StartupTalky

Blog

  • Rebel Foods – World’s Largest Cloud Kitchen Startup with Popular Restaurant Chains

    Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations.

    The concept of Cloud Kitchen, in recent years, is becoming highly popular among the people involved in food and restaurant businesses. This is due to its cost-effective management and minimal operating cost. Since the Cloud kitchen format doesn’t require a dine-in facility, a simple kitchen would be sufficient to run the business. This minimizes the need for a place, employees and furnishings.

    Since the arrival of online food delivery systems, people have gotten used to ordering food and eating at home. This made things easy for cloud kitchens to just start the business, take orders and deliver the food. They were relieved from the challenge of getting people to adapt to this new system. The COVID pandemic also laid a perfect platform for the growth of Cloud Kitchens. As a result, the number of Cloud Kitchens has shot up dramatically and reports say that its market would reach $2 billion by 2024.

    Rebel Foods (formerly Faasos) is one such cloud kitchen platform that is considered to be the largest cloud kitchen restaurant chain in the world. It delivers delicious foods to people through the multiple brands held and operated by it. Rebel Foods serves to be the Pioneer in the cloud kitchen business. It has created many benchmarks and remains a forerunner for the new and upcoming players. This article covers the story of Rebel Foods, its founders, funding and various other aspects of its business.

    Rebel Foods – Company Highlights

    Company Name Rebel Foods
    Headquarters Mumbai, Maharashtra
    Founders Jaydeep Barman and Kallol Banerjee
    Founded 2011
    Industry Food and Beverage Services
    Former Name Faasos
    Website rebelfoods.com

    Rebel Foods – About
    Rebel Foods – Founders and Team
    Rebel Foods – Startup Story
    Rebel Foods – Mission and Vision
    Rebel Foods – Name and Logo
    Rebel Foods – Business and Revenue Model
    Rebel Foods – Funding and Investors
    Rebel Foods – Subsidiaries
    Rebel Foods – Growth
    Rebel Foods – ESOP
    Rebel Foods – Products And Services
    Rebel Foods – Partnership
    Rebel Foods – Acquistion
    Rebel Foods – Competitors
    Rebel Foods – Future Plans

    Rebel Foods Success Story

    Rebel Foods – About

    Rebel Foods is an online restaurant chain that was founded in 2011 in Mumbai. This company owns and operates several Indian and international brands to deliciously serve the needs of diverse customers. It innovates and involves modern technologies in its food preparation to deliver the best to its customers. Rebel Foods is the largest cloud kitchen brand in the world today. It has business operations in over 10 countries with more than 450 kitchens and 4,000 internet restaurants.

    Rebel Foods – Founders and Team

    The following members are the key people of Rebel Foods:

    Jaydeep Barman

    Jaydeep Barman - Co-founder of Rebel Foods
    Jaydeep Barman – Co-founder of Rebel Foods

    Jaydeep Barman is the co-founder and the CEO of Rebel Foods. He played a major role in the growth of the company. Jaydeep Barman was born in Mumbai, Maharashtra. He completed his MBA from INSEAD and worked as Associate Partner in McKinsey & Company in London between 2006 and 2010. Jaydeep is also an angel investor and has invested in several startups like Treebo Hotels, Quinto, The Whole Truth, etc.

    Kallol Banerjee

    Kallol Banerjee - Co-founder of Rebel Foods
    Kallol Banerjee – Co-founder of Rebel Foods

    Kallol Banerjee is a co-founder at Rebel Foods. He had his higher education in Mechanical Engineering from Jadavpur University and did his MBA from IIM, Lucknow. Before joining hands with Jaydeep Barman, Kollol Banerjee worked in Bosch, Singapore.

    Ravi Golani

    Ravi Golani -CTO of Rebel Foods
    Ravi Golani -CTO of Rebel Foods

    Ravi Golani has been a part of Rebel Foods since 2015. He earlier served as the Finance Controller and Chief Financial Officer of the company. Ravi Golani is currently the Chief Strategy Officer of Rebel Foods. He has completed his CA and CMA from the corresponding institutes and did his bachelor’s from Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics.

    Rebel Foods – Startup Story

    Rebel Foods was established in 2011 as a physical restaurant with in-dine facilities. The company was earlier called Faasos and the business was doing good. The founders had no idea of turning Rebel foods into Cloud kitchens at that time. They wanted to be a dominant retail chain competing with McDonald’s and Domino’s. The next 4 years went profitably, however, a huge capital was needed to keep the outlets up to the mark and for further expansion.

    In 2014, the founders attended an investor-entrepreneur meet, where they were advised to make a revised study on the business operations. As a result, Rebel Foods conducted a customer survey and realized that only 30% of them are utilizing the restaurant’s outlet. With 70% of the customers already online, Rebel Foods decided to improve and enhance its online business and started a loud kitchen alongside its physical outlets in 2015. By 2016, the company closed all its in-dine restaurants and started serving customers only through the Rebel Foods cloud kitchen platform. It also gets 70% of its orders from Zomato and Swiggy.

    Rebel Foods – Mission and Vision

    Rebel Foods operates with a vision to “create unique memorable and delightful experiences for customers on all occasions”. The company wants to achieve a position as the most loved and most ordered food brand amongst the people. Jaydeep Barman, the founder and CEO of Rebel Foods, said in an interview that the company is also aiming to a point where they wanted “to have consumers open the Rebel app, the same way they open their fridge and ask ‘I wonder what Faasos has for dinner tonight”. Rebel Foods is entirely focused on the needs and satisfaction of its customers.

    Rebel Foods Logo
    Rebel Foods Logo

    Rebel Foods seems to be the apt name for this company, considering its pathway towards success. There is no official reasoning for the name of this cloud kitchen startup, but the term ‘Rebel’ in Oxford means ‘to fight against something/somebody’. And yes, Rebel Foods fought many hardships and created its own pathway to where it is positioned today.

    Rebel Foods – Business and Revenue Model

    Rebel Foods has set up its business using its own as well as its partner brands. The company’s Rebel Launcher program creates a platform for various other established brands to leverage its expertise and market. The partners get a chance to expand their businesses in new cities and countries through Rebel, and vice versa. Rebel’s business model explains that the company grows along with its partners and associate brands. Together, they sell their brand’s products online across 10 countries.

    24 Restaurant Marketing Ideas In India [2021]
    Finding it difficult to attract customers to your restaurant? Well, here we bring the 24 best restaurant marketing ideas and trends to promote.
    StartupTalkyShubham Kumar

    Rebel Foods – Funding and Investors

    Rebel Foods has received total funding of $564.3 million and became a Unicorn after its Series F funding round in November 2021. This cloud kitchen startup went through 23 funding rounds, and some of its recent funding activities are listed below:

    Date Funding Round Amount Investors
    April 25, 2023 Debt Financing Rs 75 crore –
    December 29, 2022 Debt Financing Rs 55 crore –
    November 1, 2022 Debt Financing $12.5M InnoVen Capital, Trifecta Capital Advisors
    September 30, 2022 Debt Financing $9.22M Alteria Capital
    November 6, 2021 Series F $14.5M Mando Corporation, Alimco Financial and Acernis Ventures
    October 7, 2021 Series F $175M Goldman Sachs, Sequoia Capital, Coatue, Alteria Capital and Qatar Investment Authority
    July 29, 2020 Series E $26.5M Coatue
    April 10, 2020 Series E $50M Coatue
    January 31, 2020 Debt Financing $5.4M Alteria Capital
    September 20, 2019 Series D $25.2M Goldman Sachs, Irving Investors, Sistema Asia Capital and Northwest Industrial Logistics
    July 3, 2019 Series D $125M Goldman Sachs, Irving Investors, Sequoia Capital, Coatue and Lightbox
    March 13, 2019 Series D $13.8M Sequoia Capital, Lightbox, InnoVen Capital and Evolvence India
    January 11, 2019 Debt Financing $3.7M Alteria Capital, Sequoia Capital and Lightbox
    August 30, 2018 Series C $15M Sistema Asia Capital, Sequoia Capital, RTP Global, Evolvence India and Lightbox

    Rebel Foods – Subsidiaries

    The company holds and operates various brands to serve customers. Rebel Foods acquired the premium chocolate brand Smoor Chocolates in April 2022. The following is a list of some of the most popular brands under Rebel Foods:

    Brand Name Business Nature
    Faasos Wraps, Anchor Brand
    Zomoz Momos
    SLAY Coffee Coffee
    FoodyBuddy Food Delivery
    Smoor Chocolates Chocolates
    Behrouz Biryani Biryani
    Oven Story Pizza
    Mandarin Oak Chinese Foods
    Firangi Bake Pasta
    Lunch Box Local Cuisines
    The Good Bowl Unique Bowl Dishes
    Sweet Truth Desserts
    The Biryani Life Biryani
    Wendy’s Burgers
    Nude Bowls Nutritious Meals
    The 500 Calorie Project Salads and Meals
    Box & Co Boxed Foods
    Ayam Ambyar Indonesian Dishes
    Bros Fried Chicken Chicken
    Feeling Brew Coffee
    Banzai Japanese Dishes
    Boom Burger Burgers
    Burger Bros Sandwiches and Burgers
    Holy Cow Frozen Desserts

    List of All the Subsidiaries of Zomato
    Zomato is one of the most popular delivery apps in India that is ruling the food delivery industry. Check out the list of subsidiaries of Zomato.
    StartupTalkyDamini Bhandary

    Rebel Foods – Growth

    After identifying that 3/4th of its customers are online and hence transforming itself into a cloud kitchen model of business, Rebel Foods has achieved tremendous heights. It started grooming itself technically and financially for the new market. The company involved many engineers and technical experts in developing equipment that can perform repetitive kitchen tasks automatically without the need for supervision.

    Rebel Foods has made significant strides in adapting to the changing online-driven culinary scene, as evidenced by its groundbreaking transition to a cloud kitchen model, even in spite of its tremendous global development and broad portfolio of food brands. Nonetheless, the business is expanding and becoming well-known in other nations. Among the growth highlights are:

    • The company operates around 450 cloud kitchens.
    • It has a presence in over 70 cities.
    • It is available in 10 countries.
    • Rebel Foods operates over 45 food brands in and outside India.

    Financials

    Rebel Foods Financials 2023 2024
    Operating Revenue INR 1195 crore INR 1420 crore
    Total Expenses INR 1827 crore INR 1857 crore
    Profit/Loss INR -657 crore INR -378 crore
    Rebel Foods Financials
    Rebel Foods Financials

    In FY 2023, Rebel Foods reported an operating revenue of INR 1,195 crore with total expenses of INR 1,827 crore, resulting in a loss of INR 657 crore. In FY 2024, the company’s revenue increased to INR 1,420 crore, while expenses rose slightly to INR 1,857 crore, reducing the loss to INR 378 crore.

    Expense Breakdown

    Rebel Foods total expenses rise from Rs 1827 crore in FY23 to Rs 1857 crore in FY24.

    EBITDA

    The company’s expenses per unit of operational revenue dropped from Rs 1.89 in FY21 to Rs 1.66 in FY22, while its EBITDA margin improved from -59.95% in FY21 to -49.72% in FY22. Still, the ROCE decreased from -39.8% in FY21 to -32.35% in FY22, staying negative. Although the company’s financial performance indicates considerable improvement, capital usage and profitability remain issues.

    EBITDA FY21-FY22 FY21 FY22
    EBITDA Margin -59.95% -49.72%
    Expense/Rs of Op Revenue Rs 1.89 Rs 1.66
    ROCE -39.8% -32.35%

    Rebel Foods – ESOP

    ESOPs were given to more than 5000 workers at Rebel Foods, an online food chain, across more than 350 kitchens and corporate offices. After this distribution phase, Rebel employees now own ESOPs valued at USD 65 (INR 550 crore) as of June, 7, 2023.

    Rebel Foods – Products And Services

    Eat Sure

    Rebel Foods operates its own food delivery app, EatSure. EatSure, Customers can combine orders from several restaurant types and cuisine types with its assistance.

