CashKaro–India’s largest Cashback & Coupons siteis back with its 3rd edition of #SheCEO – an initiative to empower Womenpreneurs of India. From students aspiring to be entrepreneurs to startups led by women, #SheCEO aims to provide a strategic platform to help women get the right mentorship, introduction to industry experts & investors and also network with counterparts.
Through this campaign, three women entrepreneurs and five female students will be selected and mentored on entrepreneurship, business planning, funding issues, and importance of social media to connect & network with potential partners. The month long campaign will call for participation from start-ups led by women as well as women students who have a bent towards entrepreneurship. The entries will be adjudged by a panel of experts based on their submission.
The initiative has gained a lot of support and appreciation from the industry over the years. This year they have some of the most renowned names as partners from the fraternity namely YourStory, SHEROES, SACC India, Delhi Startups, TLabs, Rodinhoods, India Angel Network, Startup Oasis, Mumbai Angels Network, Jaarvis Accelerator & HealthStart.
#SheCEO is all about recognizing, rewarding and further encouraging entrepreneurship among women from all walks of life. Scaling up small businesses is tough for many women who kick off their ventures very well but stumble at the first post due to lack of support. We believe there are excellent businesses that women can create with the help of knowledge and support and mentorship. We hope #SheCEO provides aspiring women entrepreneurs and students a platform to network, celebrate and grow to march forth & build amazing businesses!
The #SheCEO campaign kick started from 9th February 2017 & submissions will be accepted till 6th March 2017 [11:59 PM IST]. For more details about the campaign, please visit CashKaro Women’s Day
Global e-commerce selling and logistic platform provider Anchanto announced the appointment of Vishal Desai as Director of Marketing. The appointment is in line with the company’s plan to strengthen its leadership team and to further expand its services in Asia, strongly supported through marketing practices.
Commenting on the appointment, Vaibhav Dabhade, Founder & CEO, Anchanto said
It’s great to have Vishal on board as we are in the process of extending our product market reach. His rich experience and knowledge in commercial marketing globally will help us to leverage our scalable practice.
Vishal Desai, an Alliance Manchester Business School, UK alumnus, comes with over 11 years of experience in different marketing functions spanning key areas such as brand positioning, lead generation, Inbound and content marketing. Prior to his appointment at Anchanto, he was associated with RS Components, the global distributor of Electronic, Electrical & Industrial components in the UK. He also had a short stint at Indsutrybuying, one of the leading B2B e-commerce start-up based in India as Head of OEM marketing & Alliances.
As a Marketing Director, Vishal Desai will be responsible for expanding marketing team to streamline the marketing functions across 9 countries including Singapore, India, and others.
I am excited to be working with an innovative company which has a unique and extensive product offering for multi-marketplace selling, warehouse management, cross-border fulfillment and order processing. It gives me much pleasure to be a part of this visionary team.
My experience at IndustryBuying.com has helped me to understand the dynamics of marketing in India and I have been able to closely observe the pain-points of many brands in managing the e-commerce Supply chain. These customer insights will be of value at Anchanto as it looks to significantly expand, especially in India.
The company, backed by some of the leading global investors such as TSE-listed Transcosmos inc. Japan and Innosight Ventures, recently launched in India. Within the first month of its launch, it has acquired four big customers, including Alibaba-backed Paytm in India, Lazada, Bluebell Group and DKSH. Anchanto provides an open and the only platform that brings all the supply chain providers, sellers and 3Pl players under one roof. The company is planning to launch a product to help entrepreneurs and merchants to sell their products in multiple online marketplaces across Asia.
About Anchanto
Anchanto SaaS Technology and integration with ecosystem players makes online selling and e-commerce logistics simple for everyone. Anchanto builds an e-commerce ecosystem, enabling and connecting key players across the globe. Anchanto was established on 17 June 2011 in Singapore with the vision ‘to give customers an enchanting experience’ through software platform and associated services.
