Nirmit Parekh, a tech enthusiast from Mumbai, made headlines by leaving a stable job at Apple and creating one of India’s fastest-growing startups—Apna. This platform connects blue-collar job seekers with companies, revolutionizing the unorganized job market in India. Valued at Rs 9,000 crore, Apna has become India’s youngest unicorn in just 22 months.
Early Days: A Passion for Innovation
Since childhood, Nirmit had a knack for innovation. At the age of 7, he built his first digital clock and by 13, he had learned robotics programming. His curiosity led him to pursue B.Tech at the Nirma Institute of Technology in Gujarat. At the age of 21, Nirmit launched his first startup, Incone Technologies, which provided flood management solutions.
Moving Forward: An MBA and Corporate Success
Nirmit didn’t stop there. He launched another startup, Cruxbox, and successfully sold it to Intel. Afterwards, he worked as Intel’s Director of Data Analytics and pursued his MBA at Stanford University. His education and experience landed him a prestigious role at Apple, where he became a key member of the iPhone product and strategy team.
The Birth of Apna: Solving India’s Blue-Collar Job Crisis
While working in Silicon Valley, Nirmit saw the problems faced by blue-collar workers in India. Realizing the need for a dedicated platform to bridge the gap between these workers and employers, he decided to leave his job at Apple and return to India. Thus, Apna was born just before the COVID-19 pandemic, aiming to serve blue-collar workers—those engaged in physical labor.
Apna’s Meteoric Rise: India’s Youngest Unicorn
Within just 22 months of its launch, Apna achieved unicorn status with a valuation of $1.1 billion (Rs 9,000 crore). Today, more than 1,50,000 companies use Apna, including big names like Unacademy, Flipkart, Zomato, BigBasket, and WhiteHat Jr. Apna is growing at an annual rate of 125%, solving a critical issue in India’s labor market.
With a focus on connecting workers with opportunities, Nirmit Parekh’s Apna continues to grow and revolutionize India’s blue-collar job sector.
