Doesn’t it happen very often? You’re in a situation where you have combed all the shops in your locality looking for a particular reference guidebook or a brand of pastels you need for your art competition the next day, only to settle for something “inferior” with a defeated sigh! We bet it has happened to every student at some point of time.
Having grown up in the 90s, Geetanjali Khanna was no stranger to this ordeal during her school days. What really surprised her was the sight of her niece still struggling with the same issues, three years ago. The idea inspired her to start Fastudent (http://www.fastudent.com/), an online initiative which she defines as a one-stop solution for all academic needs of a student — from Play School to Post Graduation. “Education as an issue was very core to me and I realized that when it came to books and stationery, accessibility was a big problem.
Students were struggling to get not only books but practically everything and local shops had little to offer,” says the 33-year-old engineer. Launched in March 2013, the Noida-based start-up offers an extensive range of products in categories such as books, digital learning, stationery, bottles and lunchboxes, bags, games and sport kits.
But the major hurdle for Geetanjali and her team was to put together a catalogue that caters to the varied needs of different institutions. “That’s when we decided to collaborate with schools and colleges and link a school’s portal to our website,” she says. The website has collaborated with 100 such institutions and delivers its products to about 20,000 pincodes across India.
But, why Fastudent , when the same product might be available on other e-commerce sites? “That’s because we have an expansive catalogue that is not limited to one prescribed product, say a textbook. Instead students can choose from a lot more options which are carefully curated by our team.”
That apart, the website has imported products and academic tools that otherwise are difficult to procure. “For instance Fastudent sources specialised carving tools for art students or skating bags for skaters, which are among a few things that are not easily available in the market,” Geetanjali adds.
Populous with a user count of 5 lakh and a footfall of 3.5 lakh per month, the website caters to pre-schools, vocational institutes, MBA colleges and engineering colleges among others. “This year, we are concentrating on institutions in NCR. We plan to expand our operation to 1000 schools,” she adds.
But, what’s even more important on Geetanjali’s plan is to “endorse self-assisted learning” among students. “They need to know what books is good for them and choose them themselves instead of waiting for someone else to tell them what to buy,” she adds.
Reach out: http://www.fastudent.com