Soft Skills & Behavioural Skills — for everyone
Nominated by: The FIRSTWINGS Connect Program
Category: Soft skills & Behavioural skills Tech, Personal Development, EdTech, AI-powered Coaching
Startup Summary
An A.I. system delivering 70%+ effectiveness of a human counsellor — sustainable, multi- lingual, hyper-personalised & affordable for every individual, combined with a human in the loop.
First Byline:
This blended model ensures technology reaches the last mile — while creating meaningful livelihoods for trained local counsellors in rural communities.
Second Byline:
Built for India: Multi-lingual, personalised, and scalable — designed from the ground up for India's diverse population.
Highlights
70%+ of Human Counsellor Effectiveness at Scale
Delivers high-quality, personalized guidance through AI—making coaching accessible to the masses.
India-First, Multilingual & Affordable
Built for diverse users with Hindi and regional language support at a fraction of traditional coaching costs.
AI + Human Hybrid Model for Last-Mile Impact
Combines intelligent automation with local counsellors to ensure personalization, trust, and rural reach.
Team
Venkatesh Madurai Subramanian : Founder
What They Do
ApnaVikas.com is an affordable, AI-powered personality development platform that helps students and working professionals better understand people and situations using Enneagram-based insights, instant reports, chatbot guidance, and expert sessions—available in multiple languages like Hindi and English.
Pain Points
The Skills Gap
Communication. Negotiation. Relationships. Presentation— these critical soft skills are in high demand. But what'savailable today?
1:1 Personalization — Broken at Scale
Best Results, Not Scalable: Constant 1:1 with an expert counsellor is proven by surveys — but reserved only for leaders and senior management.
Unaffordable: At $43/month+, personalised coaching is out of reach for 99% of Indians.
No Hindi Option: Zero online 1:1 personalised soft skills tools exist in Hindi today.
Neglected by the Ecosystem
Skewed Focus: Rural and urban India prioritise finance and technology — soft skills are consistently ignored in the startup and policy ecosystem.
Left to Fend: Professionals, students, and entrepreneurs rely on generic content or advice from relatives — with no structured support.
1 out of 805: Only 1 startup among RKVY-supported startups even remotely addresses this topic.
Solution
Proprietary Behavioral Framework
A research-backed methodology built over 32 years to deliver effective soft skills and personality development guidance.
AI-Powered Personalized Coaching
Fine-tuned LLMs provide intelligent, contextual, and scalable guidance—achieving ~70% effectiveness of a human counsellor.
Hybrid, India-Focused Delivery Model
A multilingual, affordable platform combining AI with human counsellors to ensure accessibility, last-mile reach, and local livelihood creation.