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  • Pierre Omidyar – The Philanthropist Who Founded the Biggest Online Auction Site

    Pierre Omidyar is an American Entrepreneur and a software engineer who founded the successful online auction platform, eBay in 1995. He was the Chairman of the company from 1998 to 2015. He soon became a billionaire as soon as eBay issued an Initial Public Offering (IPO) in 1998. As of 2021, he has an estimated net worth of $21.4billion and is said to be the 24th richest person in the world.

    In 2010, he launched an investigative news service, Honolulu Civil Beat. He created a journalism venture called First Look Media in 2014. As a Philanthropist, he and his wife cordially founded Omidyar Network in 2004 with an aim to expand their efforts beyond non-profits to include for-profits and public policy, which would serve the purpose of the philanthropic investment firm.

    Pierre Omidyar- Biography

    Name Pierre Morad Omidyar / Parviz Morad Omidyar
    Born 21 June 1967
    Birthplace Paris, France
    Age 55 (2022)
    Nationality American
    Education Tufts University
    Profession Entrepreneur; Software Engineer; Software Engineer
    Known for Founder of eBay; Founder of Honolulu Civil Beat; Founder of Omidyar Network; Founder of First Look Media
    Net worth $21.8 billion (2022)

    Pierre Omidyar – Personal Life
    Pierre Omidyar – Education
    Pierre Omidyar – Professional Life
    Pierre Omidyar – Founder of eBay
    Pierre Omidyar – Founder of Omidyar Network
    Pierre Omidyar – Founder of Honolulu Civil Beat
    Pierre Omidyar – Founder of First Look Media
    Pierre Omidyar – Honors & Awards

    Pierre Omidyar – Personal Life

    Pierre was born to Iranian parents, who migrated to France for higher studies. He grew up in Paris and was formerly named Parvez. His father, Cyrus Omidyar is a surgeon, who currently practices in Aliso Viejo, California.

    His mother, Elane Mir-Djalali is an academic who earned her doctorate in linguistics at the Sorbonne. The family shifted to the US owing to his father’s job location, as he initially worked as an urologist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

    He married Pamela Karr, who is also one of the co-founder of his philanthropic firm, Omidyar Network. He is also a benefactor to the US Democratic Party candidates and organizations. In 2010, he joined Bill Gates and Warren Buffet’s “giving pledge”. He publicly committed to giving the majority of his wealth for charitable causes and becoming a philanthropist.

    “When you create wealth in a short time, you think about philanthropy as you think about a business.” –Pierre Omidyar

    Pierre Omidyar – Education

    Pierre completed his elementary studies from Punahou School in Honolulu and he currently serves on its Board of Trustees. He took a great interest in computers while studying in ninth-grade at The Potomac School in McLean, Virginia. He graduated from St. Andrew’s Episcopal School, Maryland in 1984.

    He completed his bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Tufts University, Massachusetts in 1988. During his undergraduate years, he also studied at the University of California.

    Pierre Omidyar – Professional Life

    After completing his studies, Pierre went to work for Claris, a subsidiary of Apple Computer. He worked there on the team that upgraded MacDraw to MacDraw II. He co-founded a pen-based computing startup, Ink Development in 1991. However, his startup was later re-branded as an e-commerce firm with the new name of eShop Incorporation. The company was acquired by Microsoft on 11 June, 1996 for less than $50 million and he earned $1 million from the deal.

    Pierre Omidyar- Founder of eBay

    eBay logo
    eBay logo

    Pierre established his e-commerce company, eBay in 1995. The company is headquartered in San Jose, California. At age 28, he started coding for an online venture that would enable a direct person-to-person auction for collectable items. On 4 September 1995, he launched the online auction service called Auction Web which eventually became the auction site eBay.

    By 1996, he signed a licensed deal of selling airline tickets online. It hosted two million auctions within the first month. By 1997, he renamed the company from Auction Web to eBay and was strategic enough with effective advertising.

    He served as the Chairman of the company from 1998 to 2015. He also served as the Board member of eBay till 2020. Omidyar was named under the billionaires after eBay launched its IPO  successfully in September 1998.

    The company bought an online payment company, PayPal in 2002. However, the payment firm spun-off and currently Omidyar owns 6% of it. In 2020, he stepped down from the Board of eBay owing to his involvement of a broader overhaul of the company. At eBay, he will continue to serve as director emeritus, which is an honorary title.

    Pierre Omidyar – Founder of Omidyar Network

    Omidyar network Logo
    Omidyar network Logo

    Pierre and his wife, Pamela established his philanthropic investment firm, Omidyar Network in 2004. The organization aims at improving the lives of people by creating opportunities and enhancing the power of markets. It basically invests in innovative organizations to beget economic, social and political change.

    Reportedly, it has committed more than $992 million to nonprofit organizations and for-profit companies that stimulate economic advancement and revitalize individual participation across multiple investment areas.

    Mr. and Mrs. Omidyar along with Richard Branson had established the Nduna Foundation (Founder- Amy Robbins), Enterprise Zimbabwe in 2010. He further established Luminate, a global philanthropic organization in 2018. After governing it for ten years, Omidyar separated the organization into a separate unit.

    Pierre Omidyar – Founder of Honolulu Civil Beat

    Honolulu Civil Beat
    Honolulu Civil Beat

    Pierre has been involved in online journalism since 2010,  and he is serving as the head of investigative reporting and public affairs news service, Honolulu Civil Beat which covered civic affairs in Hawaii. The venture later partnered with HuffPost with the latest weblog regional addition, HuffPost Hawaii. Starting a media company of his own and providing people with real facts was his aim.

    The news outlet is all about providing people all the news related to public affairs. All the public issues that outlet report has only one aim and that is to educate people  and the community and make them aware of all kind of situations.

    Pierre Omidyar – Founder of First Look Media

    First Look Media Logo
    First Look Media Logo

    Pierre Omidyar founded this media organisation in the year 2013 with the only goal in his mind to empower independent journalists and make their voices heard. It is a nonprofit organisation that focuses on investigative journalism and documentary filmmaking.

    Omidyar started this project and promised to provide funds of $250 million and decided to aid different publications. The organisation started the journey of supporting publications by launching The Intercept. Not only that, First Look Media started producing podcasts as well.

    Omidyar focus through First Look Media was to hold the importance of freedom of expression and freedom of the press. Pierre Omidyar decided to develop the organisation in such a way that the media will provide information to the audience in a way of storytelling.

    Pierre Omidyar – Honors & Awards

    • Received the Honorary doctorate from Tufts University in 2011
    • Bestowed with the EY Entrepreneur of The Year National Winner in 1999
    • Conferred with the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement in 2000
    • He was named the 2018’s Third Most Influential French Entrepreneur by Richtopia

    FAQ

    What is the Net worth of eBay owner Pierre Omidyar?

    As of 2021, the net worth of Pierre Omidyar is $21.4billion.

    Pierre Omidyar is the founder of what ecommerce platform?

    Pierre Omidyar co-founded a pen-based computing startup, Ink Development in 1991. However, his startup was later re-branded as an e-commerce firm with the new name of eShop Incorporation.

    Why did Pierre Omidyar create eBay?

    Pierre Omidyar created an online auction site to help his wife trade and collect Pez candy dispensers.

    How does eBay make money?

    eBay makes its money from the section on transaction fees, which it applies to sellers.

  • Top 11 Chrome Extensions for Content Marketers

    The world of content marketing is constantly evolving. New ideas, strategies, and technologies are introduced all the time, keeping professionals on their toes as they continue to explore and implement new ways to reach their target audience.

    Content marketers need to keep up with these rapid changes while also focusing on their execution. After all, you can’t just throw a bunch of different tools at a wall and see what sticks.

    You need to narrow your focus so that everything you’re doing is working toward the same end goal, that is creating more content for an effective content marketing strategy. With this in mind, we have compiled a list of some of the most useful Chrome extensions for content marketers that are sure to make your tasks easy and more efficient.

    These extensions make it easy to find relevant blog posts and other content related to your industry while also filtering out any unhelpful material. They allow you to organize the information you find so it’s easy to refer to them later.

    What Are Chrome Extensions?
    Chrome Extensions Every Content Marketer Needs

    What Are Chrome Extensions?

    Chrome extensions are small software programs that can be downloaded and added to your browser. They add functionality to the browser, like reminders, weather forecasts, or online shopping tools.

    The best way to understand how chrome extensions work is to think about how many different times you use Google Chrome. You open it every day to check your email, surf the web, and search for things on Google.

