There is a significant divide that exists in this digitally connected world between white-collar and blue-collar workforce in India. While tech advancements — ranging from laptops, palmtops and tablets to software tools such as Google, Zoom, Slack, and Microsoft Teams — have made the lives of white-collar employees easier and more productive, there is limited to no access to technology that can ease the work lives of blue-collar employees.
This proved to be an eye-opening theme for serial entrepreneur Pulkit Ahuja, who has spent a substantial part of his career developing products for different sectors and felt compelled to address the tech gap for the blue-collar workforce.
“While white-collar workers enjoy tools like Zoho, Slack, and Teams, blue-collar workers lack access to such technologies due to the critical nature of industries such as oil and gas, mining, and construction,” Ahuja said.
To address this, he vowed to develop products specifically for industrial and blue-collar workers, a quest that ultimately led to the creation of Proxgy.
Founded in 2020, Proxgy is a deeptech startup, which specialises in IoT-based solutions and provides smart wearables and safety products designed to enhance workplace safety and efficiency of blue-collar workers.
It operates on a three-layered tech stack, comprising an Industrial IoT hardware layer, a software middle layer, and a SaaS subscription layer. The startup claims to have developed a suite of proprietary IoT products and software tools for industrial workers.
“The base layer consists of IoT products, which act as enablers or connection points for people in various industries to access the other two layers. The second layer is custom software — similar to what Google and Zoom provide — serving as the software interface. The third layer is our enterprise SaaS layer, which includes tools akin to Slack, where all algorithms run, such as video AI or any breach detection,” Ahuja said.
The B2B startup caters to leading players across industries, including logistics, warehousing, construction, mining, oil & gas, and banking. Bank of India, Bank of Baroda and the Quality Council of India are among its primary partners.
Since its inception, Proxgy has raised around $6 Mn from Peyush Bansal of Lenskart, Suhail Sameer of BharatPe, Nikhil Kamath of Zerodha, and bollywood actor Suniel Shetty. The startup’s claim to fame was its appearance on Shark Tank Season 1.
Proxgy: Top Feather In Ahuja’s Hat?
Proxgy was born from the founder’s passion for developing new products. An engineer by profession, Ahuja has always been a product guy and wanted to do something of his own. A corporate job was never his cup of tea. He wanted to innovate and develop new products to address real-world issues.
Finally, in 2013, he decided to quit his corporate job to launch his first venture, Unlockar, which was a data unlocking app for smartphone applications. The app subsidised data costs and offered a solution that rewarded users for increased smartphone usage.
After two years with his first venture, Ahuja felt his work on the technology side was complete, leading him to exit his stake in 2015.
Immediately after this, he began working on his second venture and cofounded Cabsguru, an app that aggregated Ola, Uber, TFS, Meru, EasyCabs, QuickCabs, MegaCabs, TabCab, and others on a marketplace platform that let users search, compare and book cabs.
Within just one year of its launch, Cabsguru was acquired by Japan-based ORIX Auto Infrastructure Services Limited. Following this, Ahuja led product & strategy and marketing teams at ORIX India for four years. During this time, he created 42 products for ORIX.
Then the Covid-19 pandemic struck and while the world rested at home, Ahuja’s restless mind birthed the initial idea for Proxgy. At a time when almost everyone was working remotely through phones and laptops, he thought of connecting field workers in distant or hazardous locations with their supervisors effectively.
“Whether these workers were 100 feet underground in a mine or working high up on a windmill, they couldn’t communicate with their supervisors,” he said.
With this thought, he started researching and came across data that showed that over 1 Mn people globally work outside traditional office settings, making up to 70% of the workforce.
Without giving it a second thought, Ahuja, along with his few colleagues, quit ORIX in 2020 and started building and developing his first two products to help blue-collar workers. There has been no looking back since then. The founder has so far launched more than 10 products for the industrial workforce and has 35 patents under his belt.
Proxgy’s Products At A Glance
The founder started Proxgy with just two SKUs, Sleef and Smarthat, and has since expanded to 10 SKUs. Let’s steal a glance at Proxgy’s product offerings:
- SmartHat: It is a Type 1 Zone C classified smart safety helmet designed to enhance workplace safety. This helmet comes equipped with real-time tracking, environmental sensors, human condition monitoring sensors and communication tools to enhance situational awareness for workers in industries such as construction, manufacturing, mining, and oil & gas.
- Sleefe: It is a lightweight, easy-to-use smart device that can be attached to any cap to convert it into a smart cap. It is equipped with a camera, speakers and mic. It is used in industries such as logistics, warehousing, policing, surveillance, and banking.
- Lockator: This is a 4G-enabled smart industrial lock that provides on-the-move security and access control solutions for cargo, containers, and facilities. According to the founder, this lock offers features like geofencing, NFC and RFID unlocking, GPS and speed tracking for shipping containers, satellite connectivity in network-deprived areas, and tamper-proof e-SIMs. This is used in industries such as transportation, logistics, and even education.
- AudioPod: It’s a 4G-enabled soundbox used for instant payment confirmation received from QR codes from all leading payment banks. The startup claims that the soundbox offers first-in-segment customisable features like an LED screen and thermal printer.
Ahuja said that it took him almost one and a half years to establish a basic infrastructure. The founder faced many challenges developing this tech stack, as his previous ventures were software-based, so this was his first experience venturing into a hybrid model.
He also faced challenges when all supply chains were disrupted during the pandemic, leading to shortages of essential components. Once those issues were resolved, the founder shifted his focus to scaling up production.
The startup claims to be a fully made-in-India brand, with manufacturing handled through a joint venture with PG Electroplast Limited under contractual agreements.
What’s Next For Proxgy?
The startup’s big break came after it appeared on Shark Tank India and secured INR 1 Cr in funding from Lenskart’s Peyush Bansal and Ashneer Grover.
Per the founder, revenue surged nearly 80X from about INR 1 Lakh in FY22 to almost INR 78 Lakh in FY23. The Shark Tank exposure also led Proxgy to pivot from B2C to a purely B2B model.
“Our appearance on national television garnered millions of views and inquiries from Fortune 500 companies looking for industry-specific adaptations of our products,” the founder added.
In FY24, Proxgy reported a revenue of INR 8.9 Cr and now claims a monthly recurring revenue of INR 70 Lakh. The founder attributes this growth not only to Shark Tank but also to strong support from investors. With eyes on profitability, Proxgy aims for a top line of INR 40 Cr in FY25.
The founder is also planning to expand geographies by tapping into the South American and Middle Eastern markets by next year.
Regarding product launches, it already has a couple of products in the pipeline, including a portable surveillance unit that can operate autonomously in any weather condition for days.
This product (BirdBox) is currently being tested and certified. The founder anticipates its launch by February 2025.
While Ahuja envisions becoming the “Apple” of the industrial ecosystem, it will be interesting to see how the entrepreneur charts the journey of his startup going ahead.
[Edited By Shishir Parasher]
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