Interview with Rajat Jain, Co-Founder of Pataa Navigations
A Stanford graduate, with an enterprising mind, Rajat Jain is the one who drew up the blueprint of Pataa.
Rajat put down the specific features the application had to have and worked on building and getting Pataa out to the masses. Rajat has taken over the daily operations and product inception.
Tell us a little about yourself
Rajat Jain: I am a first-generation entrepreneur and I have co-started multiple businesses from scratch. I’m a graduate from the Stanford University of Business and have a background in pharmaceuticals.
Please tell us a little about your entrepreneurial journey
Rajat Jain: My background in pharmaceuticals helped me in setting up various research and development and new product formulation departments in my businesses.
I have set up multiple businesses ranging from manufacturing to IT organizations that aim to aid in the hospitality industry and help in solving the complex addressing system in India.
Can you describe how your app works and its key features?
Rajat Jain: We’ve developed an ecosystem of interlinked products to achieve our objective of creating a digital addressing system.
We mapped out the entire globe on more than 57 trillion 3 x 3 mt squares, each with their own digital and unique identification codes.
With our mobile application solution, we give our users the ability to create their own digital addresses, i.e. Pataa, which are geotagged short codes that can be personalized with alphanumeric characters.
Not only this, we also give the users the ability to add voice directions, property photos, route videos and other vital information that can make it much easier for visitors to find and navigate to a location compared to the traditional navigation methods that are in use today.
How does your app differentiate itself from other digital addressing solutions?
Rajat Jain: Our addressing system grants users the ability to personalize their digital addresses and also explain directions to their location in their own voice from their nearest popular place and also add property photos and route videos. This personalization option is what sets us apart from other organizations.
What inspired you to start your own digital addressing app?
Rajat Jain: The inspiration behind the inception of Pataa came to us during a trip. Unfortunately, we lost our way and were unable to reach the precise location.
It was a hassle to find the exact location, so we came up with Pataa which is benefitting millions of users with features like geo-tagging, navigation, voice directions, property photos, additional instructions etc.
What have been some of the biggest challenges in developing and launching your app, and how have you addressed those challenges?
Rajat Jain: The testing, trial and launch of the app was majorly done during the lockdown period in March 2021. Our marketing team got in touch with end-users for feedback, which helped us add tailor-made features and simplify the user experience.
The development team incorporated the suggestions made into the app. And, voila! We were ready to hit the market.
In fact, the team managed to find a silver lining in the dark clouds and turn the COVID-19 crisis into an opportunity.
“We introduced the ‘Co-Win’ feature, which could inform users about all COVID-19 vaccination centres in Madhya Pradesh, across cities like Indore, Jabalpur, Bhopal and Gwalior.
What are some of the biggest obstacles to adoption of digital addressing solutions, and how is your app addressing those obstacles?
Rajat Jain: The biggest obstacle is making people change their behaviour and getting them to adopt technology to explain their address.
To address these issues, we have made the UI extremely user friendly and have added features to make it easy for the users to explain their address.
What are your success tips for young and aspiring entrepreneurs?
Rajat Jain: Have a dedicated list of things you want to achieve and always try to set and meet your targets. That way you can always track your progress.
Find people who are in the same industry and try to learn from them. Learning from people who have gained success will help you understand and leverage their ways.
Reach out to people in a similar niche and create your network so you can reach out to potential people who can help you or buy your products or services.
Don’t be disheartened if some of your strategies do not work and never give up. Keep moving forward and keep trying to diversify your approaches.
Everyone makes mistakes, but not everyone accepts and learns from them. Acknowledge your mistakes and learn from them, making sure you do not repeat them.
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