In 2016, Anchanto deployed e-commerce warehouse management system in 9 countries in Asia. Anchanto also launched SelluSeller.com in India and Singapore which lets thousands of merchants list and manage their inventory across marketplaces. For more information, please visit Anchanto
Trust Chemists and Druggists Ltd., Karnataka’s fastest growing retail pharmacy chain, has partnered with ToneTag, a proximity communication company to integrate and deploy its sound-based, contactless payment technology in 70 outlets across Karnataka. ToneTag technology will allow Trust customers to make ‘cardless’ and ‘cashless’ payments using their mobile phones.
Trust’s mission of maintaining excellent standards of pharmaceutical care, has led them to innovate and adopt various technologies such as ToneTag, which enables contactless payments over any mobile device, including feature phones. Although cash was the most commonly used form of payment, post demonetisation, it became essential to enable cashless payments specially in pharmaceutical stores that provide emergency and round the clock services to customers.
Now, customers can download any of ToneTag’s partner apps including YesPay, Airtel Money and ICICI Pockets and can select the ToneTag option to make fast, secure and cashless payments.
ToneTag uses sound signals to establish communication between devices. Their Software Development Kit [SDK] only requires a speaker and a microphone to work. It can utilize the in-built mic or speaker of any device to enable data transfer through sound-waves and hence it supports most existing devices such as PCs, POS, EDC devices feature phones and wearables. Since this technology supports any hardware, the only prerequisite is the integration of the ToneTag SDK at both merchant [POS or Mobile devices] and customer interaction points (Mobile apps). The SDK contains features such as patented noise filters, three levels of encryption, tokenization, white box cryptography and multi-factor authentication to ensure security and reliability.
C P Bothra – Chairman, Trust Pharmacy said
I am delighted that Trust is tying up with ToneTag for contactless payments in our retail stores. Having served the customers for last 15 years, this is a value addition for Trust and its customers with no extra cost. Trust will carry this service forward with ToneTag to connect the loyalty program and many such value added services in future
Kumar Abhishek, CEO, ToneTag said
With ToneTag, Trust customers can now experience fast and secure payments from their mobile phones by downloading our partner wallets. ToneTag delivers unparalleled convenience to the customer as one can pay in-app at physical stores with just the click of a button.
Mohandas Pai, Vice chairman of Manipal group & a ToneTag Investor said
The ToneTag team have combined their deep insights of the banking systems in India with core technology innovations to solve a long-standing challenge of cashless payments. Technology like ToneTag’s will be a natural enabler of India’s shift into a new information infrastructure. I am delighted to see that the chain of Trust pharmacies has decided to adopt ToneTag’s solution. By accounting for the multiple use cases of contactless proximity payments, Trust will be radically improving the customer experience.
Payments through ToneTag are higly secure and allow businesses to streamline their checkout process by providing a seamless transaction experience for both the customer and the retailers. The technology is currently available to Airtel Money, ICICI Pockets and Yes Pay wallet users. It further advances ToneTag’s drive to reduce cash usage and promote a better payment experience for all.
About ToneTag
ToneTag is a product first company driven to realize mobile payments and revolutionize the proximity communication ecosystem with their innovations. It’s technology uses sound waves to enable contactless, offline, proximity communication on any device. It is transforming the way devices will communicate with each other in the near future. For more information, please visit ToneTag
It’s an opportunity not to be missed! Techstars, a US-based mentorship-driven startup accelerator, will be scouting for emerging innovative startups in the Internet of Things arena at the Internet of Things India 2017 expo to be held from 8~10 February 2017 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.
The IoT India 2017 expo is co-located with South Asia’s largest ICT event-25th Convergence India 2017 expo. Techstars’ Internet of Things programme in partnership with PwC, Siemens, GE, Bosch, Verizon, and SAP sources tech companies from countries like Mexico, Germany, London to unlock their potential and accelerate their growth.
Techstars’ global ecosystem for entrepreneurs helps bring new technologies to the market across the world. It is also a venture capital fund with $265M AUM and over 750 accelerator companies to date. Selected companies will have the opportunity to participate in a three month long world class mentorship programme from the Techstars networks, the chance to pursue and fast-track partnerships within their partners, and up to $120k in funding.
