For years, if a company wanted to launch a product in a small town in Bihar, verify an address in rural Odisha, or conduct a survey in a remote village in Chhattisgarh, it had very few reliable options.

While India’s digital economy was expanding rapidly, reaching people on the ground remained a challenge. Brands, governments and NGOs could connect online, but when it came to physical last-mile access, they often hit a wall.

This gap inspired Govind Agrawal and Arti Agrawal to build Anaxee Digital Runners, a Madhya Pradesh-based company that has grown into one of India’s largest last-mile field networks. Today, more than 40,000 local youth work as Digital Runners, helping businesses and organisations reach communities across the country.

“Anaxee was inspired by the massive information asymmetry and trust deficit that exists in rural India,” says Govind, Co-founder and CEO.

“While digital connectivity was improving rapidly, brands, governments and social organisations still struggled to physically reach people in Tier-2, Tier-3 and rural markets. We wanted to solve this last-mile challenge by creating a platform that could provide real-time access to any location in India through a trusted local network.”

Today, Anaxee operates across 540 districts and more than 11,000 PIN codes, covering nearly 1.2 lakh villages and towns. While businesses gain dependable on-ground support, thousands of young people are able to earn flexible incomes without leaving their hometowns.

From biometric technology to building a human network

Anaxee didn’t begin with the Digital Runner model. Its first venture was biometric technology.

“Our early days with Anaxee Technologies were difficult because we were too ahead of our time,” Govind recalls.

Govind Agrawal and Arti Agrawal

“We developed vein recognition technology, a biometric identification method that scans the unique pattern of veins beneath a person’s skin, and even secured a US patent. But we couldn’t scale because of the 2008 global financial crisis.”

Rather than shutting down, the founders changed direction. They moved away from hardware and focused on building a distributed network of local people who could complete on-ground tasks using smartphones.

Around 2016, this idea evolved into the Digital Runner model. It was built around two trends: growing smartphone adoption and a large pool of young people in smaller towns looking for flexible work close to home.

What is a Digital Runner?

Govind compares it to ride-hailing platforms.

“A Digital Runner is a ‘Localite’ or ‘Son of the Soil’ — a tech-savvy person living in a village or city who acts as our on-demand partner. Much like how Uber has drivers, we have Runners who use their smartphones to physically visit locations near their homes and complete tasks such as collecting data, onboarding merchants, conducting surveys, supporting go-to-market strategies for brands, and helping with large-scale outreach programmes.”

Assignments are delivered through the Anaxee Partner App, which has crossed one lakh downloads on Google Play. Runners accept tasks within a five to ten kilometre radius of their homes.

Govind says the breakthrough came from observing India’s Aadhaar ecosystem.

The work varies. A Runner may verify an address, onboard a shop, conduct a household survey or collect field data. Once the task is completed, they upload proof through the app. After verification by Anaxee’s quality assurance team, payment is processed.

Finding thousands of reliable people to power the network was another challenge.

Govind says the breakthrough came from observing India’s Aadhaar ecosystem.

“India already had nearly four lakh trained Aadhaar operators spread across the country. We realised that instead of building a field force from scratch, we could leverage this existing network. This insight allowed us to launch operations across 26 states almost immediately.”

The technology behind the network

Managing tens of thousands of field workers across India requires more than just manpower.

“Anaxee operates through a cloud-based platform consisting of mobile applications, web dashboards and APIs,” Govind explains.

“Digital Runners receive tasks on their smartphones, complete them in the field and submit data in real time. Clients can monitor progress through dashboards, access photographs, track locations and review reports.”

Every task also goes through multiple verification steps.

“Every activity is captured with GPS coordinates, timestamps and photographic evidence. Data passes through multiple quality checks before being approved. Digital Runners are paid only after successful verification. We also use autocalls and AI-based tools for validation, along with human quality assurance processes.”

Growing from a pilot to a nationwide network

Before scaling, Anaxee first needed to prove that the model worked.

Instead of investing heavily in offices, vehicles and permanent field staff, the company chose an asset-light approach. It relied on digital infrastructure and local partnerships rather than creating a traditional field workforce.

“Our initial pilot focused on developing the technology platform, onboarding local partners, testing task-allocation workflows and validating our quality assurance processes,” says Govind.

“Because we built on an existing digital ecosystem rather than physical infrastructure, we were able to expand much faster and at a significantly lower cost.”

As demand grew, the company continued investing in its mobile platform, cloud infrastructure, training systems, quality assurance and payment mechanisms.

“We standardised workflows and operational processes. That allowed us to manage task allocation, verification, payments and client reporting efficiently, even as the network expanded across India.”

Today, Anaxee has built one of India’s largest distributed field networks, with:

• More than 40,000 Digital Runners

• Operations across 540 districts

• Coverage of over 11,000 PIN codes and nearly 1.2 lakh villages

• More than one lakh downloads of the Anaxee Partner App

The platform has supported retail expansion, merchant onboarding, government surveys, agricultural outreach, healthcare campaigns and climate projects. During the pandemic, it ran Project Suraksha, a vaccination awareness campaign. More recently, Digital Runners have also begun supporting carbon project monitoring and nature-based climate initiatives through Anaxee’s Climate Command Centre.

Before scaling, Anaxee first needed to prove that the model worked.

In 2021, the company received the National Startup Award from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

But for Govind, the real achievement lies elsewhere.

“Our vision has always been to remove geography as a barrier. Whether it’s a company launching a product, a government implementing a welfare scheme or an organisation trying to reach remote communities, we want them to know that trusted local execution is possible anywhere in India.”

Beyond the numbers, Anaxee has helped thousands of young people find meaningful work without leaving their communities.

The people behind the network

Nipendra Kumar from Ballia district in Uttar Pradesh had previously worked as a collection executive and later as a Bank Business Correspondent. Looking for more flexible work, he joined Anaxee.

“After joining Anaxee, I earned nearly Rs 50,000 in just four months doing market verification and order-checking for brands like TTK Prestige. Along the way, it helped me build confidence and communication skills. The best part was that I didn’t have to relocate for work.”

For Ankit Kumar from Barabanki, the platform became a way to support his UPSC preparation.

After discovering Anaxee through Facebook, he joined Project Suraksha and went door to door spreading awareness about COVID-19 vaccination.

“The flexibility lets me work in the mornings and study for the rest of the day. It also helps me buy books and cover my expenses while preparing for my exams.”

Arjun Yadav, a nursing student from Bakhtiyarpur village, balanced assignments with college and earned around Rs 50,000 over seven to eight months.

He later introduced ten more people from his community to the platform, creating earning opportunities for others as well.

“These stories highlight how our platform serves as a bridge, allowing local youth to become ‘Sons of the Soil’ who contribute to their local economies while achieving personal and professional milestones,” says Govind.

Looking ahead

Govind and Arti want Anaxee to do more than expand its network.

Their goal is to change how organisations approach rural India.

The platform has supported retail expansion, merchant onboarding, government surveys, agricultural outreach, healthcare campaigns and climate projects.

“We aim to become the preferred last-mile execution and intelligence platform for organisations operating across India,” says Govind.

“Whether a company wants to launch a product, conduct a survey, verify information or engage communities, Anaxee should be able to provide trusted local execution anywhere in the country.”

He sums up the vision in one sentence:

“We want to be the default partner for any brand or organisation wanting to reach the last mile of India.”

After building a network that now spans much of the country, that ambition feels well within reach.