Rishabh Singh
Co-founder @ Widhya
Q1. Please tell something about your educational and professional journey?
I always wanted to do everything I could do, be it sports or studies. I was the top scorer in mathematics, used to be a south zone tennis player, and I was also into drama. As my high school finished I had to prioritize few things over other, I decided to study my intermediate in science from a college which focuses only on studies and nothing else. It didn’t turn out to be one of the best decisions of my life but I learnt that these organisations with their backbones of rote learning are actually a threat to our country. Students do not really learn a lot in these junior colleges, they just get trained for an exam or two. Later when I joined a college for my undergraduate studies, I was exposed to a lot of opportunities in all the possible areas. I tried out volunteering at an NGO called “Make a Difference” where I used to teach science at shelter homes at the weekends. I also got an opportunity to carry out research in physics and got a chance to dig deeper into my research in preparing solar cells using inorganic perovskites at National Sun Yat-Sen University in Taiwan.
I was privileged to take up subjects like economics, organizational behavior, and consumer behavior in my college even though my major was electrical and electronics which peaked my interest in managerial aspects of organisations. Later, I interned as a marketing associate during one of my semesters which helped me gain knowledge in key operation of business development in a company. All the factors helped me develop skills which helped me out when I started my own company, Widhya.
Q2. Why did you choose entrepreneurship instead of any corporate job for your career?
Graduate unemployment in India is at all time high, companies are not able to find the right fit for their organisations. Students are giving more preference to marks/grades over concepts/experience and it is not their problem totally, our education system is designed in a way to focus only on the exams. This is what our whole team at Widhya is trying to solve here, its a web platform that exposes students to real-time industrial tasks and gives an organised pipeline for companies to review companies. There is no other motivation I need apart from the fact that I am one of the few people in the whole country trying to make the whole education system better. I cannot find this kind of work satisfaction in any corporate job.
Q3. Please share about your Venture “Widhya”. What kind of problem are you solving?
Widhya is an EdTech organisation that focuses on helping people get industry ready, by exposing them to real time industrial tasks, that we as a company get from our partner organisations. This enables students and learners to get a taste of the industry, even before they formally enter the industry through an internship or a job and this is what we offer through our core platform. We help students learn in a progressive manner through our Micro-Tasks and Missions, which basically are parts of the work that you outsource to us grouped together. Our progressive learning curve approach, enables us to help students learn from ground up. Missions make the hiring process more organized & saves time and money for companies and students, students build their profiles and learn progressively for high skilled work, while having the opportunity to bag internships depending on quality of work, and companies get a clear idea of candidate’s skills & understand their work ethic and fit for the company, in a better manner. This is how Widhya provides an all-round learning experience for students and hiring experience for the companies.
Q4. Tell us about one of the moments which changed your perspective towards life?
One such moment occurred when I was interning in Vietnam. The journey in Vietnam started pretty wet not because of the rainfall but because of the humidity and later because of the rainfall too. Getting around in Hanoi on a motorbike is pretty cool, sometimes its pretty hot and sometimes your lungs give up in middle of the traffic. The hunt for a good old big cup of coffee as still on after all the different cups of coffee. I had with people from all around the world and Hanoi, sometimes sitting on chair built for normal people and mostly sitting on these miniature chairs which you find everywhere in the city. Travelled to the North, conquered the highest peak of Indochina, hiked 55 kilometers on the dangerous mountains in two days where life was just on the edge. Did not know life was really on the edge until I met with a bus accident, could not process, could not think, trying to put tissues on open wounds of people around me, jumped out of the bus on the glass, sat down to process what happened. Covered in gasoline and blood, was trying to help a woman, the woman who could be saved but could not be saved. Passers by recording us while a few others and me helped her get to the vehicle. The thoughts, the screams and the trauma have found a residence in my body, sometimes you have to live with them. Now, life is different, life is better, not better it is the best because I get to live. I took therapy and came out of trauma, got intense food poisoning right after but I was strong because I am living and living is lucky. Big problems aren’t problems anymore. Taking time to find myself is not just a recreation, became a hobby.
Q5. Which one skill do you like most about yourself?
Creative communication is something I am good at. It really helps when a company interacts with their customers in a way that is not only genuine but also more human. Connecting emotionally with your audience will help you stand out as well as differentiate your company from others. It has helped me create a stronger bond with my customers.
Q6. What are your hobbies? Do you read to update yourself?
I love to travel to new places, get to know people from different places and spend some time with the nature. I also love to write, I usually write about my travel experiences. Meeting people with ideas that are different from yours and experiencing a way of life that you may find to be better or worse than what you had in mind allows you to have a fresh perspective and keep an open mind.
Q7. How do you motivate yourself at every morning?
First thing which I do in the morning is meditate, I believe it controls my anxiety and helps enhance self awareness. I mediate for 10-20 minutes everyday. I plan my day in the morning itself which keeps me on track with all the tasks and deadlines. I also make sure that I watch at least one ted talk to keep me engaged with what people are doing around the world. This is how I get my daily dose of motivation.
Get in touch with Rishabh Singh at below links:
Website: https://widhya.org
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rishabhsingh
Instagram: _rishabhsingh_
