India’s blue-collar workforce forms the backbone of some of the country’s most critical industries, particularly construction, manufacturing, logistics and infrastructure. Yet, despite their contribution to the economy, millions of workers continue to rely on informal networks, contractors and physical labour markets to find employment.

For Chandrashekhar Mandal, Founder of Digital Labour Chowk, this gap was not merely a business opportunity—it was a problem he had witnessed closely.

Coming from a small village in Bihar, where migration to cities in search of employment is common, Mandal eventually moved to Delhi for his education. While pursuing a Master of Commerce and preparing for a CA qualification, he joined an NBFC in 2020. His experience there exposed him to the everyday struggles faced by job seekers and ultimately led him to envision a digital alternative to the traditional labour market.

Today, Digital Labour Chowk is working to create a structured digital ecosystem for blue-collar employment, connecting workers with job opportunities across 31 states and union territories. According to Mandal, the platform facilitates access to opportunities for over 3 lakh workers daily.

In an interaction with Indian Startup Times, Chandrashekhar Mandal discussed his journey from Bihar to entrepreneurship, the challenges of digitising an informal workforce, building trust between workers and employers, securing early funding, the impact of national recognition and his ambitious plans to take Digital Labour Chowk beyond India.

From Bihar to Delhi: Where the Idea Began

Mandal’s entrepreneurial journey was shaped by his upbringing.

Growing up in a village in Bihar, he witnessed how people frequently migrated to cities in search of employment. This early exposure gave him an understanding of the challenges surrounding blue-collar employment long before he entered the startup ecosystem.

After moving to Delhi for education, Mandal pursued a Master of Commerce alongside his preparation for becoming a Chartered Accountant. In 2020, he joined an NBFC, where his interaction with job seekers provided the trigger for his entrepreneurial idea.

He observed that people looking for work often had limited access to reliable information and depended heavily on physical labour markets and informal networks.

That experience led to a simple but ambitious question: What if the traditional labour market could be brought online?

Mandal decided to explore the possibility of converting the physical labour market into a digital platform.

The challenge was that he had no initial background in technology.

Nevertheless, he began by building a website where workers and employers could register and connect with each other.

Turning the Physical Labour Market Digital

The early days of Digital Labour Chowk were far from easy.

One of the biggest challenges was convincing workers and employers that a digital platform could genuinely help them find reliable employment.

For workers accustomed to physical labour markets, technology itself presented a barrier. At the same time, employers had concerns about the authenticity and security of digital hiring.

Mandal therefore had to build more than just a technology platform. He had to build trust.

The COVID-19 lockdown in March 2020 unexpectedly accelerated the need for digital solutions. With traditional physical labour markets disrupted, the opportunity to connect workers and employers remotely became even more relevant.

In September 2020, Mandal made the decision to leave his job and move back to his village to focus entirely on the venture.

The startup’s first major validation came when Mandal secured a grant from an incubation centre in Pune. Additional grants and funding from a venture capital investor in Bengaluru subsequently enabled him to return to Delhi and begin scaling the business.

Building a Digital Identity for Blue-Collar Workers

Digital Labour Chowk’s larger vision goes beyond simply helping workers find jobs.

Mandal wants blue-collar workers to have a digital professional identity where their skills, experience and work history can be represented and discovered.

In many ways, he envisions a professional digital identity for blue-collar workers similar to what platforms such as LinkedIn provide for white-collar professionals.

This approach could help address one of the fundamental problems in India’s informal labour market: the absence of structured and verifiable professional records for workers.

The platform’s objective is to make worker skills and experience more visible while simultaneously helping employers discover relevant talent.

Keeping the Platform Free for Workers

One of the critical challenges Mandal faced was balancing commercial sustainability with social impact.

The platform needed to remain accessible to workers while developing a sustainable revenue model.

Digital Labour Chowk therefore follows a model where workers can use the platform without paying fees, while contractors and corporate clients contribute towards the platform’s services.

According to Mandal, contractors are charged a nominal amount, while corporates are charged relatively higher fees.

The company has also invested in technology and operational processes designed to create a safer hiring ecosystem.

Verification plays an important role in this process.

Rather than verifying only workers, the platform focuses on building trust on both sides of the marketplace by ensuring that employers and workers can be identified and verified.

Solving the Supply-Demand Problem

Building a labour marketplace comes with a unique challenge: supply and demand have to be balanced geographically and operationally.

