As a child prepares to step into the complex working world, what is the main factor that drives their decision to pursue one path over the other? The confused child might pursue choices influenced by the hectic environment, their parents, or the capitalistic race to choose the most ‘profitable’ career. In a scenario like this, important factors like their inherent aptitude, accumulated interests and personality type can often be overlooked. Another often ignored aspect is the influence of genetics on an individual’s choices. Research on the influence of genes on future prospects has shown that even twins with a largely similar background can carry different aptitudes for career prospects due to the slight 1% difference in their DNA makeup.
We might not realise it, but genes play a critical role in our academic or work-related prospects. They can define what type of work an individual prefers; are they more likely to pick a leadership role? Or perhaps they have an appetite for work that allows more creative freedom? Genetic predisposition allows one to pursue a path where they feel more like themselves, more settled, and more comfortable.
The idea behind Genleap, a first-of-its kind, career and life management platform, originated from the very belief that, given the opportunity, an individual will choose their career prospects based on their genetic inclinations. Utilising the help of genomics, Genleap strives to prove that genes are a vehicle that can reveal a person’s true abilities, inclinations, and strengths.
Co-founder and CEO of Genleap, Sachin Sandhir, worked with his team with the intention of transforming the ordinary ways of career counselling and management. Instead of a vague guide, they wanted to work out the small intricacies of an individual’s makeup and lead them confidently towards their chosen path.
A revolutionary idea with the aim to help many
Academic capabilities do not prove the possibility of a person’s success; instead, it is their area of interest that governs their aptitude in their chosen field. This is where the main problem arises: how can a student, confused about his capabilities, choose the correct path? Sachin Sandhir empathised with this issue on a personal level.
Sachin Sandhir has held notable CxO level positions in companies like Velocity, RICS South Asia, and Helix Financial. While he has decades of experience heading successful companies, he often looked back at his journey as a confused youth navigating his career choices. Sandhir wanted to create a platform that provides clarity and direction to the future generation. In this regard, Genleap works as an end-to-end counselling platform for children, and even working individuals look for a more coherent guide for their future prospects.
“I was an average student academically. I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do in my career, and it was only by chance that I got into the real estate sector and built a successful career. This is a problem statement across many households,” Sachin Sandhir told The Story Watch in an interview.
Sandhir was joined in this endeavour by the brainchild of the idea behind connecting genetics with career management, co-founder and co-CEO Nimish Gupta. Having led and managed many successful businesses himself, Gupta realised that transforming the lives of people around him was what gave him the utmost satisfaction. Through their shared passion, they built a platform that uses the three sciences of genetics, psychometrics, and cognitive astromancy to provide career streaming to individuals to help them gain personal and professional satisfaction.
Sandhir and Gupta were backed by the intellect of co-founders Shweta Kataria (CPMO), Nitin Thakur (MD), and Mohit Juneja (Director), who honed their years of experience and pragmatic skills to harness a deep understanding of their customers and the products offered by the company. GenLeap has a dedicated leadership team that handles growth, marketing, genomics, etc. Currently, they have a proud team size of 75.
Bringing the science-driven idea to everyday life
To truly harness the potential of genetics in career management, Genleap partnered with various institutions to bring about this end-to-end career lifecycle management platform. Their partnership with KarmaGenes brings about the DNA assessment that provide the genetic markers and scores related to a person’s personal capabilities.
“We’ve done 16000 tests in India; whether it was a 6-year-old child or a 15-year-old kid who’s making a stream selection, people have found immediate benefits in the recommendations and have been able to relate to the discovery being made. People describe the results as “scarily accurate“, In fact, they say that the assessment seems to know the child better than the parents themselves,” Sandhir relayed to The Story Watch.
After the psychometric test, the individual is aided by counsellors, who help guide them towards the next step. They have a wide range of committed partners who help students with course selection, study abroad programmes, scholarships, and even financing. Their wide range of partnerships guides the student through career prospects, job assessments, and even provides a predictive model for assessing role fulfilment for future jobs.
With an initial target of helping individuals in the age group of 6–24 years, GenLeap has partnered with over 50 institutions like Amity, GD Geonka, DPS, etc. This helps them connect directly with the students and parents they help through multiple workshops. Additionally, the GenDiscover programme is just as helpful for working adults.
“We have CEOs coming to us and saying, ‘I’m 50; I’ve figured out what I’ve done in my last life, but now I want to make a difference; I want to know what I should do in the next 25 years of my life.’ So this product is not just useful for students but for working professionals as well,” said co-founder and CEO Sachin Sandhir.
Consistent traction towards a successful future
When GenLeap officially landed in July 2022, the legitimacy of the idea behind the company was further proven as it gained immediate recognition from the top 50 CEOs and investors. The company raised Rs. 60 crore in their seed round; backed by renowned names like Mike Holland, Sunjay Dutt, Neeraj Bansal, Vikash Khadlaya, and many more.
The idea has helped over 1 million individuals hone their capabilities and find the correct path in life. Through their partnership with over 115 academic institutions that provide Genleap’s aid to its students, the company claims to have generated a revenue of Rs. 20 crore in just the past few months.
With success came the wish to expand globally, and GenLeap is currently going forward with a Reg A+ IPO in the US market. The company already has a sizeable post-IPO of $50 million from the Global Emerging Market Group (GEM). They also have dedicated pre-IPO investments of $50–75 million. This puts the company’s principal commitment at $125 million.
Furthermore, GenLeap is in the process of acquiring companies across career counselling, study abroad, scholarship, and financing platforms. Following this consistent growth, Genleap aims to set up operations in parts of Asia, the Middle East, and the US.
Furthermore, GenLeap hints at an exciting future through harnessing genomics and psychometrics in the fields of relationship compatibility and matchmaking, mental well-being and nutrition, skin care, sports, and fitness for their future products.
“We believe that our company is going to be a definite game changer, and we intend to touch the lives of 10 million people over the next 10 years. GenLeap wants to make genetics affordable and not just do genetic testing but provide personalised solutions. Genetics will see a unicorn in the making from India, and we hope to achieve this very soon,” Sandhir relayed his trust in the company’s future.