|In: Funding|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Shaadisaga, a Delhi based online wedding services marketplace is taking the Indian wedding market by storm. This venture has recently closed an undisclosed amount of funding as a part of its Pre Series A round from ah! Ventures and other marquee investors. Industry stalwarts like Anupam Mittal (People Group), Kunal Shah & Sandeep Tandon, Dheeraj Jain (Redcliffe Capital), Rohit Chokhani (White Unicorn Ventures) along with other angel investors participated in this round.

Gone are the days when a wedding was merely an event in a person’s life, acknowledging the change in the living. It is soon becoming a milestone that marks the grandeur celebration of new beginnings and with each passing year, the show is becoming all the more interesting. From the pre-wedding photo shoots to inviting the gambolling celebrities, the wedding industry has witnessed a drastic change in the recent past and this is nothing but music to the ears of entrepreneurs like Himanshu Kapsime and Manish Garg, co-founders of Shaadisaga.

Shaadisaga, is an online platform that caters to the to-be-weds in terms of their wedding needs, focusing primarily on weddings ranging between INR 10 Lakhs to 1.5 crores. With the focus of being convenient and cost effective, Shaadisaga offers the couples and their families a host of wedding services, making itself a one stop shop solution for all the wedding needs.

Started by Himanshu Kapsime and Manish Garg, IIT-Delhi graduates, Shaadisaga truly understands that today’s users expect high degrees of personalization and cross comparison is the key to conversions. With requirements being tailored at every step, the company, with a strong team of 25 employees, offers its users an option to choose from a pool of around 2500 best vendors, as per their requirements and hire them directly with price and quality assurance  – The ShaadiSaga Seal of Trust.

ShaadiSaga Team
ShaadiSaga Team

Himanshu Kapsime, the CEO and Co-Founder of the organization is a 2012 graduate with prior experience in working with a US based MNC. He is actively responsible for managing the technological and product development portfolio for the company. Manish Garg, the COO and Co-Founder of the organization is a 2011 graduate with prior experience in working with an Indian startup unicorn. Apart from the co-founders, the company has a workforce of 10 employees with a permanent set up in Delhi.

Commenting on the unique proposition of Shaadisaga, Co-Founder Himanshu Kapsime said

At ShaadiSaga, we provide the best planning experience to couples. From idea & inspirations to hiring different service providers, we are focused on making the entire process a piece of cake. Couples are able to gain the same level of trust with us as they do when they hire services through reference of their own friends and family members. Our team uses technology to essentially bring the offline wedding planning experience onto an online platform, while adding convenience and cost effectiveness.

Manish Garg, Co-founder of ShaadiSaga, continued

ShaadiSaga is the best suited solution for couples to plan their wedding as they save around 20-30% of wedding budget and 2 months of planning time with us, while ensuring better quality and experience. We are currently 25 people strong team and will be adding more people as we expand in further cities.

Commenting on the investee company, Anupam Mittal, Founder of Shaadi.com opined

This is a high touch industry and a really tough business to crack.  It will take a determined & passionate team with loads of perseverance. I saw the commitment in Himanshu & Manish, so decided to back them.

Dheeraj Jain, Managing Partner of Redcliffe Capital said

The revenue of INR 50 lakhs per month and growing, stands testament to the incessant progress of the company. Given the astute business acumen of the core team at ShaadiSaga, we are excited to back these entrepreneurs and their journey to take Indian wedding industry by storm.

The recent fund infusion will be utilized for increasing the base of partners associated with the platform and building technologies ensuring better customer experience, faster on-boarding, smoother communication, and higher conversion rates.

