Brothers Chuck Their Century Old Business to Startup On Their Own
Hammer is the brainchild of two brothers, Amit and Gaurav Khanna, both engineers from California University, who returned to India after living in USA for almost ten years. Amit and Gaurav are scions to an affluent family in Ahmedabad, who operate almost a century old business in textile, pharmaceuticals, food and beverages. But the burning desire to start something on their own, led them to startup Hammer. Hammer, they say, is an interactive platform to nurture people’s natural instinct to stay in touch, exchange opinion, express ideas and use their own life experiences and personalities to understand and help each other. The siblings share a common passion for gadgetry, electronics, web and mobile technology.
The Product
Hammer, a social media platform that helps one make even the most of quotidian decisions. Whether it’s the reviews of latest movie or pros and cons of that new gadget you have in mind, ask Hammer and you receive profusion of opinions within a matter of seconds
Hammer assists in connecting people having similar interests, for exchanging ideas, opinions, and even for news. Users can also post views and opinions along with comments on others’ questions. For example, if you post a question like, “Is Maldives worth a visit during summer?” within a short span of time there will be a plethora of opinions on the question from all around the world. Hammer basically, in duo’s words, influences the purchase decision of the consumer. The opinions necessarily do not come from friends; they could be from folks spread all around the world. Hammer has filed for patent and copyrights on the idea and Elephant symbol, which it says signifies the magnanimity of Hammer. Hammer has over thousand users within three months of starting up.
Based out of Ahmedabad, Hammer has a team of 18 people. “We have a very rigorous process of hiring. We adjudge creativity, personality and technical knowhow of a person prior to making them a part of our team,” says Amit. Started with an investment of Rs 50 lakhs, Hammer is looking to raise its revenue from sponsorships, advertising and market research. Hammer is yet to break even and wants to partner the kind of strategic partners and angel investors who can help them in their vision to reach across the globe. “We wish Hammer to be an expedient to user’s decision making process, a tool for masses and used by it. Mobile Apps on iOS and Android are in the pipeline and will be out soon,” says Gaurav.
Website: http://www.hammerit.in
