<p><i>Reachhh&nbsp;is one of the finalists in the HI Hub Incubator Program.&nbsp;Soham Poddar tells us more about the business.</i></p> <p><span class="p-body"><b><span class="p-body-large-bold">What product or service does Reachhh offer?</span><br> </b>Reachhh is a digital hyper-local advertising platform that connects brands with influencers and vice versa. Think of it like a “swipe” system — brands can swipe on influencers, and influencers can swipe on brands they’d like to collaborate with. There are three main use cases for Reachhh.</span></p> <ul class="p-list"> <li><span class="p-body"><b>For Brands: </b>The platform allows businesses to locate local creators such as gym trainers or hairdressers who have real influence in their communities. For example, a protein company launching a new flavor in the NYU area can use Reachhh to find gym trainers nearby who can authentically promote their product to local customers. Instead of paying for expensive billboards, brands can create hyper-local ad networks that deliver higher engagement and real sales impact. Reachhh integrates with Instagram API and uses AI to analyze engagement data, demographics, and follower locations. This helps brands identify the right micro-influencers by area, age, and audience type — making marketing more targeted and cost-effective. Even small businesses or student entrepreneurs can use Reachhh to promote products or pop-ups within their campus area.</span></li> <li><span class="p-body"><b>For Influencers:</b> Creators can also use Reachhh to connect directly with nearby brands through ReachMap, a tool that lets them view and contact businesses based on zip code, city, or country. For instance, a gym trainer can reach out to local gyms in their area to propose paid collaborations, fostering partnerships that make sense geographically and economically.</span></li> <li><span class="p-body"><b>For Managers: </b>Many influencers work through managers. Reachhh provides a management tab that lets managers list and oversee their clients’ collaborations. This ensures that the platform supports, rather than replaces, managers in the influencer marketing ecosystem.</span></li> </ul> <p><span class="p-body"><b><span class="p-body-large-bold">How did you come up with the idea for this business?</span><br> </b>The idea actually came from my mom’s jewelry business. She’s a professional diamond designer, and during her first exhibition, we wanted to expand her reach beyond friends and family through influencer collaborations. But we faced three main problems: finding the right influencers, determining fair pricing, and avoiding overcharging. That experience made me realize there wasn’t a platform where small businesses could easily discover and connect with local influencers — a kind of “Amazon for influencer marketing.” Around the same time, my gym trainer mentioned he wanted to earn money through brand collaborations but didn’t know how. I saw a clear gap on both sides — brands struggling to find influencers, and influencers wanting better access to paid opportunities. That’s how Reachhh was born: a marketplace for brands and creators to connect and monetize influence seamlessly.</span></p> <p><span class="p-body"><b><span class="p-body-large-bold">Why did you decide to participate in the HI Hub Incubator program?</span><br> </b>I had four main reasons for joining the HI Hub Incubator Program:</span></p> <ol class="p-list"> <li><span class="p-body">The cohort allows me to connect with other NYU founders and gain fresh perspectives on Reachhh. I thrive in a competitive environment, and I think that’s where the best ideas develop.</span></li> <li><span class="p-body">The incubator connects participants with industry leaders who can provide valuable insights and feedback. I reviewed my assigned mentors and realized they were a perfect fit for this project.</span></li> <li><span class="p-body">The structured support system gives me a clear roadmap to turn Reachhh from an idea into a fully launched business.</span></li> <li><span class="p-body">The prize money would help me scale and refine Reachhh independently. I like to think of the company as “self-funded, self-made.”</span></li> </ol> <p><span class="p-body"><b><span class="p-body-large-bold">What do you enjoy most about creating your own startup?</span><br> </b>It’s the freedom and creativity that come with it. Running a startup allows your mind to explore new ideas and connect dots in ways you wouldn’t in a typical job. I also love the opportunity to manage a team, work with peers and mentors, and gain real-world business knowledge. You learn how industries operate — from finance to tech — and constantly evolve through research and experimentation. It’s a deeply educational and empowering experience.</span></p> <p><span class="p-body"><b><span class="p-body-large-bold">What advice would you give to someone contemplating founding a startup?</span><br> </b>My advice is simple: just start. If you have an idea, begin researching it. If your research makes you optimistic, move forward. The process itself will teach you everything — where your weaknesses lie, how to improve, and how to pivot. For example, Reachhh originally started as a simple matchmaking platform between brands and influencers. But through development and feedback, I discovered the concept of hyper-local ad networks, which became our unique selling point (USP). Even Mark Zuckerberg once said he didn’t know how to hire or manage a company when he started Facebook — he learned by doing. You have to trust the process and let the experience shape you.</span></p> <p><span class="p-body"><b><span class="p-body-large-bold">What is something you hope to learn through this process?</span><br> </b>There are countless things to learn, but the biggest one is understanding the process of building something from scratch. Reachhh has already taught me so much — from technical challenges to leadership — and I know that continuing in the incubator will help shape me into a more effective and thoughtful entrepreneur in the future.</span></p> <p><span class="p-body"><b><span class="p-body-large-bold">What does the future of your startup look like in an ideal world?</span><br> </b>In an ideal world, Reachhh will become the standard platform to monetize influence. I envision it as the “Google Maps of influence” — mapping creators and brands from city to city, neighborhood to neighborhood, across the world. From New York to Bangalore to Shanghai, we want to chart how influence travels and connects communities globally. That’s the ultimate goal.</span></p> <p><span class="p-body"><b><span class="p-body-large-bold">Have you worked with any alumni or mentors on this project? If so, who and what was that experience like?</span><br> </b>I haven’t worked with any NYU alumni mentors yet, but I’ve had excellent guidance from mentors back home. One of them, Piyush Agrawal, has experience at Google and YouTube and gave me insights on improving app usability and user engagement. I also conducted research by onboarding real influencers to test my prototype. Their feedback revealed practical improvements — fixing loopholes, refining UX, and making the platform more marketable. Those hands-on experiences have been crucial for shaping the next version of Reachhh.</span></p>