KOCHI: At a time when transgender community's cry for their rights gets louder, the story of Transysco Solutions, a start-up, is a homegrown narrative about hope, grit and true determination.
Launched by two transwomen, Transysco Solutions is the brainchild of Tahirah Ayeez and Theertha Sarvika. One a computer science engineer and the other a literature student, who were forced to quit their previous jobs after coming out as transgenders.
“After completing my BTech in Android Programming from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, I worked in Liberia and then in Bahrain as a system analyst. Despite working for a prominent company, I had to face a number of issues due to my gender identity. My colleagues ostracised me, so I decided to return,” says Tahirah who believes many transgenders are afraid to come out fearing for their careers.
Tahirah and Theertha wanted to put an end to the ordeals faced by their community in the professional sphere.
As long-time Facebook friends, they met a year ago to discuss the possibilities of such a venture. “Even after having the requisite qualification, an openly trans person is offered a lower position. When I met Theertha, I pitched the idea of a start-up that would work towards empowering the LGBTQ+ community by providing them with career opportunities. She was immediately on board and we started working on Transysco,” says Tahirah who had been harbouring the idea since the second year of college.
The journey, however, was anything but easy. One of the biggest challenges was raising funds. The duo approached the chairman of the transgender cell of the Kerala Social Justice Department seeking initial funding of Rs 20 lakh.
“We presented a detailed business plan but the department was hesitant to forward such a large sum so I sought help from my friends in Bahrain and other countries to raise the capital,” adds Tahirah. The company, which is currently operating out of Tahirah's apartment, will soon move to an office space close to Infopark.
Apart from providing IT services relating to artificial intelligence and web designing, Transysco Solutions also aims to render career guidance services mostly free of cost. Another important service that Tahirah is keen on developing is a research lab facility that will give young programmers the platform to practice coding.
Transysco has already recruited around 20 employees. “All belong to the trans community and are just school pass-outs. They haven't had the opportunity to study further due to family background, gender non-conformity, and other reasons but we are training them to develop technical skills,” says Tahirah.