India’s growth story is powered not only by capital and technology but also by millions of daily wage and construction workers who form the backbone of its infrastructure economy. Yet, for decades, this workforce has remained largely invisible operating outside formal systems, with limited access to job security, transparency, or social protection.
That reality is precisely what Digital Labour Chowk is working to change.
On Bharat Ke Super Founders, India’s founder-first entrepreneurial television series streaming on Amazon MX Player, the platform secured a ₹1.65 crore funding commitment, structured thoughtfully to support long-term, impact-led scale. The funding includes ₹65 lakh in equity for a 3.25% stake and a ₹1 crore grant, reinforcing the show’s philosophy of backing serious builders with capital aligned to real-world operating needs rather than symbolic cheque moments.
The deal brought together the show’s Tycoons, a panel of seasoned business leaders investing in large, underserved markets. Dr. A. Velumani committed a ₹1 crore grant, recognizing the platform’s role in formalizing India’s informal labour ecosystem. Shanti Mohan invested ₹40 lakh for a 2% equity stake, while the remaining equity participation was structured through market-linked investments, including ₹25 lakh for 1.25% equity, along with contributions from Mrunal (₹10 lakh) and Pranav from LVX (₹15 lakh).
A Problem Seen on the Ground:
Founded by Chandrashekhar Mandal, Digital Labour Chowk Rozgar began with a simple but powerful observation. While passing a traditional labour chowk, Mandal saw workers waiting for hours often days without visibility into job opportunities, bargaining power, or income certainty.
During the COVID-19 lockdown, deeper research into the construction labour market revealed a striking paradox: acute labour demand coexisting with widespread worker uncertainty. What started as a Facebook initiative to connect workers with contractors soon showed the potential for something much larger.
By September 2020, Mandal left his job to pursue the venture full-time. With incubation support in Pune and early backing from institutions and corporates such as Citi Bank and Hitachi India, the platform raised close to ₹1 crore in early funding, setting the foundation for national scale.
Building Infrastructure, Not Just a Marketplace:
Launched in March 2023, Digital Labour Chowk Rozgar today connects over 2 lakh+ registered workers, 10,000 subcontractors, and 20,000+ companies posting projects across India. Workers gain access to pan-India job opportunities, improved transparency, and better bargaining power. Contractors and large enterprises including infrastructure majors benefit from verified, scalable labour sourcing.
But the platform goes far beyond job matching.
It is building a full-stack ecosystem for India’s daily wage workforce integrating attendance tracking, payroll processing, skill development, social security, and FinTech linkages. The objective is clear: move informal labour toward structured, traceable, and dignified employment, without removing the flexibility that the sector depends on.
Why This Matters:
India’s construction and infrastructure sectors employ over 50 million workers, many of whom remain outside formal banking, social security, and skill certification systems. This structural gap limits productivity, worker mobility, and long-term economic resilience.
Digital Labour Chowk Rozgar addresses this gap by bringing visibility, verification, and continuity to a workforce that has historically operated at the margins of the formal economy.
With this investment, Bharat Ke Super Founders reinforces its role as a platform enabling founders who are building foundational infrastructure for India’s growth economy. The Digital Labour Chowk Rozgar deal stands as a strong example of how commercial scalability and systemic social impact can and should move forward together.
This is not just a funding milestone. It is a signal that India is ready to formalize the future of work—starting from the ground up.