    Cloud Kitechen in Riyadh

    Rebel Foods opened its first two cloud kitchens in Riyadh to mark its debut in Saudi Arabia on July, 3, 2023.

    The debut of a special Navratri Special Menu was announced by Lunchbox on October 12, 2023, the flagship brand of Rebel Foods, on the festive occasion of Navratri. This menu was meticulously created to please your taste buds and capture the spirit of this joyous season, with the goal of making fasting simple.

    Rebel Foods – Partnership

    IRCTC

    Rebel Foods’ EatSure platform has developed an app that allows users to “order food on train” on October 19, 2023, in collaboration with the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).

    Wendy’s

    In an effort to penetrate the global traditional QSR (quick-service restaurant) market, American burger giant Wendy’s and Rebel Foods partnered on February 23, 2023. As part of the cooperation, they will continue to construct traditional restaurants and expand on their current cloud kitchen development agreement.

    Rebel Foods – Acquistion

    Rebel Foods has acquired one company to date:

    Company Name Date Amount
    Smoor Chocolates Apr 7, 2022 –

    Rebel Foods – Investment

    Rebel Fodds has invested in 5 companies to date.

    Below are the details:

    Company Name Date Funding Stage Amount
    Zomoz May 2, 2023 Seed Round $1.97 billion
    Zomoz Nov 1, 2021 Seed Round $480.72 million
    Slay Coffee Apr 14, 2021 Seed Round $10.7 million
    FoodyBuddy Dec 17, 2020 Corporate Round $600.8 million
    FoodyBuddy Apr 9, 2020 Corporate Round $360.4 million

    Rebel Foods – Competitors

    The following are some of the top competitors for Rebel Foods:

    FreshMenu

    FreshMenu is a popular cloud kitchen startup that was established in 2014. The company faced severe hardships during its early stages but has managed to strengthen its position firmly in the market. It provides different varieties of dishes and world cuisines prepared by experienced chefs with farm-fresh products. FreshMenu promises to deliver the orders within 45 minutes.

    Curefoods

    Curefoods is the world’s second-largest cloud kitchen brand that is based in Bengaluru, Karnataka. It operates over 20 brands across the country and is still focusing on expanding its business rapidly. Some of its popular brands include Eatfit, Aligarh House, Cake Zone, Sbarro, etc.

    Ola Foods

    Ola Foods is a part of Ola which has now entered into the food business in India. It entered the cloud kitchen market in 2019 and currently operates in Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune and Bengaluru. Ola Foods runs over 40 kitchens spread across those six cities with some popular brands like Khichdi Experiment, That Pizza Palace, Nashta Express, etc.

    Rebel Foods – Future Plans

    Rebel Foods’s major focus is to expand its business as far as possible. The company announced that it is planning to widen its reach to over 100 cities in India by 2023. It is also targeting the international markets through various alliances and partnerships. Rebel Foods is running towards doubling its revenue to Rs 800 crore in FY 2022–23 and has a plan to launch its IPO in a couple of years.

    FAQs

    Who is the founder of Rebel Foods?

    Jaydeep Barman and Kallol Banerjee are the co-founders of Rebel Foods.

    When was Rebel Foods founded?

    Rebel Foods was founded in 2011.

    Who is the CEO of Rebel Foods?

    Jaydeep Barman is the co-founder and the CEO of Rebel Foods.

    What is the valuation of Rebel Foods?

    Rebel Foods is a Unicorn Startup with a valuation of $1.4 Billion.

    Who are the top competitors of Rebel Foods?

    Top competitors of Rebel Foods are:

    • FreshMenu
    • Curefoods
    • Ola Foods

    Which brands are owned by Rebel Foods?

    Some popular Brands owned by Rebel Foods are:

    • Faasos
    • Behrouz Biryani
    • Ovenstory Pizza
    • Mandarin Oak
    • Slay Coffee
    • Sweet Truth

  • Emmett Shear: Silicon Valley’s Big Name

    “We can’t learn how to build a safe AI without experimenting, and we can’t experiment without progress, but we probably shouldn’t be barrelling ahead at max speed either,” Emmett Shear.

    OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, has selected Emmett Shear, the former CEO of Twitch, as its acting CEO, taking over from Mira Murati. The company recently ousted previous CEO Sam Altman in a move that shocked the tech community. Shear is well-known for being an active advocate of safety in the advancement of artificial intelligence.

    Emmett Shear – Biography

    Name Emmett Shear
    Born 1983
    Nationality American
    Education Yale University
    Position Interim CEO, OpenAI

    Emmett Shear – Early Life
    Emmett Shear – Career
    Emmett Shear – Philanthropy
    Emmett Shear – Investments
    Emmett Shear – Controversy
    Emmett Shear – Awards and Recognitions

    Emmett Shear – Early Life

    Emmett Shear was raised in Seattle and went to the Evergreen School for Gifted Children. Shear, who was born in 1983, earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Yale University in 2005.

    Emmett Shear – Career

    Shear’s career began in 2005, when he, alongside Justin Kan, co-founded Kiko Software. After a year, he co-founded Justin.TV, Twitch’s precursor, where he served as Chief Technology Officer. He was also appointed as a part-time partner at Y Combinator. Shear was Twitch’s CEO until March 2023. At present, he is appointed as the interim CEO of OpenAI, replacing Mira Murati, who was earlier designated as interim CEO after Sam Altman’s exit.

    Emmett Shear – Kiko Software

    In the year 2005, after graduating from Yale, he and Justin Kan co-founded Kiko Software, which was subsequently sold on eBay for $250,000 when Google Calendar became public. He was there for a year and nine months until co-founding Justin.TV, the predecessor of Twitch, in September 2006.

    Emmett Shear – Justin.TV

    For five years and three months as Chief Technology Officer of Justin.TV, Shear was in charge of coding, hiring, and technical administration.

    Simultaneously, he was a part-time partner at Y. Combinator, a renowned San Francisco startup incubator that Altman led from 2014 to 2019.

    Emmett Shear – Twitch

    Shear served as CEO of Twitch until March 2023, a business he co-founded but was subsequently bought by Amazon in 2014, where he spent over a decade transforming the firm from Justin.TV into the world’s most popular video game broadcasting service. He was then appointed as a Visiting Group Partner at Y Combinator, where he assisted each batch of new entrepreneurs.

    What is Twitch

    Emmett Shear – OpenAI

    Shear was named interim CEO of OpenAI on November 19, 2023, succeeding Mira Murati as interim CEO following the board’s ouster of Sam Altman.

    Shear is well-known for being a staunch advocate of the “safety” side of the AI debate. He has compared AI safety to managing the creation of an alien god. Shear has expressed opinions on the dangers of artificial intelligence in interviews and on social media that the OpenAI board members may find compelling.

    Shear’s hiring attempts to stabilize the firm and resolve employee and larger AI community concerns.

    Shear laid forth a three-point strategy for the next 30 days, emphasizing openness and change. This strategy includes appointing an independent investigator to investigate the events leading up to Altman’s departure, engaging with employees, partners, investors, and consumers, and reforming the management and leadership teams.

    Comprehending the disturbance, he intends to address significant concerns. However, he recognizes that certain issues may take longer than a month to fix. Despite the changes, Shear confirmed that OpenAI’s cooperation with Microsoft remained sturdy, emphasizing his dedication to serving customers successfully.

    The surprising events at OpenAI raise concerns about the company’s future and role in furthering Artificial Intelligence technology. Shear examines the challenge of fixing internal disputes, preserving transparency, and sustaining OpenAI’s position as a prominent participant in the AI ecosystem.

    More research and development is planned. Additionally, contracts must be signed to ensure that individuals who are experimenting with GPT commit to becoming long-term users.

    Success Story of OpenAI- The Makers of the ChatGPT
    OpenAI offers services for AI development and implementation. It is the creator of the famous ChatGPT. This is the story of how it all started.
    StartupTalkySarika Anand

    Emmett Shear – Philanthropy

    Shear contributed the initial US$1 million to launch an SF New Deal, a non-profit organization that purchased meals from San Francisco eateries and delivered them to individuals in need via Twitch in March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. His Yale undergraduate friend Leonore Estrada, who managed the Three Babes Bakeshop in San Francisco’s Bayview district, founded the organization.

    Emmett Shear – Investments

    Shear has invested in several different rounds in various companies.

    Name of the Company Funding Round Investments Date
    Pilot AI Venture Round Mar 21, 2023
    Artifact Seed Round Dec 15, 2022
    GGWP Seed Round Mar 21, 2022
    Dashworks Seed Round Jan 28, 2022
    ForeVR Games Seed Round Aug 17, 2021
    ForeVR Games Seed Round Dec 11, 2020
    Quell Seed Round Dec 07, 2020
    Clipboard Health Series A Sep 11, 2019
    Peerwell Series A Aug 27, 2019

    Emmett Shear – Controversy

    He was criticized, among other things, for how he handled allegations in 2020 that the environment at Twitch was unwelcoming to women and for how slowly the platform reacted to offensive material.

    His emphasis on guiding Twitch toward profitability through cost-cutting measures was also criticized by several staff members and live streamers as undermining the platform’s quality.

    “Using gen AI to write pickup lines for the apps, call that shooting my zero-shot,” Shear once wrote and posted. Whether this was a joke or not is unknown.

    Emmett Shear – Awards and Recognitions

    • Forbes Magazine recognised him on their 30 under 30 list in 2012.
    • Twitch debuted in 2011, and The Wall Street Journal reported in 2014 that the brand had the fourth-highest peak internet traffic in the United States.

    FAQs

    Is Emmett Shear the CEO of Twitch?

    No, Emmett Shear is not the CEO of Twitch; he resigned in March 2023.

    Who is the interim CEO of OpenAI?

    Emmett Shear is the interim CEO of OpenAI, taking over Mira Murati and former CEO Sam Altman.

    Who owns OpenAI?

    OpenAI is owned by investors, including Microsoft, other stakeholders, and the original OpenAI non-profit foundation.

  • From Seed to Snack: The Rise and Success of Happilo, the Gourmet Healthy Food Brand

    Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations.

    When we were kids, our parents always encouraged us to have dry fruits and nuts in our diets because of their nutritional properties. Be it dried apricots, blueberries, cranberries, kiwis, almonds, walnuts, cashews, and other nuts and dry fruits. The age-old concept of consuming healthy and nutritious food items has always existed in most Indian families.

    The history of dry fruits and nuts goes back to Mesopotamian times in 1500 BC. Dry fruits are considered “traditional’ due to the way they are parched in the sun or heated in wind tunnel dryers. Today, dry fruits and nuts are produced and consumed in almost every part of the world.

    A Bengaluru-based company, Happilo is a health food brand that offers a wide range of nuts, dried fruits, seeds, dry roasted snacks, trail mixes, and more.

    In this article, you will explore the story of Happilo, including its founder, the journey of the startup, its innovative business model, notable funding rounds, and more.

    Happilo – Company Highlights

    Company Name Happilo International Pvt. Ltd.
    Headquarters Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
    Sector Food and Beverage Services, FMCG
    Founder Vikas D Nahar
    Founded 2016
    Website www.happilo.com

    Happilo – About
    Happilo – Industry
    Happilo – Founder
    Happilo – Startup Story
    Happilo – Mission and Vision
    Happilo – Name, Tagline, and Logo
    Happilo – Shareholding
    Happilo – Business and Revenue Model
    Happilo – Funding and Investors
    Happilo – Growth
    Happilo – Advertisements
    Happilo – Partnership
    Happilo – Campaign
    Happilo – Competitors
    Happilo – Future Plans

    Happilo – About

    Founded in 2016, Happilo is a gourmet healthy food brand, with its head office based in Bengaluru. It offers a variety of snacks that include nuts, berries, trail mixes, roasted and salted mixes, peanuts, corn, chickpeas, and flavorful seeds. These are among the many nutritious and tasty items available in Happilo’s extensive selection of gourmet healthy food products.

    Since its beginning, the company has grown its brand by offering a deluxe selection of gourmet, healthy snacking options to its customers. The business’s specialty is its cutting-edge flavors combined with dry roasting technology without additional oils. Its automated manufacturing facility in Yeshwantpur (Bengaluru) enabled continuous product innovation and high production rates.

