IIM-A students create online marketplace

Finding accommodation for 50 students on a field trip to a new city, tracing an outdated print of a management book, looking for a second-hand bicycle to ride around the campus or even debating the Budget with a group of students you have never met "" all this will soon be possible through a first-of-its-kind website launched by two postgraduate programme (PGP) students at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A).

The portal, instibuzz.com, is a brainchild of ex-IITians Vijayendra Haryal, a second-year PGP student and Varun Mishra, a first-year student.

The portal offers an online marketplace, an online notice board, a social networking forum and an accommodation details forum, which is open only to registered students from educational institutes in the country.

The duo hit upon the concept when they realised that important notices that could benefit students lie idle on the notice boards of educational institutes, which not only waste a lot of paper but are hardly read by anyone. In order to keep the discussion forums relevant, they are made institute-specific, city-specific. One can even send a notice across all the institutes via the portal.

Already close to 20 institutes including all the IIMs, the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT)s and other top institutes like National Institute of Design (NID) and MDI Gurgaon have registered with the portal.

To be launched on February 28, commemorating the National Science Day, the website will initially be open only to educational institutes and will be extended to corporate houses, NGOs and other institutional bodies in the near future.

"Often, students would like second-hand goods like mobiles or books at affordable costs and from people they can trust. Through this portal, students will be able to register only with their official institute email IDs, which eliminates the risk of being cheated or creation of any spam on the network," says Vijayendra Haryal.

The registration for the website is free and those wanting to buy a commodity on sale can get in touch directly with the seller through his or her institute email ID.

"We are looking to creating a knowledge resource centre through discussion forums where students can discuss current affairs and share academic materials," says Varun Mishra.

A national notice board on the portal ensures that details of the latest events happening in institutes are accessible to each user.