1. Shiv Shankar Kumar and Kumar Aakash founded Wings HR Solutions in 2008 to help level the playing field in the hiring process and fill the gap between graduating students and recruiters. 2. Wings uses patented psychometric testing software to assess students' competencies and help companies identify weaknesses in current employees as well as training opportunities. 3. The company generates revenue by selling access to its growing database of student profiles to recruiters, helping connect qualified candidates to opportunities more efficiently than traditional on-campus recruiting.

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only later that they realizedthe actual business
potential of such a venture.
Wings was set up in November 2008
with help from two industry experts. The
duo started out with their patented software
for psychometric tests. The software gauges
the individual competencies of students and
helps companies find areas of weaknesses
in their current employees; it also suggests
developmentaltraining.
"There is a gap between graduating students
and recruiters," explains Aakash. "Companies
usually go to campuses of premier institu-
tions, but there might be similar talent in other
colleges as well. Moreover, many companies
don't even visit campuses;they use recruit-
ment portals. This software and the data-
base we prepare by making students take the
tests fill this gap. It puts everyone on a level
playing ground."
There is almost a 7O percent cost
benefit for companies in using Wings'
software and database over visiting 76 to 2O
campuses across four cities. However, compa-
nies are disinclined to rely solely on virtual
recruitment. To deal with this, Wings currently
has human resourceexecutivesto advisecompa-
nies. But the dream is to completely'virtualize'
the recruitment space in India. "ln due course,
companieswill realizethe cost benefit of that,"
wings of opportunity] saysa hopeful Aakash.
At Wings, the entire process of recruitment
is treated like supply chain management.The
revenue stream is generated through the sale
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t{EtLPLA(E0: Shankar T . Ja marketwhereeveryone isvyingfor of software that enables companies to access
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Wings So{utions. give everyone an equal placement opportunity
HR
the student database as well. The database is
updated daily to remove names of recruited
students and enter new ones.So far, only colleges
with Wings HR Solutions. in Maharashtrahave been included in the data-
Shiv Shankar Kumar graduated from IIT base-a total of 800 institutes, mostly those
Bombay in 2008 and shared his dream proj- that grant professionaldegrees.
ect with fourth year Material Science student, Aakash is confident about taking the
Kumar Aakash.Together,they set up Wings HR venture forward post his graduation. This year,
Solutions (as a somewhatcharitable venture) to the duo plans to include colleges across India
makethe placementprocedure in other colleges and form a team to establish direct relationships
as efficient as that in their alma mater. It was with colleges.
100 Entrepreneur , November 2009