India’s blue-collar workforce powers industries ranging from logistics and manufacturing to retail and e-commerce. Yet, millions of workers still struggle with fragmented hiring systems, lack of trust, delayed payments, and limited access to verified opportunities. Addressing this challenge is JobsUPI, a voice-first AI-powered recruitment platform founded by Shrey Bansal and Shubham Periwal.
In an exclusive interaction with Indian Startup Times, the founders shared their entrepreneurial journeys, the inspiration behind JobsUPI, and how they are building a trusted hiring ecosystem for India’s workforce.
From Diverse Backgrounds to a Shared Mission
For Shrey Bansal, entrepreneurship started early. Back in 2017, he founded “See4Children,” an NGO focused on supporting children’s education in India. The initiative was later formalized in Singapore and successfully raised close to ₹1 crore for educational causes.
Growing up in an entrepreneurial environment also played a major role in shaping his outlook. Inspired by his father’s journey in building HR-focused ventures, Shrey explored internships across banking, startups, and technology companies, gaining exposure to both business operations and scaling strategies.
Meanwhile, Shubham Periwal’s journey began in Kolkata, where he grew up around a family business environment before moving to Singapore for higher education in information systems. Professionally, he worked at global investment firm GIC as a quantitative strategist while also exploring startup ecosystems and emerging technologies.
Despite coming from different backgrounds, both founders shared one common vision — building meaningful technology solutions for India. Their conversations eventually led to the birth of JobsUPI.
The Idea Behind “JobsUPI”
The name “JobsUPI” reflects the founders’ ambition to simplify hiring the way UPI simplified digital payments in India.
According to Shrey, JobsUPI stands for “Unified People Interface.” The platform is designed to create seamless interactions between job providers and job seekers, especially in the blue-collar employment segment.
The company has also intentionally used colors inspired by the Indian flag to create a stronger sense of trust and familiarity among users.
Unlike traditional job portals, JobsUPI is built with a voice-first approach. This makes the platform more accessible for users who may not be comfortable with typing-heavy applications or complicated onboarding processes.
Solving the Trust Gap in Blue-Collar Hiring
One of the biggest challenges in India’s blue-collar recruitment ecosystem is trust.
Workers are often uncertain about payment reliability, job authenticity, and employer credibility. On the other side, employers struggle to find dependable workers efficiently.
JobsUPI aims to bridge this gap by partnering with verified companies and digitizing the hiring and payment experience. The founders emphasized that ensuring salaries are credited directly into workers’ bank accounts plays a critical role in building confidence among job seekers.
The platform also uses AI-driven matching systems to connect workers with relevant opportunities based on intent, location, and job requirements.
For the founders, technology alone is not enough — trust remains the foundation of the business.
Scaling a Voice-Based AI Hiring Platform
Currently, JobsUPI has facilitated over 200 job postings while onboarding more than 1,200 users and 40 providers onto the platform.
The startup is primarily focused on North India at present, but expansion plans are already underway. The founders revealed their intention to enter key metropolitan markets such as Bangalore and Mumbai as they scale operations.
The company sees massive potential in sectors like:
- E-commerce
- Logistics
- Manufacturing
- Delivery services
- Workforce support operations
These sectors continue to face workforce shortages, creating significant opportunities for technology-enabled hiring solutions.
Real Impact Beyond Numbers
Among the many stories shared during the interview, one particularly stood out.
The founders spoke about Sapna, a housewife who was able to earn a livelihood through opportunities provided on the platform. Such success stories reinforce JobsUPI’s larger mission of enabling financial inclusion and accessible employment opportunities for underserved communities.
By creating flexible and work-from-home opportunities, the platform is helping individuals who may otherwise remain outside the traditional workforce.
Raising Funds Through Community and Conviction
Interestingly, JobsUPI’s early funding journey was driven largely through LinkedIn outreach and word-of-mouth support.
The founders shared that building strong relationships and communicating their vision clearly helped them attract investor interest. As the company prepares for its next funding round, the focus now is on scaling operations, improving technology infrastructure, and expanding geographical reach.
Leadership Lessons from the Founders
Reflecting on their entrepreneurial journey, both founders highlighted the importance of people management and team-building.
Shubham emphasized that in startups, intent often matters more than skill. According to him, individuals with the right mindset and ownership mentality can create long-term impact within a company.
Shrey added that founders should optimize for the people they work with and focus on building teams aligned with the company’s mission and values.
Their leadership philosophy is rooted in adaptability, trust, and execution.
The Future of Hiring in India
Looking ahead, the founders believe that voice AI, digital identities, and intelligent automation will redefine hiring in India.
As more users become digitally connected, platforms that simplify interactions through regional accessibility and conversational interfaces will gain massive adoption. JobsUPI plans to stay ahead of this transformation by leveraging AI-driven workflows and seamless digital payment systems.
The company’s long-term vision is to build an infrastructure layer for employment — one that makes hiring trustworthy, accessible, and efficient for every worker across India.
Advice for Aspiring Founders
For aspiring entrepreneurs in HR tech and recruitment, the founders shared one key piece of advice: talk to customers early.
Understanding real-world problems directly from users can help founders build solutions that genuinely matter. They also emphasized the importance of trust, execution, and staying deeply connected to the people being served.
As India’s workforce ecosystem evolves, startups like JobsUPI are demonstrating how technology, when combined with accessibility and trust, can create meaningful impact at scale.
Interview By : Arushi Agarwal
