Ex-Microsoft employees launch Indeon.com

BANGALORE: Ex-Microsoft employees from the US have launched Indeon.com, an

online network for the Indian community that claims to be the first community

services provider, a value-addition to traditional dotcom sites.

Founders of this online network are two young entrepreneurs, Kalpit Jain and

Samit Jhaveri. The ex-Microsoft employees have started this online network with

the backing of a strong Microsoft network. The company’s board of directors

include Microsoft vice president strategic business development Sanjay

Parthasarthy and Microsoft general manager Vijay Vashee, who have contributed a

seed capital of $1 million.

Detailing the potential for the online community model, Indeon.com founder

Kalpit Jain said, "Communities are going to be the building blocks of

success on the Internet. Connecting and communicating are the basic social needs

and Indeon is the first Indian site that is focused on fulfilling these needs

amongst Indians." Elaborating on Indeon’s role as a community service

provider, company co-founder Samit Jhaveri said, "We plan to achieve our

mission of bringing the worldwide Indian population together by positioning

Indeon as a premier destination for Indians across the globe."

According to a press release issued by the company, the value addition from

building a community to support a portal’s core product comes from the greater

‘stickiness’ this generates for the site. This stickiness is achieved by

providing integrated, easy-to-use and personalized experience to visitors. This

in turn ensures that the portal is able to attract the right kind of users whose

needs it is best geared to cater to, says the release. Based on this principle,

a community platform develops a subscriber base that generates page views aimed

at a specific URL. This in turn is an opportunity for niche advertising, as

advertisers will be able to reach a particular segment and target them with

e-commerce opportunities in line with their profiles.