When it comes to working towards an inclusive society, today there is more awareness than yesterday, and we hope there will be more tomorrow than today. This young woman entrepreneur in India, had a vision of her own for an Inclusive India, when she came up with her “Wanted Umbrella” venture – the first ever Indian platform to bring together all the eligible differently abled bachelors and bachelorettes. The first of its kind, this matrimony website has now rebranded itself and is available for its users as Inclov. Meet the co-founder of this wonderful initiative, who is living her dream every single day – Kalyani Khona.
Here’s what she had to say to team KYS –
Wanting the Wanted Umbrella
Wanted Umbrella started with a need to cater to an unattended market on their matrimonial problems or challenges in meeting new people. I checked couple of online portals as well as offline bureaus and none of them focused on this market which requires customization in their needs & matrimonial requirements. Hence, Wanted Umbrella started as a small boutique agency to cater to the matchmaking needs of people with disability & health disorders.”
The Inclov Initiation
Wanted Umbrella & our pilot project loveability got merged as one entity after our re-branding exercise and today it is called Inclov. The team and vision remain the same. We have shut the matchmaking agency model and are now fully focused on tech driven mobile application model.
We launched the app on Google Playstore on 21st Jan this year and the response has been great so far. You can download the app here.
Young Achievement and the Wishful Wishberry
In 2014 there were people who were as skeptical about me as much as they had doubts about the idea working out altogether. But soon I started voicing my idea and experiences at events & seminars, which lead to belief.
Age doesn’t matter when you talk sense! The idea of disruption is easier when you are young because you don’t have the baggage of experience, struggle, and failure. I have always believed in my idea. Wishberry campaign helped me develop a community of people who believed in the idea just as much as I did. I am still connected to most of the backers who supported us with fundraising. Their experience and thoughts are valuable feedback since they have been with us on this journey from the start.
Communication is Never an Issue
Our major communication is through phone calls, emails or personal meetings. We have not had challenges so far. Also, our app developer is visually impaired but communication has not been an issue for him or us. However, I do want my team and myself to start learning sign language soon.
Being a Part of Accessible India Campaign
The first thing I think the government should really focus on is to build an environment that leads to inclusion, especially in public spaces. Secondly, strengthening the transport eco-system is very important. Thirdly, empowering people with disability through various offline and online government partnerships and initiatives will really help.
From Climbing the Himalayas to Scuba Diving in the Atlantic Ocean
I really enjoy traveling and adventure sports. So, I would like to explore more unknown destinations this year. I also pursue reading; especially Murakami & Gregory David Roberts. Currently, I’m reading Hooked – how to make habit-forming products since it directly helps me with our app, Inclov.
A Typical Day at Work
Because of Delhi winters, I start work really late around 11 am. My typical day starts with emails & phone calls, and then we have internal team meetings and discussion on how to do and what to do next. Around 7 pm, I go to a near-by cafe, have coffee and work on no-internet projects, and return home post daily grocery shopping. We have a home office and we all work and live together. It’s fun!
Rapid Fire –
Your support system- Since I live away from home, my co-founder Shankar & other team members are my biggest support system.
Why Inclov? Inclov includes you, includes me. Inclov stands for Inclusive Love.
Huge funding? Work harder and smarter!
Your dream? To find my better half on Inclov. Haha!
KnowYourStar.com (KYS) interviewed Kalyani Khona as part of India Inclusion Summit(IIS). IIS is a platform that brings awareness and drives inclusion of specially-abled people at corporates, schools, policy makers and NGOs. Yes, KYS is official blogging partner for IIS and backs the event whole-heartedly in a thirst to see an Inclusive India.