    Maybe you want to buy a new outfit before going out tonight or maybe you’re looking up restaurant recommendations while you’re out with your friends. Either way, having an extension that makes finding something as easy as clicking a button is going to make your life simple.

    Chrome Extensions Every Content Marketer Needs

    Number of Chrome Users from 2015 to 2020
    Number of Chrome Users from 2015 to 2020

    Chrome is the most popular browser in the world. It is fast, reliable, secure, and has built-in protections against malware. In other words, it’s the best browser for both users and marketers as well.

    But Chrome doesn’t come with all of the features that you might find in other browsers. Luckily for marketers, there are some great extensions available that can give them access to a lot of valuable tools without having to download new software or spend time learning about how to use them.

    The following are some of the most popular and useful chrome extensions that are sure to make the work easy and more efficient for content marketers:

    Grammarly

    Grammarly - Best Chrome Extensions for Content Marketers
    Grammarly – Best Chrome Extensions for Content Marketers

    Grammarly is a Chrome extension that helps you proofread your writing. It can be used in both online and offline modes. It comes with a free version that works well on Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides. You can use Grammarly to detect plagiarism, catch spelling mistakes, grammar errors, and punctuation mistakes. It also provides suggestions for how to improve your writing quality. The free version of the extension detects the following errors:

    1. Detects over 300 types of spelling mistakes (including false positives).
    2. Detects over 100 different types of grammatical errors (including false positives).
    3. Identifies uses of poor grammar in over 50 languages.
    4. Catches more than 200 different types of typos including capitalization errors and misspellings

    MozBar

    MozBar - Best Chrome Extensions for Content Marketers
    MozBar – Best Chrome Extensions for Content Marketers

    When you need a little help with your content marketing, the MozBar chrome extension has got you covered. It’s an extension that gives you all the tools you need to optimize your content marketing efforts, and even more helps you get the most out of every post or piece of content. You can use it to create high-performing blog posts, analyze how people are responding to your content, and see what social media channels are working best for you. Here’s what it does:

    1) It shows you how many people are sharing your posts on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Reddit, Google+, Pinterest, StumbleUpon, and more.

    2) It provides a list of keywords related to your business so that you can find relevant new content ideas for each post/piece of content/article.

    3) You can add extra data points like links to other pages on your website and videos from YouTube (if applicable).

    4) You can also add tracking codes to all of these fields.

    HubSpot

    HubSpot - Best Chrome Extensions for Content Marketers
    HubSpot – Best Chrome Extensions for Content Marketers

    If you’re a content marketer, you know how hard it is to stay focused on your business. With the constant need to build new content, the never-ending stream of distractions, and the fact that you’re probably working from home most of the time, it’s easy to lose sight of what you’re trying to accomplish.

    But there is one thing that can help ease your work, it is the HubSpot Chrome extensions. These are little programs that sit in your browser and make it easier for you to do things like schedule calls with clients or manage social media accounts. The best thing is that they’re free!

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    BuzzSumo

    BuzzSumo - Best Chrome Extensions for Content Marketers
    BuzzSumo – Best Chrome Extensions for Content Marketers

    You must have heard of BuzzSumo, but you probably haven’t used it. It is a social media analytics tool that helps content marketers discover hot content from across the web. It’s been around for years, and it’s still going strong.

    But if you want to understand more about Buzzsumo, there’s no better way than using its Chrome extension. This extension for Chrome allows you to analyze your audience and get more out of Buzzsumo itself—all without leaving the browser.

    It’s a great way to learn how to use Buzzsumo and also make sure that your work is stored safely on your computer. It’s a must-have for any content marketer who wants to keep track of their audience and make sure they’re happy with their content.

    Ahrefs SEO Toolbar

    Ahrefs SEO Toolbar - Best Chrome Extensions for Content Marketers
    Ahrefs SEO Toolbar – Best Chrome Extensions for Content Marketers

    Ahrefs SEO Toolbar Chrome extension is a great way to improve your content marketing strategy. This extension will help you find the best keywords for your website and how those keywords rank on Google.

    The Ahrefs toolbar extension is available for Chrome and Firefox for free. The toolbar will help you find out what people are saying about your site using their search history, social media activity, and other metrics. You can also see how much time people spend on your site as well as what they’re doing while they’re on your website.

    The Ahrefs toolbar also helps you create content that attracts more visitors and increases click-through rates (CTR). The toolbar gives you access to data like keyword density, which tells you where your site ranks in relation to other sites on Google Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). The toolbar also shows you exactly how many people are reading your content and for how long they stay before leaving again.

    Bitly

    Bitly - Best Chrome Extensions for Content Marketers
    Bitly – Best Chrome Extensions for Content Marketers

    Bitly has some pretty cool extensions out there for Chrome like Bitly URL Shortener and Bitly Short links and QR codes.

    Bitly Chrome extensions allow you to create short links and QR codes and share them on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest. This is an easy way to share content with others without having to type in long links or lengthy URLs.

    Wordtune

    Wordtune - Best Chrome Extensions for Content Marketers
    Wordtune – Best Chrome Extensions for Content Marketers

    If you’re a content marketer, you have probably heard of Wordtune. It’s a Chrome extension that transforms your browser into a full-featured editor for writing great content. But it’s not just that, it also makes it easy for you to add images, videos, and other media objects to your work.

    Keywords Everywhere

    Keywords Everywhere - Best Chrome Extensions for Content Marketers
    Keywords Everywhere – Best Chrome Extensions for Content Marketers

    Keywords Everywhere is a chrome extension that will help you to find keywords and their frequency on any website. It also provides a list of related keywords, so you can spend less time trying to figure out what your target audience is searching for and more time planning your own content marketing strategy.

    Awesome Screenshot

    Awesome Screenshot - Best Chrome Extensions for Content Marketers
    Awesome Screenshot – Best Chrome Extensions for Content Marketers

    This extension allows you to take a screenshot of any webpage or app and directly upload it to your clipboard, making it super-easy to share content with the world. It’s also got a bunch of other great features, like being able to search for text on websites (like “Hello” or “Howdy”) so you can quickly find what you want to copy.

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    Headline Studio by CoSchedule

    Headline Studio by CoSchedule - Best Chrome Extensions for Content Marketers
    Headline Studio by CoSchedule – Best Chrome Extensions for Content Marketers

    Headline Studio is a chrome extension that will help you create amazing headlines. It will help you find the most powerful words and phrases to use in your headlines, so you can get more clicks and sales. It’s the best extension for content marketers who want simplicity, creativity and flexibility in their work.

    Google Dictionary

    Google Dictionary - Best Chrome Extensions for Content Marketers
    Google Dictionary – Best Chrome Extensions for Content Marketers

    If you’re a content marketer, you’ve probably used Google’s dictionary (by Google) for a plethora of purposes—from searching for proper nouns like “cat” to figuring out how to spell words like “congratulations” or “hoverboard.”  This extension simply turns your browser into an interactive dictionary with definitions and examples. It’s also available as a mobile app. Other related extensions by Google include:

    • Google Translate – You can translate text from one language to another using this extension. It also supports multiple languages.
    • Google News – This extension gives you access to news articles in multiple languages right in the corner of your browser window. It also includes images and videos.

    Conclusion

    The above-mentioned Chrome extensions will help you analyze the content you create, whether that means monitoring your brand’s competitors, checking on your content marketing competition, and more. These are great tools to use for those working in an agency or freelancing. Thus, all these chrome extensions are extremely beneficial in making every content marketer’s work easy and effective.

    FAQs

    What can Chrome extension do?

    Chrome extensions are like programs that can be installed in your browser to change or automate certain functions. It simply improves the convenience of the software.

    Which extension is best for SEO?

    Best extensions for SEO are:

    • Keywords Everywhere
    • Ahrefs SEO Toolbar
    • MozBar
    • Grammarly
    • Wordtune
    • Headline Studio by CoSchedule

    What language are browser extensions written in?

    Browser extensions are small software programs that are usually written in CSS, HTML, and JavaScript.

  • Why Different Companies Use the Word ‘Free’ to Sell their Products?

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    We have all read such advertisements in the newspapers and on social media. But, why are most companies repetitively using the word ‘free’ in their marketing campaigns?

    What psychological impact does this four-letter word ‘free’ create in the minds of the customer? How does the company boost its audience engagement and revenue by giving something for free?

    To find answers to all these questions keep reading this ‘free’ article.

    Is Free Actually Free?
    How Different Companies are Giving Products and Services for Free
    Psychological Impact of the Word Free
    Negative Impact of Overusing the Word Free

    Is Free Actually Free?

