As young students in Delhi University, RISHAV KUMAR and VIDET JAISWAl created something that became an icon for campus life. They talk about their company and future plans

How did the idea of starting University Express, the novel student portal, come aboutIJ

Both of us are from an off-campus college in Delhi University and there were multiple incidents where we missed out on a lot of opportunities and competitions, because most of them used to happen in North Campus colleges and we would never come to know of it. It was not just a problem for students, but even fest organisers who would have to visit every college one by one and put flyers for their events and conferences. Back in 2012, there was no comprehensive media platform for the entire university, where one could go and know about what was happening around the campuses. We started as a social media page and got a superb response. Our inbox was flooded with messages from organisers and college societies who wanted us to publish their messages for the student community. 

In October, 2012, we launched a news website for the Delhi University students which was run by the students. There has been no looking back.

What is the problem that you are really trying to solveIJ

 Our website and social channels allow us to disseminate information to thousands of students across Delhi/NCR. Over time, we realised that this had far reaching consequences and we were capable of impacting lives in a medley of ways. For example, last June, our open admissions discussion portal allowed existing DU students to engage with the fresh entering batch and we were able to help over 10,000 freshers make calculated career decisions. More recently, we associated with a leading social organisation and helped them spread awareness about cancer among students.

It is through these incidents that our vision has shaped. Our ability to connect with our ever-growing community over years is our strength. We have over 1 lakh loyal followers on social media and over 50,000 organic subscribers. We are on a mission to unearth the true potential of what our generation can achieve through democratic expression. We intend to do so through the power of responsible journalism. It is with this aim that we have launched the all new University Express — a global platform for the youth to engage and express. The website is live on www.universityex.com

Tell us more about your operations. How do you manage fundsIJ

We have a team of over 200 students across Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore and this number is growing rapidly. These are mostly freelancers or interns with whom we engage from a period of six months to two years. We have multiple teams taking care of various functions such as editorial, business development, digital marketing and many more.

 We have been self-sustained and profitable from day one. We have run content campaigns for 200+ clients, both national and international, from the likes of UrbanClap to Indian Chamber of Commerce, and helped them engage at a deeper and personalised level with our community. We have been involved in generating social impact by associating with NGOs and taking part in educational initiatives. 

What are your plans with University ExpressIJ

 We recently piloted our model in Mumbai and Bangalore and the results have been positive. We are eyeing expansion across multiple cities in India in the next few months, both in terms of colleges and schools we cover and the audience we reach out to. We are evaluating our strategy for global expansion, especially in America and and South-East Asia.