When Gayathri Thyagarajan, CEO, Kynhood Technologies came to India, something about the news aggregator app developed by her brother rang a bell. She realised that globalization brought the world to one’s door steps but slowly disconnected from local happening.
With a problem statement and after a successful trial run, KYN or Know Your Neighbourhood app has been launched recently. This hyperlocal app keeps you updated on what is happening in your area, like the concert in a Sabha, a temple festival or new discounts in a local shop.
Launching the app, Dr Palanivel Thiagarajan, Minister of Information Technology and Digital Services said, “Technology has brought many benefits to individuals, to society, to countries. I think in a platform that can afford the space for local business, talent, communities to connect, we will start to see a healthier economy, healthier internet utilisation and eventually a healthier society as well. I think this will be a valuable application for us as a society.” The app aims to provide a platform for local shops to reach to their target audience.
Gayathri Thyagarajan added, “Kyn will help help home entrepreneurs and small businesses in neighbourhoods grow their marketplace. Besides this, influencers even with smaller follower count, can make a bigger impact in the neighbourhoods. This also provides a great opportunity for established brands to promote and customise their offerings in each hyperlocal zone. Kyn will have both publisher and user-generated content that are carefully curated.”
The company aims to achieve 10 lakh downloads in first three months and 50 lakh by the end of the year. Currently available in Chennai, in 6 months, the app’s area will expand to Madurai, Tiruchi, Theni, Tirunelveli and Coimbatore, and going live across south India by end of the year. The company aims to be responsible right from the beginning and has set stringent content posting rules and a dedicated team to check veracity of information.
The three main features of the app are:
LIVE: Events like new happenings, daily spiritual content, local events like school or college cultural events and sports days would be telecasted live.
User Generated Content: This provides a platform for users to register their voice related to the community.
Marketplace: It enables local businesses and home entrepreneurs to create their own neighbourhood marketplace.