    Let’s first define the word free before we dive deep into this topic. When we say something is free we mean to say that we don’t have to pay money in order to buy the product.

    But, when we see this definition from the lens of marketing we get to know that not everything is all black and white. For example, when we buy a premium laptop the company provides us with free earphones.

    Are we getting those earphones for free? The answer is NO. This is because we are actually paying a lot of money for the laptop and the earphones at that point in time, are not absolutely for free.

    A lot of companies provide a free trial for their products. But, is that trial absolutely free? Because in most cases the company takes your email id in exchange. After that, you will receive a lot of marketing emails and maybe even calls to buy the product. Due to online advertising and SEO, the company will show you ads regarding the products on every other website.

    Nowadays, most companies ask you to put your credit card details. So, when your trial period ends if you don’t cancel the subscription on time, the money is automatically deducted from your account.

    In other words, free doesn’t really ensure convenience. Most people won’t consider such products free because the company will irritate them with tons of unnecessary advertising campaigns which ultimately leads to wastage of time of the customers. And we all know the old saying, ‘Time is Money’.

    How Different Companies are Giving Products and Services for Free?

    Before we tell you the psychological impact of the word free let’s understand how different companies use the word ‘free’ in their marketing campaigns and what effect it has on their target audience.

    Fremium

    A lot of the SaaS products provide Fremium services to their users. Here, you can use the basic functions of the products for free. But, in order to gain robust features of the service, you need to pay money.

    A popular example of this kind of service is Grammarly. Both students and business professionals can use Grammarly to make their content grammatically for free. But, to use its premium features we need to pay money.

    Grammarly Premium
    Grammarly Premium

    Now, the reason to give services for free is to make the person understand the qualities of service you are providing and most importantly make him/her habitual to the product. When I am using Grammarly daily I know how to operate the product. It has become very easy for me to use this service.

    So, when I want to buy a paid service I would automatically buy Grammarly because I know what kind of quality the software provides and secondly I have become habitual of using it.

    Buy One Get One Free

    We have also seen this marketing strategy multiple times in our lives. To be very frank this is one of the most overused strategies. But, let me tell you this strategy still works. This is because we humans want to get the most out of the money we spent. So, when we are buying a product and if we get to know that we can get another product without paying any extra money we immediately buy it.

    Papa Johns Buy one Get one Free Example
    Papa Johns Buy one Get one Free Example

    Free Samples

    Many times when we open the newspaper we get a free sachet of shampoo. When we are at malls we see a lot of people giving free samples of their products. But, why are they giving free samples? The reason for this is the principle of reciprocity. Let’s understand this principle and what psychological impact it creates in the minds of the reader.

    Psychological Impact of the Word Free

    The psychological impact of the word free is related to the principle of reciprocity. According to this principle, if someone does something helpful for you, a strong feeling to give the person something back in return arouses in your mind. For example, if your friend helps you in studying or gives you a precious gift you will be obligated to return the favour.

    The same happens when we get free samples or products from any company. After using their product we inherently get a feeling to return the favour by purchasing their product. This is the exact reason why companies give free products and services to their target audience.

    Instead of forcing your prospects to buy the product, you are adding value to your lives by giving the product for free. Due to the principle of reciprocity, the prospects themselves get the idea of buying your product.

    Negative Impact of Overusing the Word Free

    The word free has a huge positive impact on the prospects. But, if you overuse it then it will drastically impact your sales and audience engagement. As so many people use this word repetitively in their marketing campaigns the word ‘free’ has lost its charm. Many email marketing services consider the word free as spam.

    Customers as well have become very smart. When they get to know that the brand is offering products or services for free a lot of questions pop up in their mind. Is the product of high quality? Are there any hidden terms and conditions? What is the intention of the company? Is there something wrong with the product?

    If your brand is new to the market and you give something for free on a regular interval then the audience will feel that the product is of low quality. It will have a negative impact on the goodwill of the company.

    Although the principle of reciprocity works in this scenario the feeling to return the favour might turn into guilt. After a certain point of time customers won’t try your free sample nor buy your products.

    The worst-case scenario would be that you might have habituated your customers to get free products from you. This happens when you give heavy discounts on a daily basis. Your company will then have to provide free samples and discounts in order to sustain in the market. You definitely want to avoid this.

    You need to first understand how the audience perceives your brand. Remember, if you are overusing free in your business strategy you won’t build loyal customers and you will never see a boost in your profits.

    Conclusion

    Free is a very powerful word and if used correctly it will lead to positive emotions in the minds of your prospects. Although if you overuse it will backfire and harm your goodwill and revenue.

    The aim of your brand should always be to help your customers. Instead of providing a mediocre product or service for free try to make your offer exciting and helpful. If you are able to add value to their lives then your sales will definitely increase.

    Always explain why you are giving a product or service for free. Clarify your intentions and the word free will do wonders for your brand.

    FAQs

    Should you use the word free in marketing?

    Yes, Free is a word that will attract an audience and is one of the most effective ways for consumers to try your product.

    Why is free so powerful in advertising?

    Free is a word that stands out and separates your brand from the competition.

  • Windo: An App Helping People in Building Businesses Through Instagram Pages

    Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations. The content in this post has been approved by Windo.

    Are you finding work that is something cool and interesting? On today’s date, your personal interests matter a lot! So, how about starting your career with an online business? Do you need an appropriate website to do so? Who knows what, success might knock on your door a few days later. Anyway, who doesn’t love to be successful? We all definitely do!

    Windo is a tech website and app that allows all the interested solopreneurs and small to middle-sized businesses to set up an online shop absolutely free of cost that too in just a matter of moments. Read the Windo success story below!

    Windo – Company Highlights

    Startup Name Windo
    Headquarters Bangalore, Karnataka
    Industry Technology and Internet
    Founder Rakesh Vaddadi and Silus Reddy Chintapalli
    Founded 2020
    Parent Organization Rare Bits Technology
    Website mywindo.shop

    Windo – About
    Windo – Industry
    Windo – Founders and Team
    Windo – Business Model
    Windo – Revenue Model
    Windo – Funding and Investors
    Windo – Growth

    Windo – About

    Windo is an online platform which has got the ability to convert your Instagram page to an online shopping platform within few minutes of time. The company creates a free online store for you without any sort of coding and automates your regular deals.

    Windo – Industry

    Windo belongs to the Mobile App Industry. This industry is quite a fast-growing industry. Smartphones and mobile phones are increasing in numbers every day and so are the mobile app businesses. Each and every business is developing in its own way only because of its innovative ideas!

    Windo – Founders and Team

    Windo Co-Founders - Silus Reddy Chintapalli and Rakesh Vaddadi
    Windo Co-Founders – Silus Reddy Chintapalli and Rakesh Vaddadi

    The founders of the company are Rakesh Vaddadi and Silus Reddy Chintapalli.

    Rakesh Vaddadi

    Rakesh Vaddadi is the co-founder of the company Windo. He began his career as an intern at The Singareni Collieries Company Ltd. Rakesh was also a part-time research assistant at the Indian Council for Social Science Research.

    Silus Reddy Chintapalli

    Silus Reddy Chintapalli is also the co-founder of Windo. He began his career as an engineer at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. Silus was also the Vice President of sales and marketing at TopTalent.in. He was the director of sales and marketing at 1Click.

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    Windo – Business Model

    The business model of Windo is quite simple! The website helps small businesses to create their own online space hassle freely. Windo requires no credit cards also the company has got a free forever plan to offer to all of its users. The company aims towards minimizing the workload of the small businesses who are suffering real tough to make both name and fame!

    Windo – Revenue Model

    Windo has got 2 sorts of plans. They are:

    • Sprout plan (free)
    • Blossom plan

    Sprout Plan

    1. Online payments
    2. Endless products
    3. Customer support
    4. Endless orders

    Blossom Plan

    1. Custom domain
    2. Priority customer support
    3. All in the free plan and more
    4. 0% transaction cost

    Windo – Funding and Investors

    Windo has raised a funding of $500 K in June 2021.

    Date Stage Amount Investors
    June 2021 Seed $500 K Aravind Sanka, Srinivas Anumolu, Meena Ganesh, Vivek Bhargava, and Unicorn India Ventures

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    Windo – Growth

    Windo is loved by 10,000 businesses. This is what their official website claims it to be. The love and the support of all of its users are helping immensely to this new startup to survive and grow with all.

