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Find whatever you look for

An online startup connects service providers with users

Md Fazlur Rahman
Cars sometimes break down in the middle of the road with no help in sight. Key-makers cannot be found when the lock does not budge or you lose your keys. Plumbers are nowhere to be found when the taps leak water. These are some day-to-day hassles that many have to deal with, wasting valuable time.
A local entrepreneur has come to the rescue. Nazmul Chowdhury Shanin has set up an online startup, sondhan.com, which will help meet a variety of demands.
With the slogan 'Connecting Needs', the website lists the names and mobile numbers of the service providers. Service seekers can easily call them to fix their problems, while people can promote their products and services on the website.
'From doctors to electricians,
barbers to beauticians - whatever you are searching for - you name it, you will get it all,' Sharun said.
"We have brought products, services and businesses to your doorsteps that people were unable to sell effectively due to a digital
divide,' he told The Daily Star.
The services are now available in three major cities — Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet, with plans to reach 25 large districts by June and the rest of the districts by the end of 2015.
Sharun said his team collected data over the last two years before the startup went live on Monday.
The website is now rich with 2.5 lakh data entries in 2,200 categories of products and services. More than 90 percent of the listings are verified, said Sharun, who studied law and politics at London Metropolitan University.
The startup is now working to set up a call centre for people who are not tech-sawy, so that they can get the service by just calling the hotline. The company awaits permission from the telecom regulator.
The company that employs 70 people direcdy and 150 as freelancers is also working to include CNG-run three-wheelers in its services category within the next six months.
Shanin is showcasing his company at the ongoing Digital World, a technology show, at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in Dhaka. T am getting plenty of positive responses at the fair, particularly from housewives," said the 30-year-old.
fazlur.rahman@thedailystar.net