Construction Tech Startup Projecthero's In-app Chat Feature Combats Fraud In Blue-collar Industry
This construction tech startup has built a professional network for India's construction industry which recently introduced a chat feature in its app to ensure that all communications between workers and contractors take place on the app.
A startup in construction tech, Projecthero has created a professional network that is member-driven for India's construction industry. It recently added a chat feature to its app to make sure all communication between contractors and workers takes place there. Projecthero will allow workers to track their conversations. Projecthero will also monitor all conversations to prevent fraudsters duping unsuspecting workers with fake promises and fabricated data.
Extreme fragmentation is the reason for increasing job fraud in India's labour supply chains. More than 50 million workers in construction continue to work through labour contractors and other informal sources. These contractors take advantage of the lack transparency to pay lower wages and prevent workers from evaluating how their skills and market value are. Because the entire workforce is managed by outdated methods, construction sites don't formalize or keep employment records. Construction workers are affected by a variety of issues, including ignorance, illiteracy and wage discrimination, ineligibility, irregular work, absence of social security, unsecure working hours, occupational diseases, injuries, poor implementation of labour laws, and lack of awareness.
India's construction industry is expected to grow to 1.4 trillion dollars in 2025. The rapid growth of the Indian construction industry has led to an increase in fraud in several cities. Social media platforms make it possible to deceive and swindle large numbers of people because there is no way for them to verify their identity.
Often, it is not possible to keep track of interactions between fraudsters or workers. Projecthero's chat function is a one-stop solution to protect workers and build transparency. Chat service is monitored and stored regularly. A dedicated HR manager is assigned to the chat. This ensures that there are no fraudulent conversations or monetary transactions. To make the chat more efficient and scalable, the manual HR partner will be replaced with AI tools. This is a work in process at the moment.
Satya Vyas is the founder and CEO of Projecthero. These fraudsters are able to do this because they can communicate via platforms like Telegram and Whatsapp. This is where the gullible workers find no support and guidance, and fall for it easily. They are immediately blocked after the transaction and they cannot report the crime because the money transfer was not large on an absolute basis. The conversations in native chat are closely monitored. If suspicious activity is detected, people are blacklisted and removed. We will also share this information with the appropriate authorities.
Projecthero, a professional network that is membership-driven for the construction industry, provides access to financial services and jobs. Its members. Projecthero currently has over 4 lakh workers and has placed more than 3000 workers on its projects. Projecthero was founded in 2009 by Satya Viyas and Raghu Chopra. Raghu Chopra and Sidhant Pande, all IIT Roorkee alumni. Projecthero's team has grown and expanded since the $3.2Mn raised by Ankur Capital and Omidyar Networks. Sidhant, an ex-Google graduate, joined the team as the Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer.