About Dara

|| For Folks Interested in Dara

Hi there! Today, we’d love to tell you a little bit about how Dara came to be and her journey so far.

Dara is a communications platform that helps people and organizations grow their social capital. She started through a digital arts grant from the British Council, and is an example of an arts project that has grown into a SaaS (Software as a Start-up) company with the operational investor Techstars. Dara is Partnered with various Organizations focused on creative practice, culture and changemaking, such as the Goethe-Institut, Kcymaerxthaere and BeFantastic. You can view a complete list of her prestigious Partner Orgs here.

Dara is currently accessible on Android, iOS and Windows, and offers several features that are meant to ease online communication and collaboration. Her asynchronous video messaging system allows users to send short video notes that may be responded to at a time of convenience.

HISTORY

Dara was founded by her Chief Creative and Operations Officer Archana Prasad, along with her Chief Executive Officer Sean Blagsvedt in May 2019, using a grant they won from an Open Call announced by the British Council, who leverage technology towards expanding Indo-British cultural partnership.

Archana and Sean had responded to the British Council’s Open Call for Digital Arts (2018) by proposing the development of DaraBot, which was conceived as India’s first Chatbot for creative professionals, and now sits at the core of Dara’s network. The word “Dara” is used to refer to a thread in Kannada, which is the state language spoken in Archana’s native Karnataka.

Initially, Dara network was conceived as a community building project, with the aim of helping Indian artists access international collaboration through a secure communications channel. Over time, she has grown to inculcate a focus on creative and cultural discourse, and now hosts several Projects that fit within the ambit of art and technology. Dara also holds regular discussions featuring leaders within the art, technology and cultural sectors.

FEATURES

Dara is a fully integrated platform. Some of her most salient features are listed below:

• Communications: Dara features an asynchronous Chat system that allows users to send and receive audio, video and text messages, along with the ability to add emojis and create Polls.
• Community Building: Dara’s members receive Affiliation Badges that indicate their involvement with the platform’s Partners. Additionally, Dara provides Community management, engagement and analytics support, along with web support on all major browsers.
• Events: Members may post Events on Dara, who provides them with RSVP and Event-tracking features, and also allows for calendar linkage.
• Job Board: Dara has a Job Board, where Members can post Gigs, as well as provide links to their parent Organizations’ own websites and social media handles, along with details regarding the nature of work involved.

MONETIZATION

Dara does not run advertisements. Instead, she receives a Membership fee from her Partners. Additionally, Dara is a Techstar start-up, for which she has also received funding from the Colorado-based seed accelerator.

Don’t hesitate to reach out to support@dara.network if you have any questions or suggestions. Or, you can message Dara’s team directly on Dara here.

Written by Manu Sharma,

Former Communications Lead at Dara