In a restive Kashmir, where curfews and hartals prove detrimental to business activities, the duo of Furqan Qureshi and Aamir Bashir has started a startup to brave the odds.
Qureshi, 21, is a B.Com student who, along with his friend Bashir, 19, came up with the idea of a home delivery service for various restaurants in Srinagar.
The startup, Kartfood, has witnessed a growth of three hundred per cent in its month. “In February, we started with mere four restaurants but by the end of March MashaAllah, we cater to orders from as many as twelve and growing restaurants,” said Qureshi.
The duo has been heavily promoting their services through social media, mainly Facebook and Instagram, and have also launched a Google Playstore app. “The response to the android app has been overwhelming and we’re also coming up with IOS next month,” he added.
The startup provides employment to around one dozen youth, in addition to the duo, who work as delivery boys. “It is a team effort. We also deliver meals, along with the other boys,” he further elaborated.
Most of the business in Kashmir are affected even with the slightest hints of turmoil and hostility in the valley. The startups, in particular, are unable to overcome losses and youngsters end up winding their dream ventures. But, Kartfood looks ahead to brave such situations. “We are expanding our services. We will introduce home delivery services for grocery and medicines. This way we’ll continue to serve our people even in curfews and hartals. Necessity is the mother of invention.”
Qureshi and Bashir had shared the idea of a home delivery service with their mentor, a young businessman, who is already into the fast food business. The duo wanted him to expand his business through home delivery service. But, the reply they received has something else in store for them. “He told us, ‘Why are you telling me this, why don’t you start it yourself?’. This pinched us and became an inspiration for us to start Kartfood. And we’re thankful to him for this,” Qureshi concluded.
