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  • What Should You Know Before Developing Backend for Your E-commerce Website?

    Before establishing any e-commerce website, or any web application, we should establish a fully functioning system before kicking off. If we do not do our homework in setting up this system, we would face a lot more difficulties as time progresses.

    They are two main components that come to play when it comes to setting up this system- Frontend development and backend development .

    Examples of frontend-based technologies are HTML (HyperText Markup Language), CSS(Cascading Style Sheets), Angular.js, React.js.

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    What Is Backend Development?
    What are the Key Components of Backend Development?
    Things To Consider Before Backend Development For Your E-Commerce Website

    What Is Backend Development?

    They are two main components that come to play when it comes to setting up this system- Frontend development and backend development. Frontend development involves those aspects of programming that the user/client can see and interact with. A frontend developer is to build on the User Interface and User Experience and thus bring those designs to life and thus provide a structure needed for feasible working.

    Backend development involves the other aspects of programming which are faced by the server/programmer and are responsible for the smooth functioning of the platform from behind the scenes.

    Actions taken by the user/clients are analysed, fetched, and then data is manipulated depending on what is the function of the platform by the backend developer. A backend developer should be well versed in knowing various databases and frameworks which we would discuss in detail.

    What is backend Development?

    What are the Key Components of a Backend Development?

    The key components of a Backend ecosystem are as follows:

    Database Management

    Database management for E-commerce website
    Database management for E-commerce website

    A database helps us maintain and process the humongous amount of data, created by the users, that is present in the web application. The backend developer is the one who is responsible for storing, retrieving, updating, and managing the complete dataset.

    While the frontend developers do have the option of manipulating data from the Application Programming Interface (API), it is a cumbersome process, and asking the backend developer to manipulate, like say adding new data, through the databases he has is widely seen as a time-saving process.

    Examples of databases are SQL, MongoDB, DynamoDB by Amazon, Firebase by Google, etc.

    Backend Framework

    A backend framework is a foundation where the user has all the foundational tools needed for developing the backend applications in one place together. Thus, they automate all of the necessary prerequisites correlated with backend software development activities.

    The advantages are that it reduces the time taken for the whole process and can make it more scalable across various other platforms. Some popular backend frameworks are express.js, Django, Ruby on Rails, etc. And all of these backend frameworks need an environment conducive to work. There comes the role of various programming languages like Python which supports Django or runtime environments, which allows the user to run the language outside the browser.

    For example- Node.js, which provides a runtime environment in which JavaScript can run, is the platform on which Express.js runs. These runtime environments, as seen in Node.js, also act as their web servers which turn out to be very convenient. Web servers are a type of software that takes requests from users, scans, and then provides an end product in the form of the requested documents to the user.

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    Things To Consider Before Backend Development For Your E-Commerce Website

    Things To Consider Before Backend Development For Your E-Commerce Website
    Things To Consider Before Backend Development For Your E-Commerce Website

    Compatibility

    In some cases, the database is way more compatible with the backend framework which makes for smoother implementation and convenience. For example, MongoDB works way better with Express.js(and thus node.js) than SQL simply because there is no specific need for a well-structured schema for MongoDB as in MongoDB the data is represented as a collection of documents rather than tables with foreign keys.

    This is why “stacks” exist. Stacks are a set of software subsystems that comprises the various software that is compatible with each other. In web applications, it consists of various components depending on the circumstances. For example, it could include the three backend aspects in the databases, backend platform, and the programming language/run-time environment.

    It could also include the front-end (web application framework) or even the webserver. At times, if it works with only a specific operating system, then even that is included in the stack.

    One popularly known stack is the “MEAN” stack(MongoDB-Express.js-Angular.js-Node.js) where MongoDB, Express.js, and Node.js act as the backend components while Angular.js is the front-end component. Alternatively, we can substitute Angular.js for React.js and thus, the “MERN” stack.