    Happilo’s products are available in all airport stores, online retailers like Amazon, BigBasket, Flipkart, and JioMart, and modern trade and A-class general trade stores.

    Happilo – Industry

    Happilo belongs to the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) industry and is one of the most popular FMCG brands searched for on eCommerce sites.

    The global FMCG industry was valued at $11,490.9 billion in 2021. Furthermore, the industry is anticipated to reach $18,939.4 billion by 2031, with a CAGR of 5.1% from 2022 to 2031. One of the major causes of the growth of the global FMCG market is the increase in the global population, which is directly proportional to the rise in consumption of consumer goods.

    How to Start an Ecommerce business in India?
    Indian eCommerce market would become the third largest market in the world with $350 bn by 2030. Here’s the complete guide to starting an eCommerce company.
    StartupTalkyParnas Ghosh

    Happilo – Founder

    Happilo was founded by the Indian Businessman, Vikas D Nahar in 2016.

    Vikas D Nahar

    Vikas D Nahar - Founder and CEO, Happilo
    Vikas D Nahar – Founder and CEO, Happilo

    Born in Bangalore, Vikas D Nahar comes from a farming family background that grew pepper and coffee. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Computer Application from Bangalore University and began his career as a Senior Import Manager (Asia) at Jain Group Pvt. Ltd. Afterward, he pursued a Master of Business Administration in Marketing from the Symbiosis Centre For Management and Human Resource Development in Pune.

    Following his MBA, Vikas joined Satvikk Speciality Foods Pvt. Ltd. as the Managing Director. Satvikk Speciality Foods is a health-focused food store that opened its first branch in Bangalore in December 2011. Vikas served as its Managing Director for almost five years. His experience at Satvikk finally helped him establish Happilo, the popular gourmet healthy food brand, in 2016.

    Amit Tiwary

    Amit Tiwary - CFO, Happilo
    Amit Tiwary – CFO, Happilo

    Amit, the Chief Financial Officer at Happilo, is a Chartered Accountant by qualification. Prior to joining Happilo, he served as the CFO at Nissin Foods, where he started working as a Finance Controller (India) in 2017. Before that, he was the Manager of FP&A and Finance Business Partner at AstraZeneca and also worked as a Manager at Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages and as an Asst Manager at JSW Steel.

    Happilo – Startup Story

    The story of Happilo begins in 2016 when founder Vikas decided to offer a healthy way of eating snacks that people could munch on in their spare time. Like any other business, Happilo’s path to success involved a lot of difficulties. Vikas had to face challenges while looking for investors at the beginning of the establishment. It is reported that he started the company with government initiatives and a mere investment of Rs.10,000.

    Gradually, Vikas understood the true purpose of eating nutritious food—a wholesome snack of dried fruits and nuts. Being brought up in agricultural surroundings, Vikas decided to develop new products that would consist of dry fruits, nuts, and roasted snacks that could add some nutritional value to every individual’s diet, no matter what age of life. With this, the company launched its product, ‘Trail Mix’, which consisted of various nuts and seeds in one packet. The product was an instant hit in the market, and since then, the company has not stopped progressing.

    Happilo has raised $38.7 million (March 2023) and has a wide range of distribution network across India with over 200 channel partners.

    Here is what Vikas has to say about his company, “We created Happilo with the idea of serving our consumers and ensuring that no one is deprived of nutrient-dense foods. It makes me proud how the brand has succeeded all these years and how welcoming people have been towards Happilo. Today I just have to thank everyone who has been a part of the brand and has believed in it. We wouldn’t be what we are today, without our consumers and stakeholders.”

    Happilo – Mission and Vision

    Happilo’s mission has always been to provide high-quality and healthy alternative snack items to people. Keeping up with this mission, the company has an extensive range of healthy snacks that will give its customers many options to relish.

    Happilo Logo
    Happilo Logo

    From what we can see, the name of the company is essentially a mashup of the words “happiness” and “love“, which is “Happilo“.

    Happilo’s goes by the tagline, ‘Delight in every bite’ which defines what the company does exactly, that is, delivering premium healthy and tasty snacks to its customers.

    The logo of the company can be seen having a curve underneath Happilo resembling a smile. The color green has always been associated with healthy things, which further adds meaning to the company’s vision of offering healthy food items.

    Happilo – Shareholding

    Happilo Shareholding
    Happilo Shareholding

    Happilo Shareholding Percentage
    Founder 65.28%
    Fund 32.67%
    ESOP 2.05%

    Happilo – Business and Revenue Model

    Happilo sells a specialized selection of nuts, dried fruits, organic seeds, dry-roasted snacks, trail mixes, holiday gift baskets, combos, and other such items. The company’s business model is said to be Direct-to-Consumer (D2C).

    The company offers all of its products at a minimum cost to attract mainly the Indian market.

    Here is the list of products offered by Happilo:

    • Dry Fruit Nuts – These include all the dry fruit nuts like Cashews, Almonds, Walnuts, Hazelnuts, Pistachio, Brazil Nuts, Pinenuts, Pecannut, and Macadamia Nuts.
    • Seeds – Chia, Pumpkin, Flax, Basil, Sunflower, and Melon.
    • Berries – Strawberries, Blueberries, Cranberries, Mulberries, and Gojiberries.
    • Dried Fruits – Kiwi, Raisins, Mango, Papaya, Pineapple, Prunes, Ajneer, and Apricots.
    • Dates – There are premium dates like Omani dates or Khajoor, Queen Kalmi, Ajwa, Arabian, King Medjoul, and Gloden Barhi.
    • Trial Mixes –  This is one of the best-selling sections of Happilo, which includes products like Healthy mix, Berries mix, Fitness mix, Nuts & Berries mix, Roasted Party mix, Champion mix, Seeds mix, Nutty Trail mix, Super Mom’s Trail mix.
    • Dry Fruit Bars
    • Chocolate Spreads
    • Peanut Butters
    • Brittles and Barfi
    • Dark Chocolate and Milk Chocolate Almond Dragees

    In addition, the company maximizes its business by teaming up with top online eCommerce retailers like Flipkart,  Amazon, BigBasket, JioMart, and more. About 70% of Happilo’s sales come from online operations.

    The company generates an average monthly revenue of Rs. 40 crores (approximately Rs 500 crore annually) by selling a variety of exotic and local nuts.

    This Startup is on a Mission to Serve Healthy to its Customers
    Healthy Master is a Bangalore startup co-founded by Shivali Agrawal and Dipti Singhal with a vision to Replace Junk with Healthy. Read this article to know about HealthyMaster, Wiki, Founder, and Growth.
    StartupTalkyRishabh Rathi

    Happilo – Funding and Investors

    Happilo has raised around $38.7 million over two funding rounds. The details are:

    Date Funding Round Amount Raised Lead Investors
    Feb 21, 2022 Venture Round $25 million Motilal Oswal Private Equity
    Feb 2, 2021 Venture Round $13 million A91 Partners

    Happilo – Growth

    Few companies stand the test of time, and Happilo is one of the companies that has outdone itself. Within a few years, the company has grown to become one of the top providers of healthy snacks in India. Vikas Nahar revealed that Happilo saw tremendous growth during the pandemic time when people finally became health-conscious and understood the importance of healthy eating. By offering superior quality at lower prices, the company kept its marketing game strong. Not only the price, but the company also focused on offering different types of snacks for every age group.

    Happilo also became the title sponsor of the IPL team, Rajasthan Royals. Now that the company has partnered with the IPL team, the brand’s logo will be displayed on the front of the playing uniform.

    Financial

    Happilo Financial
    Happilo Financial

    Happilo Financial FY20 FY21 FY22
    Operating Revenue Rs 57.55 crore Rs 140 crore Rs 190 crore
    Total Expense Rs 56.83 crore Rs 124.9 crore Rs 204.2 crore
    Profit/Loss Profit of Rs 0.62 crore Profit of Rs 11.43 crore Loss of Rs 11.7 crore
    Cash from Operations Surplus of Rs 0.45 crore Surplus of Rs 9.1 crore Surplus of Rs 4.66 crore

    Expenses Breakdown

    Happilo total expenses rose from Rs 124.90 crore in FY21 to Rs 204.20 crore in FY22.

    Below is the expense breakdown:

    Expenses Breakdown FY21 FY22
    Cost of materials consumed Rs 95.4 crore Rs 141.6 crore
    Advertising promotional Rs 19.97 crore Rs 43.25 crore
    Employee benefits Rs 3.2 crore Rs 8.8 crore
    Legal professional Rs 1.25 crore Rs 3.37 crore
    Others Rs 5.1 crore Rs 7.2 crore

    EBITDA

    Happilo experienced a drop in its EBITDA margin from 8.32%  in FY21 to 5.61% in FY22 , indicating financial difficulties. The ratio of expenses to operating revenue increased, from Rs 0.89 in FY21 to Rs 1.07 in FY22. The most significant change was the ROCE, which fell from 20.61% in FY21 to -4.20% in FY22, suggesting subpar returns on capital used.

    Happilo FY21-FY22 FY21 FY22
    EBITDA Margin 8.32% 5.61%
    Expense/Rs of Op Revenue Rs 0.89 Rs 1.07
    ROCE 20.61% -4.20%

    Happilo – Advertisements

    When it comes to advertising, Happilo hasn’t stood in the back row. The company has roped in a new celebrity couple, Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani, as its new brand ambassadors. The duo has been gaining a lot of attention due to their marriage and is adored by most Indians. In the video, it can be seen that the duo is attending a party along with their bored guests. The brand mascot, Happi the bear, however, enters and immediately transforms the atmosphere by energizing the group with his Happilo dry fruits and trail mix.

    Happilo Advertisement

    Happilo – Partnership

    Royal Challengers Bangalore

    On March 22, 2023, Happilo announced their relationship with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) as the team’s Official Snacking Partner for the Twenty-First Century. The brand’s emblem will be shown on the upper-right chest of the team’s official shirt, serving as snacking partners.

    Happilo – Campaign

    #DryFruitsKhaKeWow

    Happilo Campaign

    Royal Challengers Banglore appeared in the advertisement from the health food company Happilo on April 25, 2023. “Healthy snacking” is the main selling point of this dried fruit and nut company with headquarters in Bengaluru. It makes perfect sense for the healthy food brand to partner with cricketers as athletes are arguably the closest thing to celebrities in the nation.

    Happilo – Competitors

    Some of the top competitors of Happilo are:

    1. Yoga Bar
    2. Nutraj
    3. Nutty Gritties
    4. Eat Better
    5. ProV
    6. Enjoy Life foods

    Happilo – Future Plans

    By determination and innovation, Happilo has secured its place among the top healthy snack provider brands in India. Furthermore, in the upcoming months, the company intends to expand into exclusive brand outlets (EBOs) and open about eight company-owned stores. It is also planning to go international very soon by opening stores in about 10 other countries.

    Happilo – FAQs

    What is Happilo known for?

    Happilo is a gourmet healthy food brand. It is known for offering a variety of snacks like nuts, berries, trail mixes, roasted and salted mixes, peanuts, corn, chickpeas, and flavorful seeds.

    Who is the owner of Happilo?

    Vikas D Nahar is the founder and CEO of Happilo.

    Is Happilo an Indian brand?

    Yes, Happilo is an Indian brand founded in 2016 and has its headquarters in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.

    Who are Happilo’s competitors?

    Some of the top competitors of Happilo are Yoga Bar, Nutraj, Nutty Gritties, Eat Better, ProV, and Enjoy Life foods.

  • HealthifyMe – A Healthtech Startup Helping Millions during the Pandemic

    Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations.

    Having a fit and healthy body is everyone’s dream, but it has somehow not been everyone’s cup of tea. Lack of motivation and guidance bars people from achieving their health goals. HealthifyMe app was designed to solve this very problem. HealthifyMe app allows the users to keep track of their diet and exercise regime, take expert advice and connect to other fitness enthusiasts thus equipping them to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The HealthifyMe plans offer its customers and fitness enthusiasts many premium options that can help them reach their goals.