Giving an investor’s perspective, Harshad Lahoti, Founder and CEO of ah! Ventures said Statistically the Indian wedding industry, valued at $40 billion, is proving to be one of the sturdiest in today’s market. Considering the high growth rate of 25-30% YOY, promising start-ups in this space were deserving investors attention and Shaadisaga was undoubtedly cut above the rest. From the very beginning, we witnessed Shaadisaga take calculated business decisions making them the rare breed of startups who knew their priorities. The venture focuses on taking one key step at a time, be it a technological advancement or on-boarding of key partners and that according to us has been the edge that sets them apart. We at ah! Ventures are confident of seeing Shaadisaga as a pioneer in this industry.

ah! Ventures is India’s first full-spectrum (seed, angel & VC) investment network and platform comprising of over 800+ investors, including some of the renowned angels and early-stage VCs. Founded in 2010, ah! Ventures has systematically disrupted the early stage funding ecosystem of India through its innovative approach toward startup investing. First of its kind initiatives like the CLUB ah! platform, ah! Angels (India’s largest angel network), ah! Seeders and ah! VC networks (India’s first seed & VC investment networks), have brought together and integrated the previously segregated startup funding lifecycle, under one roof. CLUB ah! platform today has over 12500+ startups, 725 seed/angel investors and over 85 VCs & institutional investors, making it one of the largest platform of investors and startups. The network also last year secured its first profitable exit from Ed-tech venture Harness Handitouch within 2 years of its investment. ah! Ventures has till date pumped in close to INR 90 crores in over 29 investments spread across varied industries and domains.

ah! Ventures is in the process of closing another investment in the coming week.

About Shaadisaga

Started by Himanshu Kapsime & Manish Garg, IIT Delhi graduates, ShaadiSaga truly understands that today’s users expect high degree of personalization and trust for their wedding planning. ShaadiSaga is India’s fastest growing online portal that enable couples to conveniently plan their wedding through vendor discovery and planning advice from wedding experts and visual inspirations. Users can choose from a pool of over 6000 service providers from venue to makeup and hire vendors as per their individual requirement, with price and quality assurance. For more information, please visit Shaadisaga

About ah! Ventures

ah! Ventures is a startup focused growth catalyst that brings together promising businesses and investors by creating wealth creation opportunities for both. ah!’s unique model serves investors, entrepreneurs and enablers through a unique blend of customized services, skill, and industry & domain experience.

Founded in 2010, ah! Ventures has systematically disrupted India’s early stage funding ecosystem through its innovative approach toward startup investing. First of its kind initiatives like the CLUB ah! network & platform, ah! Angels (India’s largest angel network), ah! Seeders and ah! VC networks (India’s first seed & VC investment networks respectively), have brought together and integrated the otherwise previously segregated startup funding life-cycle, under one roof. This, coupled with ah! Impact network, an impact investment network for investing in social enterprises and ah! Mentors network, a mentor network to assist startups in their growth and expansion, has today made ah! Ventures not just one of India’s most respected change leaders, but also a formidable industry force to recon with.

|In: e-commerce|Last Updated: | 1 Comment

The world’s first integrated logistics platform Vamaship have launched a new service of international e-commerce shipping for the gems and jewellery industry from Mumbai starting from Rs. 999 onward for door-to-door delivery at the India International Jewellery Show, in association with BVC.

In 9 months, Vamaship is now facilitating shipping of any commodity through air, ocean and surface, in India to over 10,000 pin codes and 200+ countries globally.

All current solutions for jewellery e-commerce were unviable for low value shipping and the new service will activate shipping for over 1000 Jewellers. The customer can book the shipment on the Vamaship website and track shipments through their mobile app and on the platform.

On this occasion, Bhavik Chinai, Founder & CEO Vamaship stated

We are delighted to announce the launch of our express cargo services, aiming to provide world class, secure and reliable services for the gems and jewellery at affordable rates starting from Mumbai. This service is paradigm altering product for the industry and are we are looking forward to creating many such innovative services in the future. BVC is a household name for jewellery logistics and leveraging the Vamaship technology on BVC infrastructure creates an unparalleled shipping experience.

About Vamaship

Launched in October 2015, Vamaship is a revolution in logistics that connects shippers with industry’s best logistics companies. Vamaship as a market place facilitates shipments to over 10,000 pin codes in India and to 200 countries from India. With a nationwide network of partners, Vamaship brings the best of technology and logistics to create a seamless shipping experience. For more information, please visit Vamaship

|In: Technology|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

In a major development, India’s leading B2B e-commerce platform Industrybuying announces the appointment of Ms. Manvinder Kaur as Vice President, Human Resource. In her current role, Ms. Kaur will lead the Human resource of the company and drive the core functions such as talent management, employee engagement and corporate trainings at Industrybuying.

