2019-08-11_Business_Today

THE BUZZ

1) The Founders

Kundan Shahi, Mahendra Singh,

Syed Asif Iqbal and Himanshu

Kesari; all of them are from diverse

backgrounds such as law, insurance,

technology and consultancy.

2) The Concept

In 2016, the co-founders launched

their first start-up called Advok8

that focussed on litigation funding,

case tracking and other legal aid

services. In the course of work,

they realised that there was a huge

market out there as people seek legal

advice for a plethora of reasons.

However, they hesitate to go ahead

as they have little knowledge of the

legal system. As lawyers are not

allowed to advertise or promote

their work, individuals find it

difficult to access them. High legal

costs also act as a deterrent in many

cases. The four, therefore, decided

to launch a second start-up (the

company is registered as Ayu.AI) to

provide personalised legal support

to individuals in an affordable and

timely manner.

3) The Backers

The company raised `70 lakh from

a clutch of angel investors, including

Surender Kumar, Chief Manager

offer temporary safeguards against

litigation expenses for 2-60 days.

For instance, if an employee fears

workplace harassment, she can

purchase an Employment Assistance

Card in advance and get legal aid,

should the need arise. Again, a

business owner may want to buy a

Founder Card if business conflicts

are foreseen. These digital cards can

be purchased online, and GoAyu will

provide legal consultancy (either

through a helpline or by arranging a

face-to-face meeting with a lawyer)

as per one’s requirement. The firm

has six in-house counsels while four

law firms work on fixed monthly

fees. Another 76 law firms have

been empanelled and get paid as

per the work assigned. According to

Shahi, Couple Card, Cheque Bounce

Card, Insurance Rejection Card,

Employment Card and Founder

Card are currently getting the

most traction.

THE NOIDA-BASED

COMPANY OFFERS LEGAL

EXPENSE SAFEGUARDS

AND PROVIDES LEGAL

ADVICE TO INDIVIDUALS.

By Sonal Khetarpal

Photograph by Reuben Singh

START-UP

LITIGATION

ASSISTANCE

GOAYU

(From left) GoAyu Co-founders

Mahendra Singh (COO),

Kundan Shahi (CEO) and

Syed Asif Iqbal (Legal Head)

26 I BUSINESS TODAY I August 11 I 2019

(Quality Assurance) at Hindustan

Petroleum and Chittransh Verma,

India Partner at Dubai-based VC firm

ASZ Ventures, among others. The

company is now raising `1.5 crore.

4) The Business

GoAyu provides sector-specific

Legal Assistance Cards, which cost

between `100 and `5,000 and

KEY NUMBERS

FOUNDED IN

February 2019

LEGAL ASSISTANCE

CARDS SOLD

1,500

in four months

CATEGORIES

COVERED

12

types of cards

TEAM MEMBERS

26