There is no age bar for doing something good for the society and 13-year-old Tilak Mehta shows us in the best possible manner. Like any other teenager, he attends a suburban school and complains about his father coming home from work late.
But, there are a lot of factors that contribute to his extraordinary story. Even though he is just a teenager, Tilak has founded a logistics startup and also roped in Mumbai’s dabbawalas for help, mentioned the PTI report.
Known as “Papers N Parcels“, his startup is dedicated to carrying small parcels and papers within Mumbai for an assured intra-day delivery.
“Papers N Parcels (PNP) is my dream and I will work to ensure that the business becomes big,” Tilak says to PTI.
This startup functions by using a dedicated mobile application for business and already employs 180 employees on its own and 300 Dabbawalas, who cater to as many as 1,200 deliveries per day.
Tilak told reporters that “Last year, I wanted a few books from another part of the city urgently. My father came home tired after a day’s work, and so I could not ask him. There was nowhere to go.” That’s how he came across this wonderful initiative.
After going through an extensive research, Tilak ran a beta test for four months before formally launching his startup.
According to the report, his startup has defined area of operation connected by the city’s famed train network, with a central hub at Dadar in central Mumbai. Depending on the weight, it handles parcels of up to 3 kg and charges Rs 40-180 for every parcel.
Tilak’s father provided the initial capital for setting up the operations as well as developing a mobile app.
After finishing their duty, the Dabbawalas will handle the last-mile delivery for PNP.
Association spokesperson Subhash Talekar said to PTI, “Our association has not officially tied up with PNP and it’s up to every individual Dabbawala to associate with them. I think it will give them additional income.”
Currently, the company is paying a fixed amount to every Dabbawala partner but the payment process will shift to per delivery basis. If there is any possible synergy, PNP is willing to team up with companies like Swiggy, said CEO Anashyam Parekh.
PNP is targeting to capture 20 percent of the intra-city logistics market and a turnover of Rs 100 crore by 2020. The clientele already includes pathology labs, boutique shops and a brokerage which will only grow bigger with the formal launch, Mr. Parekh said to PTI.