IndustryBuying

Speaking on her appointment, Swati Gupta, Co-founder and CEO, Industrybuying said

I am confident that Manvinder will play an important role in enabling the team at Industrybuying to fulfill our long term mission of revolutionising B2B e-commerce in country through internet technology & Supply Chain. Having her on our management team will surely empower our prospects at hiring the finest talent in India.

IndustryBuying is currently eyeing to garner young untapped talent that lies across the length and breadth of India. It is looking forward to streamline the processes in various divisions such as operations, marketing, sales, product, technology, logistics, etc.

Manvinder Kaur, the newly appointed VP Human Resource for Industrybuying said

It is a privilege to be a part of a leading, vibrant & growing team of Industrybuying. I see immense potential in the goal of Industrybuying and look forward to HR being a strategic role as the company moves into its next stage of evolution.

Ms. Kaur, who holds an MBA from the ICFAI Business School, Hyderabad and an undergraduate degree in engineering from the Punjab Technical University, comes with more than a decade’s experience in Human Resource – strategy, planning, employee relations, management and policies redesign.

In her earlier stint, Manvinder has led HR function at Gap Inc and BT Global services. She also held the post of Assistant Vice President at IndusInd bank. Her years of experience in designing and setting systems that are nimble and efficient at each stage, building high performing teams and handling compliance and process are some of the key assets that she brings with herself.

About Industrybuying

Industrybuying is a leading Business e-commerce platform, selling a wide range of business and industrial products to SMEs as well as large businesses. It has over 4,000 registered sellers and more than 60,000 registered businesses – SMEs & large corporates that are procuring online from Industrybuying. Industrybuying offers over 1 million products across 45+ categories ranging from Safety and Security, Electrical and Lighting, Power and Solar, to MRO supplies and many more categories.

Industrybuying is backed by some of the leading Indian and global investors. Based out of Delhi NCR, the company has a Pan-India footprint with fulfillment centres in Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad & Bangalore. For more information, please visit IndustryBuying.com

Based out of Delhi NCR, the company has a Pan-India footprint with fulfillment centers in Mumbai,Pune, Ahmedabad and Bangalore. For more information, please visit IndustryBuying

|In: Android|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

e-commerce has turned out to be a real game-changer for Indian consumers and now consumers in Tier-II, Tier-III cities [some cases villages] also log online to Shop and compare prices. One arm that is really contributing to the e-commerce wave is India Post that delivers parcels from e-commerce majors to every nook & corner of villages.

Growing penetration of 3G and advent of 4G [particularly Reliance Jio] is just adding an icing to the cake. However whenever consumers shop online, they make it a point to check for similar products on other trusted e-commerce platforms and if there is any cash-back/discount with the product, chances of puchase with that platform are much higher.

Coupon & Deal websites are the major players that offer discounts on top of the discount offered by the e-commerce stores. ‘Price Comparison’ and ‘Deals’ are two seperate entities & and an amalgamation of both is definitely a boon for Customers !! If you are a Shopaholic and have been waiting eagerly to save extra bucks, Alibaba owned 9Apps could turn out to be your Go-To place 🙂

9Apps has announced its foray into the lucrative e-commerce space in India, which will now offer multiple new features on its app for shopaholics, along with its existing role as India’s leading provider of android apps and games. The move marks a major shift in the company’s strategy for India market and is expected to benefit 9Apps’ 250 million monthly active users [MAUs]. 9Apps store that is trusted by many mobile consumers for downloading apps can now rely on this latest offering catering to the e-commerce segment : Price Comparison & Coupon Zone

Serving over 250 million monthly active users globally, 9Apps also plans to offer comparative pricing where users can compare product prices from eight different sellers such as Paytm, Flipkart, Myntra, Snapdeal, Jabong, Voonik, Shopclues to name a few. The discount aggregation/coupon zone is a one-stop shop for all discounts and coupon codes available on 9Apps.

