BENGALURU: There's uncertainty in the air along with the virus, which is wreaking havoc across the country. In these times we lean on family, friends and sometimes strangers -- just for a comforting conversation. Which is exactly what this new initiative by classmates-turned-friends Riddhi Khanna and Rhea Karuturi, attempts to do.
The instructors in a free online Stanford coding class were having conversations revolving around the pandemic, which is what sparked the idea of giving back and creating an impact. They built on the conversation and went on to create PitchIn. Club, a platform that helps raise money more effectively, and also brightens one’s day through one-onone conversations. The workings are quite simple: anyone can get onto their platform to book a conversation with someone who also wishes to have a chat.
“The only thing you need to do is upload a screenshot of a donation to a charity they have chosen. Then we connect you over email for the conversation,” says Khanna. You can mention your interests, which can be everything from professional interests like startups, investments, coding, college, exams, cooking, dance, hip hop, painting, writing, mediation and more.
These interests are used to connect you with others who share them. “All donations are made directly to the charity and we don’t collect any fee or extra charges. Everyone is investing their time without any expectation of returns. At the end of the day it’s all one cause we’re working towards,” says Karuturi, adding that they are trying to help people fundraise for Covid relief and add a bright spot to their day by having a meaningful conversation. “We are trying to create some positivity in their day when everything else has been so negative and discouraging,” adds Karuturi.
Going back to where it started, the duo through their Stanford class, saw the whole act of volunteering time thriving big time. “For instance, we saw on Twitter that Indians in the startup space were doing the same in exchange for donations. That’s when it clicked - if we can create a platform where people choose their fundraising target and charity and then donate their time to raise those funds, how cool would that be?,” says Khanna. Right now their biggest challenge is getting the word out there.
So far they’ve had over 650 signups and over 550 sessions scheduled since their launch on May 3. “We’ve raised almost a lakh in donations,” says Karuturi. Believing their platform has something to offer for everyone - whether a college student looking for help in the process, an early professional looking to network, a start-up founder looking to connect with other founders, interested in any new skill like painting, dancing, working out etc - they also hope that this community will facilitate finding someone who can help you on the journey.