The emergence of new business models New business models in India are emerging that are changing the way we live or do business. The entrepreneurial mindset has caught up in a big way and India is recognised as a fast-growing destination for startups. Boosted by angel investors, groups and crowdfunding initiatives, the ecosystem is currently seeing a “flooding” of entrepreneurship backed by innovative ideas.
In 2017, more than a thousand startups were launched, which brought India to the third position in the world as far as startup ecosystem is concerned, after the U.K and the U.S. Intense competition from other countries notwithstanding, India is all set to emerge as the leading startup destination in the world in the coming years. As per a NASSCOM report on startups, 5,200 technology startups were seen in the IT sector in 2017 alone. Tier II cities are also joining in the startup bandwagon even as major metros including Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi retained their top positions.
Bengaluru having earned the reputation of being a startup capital is expected to generate more than two lakh jobs from 11,500 startups by 2020. Most of the startup growth is centred around technology, IT, big data, e-commerce and fin-tech. The rising popularity of e-commerce and shared economy models are changing the business landscapes. Instant delivery of goods and services is now possible and convenient. With the click of a mouse, service providers including beauticians, bankers, plumbers or food delivery can be summoned any time.
Why investors insist on background checks for startups
While the booming startup landscape is exciting news for the economy, there are risks inherent in the shared economy blue collared jobs. The rise in contract work, temporary hires and shared models also highlight the security concerns. The recent spate of crimes and frauds, whether it is the drivers or technology support scams, underscore the importance of conducting a thorough employee background verification and employee screening. Where earlier only employees were subject to background checks prior to hiring, the need of the hour is now employee screening and due diligence for startups.
Instant verification that can generate trust and speed up the business alliances or startup investments call for professional technology-enabled solutions. Wrong hires cost much more than money, with the damage to reputation, at times, being irreparable. Particularly when it comes to startups that are cash-strapped, there is no room for bad hires or wrong investment decisions.
As per an Economic Times Tech article, investors are increasingly hiring professional employee screening or employee background verification firms to do background checks on startups. One of the recent reports showed that a minimum of one fraud in 2017 was encountered by 82 percent of executives. With the sexual harassment scandal rocking the reputation of a leading cab service provider a couple of years back, the company faced major investor scrutiny and backlash.
Common areas where background verifications fail
When investors commit their money to a startup, they are obviously looking to recover their investment while protecting their reputation. In this scenario, hiring professional employee background verification firms to check on the credibility, personal integrity, credit history, criminal records, experience and financial history is of utmost value to the investor.
AuthBridge conducted a comprehensive survey in 2017 and found that most failures in background verification are related to employment information, address and education and reference checks. Many provide false employment details while faking documents related to educational qualifications. Fake addresses and references are the other common pitfalls encountered in background checks.
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AuthBridge, as the leading employee background verification provider, offers the best technology-driven solutions for investors and employers. A wide range of employee verification services, including employment check, education check, address check and reference check are provided.
