Umang Bhavar
Founder at Clique (audio-first social platform)
Building and growing Clique, an audio-first social platform focused on authenticity, anonymity, and depth, while raising pre-seed funding and hiring marketing interns
Intro
I'm Umang Bhavar, the founder of Clique, an audio-first social platform I launched in July 2024. I'm currently a student finishing my bachelor's in Electronics and Communications Engineering, but my passion lies in building products that foster genuine human connection. I've grown Clique from an MVP to over 2,000 users through organic strategies like Reddit and Instagram, focusing on retention through 'unexpectedly good conversations.' I'm deeply interested in startup building, social technology, and Gen Z culture, and I believe current social media promotes shallow interactions. I'm raising pre-seed funding and hiring marketing interns, and I love connecting with people who are building something interesting or enjoy thoughtful conversations about technology, philosophy, and growth.
Networking
What I can offer
- ›Insights from hands-on startup journey in product development, organic growth marketing, and bootstrapping
- ›Exchange perspectives on building and entrepreneurship
- ›Platform (Clique) for authentic connection
What I'm looking for
- ›People who are 'building something interesting'
- ›People who 'enjoy thoughtful conversations'
- ›Connections for raising pre-seed funding for Clique
- ›Marketing Interns for hiring
Best fit for
Focus
Current interests
Core competencies
Background
Career
Student at National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli (Oct 2021 - May 2025), Coordinator at Entrepreneurship Cell, NIT Trichy (Oct 2022 - Jul 2023), Content Manager at Festember (Jan 2023 - Present), Digital Marketing Intern at kwiqreply.io (May 2023 - Jun 2023), Manager at Entrepreneurship Cell, NIT Trichy (Jul 2023 - Present), Founder at Clique (Jul 2024 - Present)
Education
Bachelor's degree in Electronics and Communications Engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli (Oct 2021 - May 2025)
Achievements
- ›Founded and launched Clique, an audio-first social platform
- ›Grew Clique MVP to ~300 users organically
- ›After launching Version 2 and implementing organic growth strategies, grew Clique to ~1,000 users, then accelerated to ~1,500 and over 2,000 users without spending money
- ›Achieved strong retention where a user's first 'unexpectedly good conversation' often converted them into an intentional, returning user
- ›One Instagram reel crossed 500k views, doubling followers
- ›A specific Reddit strategy brought in 400+ users, with over 90% retention
- ›Read 20 books in 3 months
Opinions
- Current social media platforms are 'built around shallow and quick judgement,' pushing performance over authenticity, which stifles genuine connection
- Algorithms 'were never built for' friendship, which requires 'time, safety, and unpressured presence,' and they have replaced human connection with optimization
- 'Friendships start with accidents, not intent,' and the internet has removed these accidental meetings
- 'Anonymity behaves differently in a one-to-one setting,' increasing honesty and reducing performance
- Implies a contrarian stance, choosing to build a human-centric social app despite the common push to 'build an AI agent' because it's the 'most lucrative bet'
- Subscribes to Naval Ravikant's philosophy: 'Go do something great, and your network will emerge.' Believes in 'optimiz[ing] less for visibility early, and more for depth of work'
- 'Real growth rarely comes from what looks impressive. It comes from what quietly works'
- 'It's totally okay to put down a book if it fails to hold your interest,' and the goal is 'to find joy in reading, not to make it feel like a chore'
Personality
Communication style
Reflective, earnest, and passionately articulate, often adopting a storytelling or narrative style, with motivational and declarative tones when sharing lessons or beliefs
Formality — 4/10
Vocabulary