Junoon Raises Seed Round From Angel Investors The skill development platform provides training in 20 different categories in text and video format to blue-collared workers
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Junoon, a vocational training and Jobs search platform for blue-collared workers in India, has said to have raised an undisclosed sum in a seed round from reputed investors like Sandeep Aggarwal, Chaim Freidman, and Vishesh Tandon which was led by Kunal Khattar of AdvantEdge and tech entrepreneur and investor Viren Rana.
The startup was launched in April 2020 with a mission to help blue-collar workers unleash their full potential by providing standard and easy to assimilate vocational training and land jobs.
Instructional-based online vocational training and job search platform provide training programs to workers across 20 categories like auto mechanic, auto driver, painter, plumber, electrician, warehouse keeper, security guard, carpenter, mason, construction worker, cleaner, laundry attendant, gardener, server, runner, cooking assistant, nanny, delivery man.
"India is the home for the largest number of blue-collared workers in the world. During the lockdown, most of us normalized work-from-home very quickly, I could see that it was not the same for the large majority of unskilled workers across the country. The mass exodus from the urban areas due to extinguished opportunities was horrifying on multiple aspects," affirmed Junoon founder and chief executive officer Ahaan Aggarwal, while speaking on the investment.
The training programs come in both text and video formats and are deemed to be an important step towards standardizing the modest jobs in the country to provide a substantial living. It offers an end-to-end workforce management system by producing quality, skilled manpower, thereby contributing to the Indian economy.
"I created Junoon to support our workers to come back to the job market by being better trained and give them the ability to easily find opportunities. In many ways, we are creating digital community colleges for vocational training and placements. We are supported in this endeavor by corporates, individuals, and government branches – and would like to invite more to work with us on this life and economy changing initiative," Aggarwal added.
During the pandemic, over 360 million informal jobs were impacted in India, resulting in an unemployment rate of over 23.5 per cent. According to a research report released on the informal jobs sector, that further talks about the eradication of livelihoods, and lack of training and opportunities to upskill for the 500 million labor force in India.
Over 93 per cent of the workers in this segment had never received any vocational training. To solve this problem, the 17-year-old young entrepreneur Ahaan Aggarwal conceptualized and developed Junoon which provides training and upskilling programs to workers and also supports them in finding a sustainable livelihood as per their improved proficiency.
"We have been observing the way this young venture has been leading from the front and believe that it has the requisite vision and execution in place to upskill our blue-collared workers in the country. These people witnessed hand to mouth situation due to no job in the Pandemic and now facing lots of challenges to get back the required Job. Right set of training will scale the working procedure of these workers. I collaborated considering how the vision is to provide the right set of talent to enterprises too," stated AdvantEdge Founders managing partner Kunal Khattar.
