The Guruji blog team (GB) caught up with Anurag Dod, co-founder and CEO of Guruji.com and quizzed him about Guruji.com, the reason for its existence, his views on things to come and how the Guruji team plans to take on the large established search players. And here is what he had to say –
GB: Hi Anurag, thanks for joining us on the Guruji blog. Lets start with something about yourself.
Anurag: My pleasure. Before I begin this chat I would like to thank all Guruji users for their positive response around Guruji and their rich feedback, thank you very much. Well, about me, I am originally from Sundarnagar, near Shimla. I did my schooling there and later completed my B.Tech from IIT-Delhi. After graduating from IIT, I worked for Synopsis for a couple of years, then went to the US for my higher studies and did my MS in Computer Science from University of Michigan, Ann Harbor. Post that, I worked for companies like eBay, Wisenut, Delsoft. After spending close to 10 years in the US, I thought its time to come back to India and here I am.
GB: After spending so many years in the silicon valley, what made you come back to India?
Anurag: Well, the India growth story. I know it might sound cliché but India indeed is becoming one of the few global destinations that are experiencing a true inflection point. We are already one of the largest economies of the world, we have one of the largest mobile user base, our technology talent is being globally recognized and the booming economy is ensuring that we have a huge opportunity to serve a large market. I personally think, India is the best place for anyone to work and realize their dreams, as good a place as the Silicon Valley.
GB: The India story indeed…Tell us about how did you meet Gaurav (the other co-founder) and how did you guys start Guruji?
Anurag: Well, I and Gaurav go back more than a decade. We first met at IIT Delhi where Gaurav was studying Computer Science. Gaurav was one year senior to me and we stayed in the same hostel. After, completing his graduation Gaurav went for his higher studies in the US, where we kept in touch. When the idea of an “Indian search engine” came to me, I shared it with Gaurav. We had long discussions on why we should, we shouldn’t, till we were convinced that an “Indian search engine” was indeed needed and it will give us a huge opportunity to serve the Indian market. Once we were convinced we took the plunge.
GB: Great, sounds like an interesting story... Page-Brin, Jerry-David..and now Anurag-Gaurav. Is it important to hunt in pairs to start a search engine?
Anurag: (Laughs..) I guess, it’s just a coincidence. What they have achieved is simply tremendous, absolutely superb and it’s a difficult act to follow, and we just hope that the coincidence extends to Guruji too..
GB: Sure, We wish you all the best. Now, that one question probably everyone is asking you – “Is there a need for an Indian Search Engine”?
Anurag: (Smiles..) Yes, you are right. That’s one question everybody is asking us right from the VCs to my driver… Going forward we see a few things happening in the Indian context - the Indian internet user base will grow in size, the demographics will change, the local content as well as local language content will grow, Indian marketers will further adopt the search marketing option and all this will require an Indian search specialist. To answer your question, Yes, we believe that there will be a need for an India focused search engine and that’s why we exist. But a more important question for us is not whether an Indian search engine is needed or not but “What will make an Indian search engine needed?” and I guess the answer lies in what we make available through an Indian search engine. We want to create an experience that the Indian searcher with an Indian query has never had before and that’s where all our efforts are focused on right now.
GB: How do you plan to differentiate yourself against the current options that an Indian searcher has?
Anurag: If you look at the current options of an Indian searcher these are essentially of three types
- It Is the India focused page of one of the larger global search players,
- India focused web directories/search engines
- Online yellow pages.
In the first option, the global players have good technology but with a global expanse they don’t tend to serve the Indian query in the best possible way. Option 2 were never serious players and they lack the relevant technology. Option 3 has a structured content but then it is limited by the size of the content and ease of use. What we plan to do is combine the best of all these options – a state of the art technology, a sharp India focus and rich structured content. This will allow us to create clear differentiators against other options. Our “City Search” feature is one such differentiator and going forward you will see many more coming from Guruji. Stay tuned…
GB: Why the name Guruji, isn’t it too “Indian”?
Anurag: That’s precisely why the name because Guruji is about India too. ‘Guruji” stands for a spiritual teacher / counselor whom one seeks when one has a question. As a search engine we see ourselves as no different. We are here to answer a search query (question, if you will) that any Indian searcher might have and we will try and find the best answer to what he/she is looking for in the shortest time possible. Indeed like an authentic and reliable Guruji.
GB: Alright, sounds interesting. Coming back to the company, what have been some of your biggest challenges since you started?
Anurag: Oh many…We have faced all the challenges that a young start-up like us can face. Right from getting funds, making the venture operational, getting the right talent, we have had quite a few challenges. But we have had our share of good luck too. We have managed to get the right kind of talent and also a great partner in Sequoia Capital India. So its been good so far.
GB: And why do you think an established technology venture fund like Sequoia decided to fund you?
Anurag: I guess, you should ask the question to them (smiles). On a serious note, I guess what went in our favor was the technology, the team and the merit of the opportunity that lies ahead. Having Sequoia as our partner is also an endorsement of what is possible through Guruji.
GB: Thanks, Anurag. Anything else you would like to tell our audience?
Anurag: Oh, sure. I would like to once again thank all Guruji users for their acceptance of Guruji.com. Thanks for all the time and effort to write detailed feedback and suggestions. Your words of encouragement are surely helping our team to push the pedal harder. We look forward to your support and suggestions and thanks for everything.
GB: Thanks for your time Anurag.
Anurag: Thanks for the opportunity.
This conversation with Anurag was intended to share more of Guruji with you – our user. Please do let us know what you thought and what you would like to know more from the Guruji team. And keep on exploring India through www.guruji.com. Take care and have a great day.