    Another known type of stack is the “LAMP” stack(Linux-Apache-MySQL-PHP/Python). Here Linux is the specific operating system on which it works, Apache is the Web Server responsible for connecting web browsers to the correct website, MySQL is the database used and PHP/Python is the programming language on which this works. There is also the Python-Django stack which comprises the programming language in Python and the backend framework in Django.

    Thus buying into these tried and tested stacks which are compatible with each other makes for smoother implementation of the project. We must also ensure these stacks are compatible with the technology we use, for example, we can’t try to use the LAMP stack on a Mac or a Windows directly without separately installing Linux in it.

    Scalability

    By Scalability we mean whether the system increases or decreases in performance and cost in face of more application and process demands than what it is used to.

    Thus, when building an e-commerce website, we need to be sure of roughly how many users would come to our site at various junctions of time. For example, if the e-commerce site is targeting a low number, but niche customer then it makes sense to use MySQL as database, as it works well when there is a low write/read ratio. If the site is targeting a higher number of users then it is preferable to use MongoDB as our database as it is suited to handling larger and more complex data.

    It also makes sense to use JavaScript(.js) backend frameworks more than Python-based frameworks as it allows multithreading, which makes for better scalability. Multithreading is a model of program execution that allows for multiple sequences of programmed instructions to be created within a process, executing all of them independently but at the same time. JavaScript-based frameworks also have more inbuilt libraries which give us a lot more diverse options in hand.

    Efficiency

    While selecting what kind of technologies we need for our backend framework, we also need to consider how much time it takes for building the process. Like if the e-commerce website has any time constraints then they can quickly launch the product using LAMP, but if we can take a slow and steady approach then it makes sense to go for the MEAN framework as it allows for better performance.

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    Frugality

    We also need to consider the various costs involved in setting up the whole process in the first place. That could be the expenses paid to the developers, or could be the separate cost of setting up the web servers and so on. In the end, all of these depend on the complexity of the task-in-hand. Like, it may take relatively lesser costs for a low-level e-commerce website using JavaScript-based frameworks as all of them can be dealt with by a single or a group of JavaScript specialists. Whereas for say LAMP you need a separate specialist for Apache and then PHP which might bring more costs and more parameters to be considered, thus making it complex.

    Security

    We also need to consider how secure the back-end frameworks are and be wary of them before incorporating them into our e-commerce website. Like, due to different servers and client codebases, we might allow malicious data to enter while operating through a LAMP stack.

    Similarly, privacy issues might prop up if we disable JavaScript and this can be an obstacle in running the MEAN stack. We need to find the optimal solution which does not compromise our security.

    Conclusion

    Thus, here, we have discussed the various factors which should be considered for the backend development of any e-commerce website. A basic rule of thumb is that for smaller applications it makes sense to go with a LAMP-based stack and for bigger ones, it makes more sense to go for MEAN-based stacks. There might be some innovative developments in the future but for the time being, it makes sense to go with these known frameworks so we can start the business soon.

    FAQs

    What is backend development?

    Backend development refers to the server-side of a software/application that communicates between the database and the browser.

    What are the Key Components of a Backend Development?

    Key components of Backend Development are:

    • Database Management
    • Backend Framework

    What are the features of an eCommerce website?

    E-Commerce Website Features are:

    • User-Friendly Design
    • Mobile-Friendly Features
    • Detailes Product Description
    • Several Payment Options
    • Customer Support Features
    • Sales and Discount
    • Users Review Option

    Which technology is used in backend development?

    Technology used for backend development are:

    • Javascript
    • Python
    • Ruby
    • PHP
    • C#
    • Perl
    • C++

    Which is the best example of an E-commerce website?

    Some examples of the best E-commerce websites are:

    • Amazon
    • Flipkart
    • Ebay
    • Walmart
    • Snapdeal

  • Hesa – A Startup that Aims to be the Amazon of Rural India

    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 Hesa.