    Recently, HealthifyMe has also introduced an array of free services to help its users maintain a healthy lifestyle during the 21-day lockdown. With HealthifyMe’s Funding of around $25 Million, it has clocked a revenue of Rs. 100 crore in 2020.

    Let’s have a look at the journey of one of the best Health-tech app in India and how it is helping millions of people attain their health and fitness goals. Here is everything you about HealthifyMe Founders, Revenue, Funding, Business Model, Competitors, and its Growth.

    HealthifyMe – Company Highlights

    Startup Name HealthifyMe
    Headquarter Bangalore
    Founders/Owners Tushar Vashisht, Sachin Shenoy & Mathew Cherian
    Sector Wellness
    Founded 2012
    Parent Organization HealthifyMe Wellness Private Limited
    Website www.healthifyme.com

    HealthifyMe – About and How it Works
    Heathifyme Plans
    HealthifyMe during Covid Pandemic
    HealthifyMe – Founders/Owners and team
    How was HealthifyMe Started?
    HealthifyMe – Business Model and Revenue Model
    HealthifyMe – Funding and Investors
    HealthifyMe – Growth
    HealthifyMe – Product And Service
    HealthifyMe – Partnership and Tie-ups
    HealthifyMe – Competitors
    HealthifyMe – Awards
    HealthifyMe – Future Plans

    19 Innovative Health Startups in India | List of Top Healthcare Startups
    The Indian healthcare startups covered in this post are redefining the relationship between doctors and patients. Read on to find out more.
    StartupTalkyVidhi Punamiya

    HealthifyMe – About and How it Works

    HealthifyMe was co-founded in 2012 by Tushar Vashisht, Mathew Cherian and Sachin Shenoy. Initially, incubated by Microsoft Accelerator, the company delivers measurable results on eating habits, fitness, and weight and works with leading corporates and healthcare partners in India.

    HealthifyMe works on a freemium model and has witnessed 10 million downloads, used by an estimated 25 million users, and spread across 300+ cities with over 1,500 coaches. Its app is rated 4.6/5 on Play Store and has been featured by Google and Apple multiple times for its quality benchmarks.

    HealthifyMe’s vision is to build the world’s largest online health and fitness service. It wants to help millions of consumers achieve their goals by engaging with nutritionists and other health experts empowered with artificial intelligence.

    The HealthifyMe logo
    The HealthifyMe logo

    ImpactGuru – Business Model, Funding, Founders, Careers, wiki
    In a survey carried out by NSO in July 2017-June 2018, it was found that only
    14% of the rural population and 19% of the urban population had health
    expenditure coverage. Again, according to an analysis published in the Lancet in
    2018, around 1.6 million people in India die due to inadequate healthc…
    StartupTalkyShubham Kumar

    Heathifyme Plans

    The current HealthifyMe subscription plans cost range from Rs 999 to 1699 per month. Depending on what the users choose they get the number of coaches they need, while Healthifyme premier plan includes targeted programs like weight loss, muscle gain, diabetes prevention.

    The HealthifyMe smart plan that is Rs. 999 includes a personalized diet plan, unlimited meal recommendations, access to Ria (AI personal assistant), and the customer’s daily and weekly reports. HealthifyMe membership can also be canceled easily as you can simply choose the HealthifyMe weight loss plan subscription the user wishes to cancel and then tap on the “Cancel Subscription” option.

    HealthifyMe Plans Cost Features
    Smart plan Rs. 999 Personalized Diet Plan, track calories, nutrient tracking and insights, Healthy Recipes, Daily and Weekly Reports, RIA
    Coach Plan 1 Rs.1299 Personalized Diet Plan, track calories, nutrient tracking and insights, Healthy Recipes, Daily and Weekly Reports, RIA, 2 Consultation Calls per month and Unlimited chat with coach
    Coach Plan 2 Rs.1699 Personalized Diet Plan, track calories, nutrient tracking and insights, Healthy Recipes, Daily and Weekly Reports, RIA, Dedicated Diet Coach, Dedicated Fitness Coach, Personalized Fitness Plan, 2 Consultation Calls per month and Unlimited chat with coach

    HealthifyMe during Covid Pandemic

    Recently, in June 2021, the company hired the popular team of Under 45 to help find slots for covid vaccination. The HealthifyMe vaccine slot booking is available on both HealthifyMe app and website. It has also registered itself as an Application Service Provider (ASP) with CoWin. The HealthifyMe charges for vaccines were kept according to the Governments orders.

    Earlier, Health- tech startups also took an initiative to help people lead a healthy and fit life during this 21-day nationwide lockdown to fight Covid-19. The company has introduced a free Immunity Assessment Test on the app and is also offering a free consultation to those who score low on immunity.

    Some other services that HealthifyMe is offering to make its users stand strong in this coronavirus crisis are home workouts; daily live workouts with coaches and trackers for sleep, smoking, and hand washing. Users can access all these services under the ‘Immunity Tab’ of the HealthifyMe app. Many HealthifyMe reviews acknowledged the efforts that HealthifyMe made during the pandemic.

    19 Innovative Health Startups in India | List of Top Healthcare Startups
    The hunger for success makes you forget about health. You might be working hard
    on your startup but it doesn’t mean you slowly kill yourself for a bright
    entrepreneurial future. A wise man once said that health is wealth
    [/tag/wealth-management/]. The healthcare sector is growing rapidly in the In…
    StartupTalkyVidhi Punamiya

    HealthifyMe – Founders/Owners and team

    Tushar Vashisht (CEO), Mathew Cherian, and Sachin Shenoy (CTO) are the Founders of HealthifyMe

    founders of HealthifyMe
    Tushar Vashisht and Sachin Shenoy

    Tushar Vashisht

    HealthifyMe founder and current CEO is Tushar Vashisht. Before starting HealthifyMe, Tushar worked with the Unique ID Authority with the Government of India for nearly two years. Tushar started his career as an investment banker on Wall Street and in the Bay Area before moving to Singapore with Deutsche Bank. Tushar is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and a passionate musician by hobby.

    Sachin Shenoy

    HealthifyMe co-founder and CTO Sachin Shenoy is a Google Code-Jam finalist and is one of the fastest coders we know. He has over 15 years of experience out of which 6 were with Google, where he worked across Google Finance, Google SMS Channel, Orkut Developer Platform, and Google Dev. Platform. Sachin has 5 patent disclosures associated with his work.

    Mathew Cherian left HealthifyMe in 2013. HealthifyMe has a team of more than 400 members and is continually growing.

    How was HealthifyMe Started?

    Tushar Vashisht was overweight when he returned to India eight years ago, after a stint as an analyst with Deutsche Bank in Singapore. His sedentary lifestyle continued after he took up a demanding project management role with the formative team that built India’s digital ID Aadhaar. Tushar was determined to do something about his flab and began by tracking the calories and nutrients in what he ate.

    But he soon ran into a problem: there was little help available online in evaluating Indian dishes. Also at that time, Tushar and Mathew were working with UIDAI, and they took up an experiment to see what it feels like to live below the poverty line. Both the co-founders started living on just Rs 100 per day. During the experiment, Tushar and Mathew built an excel sheet with nutritional information on various Indian food.

    Tushar came up with an analytical tool to break down the calories and main nutrients in 900 foods and presented it to the government’s planning council as a healthcare aid. This was how HealthifyMe started, the startup was then established in late 2011. Former Google employee Sachin Shenoy later joined him as a co-founder.

    Tattvan Success Story – Bringing World-Class E-Clinics to India
    Today a tiny fraction of Indians in large urban cities and smaller towns,
    cities, and villages have access to the kind of healthcare they deserve. Mr.
    Ayush Atul Mishra launched Tattvan in 2016 with the passion and idea to bring
    quality healthcare to the masses. At Tattvan, the team strives to bri…
    StartupTalkyRishabh Rathi

    HealthifyMe – Business Model and Revenue Model

    Ria AI first began interacting with HealthifyMe’s users in October 2017, when the company rolled out the service to a section of its paid subscribers as a pilot. Now, the service is available to all paid users among HealthifyMe’s more than one million users. The company, however, declined to reveal either the investment made into the bot so far or the firm’s paid subscriber base.

    HealthifyMe subscription plans cost between Rs 999 and Rs 1,699 a month based on the features opted for. HealthifyMe has B2C as well as a B2B2C Business model. Though nearly 80% of the company’s revenue comes from the B2C model, HealthifyMe also has a B2B2C model. In the B2B2C model, HealthifyMe distributes its services via corporates and healthcare institutions.

    HealthifyMe Co-founder, Tushar Vashist

    HealthifyMe – Funding and Investors

    In total, HealthifyMe’s total fundraising is worth around $130.1 million with 10 rounds to date. Here are the details of HealthifyMe Funding and Investors.

    The most recent funding for HealthifyMe

    Date Stage Amount Lead Investors
    June 7, 2023 Series D $30 Million Khosla Ventures, LeapFrog Investments
    June 7, 2023 Debt Financing – –
    July 20, 2021 Series C $75 Million Leapfrog, Vinod Khosla, Elm, HealthQuad, Unilever, Chiratae Ventures & Investus Capital
    November 16, 2018 Series B $6 Million InnoVen Capital
    February 9, 2018 Series B $12 Million Sistema Asia Capital
    December 28, 2016 Series A $1 Million Neelesh Bhatnagar
    May 10, 2016 Series A $6 Million Blume Ventures, Chiratae Ventures, Inventus Capital & NB Ventures
    June 18, 2015 Seed – Gopal Srinivasan, Roopa Nath, Sashi Reddi, Pallav Nadhani & Amit Gupta
    February 3, 2014 Venture Round – Microsoft Accelerator
    January 11, 2013 Non Equity Assistance $134,238 Microsoft Accelerator Bangalore

    10 Biggest Indian Startups Funding in 2019
    For a business venture, funding is important to survive the market drill. From,
    time to time, the business [https://startuptalky.com/tag/business/] entrepreneurs [https://startuptalky.com/tag/entrepreneurs/…
    StartupTalkyVidhi Punamiya

    HealthifyMe – Growth

    Around the last 12 months (Fy 2019-2020) , HealthifyMe has seen 3 times growth, surpassing Rs 100 crore in revenue run rate. As per February 2020 data, HealthifyMe’s user base has increased four-fold, while, the number of active users doubled from 8 million to 16 million. Last year, the company entered Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei. In less than a year, it recorded a turnover of $ 1 million in the Southeast Asian Market.

    The company has launched in Gulf Cooperation Countries market too and is already in the top 3 on Google Play in the UAE. HealthifyMe now has over 250 nutritionists and trainers on its platform, who are able to handle up to 250 clients, each thanks to the help they get from Ria. That’s up from around 100 users each back in 2016.

    Financial

    HealthifyMe Financial
    HealthifyMe Financial
    HealthifMe Financial FY21 FY22
    Operating Revenue Rs 86.05 crore Rs 185.25 crore
    Total Expense Rs 105.82 crore Rs 343.44 crore
    Cash from Operations Deficit of Rs 4.12 crore Deficit of Rs 84.10 crore

    Expenses Breakdown

    HealthifMe Expenses FY21 FY22
    Employee Benefit Rs 28.13 crore Rs 93.84 crore
    Advertisement Rs 25.47 crore Rs 133.18 crore
    Legal and professional charges Rs 1.15 crore Rs 3.21 crore
    Health care consultants Rs 25.47 crore Rs 80.25 crore
    Others Rs 22.93 crore Rs 24.83 crore
    Software and subscription charges Rs 2.67 crore Rs 8.13 crore

    EBITDA

    Due to difficulties, HealthifyMe’s EBITDA margin fell from -20.44% in FY21 to -83.38% in FY22. This decrease in profitability was caused in part by an increase in advertising costs, which went from Rs 1.23 to Rs 1.85.