    Windo – Online and Social Media Presence

    Windo is now quite popular on the web because it has got its own official website to showcase all of its products and services, along with its schemes. Not only this but also Windo has got its name on various popular websites like yourstory.com, business-standard.com, etc. The company has got a social media account at LinkedIn.

    Windo is considered to be a very simple and a beautiful e-commerce app, especially for store creators. Any sort of small and pretty businesses might choose to register themselves at this platform and make the most of it. Windo is not just an app. It is an opportunity for all entrepreneurs.

    FAQs

    What is Windo App used for?

    Windo is an app for Instagram-focused businesses. It offers solutions to manage small sized business.

    Who is the founder of Windo?

    Windo was founded by Silus Reddy Chintapalli and Rakesh Vaddadi.

    When was Windo founded?

    Windo was founded in 2020.

    Who has funded in Windo?

    Windo has received funding in a seed round led by Unicorn India Ventures. Top investors in Windo are:

    • Aravind Sanka – CEO of Rapido
    • Srinivas Anumolu – Founder of Growth Story
    • Meena Ganesh – CEO of Portea
    • Vivek Bhargava – Co-founder of ProfitWheel

  • Dual Class Shares – What is it, Advantages, Disadvantages, Examples and More

    What is one common thing among the founders of famous companies like Google, Ford and Facebook that allows them to have complete control over the decision-making of their companies? The answer to this question is dual-class shares.

    I know you are very confused about what dual-class shares are and what advantages and disadvantages they offer to the founders. Don’t worry I will explain to you about dual-class voting shares in great detail without technical jargon. We will also talk about companies with dual-class stock structures.

    What are Dual-Class Voting Shares?
    Why Dual-Class Voting Shares are Used?
    Famous Examples of Companies That Use Dual Class Structure
    Advantages of Dual Class Shares
    Disadvantages of Dual Class Shares

    What are Dual-Class Voting Shares?

    In dual-class shares, the founders own a small portion of the company’s total stock but they have the maximum voting power. For example, a company may issue class A and class B shares. Both these shares may have different voting power and dividend payments.

    In this scenario, class A shares which have limited or no voting rights are offered to the general public while class B shares which have the maximum voting power are offered to the founders, executives, and family.

    Why Dual-Class Voting Shares are Used?

    Founders who want to enter the public equity markets for financing but want to gain full control over their company opt for dual-class stocks. Using this strategy founders can focus on their long-term vision. They don’t have to worry about their investors who just want profits.

    Famous Examples of Companies That Use Dual Class Structure

    Google

    Alphabet subsidiary Google issued two classes of shares in 2004. Here, class A was offered to the general public which carried one vote per share. Although Class B which was offered to the founders carried 10 votes. Later, the company issued class C shares that had zero voting rights.

    Ford

    The Ford family has also issued two classes of shares: Class A and Class B. The family owns the class B shares which gives them 40% of voting power with just 5.0% of the total equity in the company.

    Facebook

    Facebook also follows a dual-class common stock structure. Mark Zuckerberg and his close executives possess class B shares which carry 10 votes. Zuckerberg owns 75% of class B shares which allows him to control 58% of Facebook’s votes.

    Advantages of Dual Class Shares

    • The biggest advantage of dual-class voting shares is that the founders have complete control over the decision-making and functioning of the company.
    • The company can still get public financing without worrying about giving too much voting power to its investors.
    • Founders can focus on long-term growth. It protects the company from investors who only want to gain profits.

    Disadvantages of Dual Class Shares

    • Dual-class voting shares give unfair voting rights to their investors.
    • Super voting rights in the hands of the founders and executives weaken the structure of the company.
    • The structure of the company cannot be easily transformed into a single class.
    • A study from the National Bureau of Economic Research provided strong evidence that the company which follow a dual-class structure face more debt than single-class shares.
    • Shareholders can make bad decisions with few consequences.

    Conclusion

    As you can see dual-class voting shares allow the founders and insiders of the company to have complete control over the company with limited shares.

    Almost every other founder wants to focus on the company’s long-term goals and doesn’t want to allow investors to control the decision-making of the company. That’s why well-known founders are implementing a dual-class structure in their respective companies.

    Although dual-class voting shares do have their own cons. The founders and investors should understand the benefits and consequences of dual-class voting shares.

    FAQs

    What is a dual-class share?

    In a dual-class stock structure, a company issues two classes of shares: Class A and Class B where one of the shares have more voting rights than the other one. For example, class A shares which are offered to the general public have one vote per share. While class B shares which are offered to the founders and insiders of the company can have 10 voting rights.

    What are the benefits of Dual-class shares?

    Since the founders have higher voting rights with a limited amount of stock they can have complete control over the decision-making of the company. They can focus on long-term goals. This protects the company investors who only aim to make profits.

    Is it unfair or unethical for corporations to create classes of stock with unequal voting rights?

    No, it is not unfair to issue stock with unequal voting right since the company before issuing its shares tells the general public and investors that they will be following the dual-class structure. Investors know all the terms and conditions and are under no obligation to buy the shares.

  • What caused Klarna’s valuation to drop from $45 billion to $15 billion

    Klarna, a European buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) service provider, is raising investments at a valuation of $15 billion. There was a dramatic decline in their mid-2021 $45 billion valuations and the estimated 2022 $30 billion figure. In recent quarters, not just Klarna, many fintech companies have fallen sharply.

    Klarna is the second-largest BNPL service provider. It allows interest-free finance to consumers. These services have gained popularity, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The latest investments in Klarna were led by SoftBank’s Vision Fund 2. They cement its status as one of the finest fintech startups by valuation. However, this market is deteriorating at a rapid rate and the best-known private fintech company is caught in the mix. Here’s why Klarna’s valuation dropped from $45 billion to $15 billion in 2022.

    What is Klarna?
    Klarna Valuation to Drop From $45 Billion to $15 Billion
    Why Is Klarna’s Valuation Declining?
    The Situation of Klarna in 2022
    Investments & Backers of Klarna in 2022

    What is Klarna?

    Klarna is a Sweden-based fintech company. It was established in 2005 in Stockholm. Niklas Adalberth, Sebastian Siemiatkowskiand Victor Jacobsson are the co-founders. Their sole purpose is to make online shopping effortless for consumers.

    Klarna, also known as Klarna Bank AB, offers numerous online financial services. These include direct payments, online storefronts or BNPL services. Since 2005, Klarna has been on a mission to make payment as simple, safe, and smooth as possible.

    After serving the world for over 17 years, Klarna is now the world’s leading global payments and shopping service. Today, it holds almost 147 million users with more than 400,000 merchants across 45 different countries.

    Klarna Valuation to Drop From $45 Billion to $15 Billion

    The Swedish fintech company is seeking to raise funds at almost three times less valuation. Last time the company closed the round at a valuation of $46 billion with SoftBank, becoming the world’s second valued startup. However, on Friday Wall Street Journal reported that the valuation shrank to $15 billion while raising $500 million from investors. The journal reported that last month Klarna had pitched a proposal of $30 billion to the investors, which now closed at $15 billion.

    Valuation History of Klarna
    Valuation History of Klarna

    Why Is Klarna’s Valuation Declining?

    Last month, the Journal reported that Klarna’s CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski made public the company’s situation. Citing market constraints, he announced that the company was laying off 10% of its international workforce.

    Through a pre-recorded video message, he said, “We are strongly influenced by the outside world. When we set our goals for 2022 in the autumn, it was a very different world than the one we have today. What we are seeing now in the world is not temporary or short-lived, and hence we need to act.”

    In the same week, Sifted reported that the company’s pre-tax losses have tripled to $250 million in the first three months. BNPL startups, such as Klarna, survive a low-interest-rate environment. Merchant fees and late payment charges bring enough revenue but the margins have been narrowing, as of now.

    The company’s CEO also spoke about how users are gravitating towards debit and rejecting interest-and-fee-laden credit. He said, “Consumers continue to reject interest-and fee-laden revolving credit and are moving toward debit while simultaneously seeking retail experiences that better meet their needs,”

    “More transparent and convenient alternatives align with evolving global consumer preferences and drive worldwide growth,” he added.

    The Situation of Klarna in 2022

    Starting in 2022, when Klarna submitted its first-quarter report, it was noted that 10% of the staff were terminated. However, speaking over the report, the company said that “still seeing strong growth across the business”, it was “time to consolidate and capitalize on strong foundations”.

    Now, looking at the huge financial loss, it seemed that this was the reason why the company decided to cut costs.