    The number of internet users in rural India is on a steady rise. In a report published in June 2021 by the Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and consulting firm Kantar, it was revealed that in 2019-2020, while the internet users increased by 4% in urban India, in rural India, the growth is 13%. However, despite this increasing number of internet users, the majority of the rural population is still deprived of e-commerce and e-banking facilities. While the rural population is comfortable using the internet for entertainment, communication, and for accessing social media platforms,  many village dwellers are yet not comfortable with making online payments. Also, it is not easy for businesses like e-commerce companies and e-banking and financial service providers to deliver their products and services to rural areas due to the lack of infrastructure. Vamsi Udayagiri understood these issues and came up with a solution- HESA. Today HESA is helping thousands of villagers take advantage of not just e-commerce and e-banking facilities but much more. By offering a platform that lets the rural population buy and sell products via e-commerce, Hesa aims to become the Amazon of rural India. Here is the story of the Indian agri-tech startup, HESA.

    Hesa – Company Highlights

    Startup Name Hesa
    Headquarters Telengana, India
    Sector Rural Tech
    Founders Vamsi Udayagiri and Hema Nandiraju
    Founded 2012
    Website hesaglobal.com

    About Hesa
    Hesa – Founders
    Hesa – Startup Story
    Hesa – Mission and Vision
    Hesa – Tagline and Logo
    Hesa – Business Model & Revenue Model
    Hesa – Funding and Investors
    Hesa – Growth & Future Plans

    About Hesa

    HESA is a platform that is all set to revolutionize the lives of rural Indians. This platform serves as a bridge between the rural population of our country and various businesses, Corporates, SMEs, Banks, governments, and NGOs. HESA has a lot to offer. HESA helps e-commerce companies by managing the supply chain at the village level, helps the villagers in accessing e-banking facilities, helps the village farmers sell their agro products, and also helps brands with product promotions and surveys.

    HESA  has a network of on-ground workers known as Hesaathis, who act as the go-to persons who help the villagers access various products and services online. Any individual from the village who has an entrepreneurial mindset and who is tech-savvy enough to use the HESA app is eligible to join HESA as a Hesaathi.  

    Here is a detailed look at the services offered by HESA:

    Villagers can easily access any banking and financial service with the help of the HESA platform. One just needs to visit the Hesaathi ( an 0n-groud HESA worker), who logs into the HESA platform and helps the villagers avail of the required financial solutions. Cash withdrawals, deposits, loans, and insurance, all financial services can be availed online via the HESA app.

    Ecommerce solutions

    HESA serves as a bridge between e-commerce companies and rural customers. It manages the supply chain, promotes the products of its partner brands to the villagers, and conducts consumer surveys on behalf of its partner brands. HESA also offers assisted buying and selling services to rural consumers.

    Agro-Based Solutions

    HESA offers complete solutions to access and transact with the farming community. HESA helps farmers access various information and marketing facilities with the help of technology. Hesaathis help farmers sell their products on various online Agri marketplaces like BigHaat

    NGO & CSR

    HESA makes the rural population more accessible to NGOs and for CSR activities, which helps in the overall development of the rural population and rural economy.

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    Hesa – Founders and Team

    HESA was founded in 2012 by couple entrepreneurs Vamsi Udayagiri and Hema Nandiraju.

    Hesa founders, Vamsi Udayagiri and Hema Nandiraju
    Hesa founders, Vamsi Udayagiri and Hema Nandiraju

    Vamsi Udayagiri

    A mechanical engineer by qualification, Vamsi Udayagiri’s field of expertise includes Supply Chain Management, Sales and Customer Management, Livelihood and Skill Development, and Rural Marketing and Promotion. Vamsi worked with several companies like Ramco Systems, and Entercoms where he handled Sales, Customer Management, and Supply Chain Management. Prior to HESA, Vamsi also co-founded IT startup ‘Riddles n Clues’ in the year 2000, which was sold in 2006. Vamsi always had a love for rural India, which made him start ‘Rural Yellow Times’ in 2010. ‘Rural Yellow Times’ focussed on bridging the demand-supply gap in rural areas. ‘Rural Yellow Times’ was later rebranded as HESA. Vamsi is also the co-founder of ‘Hesa Events’, a full-service sales and marketing agency.

