Engineering student Akshay Kashyap relied on second-hand books throughout his school and college and IIT entrance exams.

An experience in Patna where he had to wait a long time to buy books for his JEE (Joint Entrance Examination) led him to think of a solution.

“I wished there was an easier way to purchase these books and had noticed a huge demand-supply gap. So when I couldn’t get a good rank in JEE after two attempts, I decided to do something off the beaten path and try my hand at this business,” says Akshay.

The engineering student studied the second-hand books market and launched an online platform ‘Kitabwalah’ in 2022 with his friend, Srijan Kumar.

Kitabwalah offers a wide range of used and new books catering to school students of ICSE, CBSE and Bihar Board, college students, competitive exam aspirants, as well as fiction and non-fiction enthusiasts.

With just Rs 800, the 21-year-olds bought some second-hand books, set up the website, and created social media accounts.

Their first challenge was to build a network of kabadiwalas (scrap sellers) to buy books, which would give them a good margin.

In the past two years, they have sold over 6,000 books, generating sales of Rs 8 lakh in FY 2023-24.

Operating from home, the two students attend college during the day and manage the business at night and on holidays.

The duo is also pursuing a BSc degree in data science and applications from IIT Madras, adding another layer to their already impressive repertoire.

Akshay believes they stand out because of the variety and the prices of their books.

“We offer books at lesser prices than standard second-hand booksellers. We understand the pain that a student faces and hence sell lower while maintaining good margins,” he says.

Their efforts to make education accessible to students from all walks of life also led to seed funding under the Bihar Startup Policy 2022.

This initial grant, amounting to Rs 10 lakh, was provided as an interest-free loan by the Government for 10 years. The disbursement occurred in phases.

Today, they cater to almost 200 to 250 customers daily from across the country, claims Akshay. Their average order value is around Rs 1,000.

Going ahead, Akshay wants Kitabwalah to become a one-stop shop for all things related to books and school supplies.