    As per the report, Klarna’s last fundraise was way lower than the previously raised value. They planned to raise a total of 1 billion dollars with a valuation of 30 billion dollars. However, the board conference didn’t go well and they had to adjust with a valuation of 15 billion dollars.

    Thereby in an attempt to cover the losses, Klarna’s CEO in early June declared that it would terminate its global employees. As a result, approximately 700 employees would lose their jobs.

    Investments & Backers of Klarna in 2022

    Swedish battery maker Northvolt raised $2.75 billion in a round valuing the company at $11.75 billion. According to Pitchbook, 2021 set a record for European tech startups raising $52B. As of June 22, European startups have already raised $45 billion.

    “The international money is coming into Europe,” Hans Otterling, general partner at Northzone and an early investor in Klarna, told CNBC. “For Silicon Valley, the talent pool has been depleting for some time. We have a huge talent pool in Europe.” Klarna’s other backers include the likes of Chinese fintech giant Ant Group and U.S. rappers Snoop Dogg and ASAP Rocky.

    Last month, Klarna was hit with a data breach. Consumers reported that they were being logged into others’ accounts. This caused the company to officially shut down their app.

    They addressed the issue later through a blog post. They stated the bug was caused by “human error” and that it had “informed appropriate authorities.” However, this affected more than 9500 Klarna consumers.

    Almost 73% of all e-commerce exchange transactions drove through Klarna. Due to the everlasting customer acquisition, the company claims to hold a valuation of a total of $45.6 billion in 2021. It is seconded by investors across the world. Some of them are Silver Lake, Dragoneer, Permira, Atomico, Sequoia Capital, Ant Group, Bestseller Group and Visa.

    FAQs

    What is the valuation of Klarna?

    The valuation of Klarna is $45.6 billion but is predicted to drop down to $15 billion.

    Who founded Klarna?

    Sebastian Siemiatkowski and Niklas Adalberth founded Klarna in 2005.

    What is the revenue of Klarna?

    The revenue of Klarna was $1.42 billion as of 2021.

  • The Ultimate Guide To Improve Coworking Spaces

    A coworking space is slightly different from a normal routine office or you could say that space for “Nomad Works”. Just walk into a coworking space and that vibe that boosts up your energy levels is magnificent, which enthralled occupants bring to space. It’s important to improve your coworking space and bring that deep focus to private desks.

    Since coworking space is shared workspaces that offer affordable office workspaces so it is essential to bring up the suite of the office like hot desks, coffee tables, and meeting rooms. At a time like this, co-working spaces bring mostly remote workers, startups, workshops, entrepreneurs, and freelancers to escape their isolation from home and stay at bay from hectic office hours.

    The observation showed that Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and the Internet of Things (IoT) have fueled coworking spaces that have redefined the concept of traditional working and inculcate forms of technology to bring in the disruption in the space.

    The culture of coworking has drawn many because of its cost-effectiveness. Instead of buying a private office, you can rent out what you need. This could be in the form of daily fees or monthly fees which varies on the membership and this proves to be a lot more flexible by managing a coworking space.

    Coworking Space Provides the Right Kind of Space Fulfilling In
    Tips to Improve Your Coworking Space
    Top 10 Coworking Spaces in India
    Coworking Continues to Grow

    Coworking Space Provides the Right Kind of Space Fulfilling In

    1. Core Needs

    This follows up the automation system control and security system of the building. Emphasis on installation and setup of these systems is not a lot to make but due to its custom programming, it could be error-prone which has left many buildings undeserved. Control access to offices, meeting rooms, elevators, and data centers comes under the flexibility of coworking spaces.

    2. Space Needs

    The twining of high-quality space in urban centers and the flexibility of office spaces have given the rise to coworking spaces. It’s seen that office has started renting the coworking spaces for their employees too, who want a change in working spaces.

    3. Productivity Needs

    Employees with a lot of engagement are productive which leads to financial gains. The workplace plays a role in employee engagement with flexible work location and completing common tasks like engaging more colleagues and navigating work.

    How to improve Coworking space profitably?

    For a neat and quite-a good improvisation, you have to lay down some objectives, for instance, what you want to improve on so that they get aligned with your business strategy. Here are some benefits of coworking space:

    • Productivity & Creativity
    • Interaction of a like-minded community
    • Flexibility of Services
    • Comfort, well-being, and biophilia of your space
    • Hospitality in coworking
    • Brand
    • Costs-effectiveness

    Tips to Improve Your Coworking Space

    1. Create A Space Layout

    This is the most crucial head start if you are looking for a business strategy by improving the space layout by creating different zones of Private rooms, Team rooms, Meeting rooms, large tables, Open-space, cafeteria, and, of course, rest-rooms.  

    These different rooms work as a change of working spot to come up with some good ideas or a table of hot debatable topics.  A place like coworking or maybe a small coworking space could make workers fall in love with their work. Always choose a flexible and collaborative space that every co-worker is looking for, and always avoid coercion.

    2. Choosing Desks and Chairs Wisely

    coworking creche
    Coworking Space Tips

    A quite an obvious step to match the comfort level of members working on it. It is seen that many places were caught doing it wrong. Proper measurements of desks and chairs should be taken to comply with members so that they feel good. Standing desks, comfy chairs, furniture, and sometimes adjustable desks and chairs tend to prove a great option in a coworking space.

    3. Managing Distractions

    Creating an office environment when it really isn’t an office turns out to be very difficult, although it’s cool. Remember that coworking space is an open working but it’s a disadvantage of it because of noise and numerous distractions.

    Paying attention to acoustics and visual contact, and working on it can limit this limitation of coworking. Improving it via floors, ceilings, wooden furniture, and soundproof doors has helped a lot to limit it in recent times.

    Tips to follow while continuing the work after pandemic
    Tips to follow while continuing the work after pandemic

    4. Biophilia

    coworking space in India
    Biophilia in Coworking Offices

    Facts have shown that Biophilia tends to make us happier and focus more. Get flowers and indoor plants and get a lot of them but not that much so that it starts to become a distraction to everyone. This will add a lot of value and fresh air to the place which could be appreciated.

    Decoration of your space could create a lot of impact on beautifying the space. Setting up a place and that too of a choice of others is a difficult task but it can turn out a lot profitable in the upcoming time. Therefore, the decoration is a way to enhance the spot to attract business enthusiasts.

    5. Whiteboards or Enable Wall Writing

    Sometimes co-working space may lack the number of meeting rooms, so it turns out to be difficult or you can’t separate brainstorming booths. To simulate the productivity of the day, a whiteboard could help create a lot of guidelines, thought structures, or the motivation for the day that you can work upon.

    Using a special type of paint on the wall which enables writing on the wall and rewriting can also turn out to be a very good option. This really could give life to your place with a nice coworking environment.

    coworking space in India
    Coworking Space in India

    6. Collaboration

    This includes engaging with your coworking members and tenants of the place which by the way includes a cross-communication flow between the members.

    This not only creates a social environment but can turn into a micro-event with the members of the community very effectively Gather feedback from every team and try to work on the upcoming improvisations with time. After all, you want the place to please your members and make them feel good.

    7. Healthy Snacks

    Ease Cafe & Coworking Space
    Ease Cafe & Coworking Space

    Snacking during break hours can boost you up. So, providing them with tasty, healthy but less- junk is always a good option. Fruits, nuts, salads, raisins, smoothies, tea, coffee, and sugar-free cookies are always best for them and have proved to catalyze their working process, creativity, interaction, and communication with each other. Because you never know what could turn out as a golden idea on a coffee table.

    8. Differentiate Your Coworking Space- Coworkcrèche

    Coworking creche
    Coworking Creche

    Ever heard of Coworkcrèche? It has further added that coworking space is not only an office working place but as the name suggests, it could prove to be a place for day-care for a child. It has allowed parents to drop off their child at a nice working place that is reserved and rather safe. This is one of the specializations to differentiate a coworking space.

    India has witnessed a huge rise in the number of coworking spaces across all of the metropolitan cities like Delhi, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Bombay, and many more. Here are some coworking space providers in India.

    List of Best Coworking Spaces in India [2019 Exhaustive list]
    Coworking space is an office or a building where individuals or a group ofindividuals can come to work on their personal or professional projects.Individuals pay to the company which is providing the space. Almost all such coworking space companies provide additional facilities which attract the …
    StartupTalkyShubham Kumar

    Top 10 Coworking Spaces in India

    1. We Work
    2. Bangalore Coworking hub
    3. Bombay Connect
    4. Regus
    5. Innov8
    6. Investopad
    7. Awfis
    8. Cowrks
    9. Social Offline
    10. 91 Spring Board
    The above graph shows the estimated number of coworking spaces worldwide
    The above graph shows the estimated number of coworking spaces worldwide 

    Coworking Continues to Grow

    With the growth in the freelancing economy, the coworking culture adapts the young member of society who finds themselves in freelance work most o the time. These spaces have turned out to be more effective for small organizations with a few to several employees.

