CareerNet: How Anshuman Das Revolutionized India's Hiring Ecosystem with an Engineering Mindset
In 1998, Anshuman Das was a high-flying IIT Delhi graduate working at Infosys, with an offer to join Goldman Sachs in New York. To many, it was the ultimate professional goal. But for Das, something didn't fit. "I realized coding was not something I would really enjoy," he reflects. Just one year later, alongside his brother Rishi Das (an IIT Roorkee alumnus), he quit his job without telling his parents to launch CareerNet. Today, that humble beginning has transformed into a massive ecosystem of brands—including HirePro and Longhouse Consulting—that manages talent for global giants and has even spun off IndiQube, one of India's most successful managed workspace providers.
The story of Anshuman Das is a masterclass in market-first innovation. Long before Venture Capital was a household term in India, Das recognized a unique "talent gap": top-tier companies were struggling to find talent, while top-tier graduates were struggling to find jobs. By applying an engineering mindset to the traditionally HR-heavy field of recruitment, CareerNet has grown into a 2,500-person powerhouse that is now exporting Indian-built hiring technology to the world.
The Engineers in HR Strategy
In 1999, the recruitment industry was dominated by professionals with traditional HR backgrounds. The Das brothers saw a "Blue Ocean" opportunity for people from technical and engineering backgrounds to bring analytical rigor, process optimization, and a deeper understanding of the "Tech Stack" to the hiring process.
Building the Bridge: From 1999 to 2,500 People
When CareerNet started in November 1999, Bangalore was a different city. Entrepreneurship wasn't glamorous, and there was no safety net of VC funding. The brothers began as a services business, acting as a bridge for companies like Aditi Technologies who wanted to hire from elite iits. "Our work spoke louder than we could... the moment we solved hiring for five companies, more and more wanted to work with us," Das recalls.
By 2003, they realized that to scale, they couldn't just rely on hiring experienced people—they had to build their own talent supply chain. CareerNet became one of the first recruitment firms in India to go to campuses for its own hiring, setting up internal training programs inspired by the IT services giants like Infosys and TCS. This internal "talent factory" allowed them to scale their team to over 2,500 dedicated professionals today.
"Entrepreneurship is a marathon, not a sprint. It's a bumpy ride, and there are no shortcuts. Humility is the best asset you can have—it shouldn't get phased by success or failure. Listen to yourself, and stick to your first principles."
The Multi-Brand Evolution: HirePro and Longhouse
As the Indian economy matured, Das recognized that recruitment wasn't a monolithic problem. Different sectors and levels needed different strategies. This led to the birth of two distinct sub-brands:
The CareerNet Brand Ecosystem
- HirePro (2004): Focused on university hiring, automated assessments, and internal technology for company automation. It pioneered the use of remote recruitment long before the pandemic.
- Longhouse Consulting (2008): Launched during the Lehman meltdown, this firm focused on the high-risk "digital first" ecosystem. It became the go-to firm for Flipkart, Myntra, and the burgeoning SAS industry.
- IndiQube (2015): A spin-off born from CareerNet's own office space needs. Today, it manages 7 million square feet of co-working space across India.
Scaling Complexity: The "Scale Country" Advantage
Das believes India is a "Scale Country," where the complexity of problems is unparalleled. This complexity forced CareerNet to build sophisticated **Application Tracking Systems (ATS)** and assessment tools that were years ahead of their time. "Complexity in India is far higher than what you face in the US," says Das. "Today, global firms like Amazon and Pearson are taking our products, built for India, and deploying them globally."
The COVID-19 pandemic acted as a massive catalyst for their technology arm, **HirePro**. As hiring went 100% remote, the virtual hiring and assessment platforms they had been perfecting for years suddenly became "The New Normal." Today, their systems handle Global Recruitment for firms in Seattle, Vancouver, and San Francisco, all operated out of their Bangalore hubs.
CareerNet & HirePro at a Glance (Jan 2026)
- Total Team Size: 2,500+ professionals.
- Global Reach: Running global marketing and recruitment for Fortune 500 companies sitting in Bangalore.
- Managed Workspace: 7 Million square feet managed via spin-off IndiQube.
- Future Vision: Goal to have 5 of the world's top 10 recruitment products coming out of India by 2030.
The Future of Talent: AI and Net Exports
Looking ahead to 2030, Anshuman Das is incredibly bullish on "Brand India." He draws a parallel to the IT services industry, where 5 of the top 10 global firms are Indian. He predicts the same will happen in recruitment. "World will still need great talent... AI will empower humans, but the humans will still exist," he notes.
CareerNet is already building AI-embedded products that solve for human intervention in interviewing and assessment. By automating the lower-level productivity tasks, they are freeing up humans to focus on the "Value Add" of leadership and culture fit. For Das, India is no longer just a service hub—it is becoming a net exporter of world-class HR technology.
Founder's Wisdom: The First Principles of Success
Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish: Learning never stops. Every day is a new day where new things are coming out, and you must keep up the pace.
Bootstrap Your DNA: Starting without VC funding forced CareerNet to be P&L and bottom-line focused from day one. This fiscal discipline is a perennial competitive moat.
First Principles Thinking: Times, ideas, and technologies will change, but principles like honesty and hard work should never change.
Final Reflections: Humility in Success
After two and a half decades of building multiple successful ventures, Anshuman Das remains remarkably grounded. He defines entrepreneurship as the passion for translating dreams into reality—a "grandiose vision" combined with the gumption to act. Whether it's delivering a parcel himself in the early days or managing a 2,500-person team today, he believes the "First Principles" remain the same.
As CareerNet continues its journey toward 2030, it stands as a testament to what happens when you combine an engineering brain with a passion for people. For Anshuman Das, the revolution of India's hiring process is just the beginning; the next goal is to lead the world.
About the Guest
Anshuman Das is the Co-founder and CEO of CareerNet, HirePro, and Longhouse Consulting. An alumnus of IIT Delhi (Mechanical Engineering, 1994-1998), he worked with Infosys before venturing into entrepreneurship in 1999. With over 25 years of experience in the recruitment and talent management space, Anshuman has been a key figure in shaping the hiring ecosystem for India's digital and tech sectors. He is also a co-founder and board member of IndiQube and a prolific investor in the Indian startup ecosystem. He is known for his "first-principles" approach to business and his vision for Indian-led global technology excellence.
CareerNet is India's leading provider of talent acquisition and management services. Along with its specialized brands HirePro (automated hiring technology) and Longhouse Consulting (executive search), the group provides end-to-end solutions for campus hiring, lateral recruitment, and leadership search. By combining deep domain expertise with cutting-edge AI and data analytics, CareerNet helps global enterprises and emerging startups build and scale their most critical asset: talent.