Christopher Badaoui, who runs the programme with Managing Director and IoT Investor Jenny Fielding in New York City, will hold a workshop on IoT at the expo. He will talk about what it takes to get into the programme and what the future of IoT holds. He will also be meeting with ten of the most promising startups confronting some of the industry’s most challenging verticals such as manufacturing, warehousing and industrial.
The opportunities in IoT are limitless when technologies are sold to large corporations. Cost savings, data collection and analytics are the tools that will help us reshape the way the world works. I look forward to coming to India once again.
Showcasing some of the best technologies including video analytics, telecommunications, smart lighting, security, systems integration, M2M solutions, data science, cloud services, applications development and more under one roof, the IoT India 2017 expo will bring together leaders in the industry.
Badaoui, who is of British and Lebanese descent, has been in the industrial scene from the age of 16. Coming from a paint manufacturing background, and with a passion for tech, he has seen first hand how innovation is key for creating a more powerful infrastructure for the future.
Previously, he was responsible for business development at Forge, an on-demand platform for hourly labor. He has a background in growth and facilitating business development for startups and Fortune 500 companies.
He believes investing in IoT brings incredible opportunity, as well as incredible responsibility to all stakeholders. As consumers’ devices, homes, cars, cities, organisations, and lives become more and more connected, the safe use of their personal data is paramount.
To register for the program visit here, to view the Conference Program please visit here. The complete speaker list can be accessed here
About Internet of Things 2017 expo
The expo will showcase today’s disruptive technologies, and the evolutionary world of IoT. The range of products and solutions on display include wearables, video analytics, telecommunications, smart lighting, security, systems integration, M2M solutions, data science, cloud services and applications development, etc. This event includes the future of IoT in India, supporting the Smart Cities mission and implementation of the Digital India programme. For addition information please visit IOTIndiaExpo
Taking skilled craftsmanship beyond the geographical boundaries of India, Handikart – an online handicraft’s store that offers assorted range of genuine handicraft products from India today announced its global selling program. The brand offers a much needed platform to Indian artisans thus giving impetus to the fragmented industry with unimaginable potential.
The brand offers a much needed platform to Indian artisans thus giving impetus to the fragmented industry with unimaginable potential.
Under its global selling program, Handikart will be delivering products worldwide, including the United States, UK, Middle East & Latin America. Handikart’s foray into international market aims to bestow the global citizens an opportunity to experience the splendid craftsmanship of Indian artisans by bringing the vast variety of exquisite handmade products under one cover.
Expressing his delight while announcing the global selling program,Priyank Vashney, Founder of Handikart, said
We are mighty pleased to see our diligent efforts taking shape finally. Exquisite demonstrations of India’s skilled craftsmanship have created a distinct identity to win accolades in India and worldwide. In less than six months we expanded pan India and now globally.
Handikart is in alignment with the Indian government’s Skill India campaign and going forward we shall add more categories to our splendid handmade collection and keep promoting artisans of India on the global stage.
Handcrafted products across 30 categories are available on the website from traditional local artisans. The products showcase the undying spirit of the artisans’ creativity, living in far remote areas in various parts of India.
From Gorara Stone fine carvings to Black Pottery of Nizamabad; from hand-made bone jewellery to eco-friendly bamboo and cane products from Assam; from Orissa’s Palm Pattachitra to Shikauli baskets of Uttar Pradesh, from Kashmir’s paper mache to traditional Blue Pottery of Jaipur, Handikart is a place where Indian essence comes alive.
Handikart is a team of handicraft lovers and deal in those products that are part of Indian Handicraft history for a very long time. For more information, please visit Handikart
Union Budget 2017 is just round the corner and all eyes are set on what schemes the government would announce in order to relieve the pain of demonetization. Today, we share pre-budget quotes from entrepreneurs and what are their expectations from the budget that would be announced on 1st February 2017.