    Many Larger organizations have accepted the deal to make a small unit of their office into a coworking space for interns and numerous workshops that could be held at ease. The design and culture of a coworking space serve for a corporate to come with fresh plans and growth.

    Let’s not forget that whatever the sector is there have to be ways to battle the pandemic in a coworking place. There has to be the adoption of some non-negotiable practices like thermal temperature screening, maintaining air quality of the space, practicing social distancing, availability of COVID-19 hygiene products like masks and sanitizers, and most importantly awareness communication.

    Only this can’t be our sole fight but to improve your coworking space in every possible way and also to give away the values and image conveyed by the coworking space.

    Wonders! Since we have started to hear about these spaces in previous years, we expect to see more of these coworking places popping up near us which are providing the members with quality services.

    Fall in Love with these 21 Coworking Spaces in Bangalore
    Bangalore has gradually evolved from being the Garden city to the Silicon Valleyof India. Being the center of the country’s high-tech industry, it is on theverge of development. Coworking Spaces are something that evolved with the needof the hour. It is an arrangement of sharing office spaces mor…
    StartupTalkyJeenal Jain

    Conclusion

    Coworking is not something new to be given a better introduction. Coworking has found a way to reach more population due to the involvement of freelancing. The tips on improving the coworking environment with the list of best coworking spaces available in India and some of the related data has shared in the above context.

    FAQs

    What is meant by a Coworking space?

    Coworking space is a business for some people and a home to many startups. It is a place where people can get some space to work on their projects. When you don’t have a good environment at home to work or a safe place to discuss your startup idea, they will be helpful.

    What is the biggest challenge faced by coworking places?

    The most important issue found with coworking spaces is privacy. Coworking spaces allow less privacy to the working people when compared with the home.

    What are the benefits of a Coworking space?

    Benefits of a Coworking space:

    • Productivity & Creativity
    • Interaction of a like-minded community
    • The flexibility of Services
    • Comfort, well-being, and biophilia of your space
    • Hospitality in coworking
    • Brand
    • Costs-effectiveness

    How can one improve coworking space?

    Coworking Space Tips for the one to use are:

    • Create A Space Layout
    • Choosing Desks and Chairs Wisely
    • Managing Distractions
    • Biophilia
    • Whiteboards or Enable Wall Writing
    • Collaboration
    • Healthy Snacks

    Who uses Coworking spaces?

    Coworking spaces are used by people belonging to different fields. People like freelancers, entrepreneurs, etc. are all known to use coworking spaces.

  • Top 11 Youtube Channels to Learn Graphic Design for Free

    What is a good way to learn Graphic design without spending money? You’ve probably wondered about this question.

    Do you have time to watch YouTube for learning Graphic design? Do you have time to read articles on the internet? If your answer is yes, then you should definitely consider watching YouTube channels to learn graphic design for free.

    YouTube is a valuable resource for learning graphic design, whether you’re a student or a business owner and want to save on educational costs. I’ve put together a list of 11 awesome YouTube channels that cover every aspect of graphic design from branding, logo design, and typography to web design, 3D printing, 2D animation, and video editing.

    Best YouTube Channels to Learn Graphic Designing

    Global Graphic Designers Market Size from 2017 to 2022
    Global Graphic Designers Market Size from 2017 to 2022

    Best YouTube Channels to Learn Graphic Designing

    The following are the top eleven YouTube channels that will help you understand and learn different aspects of graphic design for free:

    The Futur Academy

    Subscribers- 356K
    Creator- Chris Do

    This channel by Chris Do is a must-watch if you’re interested in learning typography, geometric shapes, and creative design. His colour palettes and patterns are always intriguing.

    The Futur Academy is the sister channel of The Futur which mainly focuses on 5 important topics like Mindset, Marketing, Sales & Negotiations, Pricing & Motivation. The Futur Academy channel is more focused on the concepts of design and creative professionals.

    Satori Graphics

    Subscribers- 942K
    Creator- Tom Cargill

    Satori Graphics has been around since 2009 and delivers great quality tutorials and free PSDs. He’s put together several courses, everything from creating a simple website design to becoming a digital artist. If you’re serious about learning how to use Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator then this is the right channel for you.

    You can improve your graphic design skills by making the most of your valuable content here. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced graphic designer, you’re sure to find something useful here.

    There are excellent tutorials on graphic design theory, poster design, logo design, brand identity, and more. If you want to excel as a designer, subscribe to this channel for illustrator and Adobe tutorials, as well as graphic design content that you may need.

    Dansky

    Subscribers- 762K
    Creator- Dansky

    Dansky is a designer who shares his experience and enjoys helping ambitious creatives develop their skills.

    Apart from learning the mechanics of Photoshop or Illustrator, you’ll also have to keep learning new things straight from the industry’s best. While many YouTube channels will teach you about the software, it’s important that you are also exposed to design as a whole. Dansky’s Youtube channel will surely help you to get more exposure in the field of graphic design.

    Will Paterson

    Subscribers- 632K
    Creator- Will Paterson

    Will Paterson is a professional game designer, writer, and developer who makes great tutorials regarding graphic design.

    Will Paterson’s YouTube channel offers videos dedicated to logo design, and graphic design careers, giving you an in-depth and personal perspective of working within the field of graphic design and brand identity. This channel will help you gain insights from his perspective on working as a freelance graphic designer.

    Top 5 Graphic Design Courses Online
    Some of the best graphic design courses include Graphic Design Masterclass by Udemy, Fundamentals of Graphic Design by Coursera, and more.
    StartupTalkyAditi Jain

    Yes I’m a Designer

    Subscribers- 541K
    Creator- Martin Perhiniak

    Martin Perhiniak is a Certified Adobe Design Master and Instructor. He was named as one of the top 10 Adobe teachers in the world in 2015 on the basis of his students’ feedback.

    Martin does not only gives the necessary technical knowledge, but also teaches design principles, composition techniques, and many more that he learned and developed while working as a designer and retoucher on projects such as Pixar’s car, Toy Story, and BBC’s Dr Who, or Mattel’s Team Hot Wheels.

    Gareth David Studio

    Subscribers- 580K
    Creator- Gareth David

    With the help of Gareth David Studio, you can learn graphic design and bring your imagination to life in Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and After Effects with his design series & creative software courses.

    Gareth specialises in logo and brand identity design. His YouTube channel is a great resource for beginners to learn the concepts of graphic design.

    Spoon Graphics

    Subscribers- 500K
    Creator- Chris Spooner

    Spoon Graphics’ creator, Chris Spooner offers many informative video tutorials to improve your Adobe Creative Suite skills. He also has a website that is full of graphic design resources and how-to guides to assist you in your day-to-day design tasks.

    So, along with this YouTube channel, you can also check out their website for loads of graphic design tutorials, free design resources, and art & design inspiration.

    TipTut

    Subscribers- 251K
    Creator- Matthew Fryer

    Another popular name on the list is TipTut. With over 500 free video tutorials and articles, it is the go-to resource for any graphic artist looking to improve their knowledge and skillset.

    TipTut is a channel that provides creative design tips and tutorials. Here at TipTut, they are trying to teach you not only the “method” but also the “reason”. It covers a wide range of themes from print design to animation. The one-man show Tip Tut was created by Matthew Fryer in 2016.

    Sketch Together

    Subscribers- 106K
    Creator- Pablo Stanley

    Sketch Together is an entertaining and informative YouTube channel for newbie graphic designers. Its creator, Pablo Stanley, is a professional UI/UX designer from Buffalo, NY, and he produces short videos every day that is easy to follow and understand.

    With information-packed tutorials and funny observations about the design world, this channel has been able to build up a huge following of over 106K fans since it started off in July 2014.

    It is a great channel dedicated to everything related to UX and UI design and illustrations.

    Become A Graphic Designer | Graphic Designing
    Graphic designing is a creative career. Read this article to know the overview of graphic designing and removing the doubts and misconceptions.
    StartupTalkyDevashish Shrivastava

    Free School Graphic Design Tutorial

    Subscribers- 72.2K
    Creator- Hafiz Tri Handoko

    Free School Graphic Design Tutorial is another great channel for learning concepts of graphic design such as logo design, business card design, letterhead design, web design, and more.