Speaking about the latest offering from 9Apps, Ebrahim Popat, Country Manager of 9Apps said

9Apps is the first app marketplace to offer these services to users. With these features, we aim to become a one-stop solution for our users and help them shop smart. 9Apps is much more than just a tool to download apps and games. We are on a constant look out for ways to evolve user experience

9Apps : Price Comparison

With this latest offering, consumers can now do a Visual Price Comparison of various products between e-commerce portals. Price Comparison is a user-setting can be turned ON/OFF from the 9Apps App. BETA version of 9Apps with Price Comparison can be can downloaded from here

Some of the snapshots from the app are below:

We performed a search for couple of products and the comparison turned out to be very useful. We no longer need to go to any Price Comparison website since this app does it all 🙂

9Apps : Coupon Zone

Along with Price Comparison, 9Apps has also released the BETA version of it’s app with Coupon Zone. Now, you will never miss any special offers and coupons !! The BETA version of this app can be downloaded from here By downloading the apk from 9apps, user will have a coupon zone in their 9apps interface, where they can get a code for various offers.

The coupons cater to the Shopping and food-tech market. To top it all, users also get a discount of Rs. 50 for free when they sign up for Amazon via 9Apps 🙂

Some of the screenshots of 9Apps (with Coupon Zone) are below:

So if you are a Shopaholic and looking out for extra discount, you should definitely give 9Apps a shot !! If you have used 9Apps app with Coupon Zone or Price Comparison support, please share your feedback/experience in the comments section…

|In: Marketing|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Similar to conventional PR, online PR is all about influencing people and grabbing their attention rather than purchase placement for brand advertising. Generally speaking, whenever we hear about traditional PR for business we usually think of magazines, newspapers, radio and TV. Online PR on the other hand, targets the online environment as well as a wealth of other networks and platforms, social media included. The methodology has been greatly adapted in the last decade; marketing companies now use the influence of the internet to perform real-time analytics, influence people, stay updated with recent trends and break into the online social environment.

Greater influence online PR without spending a fortune on a marketing campaign

Why is online PR an affordable marketing strategy? First and foremost, because it can reach millions of people within seconds without spending a fortune on a campaign; bloggers may be compelled by a story, and if the impact is great they can share it on their site and pass it on to the masses (their readers). Twitter users, social media users (Google+, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Reddit) are social platforms that welcome online PR. The greater and the most impactful the campaign, the better chances that advertised company has to thrive in the online environment.

Online PR has a direct and indirect outreach. From adding keywords and hashtags to the content to email marketing, the advertising techniques are various. Some are more efficient than others. However, it goes without saying that unlike traditional PR (door-to-door advertising, word-of-mouth, in-person advertising, billboards), online PR is a lot more efficient and economical. Every agency uses PR tactics differently. Some only adhere to online marketing whereas others make use of a hybrid approach (which includes both traditional and online PR).

Efficient but affordable online PR

One of the greatest benefits of online PR is that it is both efficient and affordable when done right. However, to succeed companies must assess their strategies prior to getting started in order to be able to make an informed decision and settle on a business approach that complements their goals. The best mix of strategies supports a smart execution. Blending blog marketing, press release and SEO optimization with offline PR tactics can prove to be extremely powerful too.

In your new online startup is centered on providing news to the people, the best tools in the online environment are wire services like PRWeb and PR Newswire; these two online platforms are excellent for boosting traffic and converting visitors into loyal customers. When a company receives enough online media coverage, the next step would be to make use of social bookmark services like del.icio.us and furl.net to archive the information. A blog section can also be a viable option because you can link to other sites and blogs in the online environment and encourage company news coverage.

Guidelines for a successful execution

For an online PR campaign to work, one must learn to listen. Businesses must be able to monitor what people say about their company, brand and product in the online environment. Who is in charge for driving conversions? As your business will advance on the web and your website will start increasing in rank, your company will become a solid foundation for proper online communication. However, for people to have an interest in whatever you’re marketing, they need to be chosen properly. This is where SEO comes in. When choosing online PR to market your business, proper optimization is a must.