Bhavin Turakhia, Co-founder and CEO of Directi
Bhavin Turakhia, Co-founder and CEO of the Directi group
2016 saw a slew of announcements made by the government. With the goal of putting our country on the path towards a cashless economy, the Union Budget 2017~18 should include definitive SOPs and tax rebates to encourage and boost e-payments. Moreover, to achieve the goal of financial inclusion, the government should also rationalize indirect taxes and charges levied with respect to digital payment transactions, and further incentivize companies operating within this space. To adapt to the need of time, government should also rationalize income tax provisions including provisions related to employee tax benefits such that payments/ documents in the digital medium are treated at par with physical instruments.
As a natural corollary to the demonetisation process, the time is ripe to increase the tax exemption limit and also the corporate tax limits. Steps should also be taken to help startups tide over its immediate effects. Furthermore, with the increase in cash flow within banks, advanced technological infrastructure will help facilitate seamless transactions and improve the overall banking system as we enter into the new financial year.
A startup hub, India is currently home to the third largest number of technology driven startups in the world. The previous year witnessed multiple markdowns in the country’s startup ecosystem and, therefore, to propel this forward, the PM’s flagship ‘Startup India’ project should receive an impetus in the upcoming budget.
Suchi Mukherjee, CEO & Founder LimeRoad
Suchi Mukherjee, CEO & Founder, LimeRoad
In general, tax slabs should be adjusted in a way that does not reduce the number of people covered in the tax net, but reduces the tax liability of individuals in order to provide them more disposable income that would help to increase the consumption in the country. To push digital economy, I wish to see cashless transactions to be incentivized further.
To boost MSME’s, limit of presumptive taxation should be increased to 5 crore. This action will simplify the procedure and conserve resources for small scale vendors.
The Union budget will be presented on 1st Feb this year. It has been a closely watched event with lots of promises and scheme announcements. The Indian citizen is expecting a populist,
Mr. Harish Thakkar, Executive Director- Imarticus Learning
pro-poor and middle class budget after having borne the shock of demonetisation. It was also evident from the PMs speech on 31st December-largely termed as mini-budget speech wherein he announced schemes to make-it-up to the poor for waiting in long queues.
Just as it has been in past years, there will be announcements and more allocations to the social sector and development of rural areas particularly for farmers, we expect a boost to digital payments particularly Debit/credit cards and internet banking. The salaried class has been eagerly waiting lower income tax rates year on year, may see finally a higher exemption limit or lower tax rates.
We also expect some tougher measures for tax avoidance and changes in filing of the Income tax returns, with a view to bring in more transparency of businesses particularly the unorganised small and medium enterprises and also to widen the tax base. Lower tax rates promulgate wider tax base and discourage tax avoidance.
As the PM in one of his speeches mentioned, Imandaar ki mushkilen kam hongi aur Beimaan ki mushkilen badhengi so an action packed Budget session is eagerly awaited just as the nation awaits PMs address. The drama unfolds in a few weeks.
Swati Bhargava, Co-founder, CashKaro.com
My Top Most Budget Ask – Increased Planned Expenditure for Better Infrastructure which can enable more women to join and remain in the workforce.
I personally expect the upcoming Union Budget to be very positive and favourable towards the poor, middle class and business community, particularly because these segments were most inconvenienced by Demonetization. In a bid to alleviate this pain, we can expect incentives on direct tax. This could mean lower personal income tax rates and lower corporate tax rates too. With Cashless economy taking center stage, the Government has already taken a number of steps to encourage electronic payments.
We could see Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley announcing a list of measures as incentives for digital payments which will benefit the e-commerce industry as a whole. We might also get clarity on the long standing topic of introducing GST. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship project, Startup India might get a push in the upcoming Budget. We could see a new set of tax concessions on employee stock options, unlisted securities and convertible instruments.
Lastly, as a woman and an entrepreneur, I would be most excited to see increased allocation towards building infrastructure in India and increased planned public expenditure. This would go a long way in creating a safer & more conducive environment for women and furthermore in creating world class companies. Overall, as a taxpayer and a founder I am eagerly waiting for February 1.