    HealthifMe FY21-FY22 FY21 FY22
    EBITDA Margin -20.44% -83.38%
    Advertisement Rs 1.23 Rs 1.85

    Market Growth Of Online Doctor Consultation During Lockdown
    Are you looking for Online Doctor Consultation? Consultation is available at your fingertip. The market growth has increased rapidly during the lockdown.
    StartupTalkyPV Vyshnavi

    HealthifyMe – Product And Service

    What is HealthifyMe app?

    HealthifyMe app serves as a calorie tracker, allowing users to lose weight and track their food and exercise regimens through their phones or computers. The HealthifyMe pricing for the premium version is low as it allows users to interact with nutritionists, fitness experts and yoga instructors.

    HealthifyMe consists of three components. First is its lifestyle tracker, which it launched three years ago as the first calorie counter in India. The second is its social feed, which allows users to find others like themselves, with similar goals and problems. The third, and most innovative aspect, is HealthifyMe’s tech augmented coaching, which uses a combination of artificial intelligence and human trainers to help its users stay healthy and engaged with the app

    HealthifyMe fitness coach is an AI named Ria

    The debut of Ria, the cutting-edge AI-enabled nutritionist and fitness expert, has been announced by HealthifyMe.

    HealthifySmart Legends Edition

    Mahesh Bhupathi, a top tennis player, has joined HealthifyMe as a “strategic advisor.” As part of this smart plan, HealthifySmart Legends Edition, he will provide app users with a plethora of food and exercise tips from sports and fitness legends.

    HealthifyStudio Platform

    The launch of HealthifyStudio HealthifyStudio.com has been announced by HealthifyMe on June, 16, 2020. According to the company, the platform allows users to engage in interactive exercise in the comfort and safety of their own homes.

    AI-powered Indian Food Recognition

    An AI tool that recognizes Indian cuisine from photos and logs calorie intake was introduced by the Indian wellness business HealthifyMe on September, 22, 2023.

    HealthifyMe – Partnership and Tie-ups

    HealthifyMe works in partnership with various medical institutions such as Medanta, Apollo Hospitals, and Manipal Hospitals, with the aim to treat and prevent clinical obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular problems, and other lifestyle diseases. It has also partnered with MI to provide free consultation worth rupees 499 on the purchase of Redmi 3.

    In February 2020, HealthifyMe announced partnerships with –

    • Swiggy – For delivering healthy food ( from a list of restaurants offering healthy food curated by HealthifyMe) to its users.
    • Milkbasket – HealthifyMe users can order groceries from Milkbasket through the HealthifyMe app.
    • Fitternity – It is a fitness discovery and booking app, that will give the HealthifyMe users access to 12000+ gyms and fitness studios across India.

    Owled Media

    OWLED Media, has partnered up with HealthifyMe on November, 22, 2023, a trailblazing company in the health and fitness space, to introduce “Snap,” an innovative AI-powered image recognition technology.

    Vantage Fit Partners

    One of Vantage Circle’s products, Vantage Fit, an AI-powered employee wellness platform, announced a partnership with HealthifyMe on August28, 2023 to enable people to live longer, healthier lives.

    Success Story of Docttocare- Doctor Appointment, Blood Bank and Ambulance Online
    Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information
    on different startups and organizations. The content in this post has been a
    pproved by the organization it is based on. Gone are the days when one had to rely on word of mouth to find a good doctor,
    or when one had to…
    StartupTalkyChayanika Goswami

    HealthifyMe – Competitors

    HealthifyMe CEO, Tushar Vashisht once jokingly said that their biggest competitor is “lethargy”. Some of the main HealthifyMe competitors are WebMD Health, Weight Watchers International, GOQii and Curefit.

    HealthifyMe – Awards

    Some of the top HealthifyMe awards include the Google Play Top Developer Badge, which it received in December 2015. In addition to this, HealthifyMe was chosen as one of Google Play’s “Best Apps of 2015” and a ‘Made in India‘ feature on the App Store.

    In December 2016, HealthifyMe received the Google award for best apps on the Google Playstore in the Health & Fitness category for the second time in a row.

    In December 2017, HealthifyMe app received the Google “Editor’s Choice” award in the Health & Fitness category, apart from being named amongst the best apps of the year for the third time in a row. There are numerous HealthifyMe reviews that have given the platform 5 stars in many categories.

    HealthifyMe – Future Plans

    Expanding to new territories and giving Ria more capabilities are HealthifyMe’s short-term goals. The long-term goal is to be the world’s go-to health and wellness service provider, giving users access to more services than nutrition and fitness.

    The company is currently looking to explore new geographies in Southeast Asia and Asia Pacific Region. HealthifyMe aims to cross $50 million in Annual Recurring Revenue in the upcoming 12 months, and is targeting a turnover of $400 million by 2025.

    HealthifyMe – FAQs

    Who are the Founders of HealthifyMe?

    HealthifyMe was Co-Founded in 2012 by Tushar Vashisht, Mathew Cherian and Sachin Shenoy.

    How much is the operating revenue of HealthifyMe?

    HealthifyMe operating revenues is Rs 185.25 crore as of 2022.

    Who are the Top HealthifyMe Competitors?

    Some remarkable competitors of HealthifyMe are WebMD Health, Weight Watchers International, GOQii and Curefit

    How much Funding did Healthify raise to date?

    HealthifyMe has raised funding worth around $130.1 million with 10 rounds to date. Here are the details of HealthifyMe Investors.

    What is HealthifyMe?

    The company delivers measurable results on eating habits, fitness and weight and works with leading corporates and healthcare partners in India. HealthifyMe works on a freemium model.

    How much does HealthifyMe cost?

    Healthifyme diet plan cost range from Rs 999 to 1699 per month.

    Is HealthifyMe a paid app?

    Healthifyme is free, but also has a premium plan with numerous offers.

    Is HealthifyMe safe?

    HealthifyMe is one of the most trusted health and fitness app with over 16 million users and a 4.4 overall rating on play store.

    What is HealthifyMe smart plan?

    HealthifyMe smart plan offer costs Rs. 999 and includes a personalized diet plan, meal recommendations, access to RIA, daily reports.

  • ClickUp Review: The All-in-One Productivity Platform

    If you’ve worked on projects or own a business you should know that it takes more than one tool to get the job done. Every service you use has a purpose and often you use all of them every day for getting your work done.

    This might work just fine for you in the present, but as you scale it’s a fact that you’ll get slowed down. Managing all these different services individually affects your productivity and adds to stress. This is the very reason ClickUp was made. ClickUp is an all-in-one productivity and team management platform that aims to organize and deliver your tasks exactly when you need them.

    Think of it as a hub for streamlining notifications and emails from services you already use onto a central platform. ClickUp also has the functionality to import all your data from popular productivity platforms you’ve used in the past. This makes switching to ClickUp a whole lot easier.

    It is packed with features to help you organize and boost your workflow. No wonder that it’s the fastest-growing productivity platform. The best part about the service has to be that it offers most of its functionality for free.

    Now, with the introduction of ClickUp 3.0, users can enjoy an even more streamlined and efficient task management experience.

    What is ClickUp?
    ClickUp 3.0 and Key Advancements
    More Features of ClickUp
    ClickUp Pricing

    What is ClickUp?

    ClickUp is your all-in-one work companion, designed to simplify your tasks and boost collaboration. It goes beyond mere task management, offering features like document creation, reminders, goal tracking, calendars, and even an inbox – all neatly organized in one place.

    ClickUp isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution; it’s customizable to suit and fit the unique needs of any team. This platform makes it easy for everyone in your team to plan, organize, and collaborate seamlessly. ClickUp is just like a well-organized platform where teams can efficiently manage their work without the trouble of juggling multiple apps.

    20 Best Project Management Tools For Startups in 2023
    Are you looking for the best project management tool? Here are the top 20 tools to help you manage your projects and team members effortlessly.
    StartupTalkyNiku Mandal

    ClickUp 3.0 and Key Advancements

    Why Choose ClickUp 3.0
    Why Choose ClickUp 3.0

    ClickUp 3.0 is the latest upgrade offered by ClickUp. It’s not just an upgrade; it’s a whole new way to make work easier. It’s faster, simpler, and works better, giving it a fresh new look and feel. The app now runs twice as fast, tasks and lists show up three times quicker, and searches happen five times faster.

    ClickUp 3.0 brings cool features like the Global Action Bar, Task Types, Task Views, and a better Mobile App. It also offers its users 99.9% reliability. Simply put, ClickUp 3.0 is meant to make your work easier and help you and your team get more done without much hussle.

    Key Features in ClickUp 3.0

    Below are the prominent features offered by ClickUp 3.0:

    • Unmatched Reliability and Performance: ClickUp ensures your projects have a strong foundation with unparalleled reliability and performance. It’s your go-to platform for robust project management.
    • Inbox 3.0: Experience the all-new Inbox 3.0 in ClickUp, where notifications are displayed in real-time and intelligently organized by priority. This allows you to stay effortlessly on top of your tasks.
    • Universal Search: Swiftly locate files not only within ClickUp but also across other apps and your device. The Universal Search feature makes finding essential information quick and seamless.
    • Customizable Task Types: ClickUp 3.0 empowers you to create new task types, allowing full representation of anything you need to manage—from accounts to cases, backlog items, and more.
    • Elegant Design: It offers a cleaner and more intuitive workspace with its elegant design, enhancing your overall user experience.
    • Revolutionized Home: The home interface in ClickUp 3.0 has undergone a revolution. Now, you can enjoy a personalized dashboard that prioritizes critical tasks.

    ClickUp 3.0

    More Features of ClickUp

    ClickUp is simple, clean, and concise in the way it delivers information. The platform has a hierarchal structure to keep things precise. Everything from projects and departments to files and folders has its place.

    ClickUp supports over 1000+ integrations with services like Google Cloud, GitHub, Amazon Alexa, etc. These make sure that you can work with the services you already use right within ClickUp. The individual features are vast and take getting used to, but here’s a list of the best features of the platform:

    GET STARTED With ClickUp NOW

    1. Unique Customization

    Everyone on a team has their own style of preferences and choices. When working with a team of employees in a business the small things can have a big impact on team performance.

    ClickUp has been made with this in mind as it offers a highly customizable platform. Everything from the aesthetics to what integrations you see can be changed. The main window allows you to select between view types depending upon what you prefer.

    You can even embed your own custom view if none of the selections appeal to you. Views function as the main window of the platform. It’s what you first see when you open it and its purpose is to give you the information in a glance.

    When it comes to functionality, you can select only what you want to see. The platform being feature-packed can get a little overwhelming at times. But with the ability to hide certain features, you can make use you only see and use what concerns you. The platform also lets you create custom wikis and documentation for anything that might require it.

    Different types of views supported by Clickup
    Different types of views supported by ClickUp

    2. Personal Inbox

    The most difficult part when working with multiple services has to be keeping track of notifications from all of them. This is repetitive and often gets stressful. ClickUp has its own internal inbox where you get notified about everything related to your tasks.

    Be it reminders, pending tasks, or messages from other team members, you can see it all in one single inbox. The inbox also supports notifications from integrated services that you use.

    This makes sure that you never miss a task or any piece of information you might need. Since the platform is highly customizable, it allows you to set restrictions for your inbox as well. You have the option to set it up so that you only get notified about what concerns you. The personal inbox is one of the notable features of the platform.

    3. Taskbar

    If you’ve ever used Windows 10 you must know how convenient the taskbar is. It lets you switch between all open apps and windows quickly and at any time. ClickUp has its own taskbar that works through the app. You can see all your windows and switch with ease.

    You also can pin your most used window to the taskbar for quicker access. Small features like these boost your productivity without you even knowing it. Realistically it’s true that small changes and the tools you use help you run a successful business.

    GET STARTED WITH ClickUp NOW

    4. Commands

    Commands are an easy way of getting things done. Think of these as shortcuts that speed up your workflow. Wherever you are within the platform you have the choice to use commands while typing things down.

    You can use commands to insert custom fields, dates, embeds, etc. If you’ve ever used the command shell in windows or mac you know how convenient commands are. Instead of having to type up entire sentences or clicking the toggles with your mouse, you can do it all with your keyboard.