    Hema Nandiraju

    Hesa co-founder Hema Nadiraju has spent years in the rural areas of Telangana dedicating her time to various training and development-related activities.  

    Hesa – Startup Story

    Hesa founder Vamsi Udayagiri had an entrepreneurial mindset, which inspired him to leave his job, and search for his passion. Vamsi had a love for rural India, and he was sure he wanted to do something for the betterment of rural India.  In 2010, after leaving his job as the Regional Manager for Entercoms, Vamsi started exploring the Indian Villages. He visited 4000+ villages across India to understand the rural market and the gaps that existed in the market. After almost 2 years Vamsi was clear that managing the supply chain in the rural areas is what he wanted to do. This led to the starting up of Rural Yellow Times in April 2012. This startup focused on supply chain management in villages. Rural Yellow Times was rebranded as Hesa and new services were included on the platform.

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    Hesa – Mission and Vision

    Hesa’s Mission is ” to be the preferred last-mile rural commerce platform by connecting over 650K villages across India.”

    Hesa envisions to grow into rural India’s largest integrated marketplace and bring about ease of commerce in Indian Villages.

    Hesa’s tagline is, ‘Connecting Bharat Phygitally‘. True to its tagline, Hesa is connecting rural India to the more developed parts of the country both physically with the help of its on-ground workforce, the Hesaathis, and also via the Hesa platform.  

    Hesa Logo
    Hesa Logo

    Hesa – Business Model & Revenue Model

    The Hesa platform has a plethora of offerings. One can buy and sell products, pay bills, and avail of financial services. Hesa also conducts promotional activities and surveys for its partner brands. As it has multiple services to offer, Hesa has multiple sources of revenue. The platform mostly earns revenue from all the transactions that happen through the platform like buying, selling, bill payment, etc. Hesa also makes money from the on-ground activities like promotions, surveys, etc. that it does for its clients.

    Hesa – Funding and Investors

    Hesa raised total funding worth $4 Million in over 4 funding rounds. Below are Hesa Funding details

    Date Stage Amount Leading Investors
    December,2021 Seed $1.5 Million Venture Catalysts
    October,2021 Grant $450k NABARD
    July,2021 Seed – Thirteen Initiatives
    June,2021 Seed $2 Million Venture Catalysts

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    Hesa – Growth & Future Plans

    Hesa is doing a meaningful job, and hence is receiving a good response in the villages it is operating in. Currently, Hesa is offering its services in 11 districts in the 4 states of Andhra Pradesh, Telengana, Karnataka & Maharashtra. As per the website, more than 17 lakh rural consumers have availed of Hesa’s services/products to date, and over 30,000 Hesaathis are associated with the platfrom, of which a sizeable chunk is women.

    With 65+ B2B partnerships across industries and sectors, Hesa has a lot to offer to the rural population. Hesa’s partner brands include well-known ones like Himalaya, P&G, Mahindra, Reliance General Insurance, HDFC Life, and Wipro.

    As of December 2020, Hesa reported Rs 22 crore revenue (Rs 75 crore GMV).

    Hesa’s efforts toward the improvement of the lives of rural people are also being recognized. In March 2021, Hesa won the ‘Road to Elevate Competition’ held by IIT Madras’ Entrepreneurship Cell, among 200+ startups. In 2021 itself, Hesa was also judged to be among the Top 5 Startups among 1000+ national and international startups at the Innopreneurs Startup Contest.

    Just making revenue is not what Hesa aims at, and the startup has really given back to society. Amidst Covid 19 crisis, Hesa provided employment opportunities to many  who have lost their jobs, under its #savinglivelihood initiative

    From Delivering ration kits to ensuring that the villagers get the benefit of the Central and State Government announced Covid Insurance, Hesaathis have taken lots of responsibilities during the crisis. As revealed by the founders, Hesaathis have been selling over 4000 Covid insurance policies every month.