Rakesh Deshmukh, Co-Founder & CEO, Indus OS
Modi-led government transformed the Indian industry outlook by initiating multiple programs. Today, Make In India, Digital India, Standup India and Startup India programs not only enrich entrepreneurial dreams but also provide financial aid for making it viable to create long term sustainable impact. We expect focus on these programs to be maintained in this Union Budget as well for positive investor sentiments and overall long term growth.
Additionally, India’s cashless dream is expected to come alive basis policy changes to enable infrastructure for 4G smartphone growth, formalization of UPI digital payment mode for its widespread application and additional Govt. initiatives focused on regional smartphone users.
What are your expectations from the Union Budget 2017 ?
E-commerce has been a huge game changer as now electronics, furniture, books, grocery, professional home services, etc. are all available on the push of a button. Apart from the entire digital experience, what makes it more unique is the speed with which the parcel is delivered to the customer! In today’s hyper-competitive environment, logistics definitely plays a very crucial role since a few days of delay [in delivering the shipment to the customer] can result in a bad customer experience.
The Trust Factor comes into picture when you are sending important documents to some or planning to shift to a new house. Though the Indian logistics market is expected to touch USD 307 billion by 2020 [Source], it is still disorganized and none of the existing logistics companies have multi-modal logistics options i.e. shipping via road, rail, air, ocean, etc.
This is where Jyotheesh Kumar & Dr Sharad Nair saw an opportunity and started ValueShipr, that offers customers (B2C) and Businesses (B2B) various shipment options namely Surface, Ocean, Rail, and Air. Their platform leverages IOT and Big Data for efficient tracking & shipment of consignments. In simple words, ValueShipr is a Logistics Platform ecosystem connecting SHIPPERS with Loads to TRANSPORTERS.
Today we have a chat with Jyotheesh, Co-founder & CEO of ValueShipr about his journey, learnings while building ValueShipr, funding, scaling up, etc.
So, let’s get started with the Q&A….
How and when did you come up with the idea of ValueShipr ?
In 2014, I was out to transfer goods for a personal matter as well as for office related requirements, wherein at the end of both the tasks, I was left with a deep irritation due to the experience. That’s when I realized how disorganised, unprofessional and customer unfriendly the whole logistics framework in the country was. Coincidentally Dr. Sharad Nair [the co-founder of ValueShipr] who is a director of another logistics company happened to meet me on a chance meeting and we just kind of exchanged notes and our frustration. One thing led to the other and our frequencies matched. We drew a rough blueprint on the problems, the solution and the opportunity this presented. By end of 2015, we had a framework of business model and the number churning was done and ready. The official curtain on this project was raised in April 2016.
Can you give a small background about you, your start-up and its founders ?
Mr. Jyotheesh Kumar
ValueShipr is heralding in an innovative logistics platform ecosystem on On Demand Logistics marketplace by aggregating, organizing and bringing Transporter Partners and Clients-Shippers to harmoniously conduct business. The company is founded by Jyotheesh Kumar who brings in close to 20 years of experience in diverse and varied business roles. The company has received seed funding in 2016. The platform focuses on Multi Modal Logistics Solutions [Surface, Ocean, Rail, and Air] for cargo movement and brings together consignors, consignees, fleet owners, transport companies, warehouse owners as well as agencies on one common platform and enable them to transact and manage their business. Leveraging technology and diverse experience, ValueShipr focuses on delivering quality service by facilitating goods, cargo and parcel movement for every load capacity, at competitive price, flanking every shipment or freight with latest technology and outstanding customer service.
ValueShipr was conceptualized by Dr. Sharad Nair and myself. Dr. Nair and I have known since we were in school. Thus this venture brings us together after a gap of 20 years. At ValueShipr, I am the Chief Executive Officer of ValueShipr, I am responsible for the day to day functioning of the company and ensuring that the company is successfully able to meet the requirements of the industry by providing seamless and easy to deploy solutions while also meeting the business objectives. Leading and mentoring a team [currently over 25] I oversee products, technology, businesses, marketing & PR, digital channel & marketing, distribution channels, project management & technology, CRM and business development owing to the proficiencies established due to my vast and diverse experience, I always look towards empowering vertical owners across multiple functional areas to take responsibility and keep raising the bar.