    All Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop tutorials are free to learn. You can get the tutorials for web design, icon design, and other tutorials on adobe illustrator here. Here, you can learn the tips and tricks of Adobe Illustrator for free.

    Flux Academy

    Subscribers- 430K
    Creator- Ran Segall

    Flux academy is one of the best YouTube channels to learn the art & business of web design. With the help of flux you can create a successful and fulfilling career as a freelance designer. They will teach you the in-demand skills that you need to get there.

    The channel is dedicated to helping web designers around the world make a living from their creativity and passion. Learn basic skills from world-class instructors wherever you live.

    Conclusion

    As you can see, there are plenty of YouTube channels to learn from. I highly recommend finding a few that you enjoy and sticking with them. Whether or not you subscribe or watch only the free content is up to you, but I think it’s a great way to improve your skills. Once you start following the above-mentioned YouTube channels, you will soon find your new favourite designer to learn from. So get out there, check them out and start learning today!

    FAQs

    What is the best YouTube channel to learn graphic design?

    The best YouTube channels to learn graphic design are:

    • The Futur
    • Spoon Graphics
    • Yes, I’m a Designer
    • Will Paterson
    • Satori Graphics
    • Gareth David Studio

    What are the skills required for a graphic designer?

    Skills required by a graphic designer are:

    • Creativity
    • Typography
    • Understanding of colour schemes
    • Understanding of design elements
    • Adobe’s Creative Apps knowledge
    • Branding
    • Delivering Presentations

    Do graphic designers work on websites?

    No, graphic designers do not work on websites completely as graphic design is just one of the many skills that are required to make a website.

  • Ezyhaul: Revolutionising the Way Businesses Deal With Logistics

    Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations. The content in this post has been approved by Ezyhaul.

    The Logistics service has been here since the beginning of civilization, and as we are getting evolved, and things are getting better. Technology has turned the world into a Sci-fi movie. With the digital revolution that our country is experiencing, the logistic sector has also changed completely. To aid this process with digital excellence, Mudasar Mohamed, Raymond Gillon, and Nicky Lum founded Ezyhaul in 2016.

    Ezyhaul is a one of the most popular and leading digital road freight platform in Southeast Asia, is the online platform using which clients can make bookings for B2B domestic short and haul, and cross-border shipments.

    Ezyhaul – Company Highlights

    Startup Name Ezyhaul
    Headquarters Bangalore
    Industry Logistics
    Founders Mudasar Mohamed, Raymond Gillon, and Nicky Lum
    Founded 2016
    Total Funding $21.84 Million
    Website ezyhaul.com

    Ezyhaul – About and How It Works?
    Ezyhaul – Industry Details
    Ezyhaul – Founders and Team
    Ezyhaul – How was Ezyhaul Started?
    Ezyhaul – Name, Tagline and Logo
    Ezyhaul – Startup Launch
    Ezyhaul – Business Model and Revenue Model
    Ezyhaul – Startup Challenges
    Ezyhaul – Competitors
    Ezyhaul – Funding and Investors
    Ezyhaul – Growth
    Ezyhaul – Awards and Recognition
    Ezyhaul – Future Plans

    Ezyhaul – About and How It Works?

    Ezyhaul is a digital tech company whose main focus is to transform the road freight industry, it is basically a digital road freight platform serving the people in South Asia.

    Ezyhaul is essentially a modern-day digital broker that let your clients book domestic and cross-border transportation services online. The company has taken on itself to solve the problems of logistics and that is scale, professionalism, and analytics.

    Ezyhaul is a platform that focuses on connecting shippers with carriers who have enough space on their trucks. The platform enables you to use a real-time tracker to track shipments. It has launched control towers so that the truck movement can be monitored and the arrival of your shipments can be predicted.

    The main goal of this innovative platform named Ezyhaul is to transform transportation logistics by creating an ecosystem that surrounded shippers, truckers, government agencies, and third-party service providers. The aim of the company is to use technology in the transport business that is otherwise has been paper-based.  

    Ezyhaul – Industry Details

    Ezyhaul works across sectors and some of their clients on demand-side include Reliance, Exide, Pidilite, Shell, Amazon, etc. On the Supply-side, the company works typically with small and medium side transportation companies. Since they operate in India and South East Asia, the app equally concentrates on both the market.

    Ezyhaul Website
    Ezyhaul Website

    Southeast Asian transport market size is $36 billion and the Indian transport market size is $160 billion. In the next five years, the team is expecting an increase in digitization in the transport space with faster adoption of new-age technologies and they believe that Ezyhaul will be a resource for this change.

    Ezyhaul – Founders and Team

    Mudasar Mohamed, Raymond Gillon, and Nicky Lum are the founders of Ezyhaul.

    Mudasar Mohamed, Raymond Gillon, and Nicky Lum
    Ezyhaul founders

    Ezyhaul cofounders were colleagues at UTI worldwide. Raymond Gillon is dutch, Nicky Lum is Malaysian and Mudasar Mohamed is an Indian. The three co-founders spoke, discussed, planned about launching a startup on digital broker model and transport space. Just a month later, Ezyhaul was incorporated.

    • Raymond Gillon, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer – He was a Managing Director (Vietnam and Cambodia) in UTI Worldwide Inc. He is an Engineer and MBA from INSEAD.
    • Mudasar Mohamed, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer – He was Managing Director (Singapore and Malaysia) in UTI Worldwide Inc. He is an Engineer and MBA from the University of Southern California – Marshall School of Business.
    • Nicky Lum, Co-Founder and Director – He had Sales Roles in companies like UTI Worldwide Inc and Kuehne Nagel.

    Given that the company operates in multiple countries, the founders have split their time in different markets. For example, Mudasar takes care of India while Raymond, Nicky along with a couple of more professionals take care of South East Asia. Other executive team members of Ezyhaul are: Mark Debattista – Vice President of Sales, and Eric Soo – Head of Technology.

    Ezyhaul has over 242 employees and the co-founders firmly believe in creating a joyful, respectful, and humane environment for all members of the company.

    Ezyhaul – How was Ezyhaul Started?

    The three co-founders earlier used to work at a Multinational Corporation logistics corporate in Singapore. They all had leadership goals and roles in the Logistics Company. Observing the supply-and-demand problem for large businesses, together they decided to start up a company to solve the problem.

    When two of the co-founders were working in the United States, they realized that in the transport industry, the concept of brokers is very common. At the same time, digital platforms like Uber were revolutionizing in the action of demand-and-supply in the transport space. Understanding it all, the co-founders saw an opportunity to re-engineer the historical broker model and use modern technologies to connect the supply chain.

    To revalidate the model, the founders spoke to several leaders from the logistics industry to receive feedback. The response which they received from the leaders of supply and chain was very encouraging, almost all of them told the co-founders to go for it. Five of them became their early investors and Ezyhaul raised $800,000 from angel investors which helped them in expanding the business operations in Malaysia for a year and a half.

    The idea behind Ezyhaul’s name is that if you break it into two words: Ezy means making things Easy and Haul is the short form of Haulage which means the commercial transport of goods. So ideally it perfectly justified the company’s mission to create a very easy platform for trucking industries; hence the name Ezyhaul.

    Ezyhaul Logo
    Ezyhaul Logo

    The company’s tagline is “Transportation made Ezy“. It describes the motto of the company.

    Ezyhaul – Startup Launch

    Ezyhaul began as a bootstrapped company.

    “It’s very tough for somebody to give you money for an idea. So you need to have that conviction to use your own money to at least get the idea off the ground. If you’re a first time entrepreneur, you need to show them (Investors) something convincing. So I think bootstrapping with your own money is quite important. It also signals to the investor that you’re serious about your business since you’ve put in your own money and that you are prepared to put in the grind.” –Mudasar Mohamed, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer

    All three founders did not draw any salary in the first year of starting up. To launch in a smaller market to assess its product, Ezyhaul began operations in Malaysia first. They soon began getting offers and had a list of 10 good clients within months.

    Backed by the success, Ezyhaul raised a seed fund of $800,000 from Angel investors. From then on, there was no stopping them. After strategic investors pumped in another $25 million, they began expansion into Thailand, followed by India.

    Ezyhaul – Business Model and Revenue Model

    The clients make online bookings for domestic and cross-border transportation services. The platform includes integrated dynamic route optimization technology that builds the most efficient delivery routes, optimizes vehicle utilization, and minimizes total transportation costs. The profit margin differs from plain regions to high dimensions and it generally lands between 5-20%.

