Hariharaprabu: From a Hackathon Idea to a Founder’s Journey

Entrepreneurship is often associated with funding, resources, technology and perfect opportunities. For Hariharaprabu, however, the journey began with none of these. It began with an idea, a hackathon and an unwavering belief that he could turn that idea into something meaningful. His story is one of confidence, hard work, setbacks, resilience and the determination to build businesses from the ground up.

It Started With One Idea

Hariharaprabu’s entrepreneurial journey began during his second year at Alagappa University, between 2022 and 2025, when he developed an idea for an offer-based platform. He presented the concept at a hackathon with complete confidence that he could win. That belief became reality when he secured the first prize.

That victory changed his perspective. Instead of treating the hackathon as a one-time achievement, he began thinking about how the idea could become a real-world product. He participated in more hackathons, using them as opportunities to improve his ability to build, present and defend his ideas.

But he soon faced a major challenge: transforming an idea into a real product required money.

Working While Building a Dream

Coming from a financially struggling family, funding his entrepreneurial ambitions was difficult. Instead of giving up, Hariharaprabu worked multiple part-time jobs while continuing his education and pursuing his entrepreneurial dreams.

His journey was far from easy. At different stages, he worked as a newspaper delivery boy, hotel server, textile salesman, cement salesman, notice distributor and mobile shop technician. Each job helped him earn money, gain experience and understand different kinds of businesses and customers.

His days were demanding. He would wake up around 4 a.m. to deliver newspapers. After college, he worked at a hotel from around 5 p.m. until midnight as a server. At other times, he took up sales and field-based jobs, including working as a textile salesman, cement salesman and notice distributor. He also worked as a mobile shop technician, gaining practical exposure to the technology and retail environment.

There were periods when he slept for only around four hours a day. Balancing education, multiple part-time jobs and entrepreneurship was exhausting, but he continued moving forward because he believed his idea deserved a chance.

These experiences also taught him lessons that cannot be learned from textbooks alone. Working directly with customers helped him understand their needs, spending habits, expectations and challenges. Every job became a small part of the experience that would later help him as an entrepreneur.

One person who played an important role in this journey was his college professor, Arumairuban Sir. His encouragement and support helped Hariharaprabu connect with the Entrepreneurship Development and Innovation Institute (EDII), Chennai, opening another door in his entrepreneurial journey.

The Setback That Changed Everything

One of the biggest setbacks came during a hackathon where the prize was around ₹60,000. Around the same period, Hariharaprabu presented his idea under a new name and attracted the interest of an investor. He expected the investment to provide the financial support needed to move forward.

However, just one day before the investment was supposed to happen, the situation changed. His idea was taken from the hackathon, and the investor informed him that they could no longer provide the expected funding.

For a moment, it felt as though everything he had worked toward had collapsed. But instead of allowing the setback to define him, Hariharaprabu treated it as another turning point. The experience strengthened his determination to continue building.

The Collector’s Question

With Arumairuban Sir’s support, Hariharaprabu pursued an entrepreneurship course and scholarship opportunity through EDII, Chennai. During this journey, he met Collector Asha Ajith and faced a difficult question: why should the scholarship be given to him when the same amount could potentially be used to educate three children?

His answer reflected the larger purpose behind his ambition. He promised that if he received the opportunity, he would eventually grow enough to create jobs for people who were struggling to build their own futures.

For him, the scholarship was not simply financial assistance. It represented an opportunity that he hoped to transform into opportunities for others.

Starting With Zero

The support arranged through EDII helped him continue his entrepreneurship education in Chennai, but financial challenges remained. When he decided to start his company, he had almost nothing. He did not have an iPhone, professional camera, studio or sophisticated office. He had a basic Android phone and he used it to begin.

He shot videos, edited them himself and published them online. Through this hands-on experience, he began building his digital marketing skills. There was no fancy office either. He started working from a stone bench, armed with nothing more than a phone, an idea and the belief that he could make it work.

That stone bench eventually became the symbolic starting point of his company.

From a Stone Bench to Offora Tech

The need to create an income source led Hariharaprabu to establish Offora Tech, a branding, creative advertising and IT services company.

His first client was a small mobile shop. He began by helping the business with digital marketing, handling everything himself from shooting content and editing videos to publishing them online.

That first client became the foundation of a growing business.

Today, Offora Tech aims to help businesses transform ordinary shops into stronger brands through services such as logo design, websites, creative advertising, digital presence and marketing strategy.

His journey demonstrates that entrepreneurship does not always begin with perfect conditions. Sometimes, it begins with whatever resources are available.

Hapilocal: Bringing the Original Idea to Life

The original offer-platform idea that started Hariharaprabu’s entrepreneurial journey never disappeared. It evolved into Hapilocal, a larger vision that he continues to work toward bringing into the real world.

His goal is to help financially struggling families save money through local offers and opportunities. Having personally experienced the challenges of making decisions with limited financial resources, he understands the importance of finding smarter ways to manage spending.

While inflation cannot simply be stopped, Hariharaprabu believes technology and local opportunities can help people adapt to changing economic conditions.

Coolnool: Confidence Through Fashion

His entrepreneurial vision extends beyond technology and digital marketing. Hariharaprabu also wants to build Coolnool, a fashion brand inspired by his personal connection with clothing, confidence and self-expression.

For him, fashion is not simply about clothes. It is also about how people feel about themselves and how they express their individuality.

The Bigger Vision

Hariharaprabu does not see himself building only one company. His ambition is to become a serial entrepreneur someone who builds businesses around real problems, creates employment and opens doors for people who may be starting with very little.

Over the next decade, he aims to become a globally recognized entrepreneur. More importantly, he wants his journey to demonstrate that a person’s starting point does not have to determine their destination.

His story began with a hackathon, but the journey was built through much more than an idea. It was shaped by early mornings as a newspaper delivery boy, long hours as a hotel server, experiences in textile and cement sales, distributing notices, working as a mobile shop technician and eventually building his own business.

Each part-time job gave him something valuable: income, experience, discipline, confidence and a deeper understanding of how people and businesses work.

His journey eventually moved from a basic Android phone and a stone bench toward building companies.

“I started with zero rupees, but I did not start with zero belief.”

For Hariharaprabu, the stone bench was never the end of the story. It was the first seat in an office he had not built yet and perhaps the first step toward a much bigger entrepreneurial journey.