Dr. Sharad Nair the co-founder of ValueShipr has over 19+ years of work experience in private banking and wealth management. Dr. Nair is an active investor who has successfully help ed several start-ups bloom their venture into well-established organisations. At ValueShipr, Dr. Nair brings in his rich work experience and is the sounding board for all key decisions made at ValueShipr.
Does ValueShipr own the vehicles or it operates in a marketplace kind of a model ?
ValueShipr is an innovative logistics platform, aggregating, organizing and bringing ‘Transporter Partners’ and ‘Clients-Shippers’ to harmoniously conduct business on ‘On Demand Logistics’.
The platform would be focusing on Multi Modal Logistics Solutions [surface, ocean, rail, and air] for cargo movement. The stakeholders of logistics industry like consignors, consignees, fleet owners, transport companies, warehouse owners and agencies look to us to provide a common platform and facilitate them to transact and manage their business.
The focus is on aligning and blending technologies to systematise and organize with-Digital Sourcing, Internet of Things [IOT], cloud, CRM, document automation, GPS tracking, analytics, Artificial Intelligence [AI] and other value added service systems inherently as features of the platform
Interchangeability, Omni-channel access to platforms 24*7, CRM, Safety and reliability would further augment the user experience manifold for users of ValueShipr
ValueShipr caters to first-mile or last-mile delivery or both ?
ValueShipr is agnostic to the modes and being a technology led transportation platform can conform to both the requirements of transportation in the supply chain throughput.
What are some of the business verticals i.e. cargo, warehouse, inter-city logistics, etc. that ValueShipr caters to ?
These are facilitators in the value chain that are essential to complete the transportation of goods. We offer value added services viz; warehouse, packaging, loading, Insurance, intra city logistics to complement our services.
From customer’s perspective, tracking a parcel becomes very important. What are some of the technologies that ValueShipr uses in order to ensure safe & timely delivery ?
At ValueShipr, one of our core USPs is that we are involved through out of cargo movement, so we have built technology [IOT based GPS system] alerts, notifications right after the trip is confirmed until the delivery to the consignee is made. Besides this, we have a call center which is monitoring any aberrations/deviations during the trip on our dashboard and intervening with the driver/pilot to make sure that there is nothing amiss and the consignment is safely delivered.
ValueShipr has multi-modal logistics solutions (Surface, Ocean, Rail, and Air), how & when as per the experience at ValueShipr, should a customer opt for these options ?
So these modes are requirement based-meaning the determinants are-type of goods, geography, time, warehousing, packaging, price etc. are considered whilst taking a decision on which mode to opt for. Needless to say they have their own format that needs to be considered while adopting the right fit for transportation.
Can you please take us through the steps on how a transport company can partner with ValueShipr ?
Registering with ValueShipr is very simple. Transport business owners could just visit ValueShipr or download the ValueShipr mobile app from the Android store or else call 8655012255 to register. Post this stage, transport owners will need to share a few documents, which they could upload, scan or ever send us whatsapp images to fulfill the requirements. After verification and confirmation we schedule a boarding call led process on familiarization to help the person/transporter completely acclimatize with the process.
Most of the startups [tech & logistics] are focused on solving the last-mile problem, how much according to your experience is it critical to focus on first-mile as well ?
There are problems and challenges in all strata of society and this presents an opportunity to solve the problem. We know necessity is the mother of all inventions and ideas. Having said this, when you look at the challenges that surmounts any activity, one realizes the loss of efficiency and productivity in the entire throughput.
Both First Mile and Last Mile activities are vital cogs in the Supply Chain and cannot be wished one over the other.
Talking about logistics, there are companies like Delhivery, E-kart services, DHL [the traditional couriers], Post, etc. what according to you are the USP’s that customer can get if they ship via ValueShipr [either in terms of value/efficiency, etc.] ?
