Sikkim duo finds AI solution to jobs market crisis

At a time when the Centre is encouraging entrepreneurship in the North East through various schemes and policies, two youths from Sikkim have embarked on a journey that has put the North East on the country’s technological innovation map.

Sulabh Raj Gurung and Diwash Kapil Chettri have made headlines by becoming the first in Sikkim and the North East to set up an AI-enabled platform that promises to provide a holistic solution to the problems in the domestic jobs market. The start-up has already garnered about $4.4 million (around Rs 40 crore) foreign direct investment from Germany.

“We are trying to do something that is quite different in the North East. When we talk about the region, there is barely any mention of innovation and technology. That was all the more reason for us to do this from Sikkim,” Chettri told Sunday Monitor as he spoke about Apuphi, which got its identity in March 2025. It will be officially launched in the first quarter of 2026.

Apuphi is an acronym that expands to ‘Apply, Upskill, Hired’. Whenever we talk about tech start-ups in India, we think of cities like Bengaluru, Hyderabad or Chennai. The northeastern states, which are known for tourism and handicrafts, are seldom mentioned in the context. However, Apuphi has changed that prevailing perception.

“Technology has no geographical boundary,” said Chettri, who started his career as a software developer.

Changing the Indian jobs market

Chettri met Gurung, who is a civil engineer, around four years ago. According to them, Apuphi — based in a remote West Sikkim village of Kaluk, which is a prominent tourism destination — is not a business venture but a solution to the problems that many youths face in the Indian jobs market. The duo did their market research for two years and found it imperative to come up with a platform that would be different from the existing job portals and that would help build a career ecosystem.

Young job seekers often grapple with career choices. Many lose focus as to which career path would be suitable for them. Often, there is an overwhelming number of applicants for a single role. Most of the recruiting companies ghost applicants by not providing any feedback on why they were rejected for a particular role.

The existing job portals also do not have provisions to connect job aspirants with mentors from their fields of expertise or companies of choice. This makes it harder for greenhorn job seekers to find a way through the market maze.

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It is this lack of information and absence of guidance that Apuphi intends to address. “Apuphi is not a traditional job portal. It is a comprehensive career ecosystem,” said Gurung.

The AI-enabled portal will not only help job seekers identify the right career option, but also identify the gaps in their talent. They will also get guidance on what upskilling courses will help them further their career.

“There are so many courses online that an individual would be overwhelmed. We are providing that solution, too, so that the next time the candidate applies for a job, the chances of getting a job increase significantly,” said Chettri.

Apuphi has solutions for both young job seekers and mid-career professionals. Those who are looking for a career transition can also fall back on the portal for help.

What makes Apuphi different from the existing job portals is that it comes up with an overall solution based on targeted skills, said Chettri, adding that it also provides upskilling recommendations from market experts. “There are several other features. One important feature is the dynamic apply, where an individual can apply for top 50 jobs in one click.”

“We are a career guidance system embedded in the career ecosystem,” asserted Gurung.

The investment

The German investment in Apuphi did not happen in a day. Both Gurung and Chettri applied to several platforms and approached about 40 institutions. “Then the German investor approached us through email, and we had to pitch (our venture) to them. There were several rounds of interviews. We had to comply with several of their guidelines,” said Chettri.

Both agreed that it was a tough journey because everything was new to them, and they had to navigate what came their way. Nonetheless, it was exciting.

Now that the investment is in place, the duo is planning a scale-up. They have already started hiring and are planning to open a branch outside the North East for distribution and marketing. Leveraging the existing technology is also on the cards.

“While our headquarters will be Sikkim, we will be operating from several places because a start-up demands that,” said Gurung.

Besides boosting their spirits, the FDI validated the young entrepreneurs’ idea in the international market.

The AI conundrum

Apuphi is seeking the help of artificial intelligence at a time when many are fearing losing jobs to AI. To this irony, Chettri said that Ai was inevitable and that many have misconceptions about it. Explaining the evolution of the jobs market over decades, he said that more than AI replacing jobs, “it will be people with the right knowledge of AI who will take over”.

“Everything has its pros and cons. Our thought is that we have to embrace AI as fast as we can,” he added.

Stating a report by the World Economic Forum, Gurung said that there would be a transition from old to new-age jobs, and Apuphi will help the right candidates get these jobs.

On a lighter note, Chettri added, “Probably, some AIs are taking your jobs, but our AI will help you get a job.”

Message to youths in NE

Gurung and Chettri wanted to break the career stereotype associated with the North East and wanted to do something unconventional. Apuphi is the result of this perseverance.

The young entrepreneurs in their thirties do not want youngsters from the North East to restrict themselves to traditional options and innovate their ways to success. But before that, skilling oneself is the most important thing, they feel.

“Just start what you want to do and do not wait for the right time. Improve your skills, and at the same time, grab any opportunity. Never limit yourself. Be hungry (for more knowledge and success),” said Chettri.

Echoing his sentiments, Gurung said, “Until you push yourself, you will never know your capacity. So, do that.”

It is this spirit that is helping Chettri and Gurung dream big. The prolific duo does not want to keep Apuphi limited to the domestic jobs market and envisions expanding its reach to the global market. “We want Apuphi to be a household name. Apuphi will be that one app that everyone will be using (in the future),” Chettri sounded confident.