tech services that aid in increasing production of agricultural products. This will increase the buying capacity of people and will lead to higher consumption. This in turn will benefit the 1Bridge advisors or the local entrepreneurs. We also have plans on bringing healthcare services like teleconsulting (with doctors) and supply of medical products. Education is also a focus area. Every transaction we do is digitised and this will give insights on the needs of the customers,” he said.

Increasing use of smartphones and deepening internet connectivity were key factors that were driving the expansion to smaller places, he said. “Creating local employment is the best way to take advantage of the demographic dividend we have,” he said.

It has begun talks to raise about Rs 30 crore for deepening its presence. “Telangana is a key State for us. About 20 per cent of the money we intend to raise will be invested in Telangana,” he said, adding that the company would continue to work with Telangana Academy of Skills and Knowledge (TASK) to offer new modules.

Set up five years ago, the company has presence in about 7,000 villages in six states, including Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The company will appeal to partners like FMCGs and others as its advisors and delivery network will reduce unit economics of reaching out to the customers in rural areas, he said.

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