    Commands in ClickUp
    Commands in ClickUp

    5. Real-time-chat

    ClickUp has a built-in real-time chat functionality allowing members of your team to communicate with ease within the platform. The chat system supports everything from pictures and videos to files and embeds. Having a built-in chat system within a productivity platform is quite beneficial.

    Chat Functionality in ClickUp
    Chat Functionality in ClickUp

    The need to maintain an active presence on different platforms for communication is eliminated with the real-time chat in ClickUp. Communication platforms being an obvious part of business tools, this feature is truly useful.

    ClickUp Pricing

    Allowing access to most of its proprietary features for free, ClickUp has managed to attract a bunch of users. However, it’s important to note that the free plan has a 100 MB storage limit.

    If your business or project deals with big resources, the free plan is not going to cut it. The Unlimited plan is available at $10 per member per month, which is darn affordable when you think about the features you get. The $7 unlimited plan offers unlimited storage, dashboards, and integrations with guests and permission configuration as a bonus.

    Besides the Unlimited plan, it also offers a Business Plan at $19 per member per month. This plan is the most suited for mid-sized teams. ClickUp also offers an Enterprise plan, best suited for large teams. You can contact ClickUp’s sales team for the pricing of the Enterprise plan.

    ClickUp Pricing Plans Yearly Pricing Monthly Pricing
    Free Forever Free Free
    Unlimited $7/member $10/member
    Business $12/member $19/member
    Enterprise Custom Pricing Custom Pricing

    GET STARTED With ClickUp NOW

    Conclusion

    If you’re on the lookout for a productivity platform that brings together the features of several others then ClickUp is right for you. The pricing being affordable its no doubt that the platform is continuing to grow, with businesses switching to ClickUp every day. Still feeling doubtful? Well, nothing is stopping you from making a free account and trying out the platform right now to know whether it suits your purpose.

    FAQ

    Is ClickUp secure?

    ClickUp web applications are encrypted over 256 bit SSL and all data for ClickUp is encrypted using AES-256 encryption.

    Is ClickUp free?

    Yes, ClickUp offers a free plan with no time limit, offering unlimited projects and unlimited users.

    Which companies use ClickUp?

    Partipost, Angry Ventures, kraken, FLUX, y42, Cookly, Teukoo, and LUGGit are some of the companies that use ClickUp.

  • Indian Finance Minister Smt Nirmala Sitharaman to inaugurate DATE in New Delhi

    MoS of Electronics and IT Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar to speak about the growing impact of emerging technologies in India’s digital aspirations as a Chief Guest and speaker.

    New Delhi, November 22, 2023: India’s ascent to a global innovation epicenter is a testament to government initiatives such as AatmaNirbhar Bharat and ‘Make in India’, encouraging and driving the nation’s digital transformation. India’s digital landscape and swift adoption of groundbreaking, next-generation solutions are fundamentally reshaping its economic landscape.

    Celebrating this burgeoning ecosystem, the inaugural DATE (Digital Acceleration and Transformation Expo) is bringing together India’s most influential and innovative technology leaders, startups, investors, enterprise decision-makers, and policymakers on November 23 and 24, 2023, at the iconic Yashobhoomi (IICC Dwarka) in New Delhi.

    Shri Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, Chairperson of Cyberverse Foundation, a Strategic Partner of DATE, expressed, “With the support & participation of government leaders & policy makers like Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of State Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Shri Sanjeev Sanyal, Shri Tejasvi Surya and more, DATE plays a pivotal role in fostering government-industry relations, propelling India towards a digitally empowered future.”

    Mohammed Saleem, Founder and Chairman of Trescon, added, “DATE signifies our dedication to catalyze India’s digital revolution. Uniting over 3000+ innovators and enthusiasts, 500+ investors, 100+ exhibitors and partners to listen to 100+ experts and policymakers, DATE encapsulates the core of India’s tech ambitions, steering India towards unparalleled economic progress, fostering a thriving ecosystem where technology meets opportunity.”

    Naveen Bharadwaj, Group CEO of Trescon, while sharing his excitement about the event said, “DATE comes at a critical juncture when Indian GDP has surpassed $4 trillion and its thriving tech landscape is attracting global leaders to play a central role in India’s digital transformation journey. The presence and support of several government & private sector leaders who have personally spearheaded several nationally appealing initiatives marks the inaugural DATE as India’s most impactful B2B tech expo that will grow YOY.”

    Amongst the notable names speaking at the event: 

    • Shri Abhishek Singh, MD & CEO, Digital India Corporation (DIC), President & CEO, NeGD, CEO, Karamyogi Bharat, Government of India
    • Shri Sanjeev Sanyal, Member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM), Government of India
    • Shri Kamal Bali, President & Managing Director, Volvo Group in India; Chairman, Confederation of Indian Industry (Cll) – South India, Chairman, Swedish Chamber of Commerce India (SCCI)
    • Sanjiv Bajaj, Joint Chairman and Managing Director, Bajaj Capital

    DATE is organized by Trescon in collaboration with partners like Cyberverse Foundation, the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Software Technology Park of India (STPI), Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), and other government and non-government organizations.

    Initiatives like the regional finale of the prestigious FinTech World Cup and Startup World Cup are a part of DATE, with the winners standing a chance to secure substantial funding and coveted global spots. 

    Join in shaping a new chapter in India’s digital transformation journey. For further details, visit the official website: www.datewithtech.com. 

    The Digital Acceleration and Transformation Expo is supported by: 

    • Powered by BSV Blockchain
    • Lead Sponsor: Demandify Media, Karix
    • Platinum Sponsor: New Relic, Kaleyra, Builder.ai
    • Gold Sponsor: KonfHub, BattleXo, B Live EV Store, Torsecure Cyber LLP
    • Silver Sponsor: Truecaller Business, Haptik, Talkk.ai, Northern Arc, XLNC Academy
    • Premium Bronze Sponsor: Toss The Coin
    • Bronze Sponsor: GeoPITS, NeoSOFT, Infiflex, TeleCMI, Spine Korea, SimpleCRM, Zoho, Signzy, OneLogin, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Tally, Qodequay Technologies
    • Mobility Partner: EVeium Smart Mobility
    • Strategic Partner: Cyberverse Foundation
    • Supporting Partners: STPI and FICCI
    • Innovation Partner: DIFC Innovation Hub
    • Entrepreneurship Partner: TiE Delhi-NCR
    • Woman Empowerment Partner: WICCI
    • MSME Development Partner: MSME Promotion Council
    • Strategic Fintech Partner: MENA Fintech Association
    • Energy Neutrality Partner:  Tokere
    • Association Partners: Federation of All India IT Association, Data Security Council of India, Federation of IT Associations of Gujarati, Goa Technology Association, Gujarat Electronics and Software Industries Association, ACIC Rise Association, Fintech Association of Japan, International Federation of Investors’ Association, Hashtagweb3.org, The London Institute of Banking and Finance, India Small Businesses & Franchise Association
    • Ecosystem Partner: IVCA Association
    • Official Media Partner: Press Trust of India
    • Official Print Media Partner: Business Standard
    • Online News Partner: Business Wire India
    • Official Digital News Partner: TV9 Network

    Yashobhoomi to Host Trescon’s DATE 2023 with Nirmala Sitharaman
    Explore India’s financial innovation and FinTech revolution with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at DATE 2023, to be hosted at Yashobhoomi, New Delhi, on Nov 23-24.
    StartupTalkyMuskaan Kapoor

  • What Startups and Entrepreneurs Should Know About TikTok Engagement Rates

    We’re pretty sure that most people are now aware of the impact TikTok can have on their business. When entrepreneurs start using TikTok, they can sometimes be disappointed if their growth is not as fast as expected. This often happens when they compare their efforts to those of other creators. For the best possible outcome with TikTok, you need to understand how the platform works and how to set SMART marketing goals.

    Engagement on any platform doesn’t happen overnight so you’ll want to focus on creating a sense of community. Your engagement and the content you share need to make your audience feel heard. Doing outbound engagement is something that’s also important. Reciprocity (when someone returns engagement) can also help increase your engagement since many people who receive likes and comments on their videos will return the favor.

    Get ready to take some notes as we’ll share some of our best tips to help startups and entrepreneurs increase their engagement rate on TikTok.

    TikTok Engagement Rates 101
    How Can Startups and Entrepreneurs Set SMART Goals on TikTok?
    How to Boost Your Engagement Rate

    TikTok Engagement Rates 101

    The engagement rate on TikTok refers to how many people react to your content in your audience. With TikTok, this includes likes, comments, shares, and more. Responding to comments and leaving comments on other relevant accounts will help you grow your engagement rate.

    According to data, between August 2022 and January 2023, for videos over 54 seconds, the engagement rate was 8.2 percent. Videos less than 10 seconds had an engagement rate of 6.3 percent. TikTok engagement rate tends to be a bit higher than other platforms when you have a good strategy in place.

    In the beginning stages, you shouldn’t expect this type of engagement, and the same applies to inactive accounts that are just starting to post again.

    How Can Startups and Entrepreneurs Set SMART Goals on TikTok?

    One of the best ways your brand can achieve an incredible engagement rate is by setting SMART goals. Smart goals are defined as specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.

    Entrepreneurs and startups need to remember that when we set goals that are realistic and measurable, it’s easy to tie efforts to results. If you’re setting engagement goals based on what other creators seem to achieve, that will be hard to measure and doesn’t make much sense.

    Even if you take inspiration from a brand similar to yours, remember that their audience needs may differ from what your audience needs or wants.

    Here’s an example of a SMART goal for Increasing Engagement 

    Achieving an engagement rate of 5% within 60 days of starting our TikTok account by posting three views per day. The first video we create is going to be a problem-aware video. For the second video, we will chat about an industry myth, and the third video is going to be a day-in-the-life video showcasing behind-the-scenes content of our founder and team members. Along with these steps, our team will engage with other strategic accounts daily to help with visibility efforts. We’ll also respond to each comment received on our content and, when we see fit, do a video response if we receive any questions.

    Here is why this is a SMART goal: 

    The goal is specific because we established our desired engagement rate and specific actions that we will take. This goal is measurable because we outlined the exact steps we would take to get there. This goal is also achievable because we aimed for an engagement rate that is slightly lower than the norm, and we are giving ourselves enough time to achieve it since we plan on being very consistent with the platform.

    It’s realistic because we aren’t trying to set a goal that is difficult to measure, such as a broader goal of going viral. Our actions and timeline make this goal time-bound.

    As we can see with this example, it’s easy to measure a goal and set realistic expectations for success when using SMART goal indicators.

    How to Boost Your Engagement Rate

    You now have the best knowledge to set smart goals and increase your engagement rate on TikTok. We’ve outlined a few of our best tips to increase engagement on TikTok.

    Use Positive and Authoritative Trigger Words

    Trigger words in video hooks are known to drive an increase in engagement. Try using trigger words at the beginning of your video or as text overlay on your video cover. Some trigger words that we would recommend are exclusive, unleash, transform, unlock, secret, and best-kept.

    Storytelling Goes a Long Way on TikTok

    Brands often over-complicate the process of storytelling. If you were to share your brand story, instead of sharing a few facts about your brand, start from the beginning. Share your unique story of why you started your business. What was life before, and what is life like now? You could do a video about a time that a team member made you really proud or when they inspired you to do something. Storytelling gets to be simple.

    Create a Content Schedule

    Planning and scheduling your content is going to be your best friend. This also allows for more time to do some outbound engagement. If you see a trend that your audience would enjoy, you’ll have more time to do these on occasion.

    Work With an Influencer Marketing Agency

    Influencer marketing agencies are one of the best-kept secrets when it comes to growing engagement on TikTok since they are very knowledgeable when it comes to helping brands grow their reach on TikTok. Collaborating on a campaign with an influencer when you are getting started on TikTok can be a great way to boost your visibility and propel your growth on the platform. 

    Remember that the key is to set realistic goals combined with understanding the needs of your audience. You are now ready to combine this knowledge, make an impact, and increase your engagement rate on TikTok.