An equally important tactic is to use social media tools. These can become a powerful broadcasting mechanism because they foster interaction in the online environment. Replying to comments, sharing articles on Facebook, answering to twitter followers and participating in forum discussions are additional techniques that must be included in your online PR strategy to make a company visible online.

Promoting a business is a lot easier than it used to be. Companies that want to make themselves known to the masses must be featured online as well. However, it’s not enough to have a website. One must be actively involved to generate leads, boost traffic and convert visitors into loyal customers. This is best achieved through online PR.

This is a guest article by Denny Averill & DataDial.net

|In: e-commerce|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Just Buy Live, the world’s first e-distribution platform, has accomplished a new feat by partnering with 2500+ marquee Indian and international brands, becoming the largest distributor in the country. On boarding 500 new and small businesses on an average every day, the company is confident of providing its services to over 100 Thousand of these businesses in the next 100 days.

Just Buy Live has received a phenomenal response from the retailer community within a short span of time. Selling over 5,00,000 products from 2500 brands including competing brands, across categories like Food, Beverages, Personal Care, Mobile and Auto, Just Buy has successfully brought on board 80 out of India’s and world’s 100 most trusted brands including Apple, Xiaomi, Samsung, Micromax, YU Mobiles, Oppo, Patanjali, ITC, P&G, Unilever, Coca Cola, Pepsico, Amul, Nestle to name a few.

Commenting on achieving this significant milestone, Sahil Sani, Chairman and CEO, Just Buy Live said

Just Buy Live was launched with a vision to democratize, disrupt and amplify the distribution industry by empowering retailers with a robust platform and direct access to a wide distribution range. The good news is that we are just getting warmed up. We are delighted with the response we have received from retailer ecosystem, and aim to double the record by becoming official distributors of 5000 brands by the end of 2016.

Just Buy was launched with a high decibel TV and digital campaign targeting retailers with a strong message of giving hope to a vital section of India’s economy : its 15 million brick-and-mortar traders. The platform is currently catering to over 50,000 retailers from paanwallas to udipis, kiranas to supermarkets, mobile stores to chemists.

Caught between traditional and rigid distribution networks on one hand, and modern e-retailers with their aggressive discounting practices, India’s retailers are a worried lot. Just Buy is the first concrete measure striving to eliminate their worries by giving them a technology edge. It is no wonder that it has cemented its place for life in the system.

Sahil Sani, Chairman and CEO, Just Buy Live added

When Just Buy was launched, one of the early challenges was to ensure that brands and manufacturers go for this disruptive concept.  Expectedly, the idea got instant acceptance from companies, owing to the wide reach and benefits offered by the app and access to live data streams for business and brand owners.

Just Buy Live benefits retailers with numerous advantages by providing them access to a wide range of brands to choose from. The ability of a retailer to provide better choice to its customer is directly proportional to his chances of success. With the Just Buy app, a retailer isn’t restricted to the brands that his local distributor provides, but instead has unrestrained access to a much wider range of products delivered to his doorstep playing a vital role in aiding their expansion plans. Furthermore for retailers, margins, offers and schemes offered by the brands are critical, by selecting products that give the best margin, retailers can improve their revenues and also pass on the cost advantage to their buyers if they choose.

The ‘Just Right’ timing of the Just Buy launch, its unique business-to-business platform in the e-commerce space that connects brands and retailers and the faith reposed in it by both, all seem to point to one thing – the 100 thousand number is just a milestone in what’s turning out to be an exciting journey.