All the names mentioned above are respected companies in the logistics arena and are fairly entrenched in the 17% organized marketplace. ValueShipr firstly focuses on cargo goods>30 kgs and above and is a technology led platform focusing on enabling and empowering the 83% unorganized logistics players to efficiently undertake business and enhance their business.
Customers using ValueShipr gets-validated transporters, transparent transaction system, shipment tracking, proper documentation, payment options and access to call centre’s in a complete package
Can you please share details on the funding of ValueShipr ?
The company has received seed funding in 2016.
Does ValueShipr also cater to reverse-logistics [especially for big ticket items items like furniture] shipped by e-commerce partners using your services ?
We have factored this as a part of the plan and will be launching it suitably in 2017.
At the moment, ValueShipr caters to how many cities in India ?
Currently ValueShipr services are available across 18 cities in India, by March 2017, we will be adding another 10 more locations.
As ValueShipr operates in marketplace kind of model, how do you ensure that your driver partners deliver the best experience [in terms of on-time delivery,etc.] to your customers [considering that all the truck drivers are un-educated and their style might not go well with customers] ?
Firstly at the time of transport partner enrollment, we look to ensure the transport owner provides us with their best drivers. Also at ValueShipr we also focus on getting transport owners who are involved or is a driver himself. Secondly we have a process of continual engagement with the driver during the transactions from our control centre to ensure compliance’s. Shortly in 2017, we plan to kick of the hygiene training program for drivers of our partners at select centres whereby they would be sensitized on the operational effectiveness and conduct for good services.
Currently ValueShipr [partner & customer app] is present only on PlayStore, any plans of launching the iOS version of ValueShipr ?
Our Business plans have factored in the iOS application; however our surveys have shown a higher presence of Android phones amongst our user groups. We would like to understand the market feedback while we look to develop the app for the iOS platform.
Are there any existing competitors of ValueShipr, how has the response been so far from the users [both logistics partners and retail users] ?
As far as the intercity model is concerned, we understand that there are a few players both in the transaction and classified models. However we are committed to provide the most unique logistics in the current market place with a powerful transaction led technology backbone. The entire innovation, algorithm, machine learning, BI, IOT framework are all developed internally.
What are the initial challenges that you faced once you started working on the idea [or turned an entrepreneur] ?
Like in every entrepreneurial journey, idea validation, funding, product and work flow finalization, resources, identifying right scalable technology, go to market and distribution have all been challenging and continues to be so even to this day.
What are some of the growth hacking techniques that are being used for ValueShipr and some tips for our readers ?
Growth hacking is a coinage of the Digital Revolution. Every startup that posts its A/B testing phase will look at means of rapid scale up at the shortest possible time, all at the back of limited financial resources and distribution. The growth hacker or simply the marketer is that messiah whom the team looks up to, who is deft in using multiple channels, focused strategy and execution ability and create vitality, to carve out distribution scale for the company.
ValueShipr believes in adding value to all associated stakeholders in the ecosystem and therefore is fully focused on massive reach out using multiple channels viz; traditional methods, digital marketing, social media, micro market campaigns to create awareness, acclimatize prospective clients and create the experiential effect of the assets with the consumers. While there is a sense of urgency, however we are clearly customer oriented and want to repose their faith and trust in the product.
When according to you should an entrepreneur look out for external funding ?
My personal view is that after validation of the MVP and there is a steadfast traction established, should one look at funding for growth.
2016 has overall not been a good year for startups [falling valuations, shutdowns, demonetization impact, etc.], how do you see 2017 from start-up perspective and how should a start-up founder deal with such down-time ?
If solutions are built with a core focus of solving ‘identified problems’ and the concerned startup/entrepreneur has validated the proof of concept, it has nothing to be concerned about. Events, economic cycles of upward and downward trend would happen and that is the nature of the beast. However every start-up founder has to be resolute in his focus on their objectives and they could tide over any surprise challenges.
