BridgeLabz plans centre in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: Mumbai-based startup Bridge Labz, which offers free training to fresh engineering graduates, is planning to set up its training lab in the city in next six months.

"We launched our business operations in Hyderabad three months back. We will set up a new training centre here in next six months," Manoj Barot, Chief Marketing Officer, Bridge Labz, told The Hans India.

The startup already has training centres in Mumbai and Bengaluru, where it trains engineering graduates and make them ready for the IT sector.

Besides Hyderabad, it plans to establish centres in Kolkata and Pune. It will essentially have its physical presence in all the IT hubs in India. The startup invests close to Rs 5 crore in each centre.

According to Barot, each centre is equipped with 200 seats of which 150 for learners and the training programme is for four months. "We will deploy 50 engineers to train 150 people. That means one mentor for three learners. Each lab will train 1,500 people every year," he said.

Bridge Labz charges Rs 2.5 lakh per candidate from companies which offer jobs to its candidates. Therefore, training is entirely free for candidates.

It trained 350 fresh engineering graduates and placed them in various companies last financial year, thus earning Rs 5 crore in revenues.

The startup, which trained 1,500 people since its inception in 2015, plans to eventually train 10,000 people annually across the country.

BridgeLabz reaches to potential candidates through social media and taps other training centres too. Before selection, the candidates will be put through various tests that last for eight hours.

The company has tied up with 150 companies, from startups to MNCs. "The list is growing and 40 per cent of our clients offer repeat business," he said.

"For a growing company like ours, we need to keep investing. We are already profitable. However, we are plough back the profits into the company to set up new branches," he said.

Brushing aside slowdown fears, he said there was high demand for people trained in emerging technologies.