Just Buy Live for Android & iOS can be downloaded from here and here

About Just Buy Live

Just Buy Live is the world’s first and largest e-distributor. Launched in 2016, Just Buy Live has a Brand to Retail business model [B2R] that is unique in its efficiency, innovations and scale. The app empowers retailers by enabling them to buy goods directly from brands, while saving more through schemes and deals offered in real time.  The app’s user-friendly interface maximizes convenience, democratizes product access and unlocks higher profits for retailers. For brands & manufacturers, it offers wider reach, unlimited scale and relevant data. For more information, please visit Just Buy Live

|In: Cabto|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

How many times you have encountered a situation where you are looking out for a cab on your favourite on-demand-cab app but not getting it due to huge demands or due to circumstances which are not under your control. In such scenarios, you launch the next Cab app and repeat the same set of actions 🙂

Multiple App Hops is a common issue that many startups are trying to address across various sectors like Ticket Booking, Cab Booking etc. Cabto, a Bengaluru based startup wants to make booking a cab hassle-free for consumers so that they do not have to download multiple apps [like Ola, Uber etc.]

In layman terms, Cabto is a Vertical Marketplace in the Travel Category. Today we have a chat with Syed Hidayath [Founder & CEO of Cabto] about Cabto, On-Demand Economy, Marketing, Entrepreneurship & much more. So, let’s get started…

Can you give a small background about you, your start-up and it’s founders ?

Cabto is founded by Syed Hidayath. Syed has a BE in Mechanical Engineering from BMS College of Engineering, Bangalore graduated in 2005. He comes with a decade of experience in IT industry.  A self driven professional having great passion for entrepreneurship.

He has gained enormous knowledge on the Cab industry over last 2 years and has been driving this ambitious project since inception. Syed is extremely passionate about solving the problems faced by customers in Travel industry & believes in providing a travel marketplace which will provide options to all categories in India.

When and how did your come up with the idea of Cabto ?

In end of 2014 I started using cabs instead of my car, the comfort of driver coming to your doorstep to pick me, not having to drive/looking for parking excited me  in addition to it being an economical option. But slowly as the demand started increasing, cabs got scarce. You had to hook into multiple cab apps to check cabs available around you.  This made me realize that we need a platform which lets us see all cabs available under one single platform. We started approaching Ola & other players in 2015 seeking for their data to address this problem to customers. This is how Cabto was born !!

Being a cab aggregator, what is the kind of partnership you have with on-demand cab companies like Uber, Ola etc. ?

Their API’s are integrated with Cabto so customer can get the information from all these companies in one single platform. We are on an affiliate commission model with our partners.

How does Cabto take care of customer complaints or discrepancies if any encountered by the customers ?

Cabto raises the customer issues to respective services providers & works with them to address the issues related to service.

What is the revenue model of CABTO [is it based on commission per ride] ?

Yes

How much has Odd-Even rule affected the entire Cab industry and taxi-aggregator startups ?

An odd even rule increases the demand for cabs greatly. With 50% private vehicles forced to stay out of the roads & these users have options like carpooling, public transport which are still not sufficient to serve such a demand. So great portion of these users switch to Cabs. There is a increase of 20%-30% in terms of bookings during odd even rule.

What is the Total Market Size of the Cab/Taxi aggregators or travel marketplace in India ?

According to Soft Bank, the organized taxi sector may be worth around $7 billion by 2020.

How is Cabto funded [Self funded, Angel, CV etc.] ?

Self Funded [Family & Friends]

What are some of the USP’s that Cabto has as compared to other taxi-aggregator apps available in the market ?

  • We are the first player to initiate talks with Ola on this model so we built this model working with our partners. So have deep understanding of this industry.
  • One of the top ranked app in play store with consist good ratings.
  • Fastest growing app in its segment. 2.3X growth month on month  in app bookings.
  • Aggregation of Outstation/Self drives/Ride shares/Women taxis/Shuttle/Auto/Bike taxis/Inter city
  • Plan to integrate public transport.

What are the initial challenges that you faced once you started working on the idea [or turned an entrepreneur]

Our biggest challenge was to convince the service providers for this model. We Spent over 6 months approaching out partners on this. Building a strong team covering all areas like technology, marketing, operations is really a challenge. We are glad over a period of one year we were able to build a great team which we believe can deliver to our vision of building India’s largest travel marketplace.

