A startup called Unikon.ai was founded by Palash Arneja, Akash Anand, and Sumit in early 2024. The platform connects users with professionals, offering them incentives to respond to messages. This idea was born when Akash and Palash discovered that the response rate to direct messages (DMs) on LinkedIn is only 1%. Unikon.ai allows professionals to earn money by responding to chat or call requests, addressing the issue of time and lack of incentive for professionals.
Palash Arneja, one of the co-founders, comes from a middle-class background and became a Chartered Accountant (CA) before the age of 21. He has experience of working at Swiss Bank, HSBC, and Deloitte, where he handled a team of 700 people. Akash Anand is the founder of Bella Vita, a well-known brand, and Sumit, who met Akash and Palash at an event, previously founded ZebPay, which was later acquired by Cashfree.
Unikon.ai offers four main features:
-Users can post a short video describing their problem or need, and others can connect and offer help for a fee.
-Users can listen to short clips of conversations between two people, with the option to swipe right to hear the full discussion.
-Users can host or join webinars, events, or shows.
-Users can search for professionals based on filters and ratings to find the right person to talk to.
Unikon.ai raised funds from over 40 angel investors, including Nikhil Kamath, Peyush Bansal, and Tanmay Bhat. The startup's app saw 5,000 downloads on its first day, and currently, a team of 50 people is working to improve the platform.