    Given that Ezyhaul is into the B2B industry, most of the sales happen through direct sales channels while a small percentage happens through digital marketing that uses B2B marketing strategies. They have a team of experts who handles clients, tie-ups, and marketing.

    The startup believes and has been focusing on digitization, so the team has used a combination of both digital marketing and direct sales method to reach out to customers. The factors which worked for them are referrals by existing customers which in turn was an outcome of delighting them with exceptional customer service.

    Ezyhaul – Startup Challenges

    The biggest challenge in the logistics industry is enabling the drivers to use the application and increasing the adoption of smartphones amongst the driver community. Smartphone adoption is a challenge in South East Asia and India. Ezyhaul mitigated that challenge and partnered with multiple telecoms that help in getting drivers discounts on handsets and data.

    Ezyhaul – Competitors

    Ezyhaul’s proprietary technology has been a core differentiator especially route optimization. They have been able to reduce the client’s transport spend nearly by 15% through the Ezyhaul platform. The algorithms that Ezyhaul has created takes care of the company’s pricing aspect as well as route and lane.

    The top 10 competitors in Ezyhaul’s competitive set are GoGoVan, Lalamove, Ninja Van, Deliveree, Dada, Logivan, Xdel Singapore, Cargobase, GoJavas and Whitebox.

    Ezyhaul – Funding and Investors

    Ezyhaul has raised a total of $21.84 million in funding to date.

    For any startup it is a massive vote of confidence when an existing investor does a follow up round and more so when the investment triple their outlay. The first round of funding was $800,000 from angel investors and this helped the company in expanding the business in Malaysia for a year and a half. The company has raised $5 million in Series A round in 2018 and raised $16 million in Series B from the same strategic investor in 2019

    Ezyhaul’s Funding Details

    Date Stage Amount Investor
    2016 Seed Round $840K Undisclosed
    2018 Series A $5 million Undisclosed
    2019 Series B $16 million Undisclosed

    Ezyhaul – Growth

    Ezyhaul has grown more than 900% and has struck partnerships from leading companies that allowed the propagation of the clients. They have been able to draw out references from a lot of their existing clients.

    With more than 30,000 trucks serving the market of Southeast Asia, the team now has set its sights on India, which is a huge market, and where despite the many innovations, the transportation industry remains fragmented but Ezyhaul, which is operational in Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand believes there’s room for more.

    Ezyhaul – Awards and Recognition

    Ezyhaul’s biggest achievement is being the first transport startup in the transport industry, which is multinational and is progressing and expanding year after year. Recently Ezyhaul backed the Accenture-Freight & Logistics ASEAN Innovator Award!

    Ezyhaul – Future Plans

    Ezyhaul is one of the few startups that serve in multiple countries. Most startups prefer to operate in a single set-up. However, Ezyhaul operates in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and India.

    In the next two years, Ezyhaul will be penetrating in further industry markets. In the next five years, the team is expecting an increase in digitization in the transport space with faster adoption of new-age technologies and they believe that Ezyhaul will be a resource for this change.

    FAQs

    Who is Ezyhaul founder?

    Mudasar Mohamed, Raymond Gillon, and Nicky Lum are the founders of Ezyhaul.

    What is Ezyhaul?

    Ezyhaul is a leading digital road freight platform in South Asia. Using its online platform, clients can make bookings with Ezyhaul for B2B domestic short-haul, long-haul, and cross-border shipments.

    How much funding has Ezyhaul raised?

    Ezyhaul has raised a total of $21.84 million in funding to date.

    Who are the competitors of Ezyhaul?

    Ezyhaul’s competitors – GoGoVan, Lalamove, Ninja Van, Deliveree, Dada, Logivan, Xdel Singapore, Cargobase, GoJavas and Whitebox.

  • Berrylush – Enhancing the Era of Fashion for Women With Its Dresses

    Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations. The content in this post has been approved by Berrylush.

    We all do love to stay in fashion, right? In the era of the 21st century, the styling trends of the fashion sector are currently dominating the globe more than ever! In this present era, companies are not only controlling the procedure of the people’s dressing sense but also the trends in makeup, fashion, and many more. During the 60s flares weren’t everything but also the particular styling stuff defined an entire generation which is prominent to date. Fashion is very bold and this boldness is reflecting the ongoing generation who are not at all frightened of speaking on their face. It is simply not just a means of clothing but also showcases your personality.

    Berrylush is a company brought into existence, especially for the younger women generations who are concerned more and genuinely about looking good and having fun. Read the Berrylush success story below!

    Berrylush – Company Highlights

    Startup Name Berrylush
    Headquarters Noida, UP, India
    Industry E-Commerce, Fashion, and Textiles
    Founders Alok Paul and Anusha Chandrashekar
    Founded 1st September 2018
    Website berrylush.com

    Berrylush – About
    Berrylush – Industry
    Berrylush – Founders and Team
    Berrylush – Startup Story
    Berrylush – Mission and Vision
    Berrylush – Tagline and Logo
    Berrylush – Business Model
    Berrylush – Revenue Model
    Berrylush – Online and Social Media Presence

    Berrylush – About

    Berrylush is a very inspiring clothing company for women of younger ages looking forward to looking decent and confident. It is quite an affordable clothing company that mainly provides its consumers with the best online shopping experience on the Internet. Their concept is to make females glow with their exotic designed dresses.

    Berrylush – Industry

    The Indian textile marketplace is anticipated to be growing and its worth is gonna rise to $209 billion by 2029! Cotton production is also anticipated to reach 37.10 million bales. The marketplace is additionally anticipated to regain and then grow by 10% to reach $190 billion by 2025-26.

    Berrylush – Founders and Team

    Alok Paul and Anusha Chandrashekar - Berrylush Co-founders
    Alok Paul and Anusha Chandrashekar – Berrylush Co-founders

    Alok Paul and Anusha Chandrashekar are the founders of the company Berrylush.

    Alok Paul

    Alok Paul is presently the co-founder of two different companies namely Berrylush and Prime Seller Hub. Initially, he was an engineer and he worked at companies like Accenture.

    Anusha Chandrashekar

    Anusha Chandrashekar is the co-founder and the CEO of the company Berrylush! She also began her career as an engineer and she worked in companies like Tata Consultancy Services and Deloitte.

    Berrylush – Startup Story

    Alok Paul and Anusha Chandrashekar began the company Berrylush with just four machines and a very little squad. Anusha was an IIM Raipur graduate who always used to be relatively intense about the fashion sector and did dream of running a women’s western wear brand all on her own. And her batchmate, Alok, was enthusiastic about creating eCommerce businesses!

    Both got married to each other and also gave importance to each other’s attention. Soon after the couple inaugurated an online women’s western wear brand Berrylush in Noida, India.

    Berrylush – Mission and Vision

    The mission and the vision of the company Berrylush is to make females feel completely different whenever wearing Berrylush dresses.

    Berrylush Logo
    Berrylush Logo

    The tagline of the company Berrylush is, ‘You are already beautiful. Our mission is to make you feel that way.’

    Berrylush – Business Model

    Berrylush business model is an asset-light model! The brand has got just two destinations situated in Noida which is an office and a manufacturing department which has got around 120 machines within. There are 14 regional fabricators who manufacture solely for the brand Berrylush.

    The clothes are sold directly to the consumers with the help of Myntra which holds around (55 percent of the sales), the official website which holds around (20 percent of the sales), Ajio also holds around (10 percent of the sales), and additionally, others hold (15 percent of the sales).

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    Berrylush – Revenue Model

    Berrylush is an e-commerce brand and hence the term e-commerce makes the concept quite easier for all to understand how the company is earning money. The statistics mentioned above showcases a part and is a simple B2B (Business 2 Business) retail company.

    Berrylush – Online and Social Media Presence

    Berrylush is a very famous name and most of the girls reading this article know quite well about the brand. It is relatively a renowned brand if you are looking forward to online shopping, especially from the platforms of Nykaa Fashion, Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Ajio and so on.

    Other than the shopping spaces, Berrylush is actively present on the social media pages of Instagram, Facebook, and also has got its name on various web portals.

    FAQs

    When was Berrylush founded?

    Berrylush was founded in 2018.

    Who is the founder of Berrylush?

    Berrylush was founded by Alok Paul and Anusha Chandrashekar.

    What are the platforms to buy Berrylush dresses?

    Berrylush dresses are sold on different platforms:

    • Berrylush
    • Myntra
    • Nykaa
    • Amazon
    • Ajio
    • Flipkart
    • Poshmark