What are some of the growth hacking techniques that are being used for Cabto and some tips for our readers.

First & foremost build a great product. Once you accomplish this then it will sell on its own with little bit of awareness. Build a strong team by offering good perks/ESOP’s to keep them motivated to their highest levels, make your friends as your products marketing people.

Some insights into marketing [Lessons learnt while marketing Cabto] ?

Look for economical ways, Identify right target customer base and Spend your budget on this segment. Don’t overspend on offline campaigns initially as you may not be able to measure their results, research for best CPI options, focus on bringing awareness.

What are some of the qualities that entrepreneurs should look into while hiring their initial set of employees ?

Find initial hires who are self driven, masters in their job [You don’t need a team of coders if you can find a master coder]. Look for people who share same passion as you, who understand your vision & excited to be part of the process. At the same time make sure this is a job they are enjoying the most, a job they dreamt of. If not, they are already thinking of their next dream job & they may not be giving 100%.

Can you give some pointers on Scaling Up & Customer Acquisition [some take-away for entrepreneurs]

Address customer issues on priority, Focus in increasing organic growth, Spend every penny wisely, target the right customer base, take care of your critics,  bottom-line is build a great product which you can market with minimum budget.

When should an entrepreneur look out for external funding ?

When you have reached some traction & need heavy funds to accelerate your growth which you cannot pool in your circles.

On-demand companies like Uber, Ola are facing the heat for Surge Pricing, Government regulations etc. Would this not curb the overall growth of the on-demand economy ?

It will affect the revenue generation to some extent.  I feel surge pricing has already been re-modelled to keep pricing within the prescribed limited by government. The demand in this industry has skyrocketed as people want a vehicle to their doorstep in click of a button so it will not affect the industry.

Some tips for aspiring entrepreneurs and something that keeps you motivated everyday for your startup ?

Don’t just build a product, work on building a solution to an existing problem which still doesn’t exist. You can sell a solution but not just a product. Look for new sectors as you may already have enough competition in existing sectors. Also important to look for your passion, what you would love to work on. If you are passionate you will never regret it working on your dream 18 hrs a day.  Focus on building a great team, Look for experts in their field, Delegate work efficiently and Make them responsible & accountable for work. Slowly you need to start building teams who handle their own tasks which lets you focus on  higher level tasks.

An entrepreneur should have relentless passion to build a great product. You will face challenges everyday which will test your mental strength to highest possible stage. Always remembering the dream & reading motivational videos/articles helps you to  pass those hurdles.

Do give Cabto app a shot and share across your feedback/questions in the comments section. If you have any questions for Syed Hidayath about the app, entrepreneurship etc., email them to himanshu.sheth@gmail.com

|In: startups|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Contrary to popular belief, the genesis of technology focused startups and entrepreneurship India is longer than one thinks. The story perhaps begins in the mid-70s when companies like HCL and Patni Computers were founded. The 80’s saw another group of individuals leave their jobs to start a company that grew into the giant Infosys is today. Today the Unicorns are carrying forward that legacy.

The complete story of India’s entrepreneurial journey was never really told until recently, when Microsoft Accelerator pieced together the narrative in an e-book titled History of the Indian Startup Ecosystem. This e-book contains over 150 defining moments which shaped the thriving ecosystem that we see today.

Indian Startup Infographic
Indian Startup Infographic [Click to Zoom]
Four distinct phases of growth and maturity that have been traversed so far*

  1. Software Services and Global Delivery Model
  2. The Dotcom era
  3. Rise of Product startups
  4. Growth of startup ecosystem

Chronicling the history of the ecosystem was an 18-month long exercise which involved interviewing the industry veterans like Sharad Sharma, Ravi Gururaj and Bharat Goenka and perusing hundreds of documents, research papers and newspaper articles. As the story took shape, four distinct phases of growth and maturity came to light: The Software Services and Global Delivery Model | The Dotcom era | The Rise of Product startups and The Growth of startup ecosystem.

To know more about untold story and to download the e–book, visit https://aka.ms/indiastartups

[Source* – Microsoft Accelerator Blog]