<div> </div><div><em>LabGo is the first-ever online directory for searching laboratories across India, providing e-commerce platform for testing and calibration services in the Indian market. The idea behind this venture is to bring laboratories and its potential customers closer by providing them a platform for convenient communication. <strong>Rahul Gupta, founder and CEO, LabGo</strong>, takes pride in providing B2B solutions to over 1400 NABL and ACCAB accredited labs across India. He talked to BW|Businessworld's <strong>Haildar Ali Khan</strong> on his plans for the Indian market</em></div><div> </div><div>Excerpts</div><div><strong>Tell us about LabGo and its inception?</strong></div><div>LabGo.in is a search and discover portal for testing and calibration laboratories in India. It includes details about parameters, products for which testing facility is available, accreditation status and validity, contact information of the laboratory. It was launched in Sept 2015. The idea behind this venture is to bring laboratories and its potential customers closer by providing them a platform for convenient communication. </div><div> </div><div><strong>How do you operate?</strong></div><div>We provides a very simplified user search experience by providing product based and parameter based search directly from search bar on home page. It further provides filters to further narrow down the search results as per location. This online directory will answer the requirements of purchase managers, research analysts, directors, quality professionals etc. </div><div> </div><div>As a part of the company's first stage of operations, we take pride in launching 12 categories in the space of testing. Some of these popular categories include water-testing, food, textile, metal, construction, pharmaceuticals (medicines), automobile, petroleum, automobile, forensic laboratories, calibration laboratories etc. </div><div> </div><div><strong>The amount you have invested in and the current size of LabGo?</strong></div><div>The LabGo team comprises an IT Team supported by content writers and digital marketing professionals. As most of the development and other IT functions have been taken up in-house, project investment is reasonably low at Rs 25 Lakh. The testing in calibration market is around Rs 10,000-crore-strong and LabGo is all set to create a niche in this vertical of operation.</div><div> </div><div><strong>What are the challenges you face?</strong></div><div>As this is the first of its kind of portal, we faced a few challenges in understanding the user’s mindset while searching for services and bringing them closer to the services provided by laboratories.</div><div> </div><div>My bent of mind enabled me to venture into commercial testing and calibration laboratory setup. From 2009, I acted as a consultant for setting up of calibration and testing laboratories in Sigma Test and Research Centre. I also founded the Instrumentation Division of SGM Labs Solutions which deals in laboratories equipment’s and labs setups.</div><div> </div><div>Having that experience in mind, I understood the industries lacking point to target the end consumers, getting them under one platform and the LabGo journey began.</div><div> </div><div><strong>Tell us about your revenue model (Sharing)?</strong></div><div>LabGo is free for its users and the revenue model would focus more on the B2B market. The company takes pride is associating with over 1400 NABL and ACCAB accredited labs across India. We will charge from these testing labs across India while listing them in our search engine and will be offering premium services to the listed laboratories like call connect, star listings and sponsorship banners to generate revenue.</div><div> </div><div><strong>What are the plans for the future? Do you have any plans in the pipeline?</strong></div><div>In future, we intend to provide online sample booking facility through LabGo, where customer can make online test requests to various laboratories. We are looking forward to grow in online marketing field as e-commerce is booming these days keeping in mind the convenience it will provide to the users.</div><div> </div><div><strong>What do you have for the general public?</strong></div><div>It’s a free search platform for general public, providing e-commerce platform for testing and calibration services in Indian market. Though the portal is primarily B2B, it will cater to the need of masses for basic testing requirements like drinking water testing, food adulteration tests or construction material testing.</div>
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