    Hesa also helped farmers in small villages in selling their products during the Lockdown. “Farmers in small villages have not been able to sell their produce due to lockdown restrictions. Hesa has helped in reselling produce such as onion, ginger, potatoes, paddy worth Rs 7-8 lakh,” says Vamsi,

    The startup also helped many rural customers with vaccine registration.

    Hesa aims to reach 50,000 villages by 2023, thereby impacting 50,000 + rural livelihoods. The company is looking forward to achieving over Rs 2000 Crore in GMV by 2022.  

    Hesa – FAQs

    What is Hesa Global?

    Hesa Global is a platform that connects the rural population with the Government, NGOs, and brands. Hesa has partnered with various brands, NGOs, and Government bodies, and the rural population can avail of the products and services of these partner organizations via the Hesa app. From accessing financial services to buying and selling products, Hesa empowers the less tech-savvy village population to take advantage of all online facilities. Besides Hesa also helps brands, Government bodies, and NGOs reach out to the rural population.

    What is Hesa App?

    The Hesa App helps businesses, NGOs, Government bodies, and financial institutions reach out to the rural population for buying, selling, promotion, or for social causes. Hesa’s ground work force called Hesaathis also uses the Hesa App for helping the less tech-savvy rural population for buying and selling goods online, and for accessing various products and services online.

    Who is the founder of Hesa?

    Couple entrepreneurs Vamsi Udayagiri and Hema Nandiraju, are the founders of Hesa.

  • 9 Office Rules That Are Hated by Everyone

    Rules are a part of our life, we are expected to follow them everywhere. From schools to our office, every organisation have a set of rules that one associated with them has to follow.

    Office rules are a set of written rules for employees to be professional and polite person. While office rules depend on the company, generally, some office rules are made to allow employees to correct their behaviour in the office. These office rules affect everyone.

    In this article, we will talk about the rules that one needs to follow in office but doesn’t like. So, let’s get started.

    Attendance Policy
    Restricting the Internet Policy
    Time Policy
    Bathroom Policy
    Counting With Miles Policy
    Overtime Policy
    Rigid Ranking Policy
    Banning Cell Phones Policy
    Dress Code Policy

    Attendance Policy

    Attendance is a significant part in any organization. It is basically the record of how many days you have been in the office at the proper time and how many days you were late for the office. It also determines the day that you have come to the office. All these records are saved in any kind of tool for attendance that particularly depends on the organization.

    The company expects the employees to do the first thing after coming to the office is putting their attendance in the log of the office. However, those who want to cheat with the attendance log can, and the organization should use other tools for keeping a record of attendance.

    Restricting the Internet Policy

    There is no doubt that the internet has become a very necessary part in our life and on in any organization, it is much more important. Giving employees access to the web, however, is not a very trustable thing.

    Instead of working at their office,  employees will tend to pass their time by doing other activities and neglecting their office work. To make sure that the employees are working and not doing other things, companies restrict the use of internet for the employees in the office. However, just because one person at the office spent time watching other stuff rather than writing important mails does not mean that the other employees should get punished for this. The company should allow the responsible employees to use the internet in break time, as long as work does not suffer. Besides, these rules are preventing employees from doing research and using the internet as a useful tool.

    Time Policy

    It is being asked by the employees, “ what were you doing all day?” and it’s a very humiliating question for most and no one wants to answer this especially when they have to work all day in the office. Though the toughest challenge faced by a company’s management is to keep records of work and time spent by the employees.

    As un-tracked work hours could be costing massive losses that business incurs daily across the world. However, keeping a record of every employee can be difficult for any organization. A company manager is always concerned about the lost time and that’s natural because that directly impacts the company’s growth. Although the employees working daily don’t like to be questioned in turn. Trust is essential for successful cooperation in the organization. A company manager should trust their employees.

    Bathroom Policy

    Some organizations have a policy of how many times a person can use the bathroom in the office. Managers should not add these kinds of policies to the office. When an employee has to go, an employee has to go. Unless that employee is not abusing bathroom rights and spending unnecessary time without completing their work.

    A Chicago-based firm, a call centre in Scotland, Amazon have this policy which is criticised by employees as well as people around them.

