Repute Network: Deepak Dhar on Building the "UPI for Talent" through Decentralized Identity
In the last 15 years, the digital world has been defined by "Platforms"—centralized silos like Facebook, LinkedIn, or Zoom that require every user to be on the same system to interact. But Deepak Dhar, a veteran entrepreneur who previously co-founded Nestaway and was a founding member of Citrus Pay, believes we are entering the era of "Networks." Much like email or UPI allow different systems to talk to each other seamlessly, Deepak is building Repute Network to be the interoperable layer for the professional world—a decentralized ecosystem where verified data moves with the speed of thought while remaining firmly under the owner's control.
By connecting fragmented HR systems into a unified network, Repute is solving one of the most persistent problems in the enterprise world: the friction of trust. From background verifications that take seconds instead of weeks to instant salary advances, Deepak is unleashing a new wave of innovation in the "Talent Ecosystem."
Platform vs. Network
Traditional platforms (Web 2.0) act as gatekeepers where users must compromise on their choice of tools to collaborate. A Network approach, like email or UPI, allows a user on Gmail to talk to a user on Outlook without friction. Repute applies this "Network Effect" to business data, specifically professional identities and reputations.
The LinkedIn Paradox and the Distributed Resume
Deepak identifies a fundamental flaw in today's professional networking. LinkedIn, launched in 2004, aimed to create trust through connections. But as networks grew to thousands of superficial connections, that trust evaporated. "Beyond your first 50 connections, you probably don't know the people you're connected to," Deepak observes on the ELI Podcast. We are back to a world of self-declared resumes that require external verification.
Repute’s solution is the Distributed HR System. Instead of a user manually updating a profile, their professional identity is continuously and automatically updated by the HR systems they interact with throughout their career. "Your resume is already distributed across the HR ecosystem," Deepak explains. "We just connect these systems so the information is accurate not because you said it, but because an employer system said it."
Unbundling HR: The Innovation Unleashed
By creating a network where different HR tools can speak to each other, Repute enables specialized innovation. Earlier, an HR tech startup had to build an all-in-one suite to be viable for an enterprise. With Repute, a company can choose the "best-of-breed" for every function—be it performance management, payroll, or insurance—and know they will all interoperate.
The Repute Use Cases
- Instant Background Verification: Queries sent across the network return verified responses from past employers in seconds.
- Salary Advances: Fintechs can see real-time employment and income data within the HR system to offer instant credit.
- Automated Insurance: Onboarding and offboarding employees for group insurance happens automatically as they join or leave.
- Dynamic Talent Profiles: Employees maintain a verified, portable profile that moves with them across companies.
Privacy by Design: The "Email" for Data
A major hurdle for any data-sharing network is security and consent. Deepak is clear: Repute is not a centralized database. "We don't bring the data onto any centralized system. The data continues to stay within the firewalls of the respective HR systems."
Repute functions on a protocol of Reciprocity. Similar to setting auto-reply rules in an email, an employer can set fine-grained rules for data sharing. They can choose to verify a former employee's tenure and behavior while keeping exact salary figures private. "Only what you are willing to give is what you can get," Deepak notes. This decentralized approach ensures that data owners—companies and employees—retain full control through cryptographic consent.
Building the Telecom Wires of Business
Deepak compares building Repute to a telecom provider laying down wires. "For the first few years, you are just laying the cables. It might look like a ghost town until the service is launched and the connections become available."
Despite being in the "cable-laying" phase, Repute has already completed over 10 major integrations with 20 more in the pipeline. Their strategy is "Come for the tool, stay for the network." By providing immediate utility—like a tool for instant background checks—they provide a reason for companies to join before the full cross-side network effects kick in.
The Journey from Citrus Pay to Nestaway to Repute
Deepak’s path to Repute was paved by his experiences in fintech and real estate. At Citrus Pay, he learned the intricacies of payment gateways and operations. At Nestaway, he faced the "Trust Gap" firsthand. "Renting is essentially the lending of assets," he says. "But unlike the lending of money, there was no credit bureau for assets."
This problem—tenants leaving without paying or owners not returning deposits—was the catalyst for Repute. He realized that the world needed a decentralized "Credit Bureau" for reputation that could apply to everything from rentals to professional talent. While the pandemic slowed the rental use case, the talent ecosystem pilot took off, leading to the current focus of the company.
Deepak's Definition of Entrepreneurship
"Entrepreneurship is a desire to create a world that should exist, even when you don't have the resources or logic doesn't tell you it can be done. Your will to create that world must be stronger than all possible obstacles."
The Future: The Distributed Web
Deepak views the current state of technology as a balance of overestimation in the short term and underestimation in the long term. As Repute continues to lay the digital infrastructure for the professional world, his vision remains focused on unbundling centralized power and returning it to the individual and the enterprise through a distributed, privacy-preserving network.