Sabeer Bhatia spoke to rediff.com

Hotmail did not have any rocket science and yet was wildly successful. What is the killer application behind Arzoo?

Hotmail was a great idea at the right time and for which the technology was right. Often times the most powerful ideas are the most simple ones. But you have to solve some problem. With Hotmail we solved a problem for two individuals, Jack and myself. Now with Arzoo we are solving a problem for corporations. The idea grew when we ourselves had faced problems and while were solving it we said 'Hey, wait a minute. If we can solve it for us, we can do so for hundreds of corporations as well!'

What is Arzoo.com?

Arzoo claims to be the first global network for real-time technology solutions and support. By mobilizing global engineering talent for organisations in need of technology expertise, Arzoo allows smart companies to leverage a worldwide network of tech professionals and expert consultants for quick answers to pressing technical issues. The professionals in turn get paid for their expertise by bidding for questions and answering them online.

How does it work?

Subscribing companies pay a flat monthly fee to post an unlimited number of questions on the Arzoo website (www.arzoo.com). Arzoo lines up the appropriate experts who respond with the solutions online via a live chat. For more complex questions and projects, answers and supporting documents are delivered to a private Arzoo account for convenient access. To deliver the best service, each expert is screened and tested in advance. Each expert solution is reviewed for quality and accuracy. Arzoo takes the responsibility for errors.

How do the tech professionals benefit?

The idea is to convert their knowledge into cash (anything between $ 50 to $ 500 per answer). By bidding for questions and answering them online, the experts earn money as well as showcase their talent to the hottest hi-tech global companies. An expert testing and rating system ensures that their talents are rewarded.

How is it real time?

The Arzoo surfboard is a free browser plug-in installed in less than a minute. It enables standard notifications, live chat, and unique collaborative learning experience.

Why Arzoo?

The idea is to leverage two things. Firstly, the network of communication. You can be anywhere to solve the problem. You don't have to be in Silicon Valley, New York Australia, or Germany to solve the problem.

Secondly, Arzoo offers sheer intelligence. No amount of intelligence can be converted purely content. Everything that goes in your brain cannot be possibly put into a piece of paper or a diary. On the Internet when somebody asks you a question and you say 'Oh, I can solve it!' That is more important than content. And then you say hey, there are ten more people who would be interested in my answers, so let me publish my answers online! Also, you cannot provide all the information that is in your brain.

Somebody has to ask for it. So multiply the individual's answer into hundreds and thousands of times and you will get solutions catering to a large audience. That is why I say the power of the Internet lies not in the content that is created but in the power of intelligence of the people networked.

Why is Arzoo being launched in India and not in the US?

Because Indians are beginning to be known worldwide for their software prowess. If you look at any large US corporation today 30 per cent of it software engineers are of Indian origin. So it makes sense and is natural, especially for me who is from here, to come back and launch Arzoo from India!

Why is Arzoo's problem-solving limited to the info tech sector?

We have to start somewhere! We will tackle IT now and later explore other areas where there is a demand for problem solving online.

Arzoo is your 23rd Internet start-up investment. Are you getting good returns from your investments?

Firstly, I have benefited tremendously from the Internet, both personally and financially .Its now time to encourage others on the Internet. So most of my new investment is to encourage other entrepreneurs. That's why I say, 'Hey you've if got a good idea, here take some money and do some thing with it!'

Secondly, I still think that the Internet offers incredible opportunity. Things, of course, are becoming far more competitive now than the last two or three years. There have been many developments, which were useful. So it's the excitement of continuing to be part of what I think is still the single most important opportunity for entrepreneurs in the last hundred years.

What is the future of Internet valuations?

The valuations are down for bad ideas. Good ideas are still being valued very highly. I think what is just going to happen is that people are going to become selective. The good ideas, which have companies making money, will be valued highly. Those that don't make money, don't solve business problems, and don't have a clear path to revenue and profitability will not be successful.

Produced by SoundPicture Communications