Bhubaneswar, Aug. 16: With the mushrooming of online shopping portals, finding the best deal for a particular item can surely be an arduous affair. But, fret not - there is Sitakanta Ray at the end of the tunnel.

Thanks to the Odia boy's initiatives, the task of choosing a product and comparing the prices is a cakewalk now.

MySmartPrice, the website launched by Sitakanta, lets one compare the prices of products across a wide range of categories. It ranges from mobile phones and electronics gadgets to fashion and lifestyle products.

From around 10 lakh visitors per month initially to seven lakh visitors per day now, the website is touted as one of the best online shopping research destinations in India today.

Sitakanta's journey had been a roller-coaster ride. After graduating from NIT Rourkela in 2002, he took up a high-paid job but he put down his papers in 2010 to start his own venture.

"I was very clear from the beginning that I want to start my own company. I also had lot many ideas. After doing a nine to five job for over eight years, I realised it was high time to ideate," said the 34-year-old entrepreneur.

He moved to Hyderabad along with his friend Sulakshan Kumar and launched the website with the goal of assisting shoppers make an informed decision while buying products online.

But lack of capital and expertise were some of the constraints they faced. "All we had was two laptops and an Internet connection. We began our extensive research and started by comparing the prices of books and mobile phones," said Sitakanta, who hails from Cuttack.

As luck would have it, the duo received a bulk amount from an investment company that wanted to support their venture. The initiative that began with two people now has over 100 people.

Sitakanta was in the city today to give a talk on the emerging trends in the entrepreneurial culture in the state at the start-up weekend organised by the Bhubaneswar chapter of the Google Business Group (GBG) held at Xavier Institute of Management.

Around 100 aspiring entrepreneurs took part in the event that included developers, designers and product managers who came together to share ideas, form teams and build products.

The top three selected ideas will get a chance to take part in a fest to be held in Hyderabad in the last week of August.

Sharing expert tips with the youngsters, who aim to start their own ventures, Sitakanta said: "One has to have faith in one's idea and only then it would work. We should always be in the lookout for the right opportunities and meet like-minded people to nurture our ideas."