    While there is a clear public policy of allowing employees access to bathrooms, it does not support that employees may leave their tasks at any time without responsibly completing them. Seriously, limiting people’s trips to the bathroom is only going to give them serious health problems.

    Counting With Miles Policy

    Some companies have the policy that any employee going on a work trip from the company side, they have to give a record of how many miles they have travelled. This policy is a bit unnecessary if the employee is going on their own expenses. There’s no need for keeping a record of how many miles the employee travelled.

    Employees generally hate to do this because there should be trust between the company and the employee and the employee feels like the company does not trust them. Plus if the company should not send an employee if they feel thr employee is not that trustworthy.

    Overtime Policy

    Overtime is the period in which an employee has to work more than their working hours. Under the overtime rules and policies defining work hours, an employee should work 8-9 hours per day in India which equals a total of 48-50 hours a week. The company sometimes offers employees more work to do as overtime and also the company pays for it. Employees do not like to do overtime but they have to fulfil the company’s requirements.

    Rigid Ranking Policy

    We live in a world where benchmarks and rankings are set to judge the performance of a person. When rankings are used at the office for praising employees’ performance, many managers think that doing this can inspire them to become more competitive. This will help them in working hard to catch up more.

    Although in reality, the opposite happens, employees become demotivated. People who ranked highly will always think that they are already in the highest position, and are the best. While people who are ranked too low can become depressed about their work and might give up.

    Companies like IBM, Amazon, and Facebook use this policy to rank their employees.

    Giving feedback is another thing but comparing employees to other employees is not good for the company’s growth. Companies can compare the individual performance of an employee and that will help them in growing their confidence.

    Banning Cell Phones Policy

    The use of cell phones at the office can cause extended personal interaction during working hours. The banning of cell phones is used to protect company secrets. Cell phones cause various kinds of distractions in offices while people are working.

    Employees talking on their cell phones, sharing pictures and videos, and loud ringtones are annoying factors that result in banning cell phones at the office. So companies follow this policy. However. banning cell phones will always result in employees finding other ways to use them. Some may have legitimate reasons to use their cell phones which may affect the employee’s ability to work. Anyone who uses their cell phones just to avoid doing work will find another way of using a cell phone or wasting time.

    Companies like Concentrix, Genpact, American Express, Accenture and Fidelity have the No Cellphone Policy in their offices.

    Companies just need rules to protect their privacy. So they should allow cell phones during break time. So that in an emergency, employees would be able to use them.

    Dress Code Policy

    The debate over whether or not companies should have a dress code policy or not is going on for a long time. Some organizations believe it’s essential that their employees should have certain standards regarding the way they dress up at the office. This is mandatory when employees have to attend face-to-face interactions with the clients on a daily basis.

    While many employees don’t mind following the dress code, others feel that as adults, they are more than capable of deciding how to be at the office without having a formal dress code.

    Companies like Wipro, Wells Fargo, and JPMorgan Chase have a strict dress code. Wipro and JPMorgan Chase allow their employees to wear casual clothes on Friday.

    If the company is deciding to implement a formal dress code in the office, the company should try to get a balance between guidelines that give the employees the need for comfort and style and also a policy that requires them to dress in a way that reflects the values of the company. If the dress code is implemented in the right way, employees will have no reason to oppose it.

    Conclusion

    Employees should be trusted at the office by the manager. Employees are all adults who should not be treated like under-performed employees by the company. Just because of the mistake of a few employees, not everyone should be punished.

  • How Google’s Wing Will Revolutionise Drone Delivery?

    Our world is nothing less than a Sci-Fi movie, thanks to the technologies among which we are living and also those that are getting invented.  Every day we get to see new technological inventions to make our life easier. Twenty years ago no one would have believed that we would get our delivery packages through a kind of robot that can fly and can be controlled by a remote. In the present time, it is the reality.

    Technology has evolved in such a way, that nothing seems impossible now. From robots to drones every invention is coming in handy these days. In this article, we will talk about Google’s Wing and how it is going to change the way of drone delivery. So let’s get right into the business.