Some tips for aspiring entrepreneurs and something that keeps you motivated every day for your start-up ?
Every aspiring entrepreneur has to mentally be prepared for an action packed life. I would personally call every start-up CEO a ‘Chief Everything Officer’ so much so that the events on a daily basis hardly leave them with any time to spare.
He is a lonely ranger out there, possessed by his idea, convincing both internal and external customers to toe his belief & ideas and deliver. Due to the nature of complexity of challenges, there could be stress, anxiety and frustration at times. Keep doing the good work since it’s only through your belief that your team and customer will begin to believe in the enterprise. Hence every startup entrepreneur needs to have the ability of self-motivating themselves. I would recommend that entrepreneur try and lead a balanced and disciplined life to the best possible extent, give time to your physical well-being, inculcate reading habits, spend quality time with their family and also bake in sporadic travel plans.
Do give ValueShipr App a shot and share across your feedback/questions in the comments section. If you have any questions for Jyotheesh & his team about ValueShipr, entrepreneurship etc., email them to himanshu.sheth@gmail.com
MSD Telematics Private Limited, a Gurugram based telematics solutions firm, announced the acquisition of Heuristics Info Systems in an all cash deal. Sparrow Business Solutions LLP, a boutique corporate finance firm acted as the exclusive advisors to MSD and Heuristics on the transaction and TRA Law acted as the legal advisor on the deal.
This investment will fuel our ability to deliver greater value to customers by enabling us to offer complete bouquet of services. We are excited to have the Heuristics team join us in this exciting journey. Together we look forward to grow multi-fold in the next few years. Heuristics gives us the ability to now service international clientele with innovative and robust software solutions.
With the tremendous growth in Transport Tech and Logistics Tech space, telematics as an industry will see fabulous growth in the years to come.
Siddharth, investor at MSD Telematics said
It is time we function as business intelligence partners for the customers, helping them drive operational efficiency while reducing costs and risk. Telematics companies need to create unique positioning products that help customers grow their business. We need to educate customers about numerous applications of telematics and collaborate towards increasing penetration in the domain for a sustainable growth and benefit of all the stakeholders.
Heuristics, founded in 2008 by Amit Dubey and Pradeep Rai offers Vehicle Tracking System and Mobile Application software while providing unique cost effective quality solutions to various industry segments. Following the acquisition Amit Dubey, Founder Partner Heuristics Info Systems, would be joining MSD Telematics as a board advisor.
This is probably the start of consolidation in the industry. Few large players will emerge in the next few years to take leadership positions in the USD 120 Million telematics market in India.
About MSD Telematics
MSD was founded by two friends Ashmeet Singh and Siddharth in 2011. MSD focuses on telematics integration, GPS based tracking/remote asset management, mobility solution and all M2M solution based products. Company caters to various industrial verticals like logistics, transportation, schools, public distribution system etc. Telematics solution is offered under the brand name traQmatiX.
MSD serves corporate and government corporations by offering customized solutions on OPEX basis and on a turn-key basis. MSD counts HPCL, State Election Commissions, State Food Corporations and Excise Departments as some of its clients.
About Sparrow Business Solutions LLP
Gurugram, Delhi NCR, India based Sparrow Advisory was set up in late 2014. Sparrow Advisory serves clients in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Sri Lanka across sectors including Auto Components, Water Treatment, Renewables, Consumer Goods, Vacation Rentals, Fitness Industry and Data Analytics.
I personally expect the upcoming Union Budget to be very positive and favourable towards the poor, middle class and business community, particularly because these segments were most inconvenienced by Demonetization. In a bid to alleviate this pain, we can expect incentives on direct tax. This could mean lower personal income tax rates and lower corporate tax rates too. With Cashless economy taking center stage, the Government has already taken a number of steps to encourage electronic payments.
Today, Make In India, Digital India, Standup India and Startup India programs not only enrich entrepreneurial dreams but also provide financial aid for making it viable to create long term sustainable impact. We expect focus on these programs to be maintained in this Union Budget as well for positive investor sentiments and overall long term growth.