Mandal explained that Digital Labour Chowk initially concentrated heavily on onboarding workers. However, simply having a large worker base did not guarantee that workers would find relevant opportunities.

The company subsequently began focusing on contractors and other mid-level participants who could help bridge the gap between workers and employers.

This created a three-sided ecosystem involving workers, contractors and employers.

The approach allowed Digital Labour Chowk to organise parts of India’s traditionally fragmented labour market while improving access to employment opportunities.

Today, the platform operates across 31 states and union territories, with Mandal stating that more than 3 lakh workers are connected with job opportunities daily.

The Grant That Validated the Idea

For Mandal, one of the most memorable moments in the entrepreneurial journey came when he received his first major grant of ₹10 lakh.

The funding was more than financial support—it was validation.

After investing considerable personal effort into an idea that many people were initially sceptical about, receiving the grant demonstrated that the concept had genuine potential.

It also helped Mandal gain greater confidence and support from his family.

But the startup’s journey to national visibility would take another significant turn through his participation in Bharat Ke Super Founders.

How National Recognition Changed the Game

Mandal credits the Bharat Ke Super Founders platform with giving Digital Labour Chowk significant national visibility.

The exposure helped the startup build credibility among workers, corporates, investors and potential partners.

Following the appearance, the company received a ₹1 crore grant from Dr. Vanlumani, along with investment from Samved Central Partner, according to Mandal.

The national exposure also helped Digital Labour Chowk establish conversations with major construction companies.

For a startup operating in a segment where trust is critical, national visibility had a direct business impact.

Mandal believes television and national-level exposure can significantly reduce the trust barrier that young startups often face while approaching large corporate customers.

The recognition also helped expand conversations with both domestic and international investors.

The Toughest Decision: Betting on the Idea

Every startup journey involves moments where founders have to make decisions without complete certainty.

For Mandal, one of the toughest decisions was investing in the venture when he did not have a clear answer to how he would eventually repay the money involved.

Yet, he chose to continue.

His experience has shaped one of his key leadership lessons: patience is essential in entrepreneurship.

According to Mandal, founders must understand that failure is not necessarily the opposite of success. It can be an integral part of the journey towards building something sustainable.

For him, the ability to continue despite uncertainty has been one of the most important characteristics required to build Digital Labour Chowk.

Aiming to Reach 40–50% of India’s Blue-Collar Workforce

The next phase of Digital Labour Chowk’s journey is considerably more ambitious.

Mandal wants the platform to eventually reach 40–50% of India’s blue-collar workforce in the construction sector.

With an estimated 8.5 crore workers in the segment, the scale of this ambition is substantial.

The goal is not only to connect workers with jobs but to create a digital presence for India’s blue-collar workforce—giving workers a way to showcase their skills, experience and professional history.

If successful, such an ecosystem could help transform how blue-collar workers discover opportunities and how employers identify talent.

From India to the Global Blue-Collar Workforce

Mandal’s vision is not limited to India.

He believes many countries face challenges similar to India’s fragmented blue-collar employment ecosystem. He specifically pointed to markets across Asia, including Nepal, Pakistan and Afghanistan, where informal employment and migration remain significant issues.

At the same time, he has seen interest from markets including the United States, Canada and countries in Africa in exploring similar solutions.

Digital Labour Chowk is currently evaluating the resources and partnerships required for international expansion.

The broader vision is to build a platform that can give blue-collar workers around the world a digital professional identity and improve their access to employment opportunities.

The Road Ahead

From a small village in Bihar to building a platform serving workers across 31 states and union territories, Chandrashekhar Mandal’s journey reflects the potential of technology to address deeply rooted problems in India’s labour market.

Digital Labour Chowk is attempting to bring structure, verification and digital visibility to a workforce that has historically operated through informal systems.

The company’s next chapter will be defined by its ability to scale this model, strengthen its technology and operational infrastructure, deepen relationships with employers and potentially take its solution into international markets.

For Mandal, however, the larger objective remains straightforward: to ensure that a worker’s skills and experience do not remain invisible simply because they belong to the blue-collar workforce.

As India’s employment ecosystem becomes increasingly digital, platforms such as Digital Labour Chowk could play a significant role in bringing the country’s vast informal workforce into the formal digital economy.

Interview By: Arushi Agarwal