    Surprising Facts About TikTok Probably You Didn’t Know
    TikTok’s brand value currently is $66 billion and it was $59 billion in 2022. Here are some surprising TikTok facts you probably didn’t about.
    StartupTalkyNiharika Kalyankar

  • LeadSquared – What Makes Them The New-Age SaaS Platform Company?

    Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations.

    What is Software Development? In an uncomplicated way, the software is a collection of computer programs and data all stored in the memory of a computer for diverse roles.

    In this particular industry – software development has emerged as the path for many IT companies. These companies offer SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) platform that delivers multiple applications over the internet. Nowadays, companies that offer SaaS platforms offer more than just basic functions like product management. The SaaS platform includes features like new-age automation, which helps many enterprises in streamlining the processes for sales to give an exact picture of their marketing efforts.

    Founded in 2011 by three engineers Nilesh Patel, Prashant Singh, and Sudhakar Gorti, LeadSquared is a state-of-the-art SaaS platform that offers complete sales, marketing, and onboarding automation solutions.

    In this article, we bring you all the relevant information regarding LeadSquared, its business and revenue model, funding and investors, its founders, growth, and more.

    LeadSquared – Company Highlights

    Headquarters Bangalore, India
    Sector Software Development
    Founder Nilesh Patel, Prashant Singh, Sudhakar Gorti
    Founded 2011
    Website www.leadsquared.com

    LeadSquared – About and How does it work?
    LeadSquared – Industry details
    LeadSquared – Founders and Team
    LeadSquared – Mission and Vision
    LeadSquared – Startup Story
    LeadSquared – Business & Revenue Model
    LeadSquared – Revenue Growth
    Leadsquared – Products and Services
    LeadSquared – Funding and Investors
    LeadSquared – Awards and Achievements
    LeadSquared – Shareholding
    LeadSquared – Partners
    LeadSquared – Online and Social Media Presence
    LeadSquared – Competitors
    LeadSquared – Future Plans

    LeadSquared – About and How does it work?

    Designed as a SaaS platform, LeadSquared is for sales execution and marketing automation that enables firms to track, nurture, and manage prospects. It has customers crossing more than 2,000 across 40 countries. Some of the customers are from top industries like financial services, healthcare, education, marketplace CRM, automotive, travel, and real estate. The companies from these industries include HCL Technologies, Byjus, Omaxe, Happiest Minds, Zoomcar, Coldwell Banker, Bharti AXA, UTI Asset Management, and NIIT among various others.

    The company works by implementing automation to construct thoroughly connected, empowered, and self-sufficient sales groups for organizations. Its sales technology stack includes sales execution, digital onboarding, and marketing processes along with various other automation solutions. The major goal of the company can be said to give its users the sort of support that boosts their closure and general efficiency, allowing them to control business pipelines with much ease and convenience.

    LeadSquared – Industry details

    The most booming industry, the software as a service market is assumed to grow at a very rapid rate. The industry is expected to increase at a CAGR of 27.5% from $130.69 billion in 2021 to $716.52 billion in 2028.

    LeadSquared – Founders and Team

    LeadSquared is founded by Nilesh Patel, Sudhakar Gorti, and Prashant Singh. Sukhbir Kalsi is the Vice President of LeadSqaured.

    LeadSquared Co-Founders
    LeadSquared Co-Founders

    Nilesh Patel

    Nilesh Patel is the Chief Executive Officer at LeadSquared. He holds an engineering degree from Delhi University and worked for IBM for four years in their microprocessor test tools group before creating Proteans, which is a leader in software product development. At LeadSquared, he specializes in assisting firms with high-volume, high-volume sales to enhance sales execution and boost sales efficiency.

    Prashant Singh

    Prashant Singh serves as the Chief Operating Officer of LeadSquared. He graduated from IIT Delhi with a degree in Mathematics and Computer Science. Prashant was the COO of Proteans before starting LeadSquared. He looks after the business retention, growth, and expansion of LeadSquared.

    Sudhakar Gorti

    As the Chief Product Officer, Sudhakar Gorti leads the product design and development of LeadSquared. He graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, with a degree in Electrical Engineering. He is also the co-founder of Proteans. Even before that, he worked in many software development jobs at IBM, Talisma Corporation (now part of Campus Management Corp), and Oracle Software.

    Sukhbir Kalsi

    Sukhbir Kalsi is the Senior Vice President, of Product Development, who looks after the product engineering team at LeadSquared. Sukhbir previously spearheaded the initiatives in administering and architecting MS Dynamics CRM systems for several medium and big organizations, resulting in excellent user and customer satisfaction. He has a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Karnataka University, Dharwad.

    LeadSquared – Mission and Vision

    The mission statement of LeadSquared is, “To offer the best sales execution platform for high-velocity sales teams.”

    LeadSquared – Startup Story

    After the acquisition of their first startup company, Protreans by Nilesh Patel, Sudhakar Gorti, and Prashant Singh, they decided to come up with a solution that can solve businesses’ sales problems and execute them properly while handling all the challenges. This pushed them to launch their first service in 2011 – MarketXpander.

    After successfully serving many clients under the MarketXpander services, the main idea of LeadSquared was born. It started offering customized email marketing campaigns, user-friendly landing pages, and lead management for small and micro businesses.

    In 2014, LeadSquared was named an “Exemplar” by NASSCOM. It was around this time that the company decided to widen its sales team by adding features like sales automation for larger teams, an app marketplace, customized reports, APIs, and Webhooks.

    LeadSqaured launched its mobile app in 2015 and it reached over 100 customers. It was a hit among B2C businesses for having features like a workday planner, sales notifications, and geo-tracking. Within a year, the company officially launched its Automation Platform.

    LeadSquared established its very own developer platform called ‘LAPPS’ for developers to build customized solutions for their companies. The company continues to empower businesses by creating some self-service portals (admissions application sites, digital applications for financial institutions, and partner connections).

    Around 2021, LeadSqaured went global with the help of the International Finance Corporation by expanding its offices in New Jersey, the Philippines, South Africa, Australia, and Indonesia. Recently, the company joined the Unicorn club and launched a series of different solutions, such as the ACE, which is the company’s newest sales performance suite.

    LeadSquared – Business & Revenue Model

    The business model of LeadSquared is a SaaS-based service model for B2B technology companies and B2C businesses. It offers a wide variety of services and products to its paying customers. The main business lies in delivering a vertical-centric and flexible sales tech platform for its customers. The key products or services offered by LeadSquared are:

    • Marketing Automation
    • Mobile CRM
    • Sales Execution CRM
    • LeadSquared Apps (LAPPS) for developers
    • Customized Integrations
    • Customized APIs
    • Customer Portals
    • Sales Performance Suite

    LeadSquared – Revenue Growth

    LeadSquared is reported to have a total revenue of Rs 200 crores as of 2022.

    Here’s what, Nilesh Patel, CEO has to say,

    “Our revenue doubled to ₹200 crores in the financial year 2022 from about ₹100 crores in 2020-21. Now we are looking to increase our revenue to about ₹400 crores in the next five years. We have 1,200 employees at present which we will double in the next 18 months.”

    Financials

    Leadsquared Financials
    Leadsquared Financials
    Leadsquared Financial FY22 FY23
    Operating Revenue Rs 193 crore Rs 256 crore
    Total Expense Rs 262 crore Rs 456 crore
    Profit/Loss Loss of Rs 62 crore Loss of Rs 161 crore

    Expense Breakdown

    LeadSquared total expenses rise from Rs 262 crore in FY22 to Rs 456 crore in FY23.

    EBITDA

    The business had a difficult fiscal year in FY22–FY23. Due to growing costs (from Rs. 1.36 in FY22 to Rs. 1.78 in FY23), the EBITDA margin decreased, causing a decline in ROCE of -43.06% in FY22 to -22.12% in FY23.

    FY22 – FY23 FY22 FY23
    EBITDA Margin -28.93% -51.79%
    Expense/Rs of Op Revenue Rs 1.36 Rs 1.78
    ROCE -43.06% -22.12%

    Leadsquared – Products and Services

    Ace

    The marketing automation platform and software company LeadSquared has introduced Ace in December, 2021, a new suite for sales performance management. The Ace Suite gamifies sales processes and improves sales success by combining analytical and psychological strategies.

    LeadSquared – Funding and Investors

    LeadSquared has received $187.9 million in investment over four stages. On June 21, 2022, they received a Series C round of investment. It is supported by five investors. The most recent investors are Westbridge Capital and Gaja Capital.

    Date Funding Round Fund Amount Investors
    June 21, 2022 SERIES C $153 million Westbridge Capital
    October 5, 2021 Venture Round NA International Finance Corporation
    December 16, 2020 SERIES B $32 million Gaja Capital
    May 17, 2019 SERIES A $3 million Jyoti Bansal, Stakeboat Capital

    LeadSquared – Awards and Achievements

    Below is the list of awards and achievements won by LeadSqaured:

    • Financial Times – 1000 High-Growth Companies Asia-Pacific Award (2018)
    • LeadSquared was the Top rated CRM Solution by Capterra
    • G2 High Performer Enterprise (2021)
    • G2 High Performer Asia-Pacific (2021)
    • LeadSquared won the Marketing Automation Company of the Year by Frost & Sullivan (2018)
    • NASSCOM Presented LeadSqaured as the No.1 Marketing Automation Software in India
    • Consistently listed in Deloitte’s Fast 50 in 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019.

    LeadSquared – Shareholding

    Leadsqaured - Shareholding
    LeadSquared – Shareholding

    Below are the shareholder details:

    • Founder: 38.4%
    • Angel: 16.1%
    • Enterprise: 15.9%
    • Fund: 14.6%
    • ESOP: 11.2%
    • Other People: 3.8%

    LeadSquared – Partners

    LeadSquared has partnered with various leading companies like Wipro, Nagarro, Ozonetel, 18.h, Visionet, Areneva, and Dgtl.

    Through this partner program, LeadSqaured offers consulting services, integration services, and more.

    Niro

    A strategic partnership between LeadSquared and Niro in December, 2021 will provide complete SaaS solutions to companies looking to boost efficiency and optimize their sales operations.

    Godrej Housing Finance

    Godrej Housing Finance (GHF) and LeadSquared, a cutting-edge lending CRM and marketing automation platform, announced their partnership to increase sales productivity in December 2021.

    MentorLab

    A strategic partnership between LeadSquared and MentorLab on January 30, 2023 will provide complete SaaS solutions to companies looking to boost efficiency and optimize their sales operations.

    LeadSquared – Online and Social Media Presence

    LeadSquared knows how to keep its customers engaged with their latest news and updates. The company is very active with its blogs and articles, through which it shares all the information related to marketing automation. It has a dedicated blog page that has some relevant insights on the automation market. It has social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

    LeadSquared – Competitors

    The top competitors of LeadSquared are:

    1. Zoho CRM
    2. CleverTap
    3. HubSpot Marketing Hub
    4. Freshsales Suite
    5. Salesforce Marketing Cloud Account Engagement
    6. IMImobile
    7. Weave
    8. ExactTarget

    LeadSquared – Future Plans

    LeadSquared plans to target $200 million in revenue in the coming five years. The company has also started expanding its offices globally, as it recently opened its office in New Jersey with over 50 employees working in various roles and functions.

    CEO Nilesh Patel says about the company’s expansion, “We foresee North America to have the biggest revenue share in the future, which necessitates that we put a strong foot forward and build talent teams in sales and marketing based out of the US. In the future, we will look at building local teams for other business functions as well”.

    With this, he also said, “With the expansion, the company is targeting USD 200 million in revenue in the next five years. This is in keeping with its vision to expand through partner networks in other geographies, meeting the needs of international markets by delivering new-age, industry-specific solutions.”

    In the next three to four years, LeadSquared intends to go public, even though the software-as-a-service (SaaS) company anticipates $200 million in revenue during that time, as per news report of September 2022

    FAQs

    Does LeadSquared provide a CRM?

    Yes, LeadSquared provides a CRM tool for Marketing Automation.

    Where is LeadSquared based at?

    LeadSquared is based in Bengaluru.

    Who is the CEO of LeadSquared?

    Nilesh Patel is the CEO of LeadSquared.

    Is LeadSquared a Unicorn?

    Yes, LeadSquared is valued at $1 Billion.

  • Applied Intuition: Software Solutions for Autonomous Vehicles

    Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations.

    The automotive industry is witnessing rapid changes in how it provides mobility to a massive proportion of the population. The need for minimizing emissions, increasing levels of autonomous functionality, and providing a more connected experience pressures engineers to develop simulation software rather than physical prototypes.

    As the number of electrified autonomous vehicles rises, simulation allows firms to test integrated hardware for ultrasonic sensors, cameras, or lidar for automated systems. Applied Intuition is one of the prominent companies offering world-class simulation solutions for autonomous vehicles.

    This article sheds light on essential details of Applied Intuition- its founders, startup story, funding, investors, growth, competitors, and more.

    Applied Intuition: Company Highlights

    Company Name Applied Intuition
    Headquarters Mountain View, California, United States
    Sector Software Development
    Founders Qasar Younis and Peter Ludwig
    Founded In 2017
    Website Appliedintuition.com

    Applied Intuition – About
    Applied Intuition – Founders and Team
    Applied Intuition – Startup Story
    Applied Intuition – Logo
    Applied Intuition – Mission and Vision
    Applied Intuition – Business Model
    Applied Intuition – Products and Services
    Applied Intuition – Funding and Investors
    Applied Intuition – Mergers and Acquisitions
    Applied Intuition – Patents and Trademarks
    Applied Intuition – Growth
    Applied Intuition – Partners
    Applied Intuition – Award And Recognition
    Applied Intuition – Competitors

    Applied Intuition – About

    Applied Intuition is involved in developing simulation software for autonomous vehicles (AV). The company has made it faster, safer, and easier to bring autonomy to the automotive industry by offering a suite of simulation, validation, and drive log management software.

    Headquartered in Silicon Valley, it has offices located in LA, Washington, Stockholm, Detroit, Munich, Tokyo, and Seoul. Applied Intuition provides custom solutions for small to large-sized companies across industries, from automotive, aerial, and trucking to agriculture and defense. Out of 20 global OEMs, 17 rely on the company’s solutions to develop, test, and deploy autonomous systems at scale.

    Applied Intuition – Founders and Team

    Qasar Younis and Peter Ludwig founded Applied Intuition in 2017.

    Qasar Younis

    Qasar Younis attended Kettering University for a a BSc in Mechanical Engineering and Harvard Business School for an an MBA. He is the ex-founder and ex-CEO of TalkBin. Moreover, he worked at Google as Group Product Manager, Google Maps.

    Before co-founding Applied Intuition, he was Y Combinator’s general partner and chief operating officer. Currently, he is the CEO of Applied Intuition.

    Qasar Younis - Co-founder and CEO, Applied Intuition
    Qasar Younis – Co-founder and CEO, Applied Intuition

    Peter Ludwig

    Peter Ludwig attended the University of Michigan for a a BSc and MSc in Engineering and Computer Science. He has been a software engineer intern at NVIDIA and Microsoft.

    He also worked as a product manager and SWE at Google; in 2017, he co-founded Applied Intuition and is the company’s CTO.

    Peter Ludwig - Co-founder and CTO, Applied Intuition
    Peter Ludwig – Co-founder and CTO, Applied Intuition

    Applied Intuition currently employs 201–500 employees.

    Applied Intuition – Startup Story

    Qasar Younis and Peter Ludwig grew up in the backyard of American automotive giant General Motors in Detroit and crossed paths when working as product managers at Google. Peter was planning to start his third company. When making the list of potential co-founders, he thought of approaching Qasar.

    First, they planned to start an Autonomous Vehicles (AV) company, but in 2013, they, they concluded that it was not a good business idea. In 2016, Peter and Qasar had a casual conversation and came up with the idea of starting a software business. They figured out if they could run a business in software in the automotive industry. In 2017, they developed the idea of inventing software for autonomous vehicle simulation and set up Applied Intuition.

    In 2022, the company started helping manufacturers simulate and test the mechanical parts of their automobiles in different environments.

    Applied Intuition Logo
    Applied Intuition Logo

    The caret ^ in the Applied Intuition logo signifies the company’s ability to assist its clients in being significantly more efficient in introducing autonomy to the market in a timely and secure manner.

    Applied Intuition – Mission and Vision

    Applied Intuition aims to accelerate the world’s adoption of safe and intelligent machines.

    Applied Intuition – Business Model

    Applied Intuition provides software, Simian, for autonomous vehicle simulation. The software imports maps and the behavioral objects for each region of those maps and creates real-world scenarios. Moreover, it has a scenario editor, enabling clients to test thousands of scenarios on the vehicle and debug their autonomous vehicle software if an error occurs.

    Applied Intuition also offers analytics software to allow clients to evaluate their autonomous vehicle metrics and view the data that is collected during scenario testing. This data lets clients plan for future test drives. Additionally, the company provides consulting and support services to help businesses implement and integrate their software tools into the customer’s development process.

    7 Most Prominent Autonomous Driving Startups In The US
    Many startups are entering the autonomous driving market using AI. Here is a list of the most prominent autonomous driving startups in the US.
    StartupTalkyMansi Maheshwari

    Applied Intuition – Products and Services

    Applied Intuition classifies its product offerings into four categories:

    • Simulation: Simian, Spectral, Logstream, and Orbis
    • Vehicle Dynamics: carSIM, truckSIM, suspensionSIM, and bikeSIM
    • Data & Maps: Strada, Synthetic Datasets, Traffic Sign Datasets, and Meridian
    • Validation: Basis and Applied Test Suites

    Virtual Simulator

    Virtual Simulator was launched on October 28, 2018.Developers may access driverless simulators from businesses like Applied Intuition, a startup financed by Marc Andreessen. The Sunnyvale, California-based facility provides over 100,000 distinct driving scenarios for evaluation.

    Applied Development Platform

    In 2019, the company unveiled its Microsoft Azure-optimized Applied Development Platform.

    Applied Intuition significantly shortens time to market and speeds up the development of autonomous driving features for companies worldwide by utilizing Azure’s cloud and edge capabilities.

    Applied Intuition - Products
    Applied Intuition – Products

    The company provides solutions, including Perception & Localization, Planning & Control, Map Creation, Scenario Creation, Log Visualization & Triage, Vehicle Dynamics, and more.

    Applied Intuition - Solutions
    Applied Intuition – Solutions

    Applied Intuition – Funding and Investors

    Applied Intuition has undertaken five funding rounds and raised a total of $351.5 million. Its latest funding round, the Series D Round, was conducted on November 11, 2021, and raised $175 million. The company is backed by prominent investors: Andreessen Horowitz, Hemant Taneja, Mike Maples, Eld Gil, Bilal Zuberi, Lee Fixel, Semil Shah, and Jeannette Zu Furstenberg.

    Date Round Number of Investors Money Raised Lead Investor
    November 11, 2021 Series D 7 $175 million Addition, Coatue
    October 22, 2020 Series C 4 $125 million Andreessen Horowitz, General Catalyst, Lux Capital
    September 12, 2019 Series B 12 $40 million General Catalyst
    September 12, 2018 Series A 7 $11.5 million Andreessen Horowitz
    September 5, 2017 Seed Round 2 – –

    Applied Intuition – Mergers and Acquisitions

    Applied Intuition has acquired three companies to date:

    Company Name Date Price
    Embark Trucks May 25, 2023 $71M
    SceneBox March 21, 2023 –
    Mechanical Simulation Corporation March 14, 2022 –

    Applied Intuition – Patents and Trademarks

    The intellectual property of Applied Intuition comprises 2 registered patents with ‘Computing; Calculating’ as the primary category and 21 registered trademarks with ‘Scientific and Electric Apparatus and Instruments’ as the most popular class.

    Applied Intuition – Growth

    The estimated annual revenue of Applied Intuition in 2020 was $60.1 million ($186,635 revenue per employee), with its valuation standing at $3.6 billion. The company’s employee count rose 75% last year, and the monthly web visits rate increased to 6.19% with 33,166 visits.

    Life at Applied Intuition

    Applied Intuition – Partners

    Applied Intuition has partnered with:

    • LG Electronics
    • Ambarella
    • Virtual Mechanics Corporation
    • Ouster
    • Nissan
    • Seegrid
    • Dailmer
    • Outrider
    • Gatix
    • RideFlux
    • Driveblocks
    • Motional
    • Ambarella
    • E/NRIDE

    Applied Intuition – Award And Recognition

    • Applied Intuition is recognized with an award for providing AITR with synthetic data.
    • The company has secured a contract with AFWERX for “virtual sensor optimization.’

    Applied Intuition – Competitors

    Applied Intuition is ranked 2nd among its 64 active competitors. Some of its competitors are:

    • aiMotive
    • Wayve
    • Cognata
    • Aurora
    • Intvo
    • Zoox
    • Momenta
    • Flux Auto
    • Waabi

    FAQs

    What does applied intuition do?

    Applied Intuition is involved in developing simulation software for autonomous vehicles (AV). The company has made it faster, safer, and easier to bring autonomy to the automotive industry by offering a suite of simulation, validation, and drive log management software.

    Who founded Applied Intuition?

    Qasar Younis and Peter Ludwig founded Applied Intuition in 2017.

    Who are the main competitors of Applied Intuition?

    Some of Applied Intuition’s competitors are:

    • aiMotive
    • Wayve
    • Cognata
    • Aurora
    • Intvo
    • Zoox
    • Momenta
    • Flux Auto
    • Waabi

  • Shuruwaat: Working with Brands to Unleash Their Full Potential

    New Delhi (India), November 20: In the pre-COVID era of 2019, when life and businesses were thriving, Vishal, the visionary Founder and CEO, embarked on a mission to serve and uplift businesses globally through VRC Services. The company has successfully catered to 100+ clients across 10+ countries; the journey continued with a rebranding in 2022, giving birth to the platform – Shuruwaat se Shuruwaat Karo, a vision to support small brands, businesses, and startups in India.

    As India’s entrepreneurial spirit gains momentum, the firm stands at the forefront, embodying the essence of “Shuruwaat” – the beginning. With a team of over 100 diligent professionals, each an expert in their field, the company aims to catalyse comprehensive solutions for every business owner, providing a seamless one-stop destination.

    Positioned as a Business Growth Company, the platform aspires to build strong and reliable brands nationwide. Their vision echoes the dream of an Unstoppable Entrepreneurial India, a promise they are determined to fulfil within 5-7 years.

    Despite producing many entrepreneurs globally, India still harbours numerous businesses without guidance, technology, and support. The company aims to bridge this gap, adding these enterprises to the narrative of India’s growth. The vision extends to offering exclusive and remarkable services and support to every business owner, ultimately propelling India to become the world’s business hub.

    Focusing primarily on content creation, social media marketing, and e-commerce setup and management, the company is much ahead than a service provider; it’s a partner in the success of each brand. By maintaining a selective clientele, the company delves deep into the intricacies of each brand, tailoring bespoke strategies that yield exceptional results.

    Shuruwaat’s commitment goes beyond promises, offering a unique approach that includes strategic planning and growth consultancy. With a money-back guarantee, the company ensures that clients can trust Shuruwaat’s dedication to their success in the unlikely event of unmet expectations. Targeting medium and small brands, the company simplifies the complex process of brand development, providing all-encompassing services under one roof. This holistic approach enables entrepreneurs to navigate their business journey stress-free.

    Beyond transactions, the company envisions fostering a community of positivity and hope. It encourages brand owners and aspiring entrepreneurs to embrace their dreams with dedication and guidance, firmly believing that any brand can achieve greatness with the proper support. For those on the quest for success, Shuruwaat stands as the steadfast companion; the journey begins with optimism and concludes with triumph.

    Brand Strategy Checklist for Building a Successful Brand
    Creating a strong brand strategy is quite effective and profitable to a company. Here are the checklist for making a good brand strategy.
    Roshni TamtaStartupTalky