    “Drones can be useful tools, and I am all about useful tools. One of my mottos is ‘the right tool for the right job.” -Martha Stewart

    What Is Drone Delivery?
    Benefits of Drone Delivery
    What Is Google Wing?
    How Google Is Revolutionising Drone Delivery Service?
    Current Situation of Drone Delivery
    Top Companies Providing Drone Delivery Services

    What Is Drone Delivery?

    As mentioned before, a drone is a small aerial vehicle that can be controlled by a remote or software-controlling system and doesn’t need a human pilot to function. Now, coming to drone delivery, it basically means delivery done through these aerial vehicles. Drone delivery is used to deliver small packages to consumers. With the help of these drones, groceries, takeaways and medicines can be delivered.

    The drones used in this process consist of batteries that are rechargeable and also have 4 to 8 propellers. These drones can be controlled by AI technology or remote and they have some unique features as well.

    These drones are capable of avoiding collisions while flying with other drones; they have smart landing technology and navigate their way to the said location without any problems.

    Benefits of Drone Delivery

    The evolution of technology has led to a position that now you can receive your delivery through an aerial vehicle but the reason why people are getting interested in this is because of their benefits. Some of the benefits of Drone Delivery are:

    • These deliveries through drones can be lower costs.
    • They are quite efficient and delivery can be done without any bumps on the roads, literally.
    • The delivery can be fulfilled instantly as it takes less time.
    • It is environmentally friendly as natural fuels are not needed for the fulfilment of the operations.
    • The number of accidents will be reduced on the road if drones are used for deliveries.

    What Is Google Wing?

    Google’s Wing is mainly a subsidiary company of Alphabet Inc. that provides drone-based delivery technology to its customers. The company was founded in the year 2012 and the first drone delivery was successful in the year 2014.

    Google Wing
    Google Wing

    The Wing is offering delivery drone services through which one can shop from the nearby stores in their cities and get their packages delivered to them through drones in just minutes. This is not only making buyer’s life easier but also helping local businesses.

    How Google Is Revolutionising Drone Delivery Service?

    The first and foremost aim of Google Wing is to make this service available for everyone and everywhere. They are trying to make a drone delivery system in a way that anyone can get access to the drone delivery option and drones can be used to deliver packages anywhere. Through this service, Wing is mainly trying to empower small local businesses.

    There are various companies apart from Google that are providing drone delivery services. However, not everyone is able to fulfil its promises of delivering packages successfully and at a perfect time. The wing is transforming that, it is successfully delivering packages on time. Wing can be seen operating in the cities of Australia like Canberra and Logan, in the cities of United States and in the city of Helsinki which is in Finland.

    Now one can get their delivery from shop to directly their homes with the help of drones. Wing has already completed its 100,000 delivery milestone in the year 2021.

    With the ongoing pandemic, Wing not only is helping in keeping the virus from getting spread but also it is good for the environment as well as natural fuels or gases are not being used. The wing is about to launch its service in Dallas-Fort, USA, where a number of suburban homes can be found. The wing is said to complete 1000 orders per day.

    Current Situation of Drone Delivery

    As per reports, almost 2000 drone delivery is happening every day around the world. Apart from small packages, drones are delivering vaccines, medical supplies, food, electronics and even blood transfusions.

    Drone delivery companies are said to receive over $1 billion in funding combined in the past few years. With the sword of Covid-19 hanging around our neck, the concept of social distancing is still here. Therefore, drones are coming in handy in this situation. By 2026, the drone delivery market is expected to reach $5.6 billion.

    Top Companies Providing Drone Delivery Services

    Apart from Wing, there are a few companies that are providing drone delivery services to their customers and they are:

    Amazon

    Amazon launched its drone delivery service called Prime Air which promises to complete the delivery in just 30 minutes. It has already received approval from Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

    Fed-Ex

    This US-based company collaborated with Wing to fulfil the delivery orders of e-commerce and logistics with the help of drones.

    UPS Flight Forward

    This one is another US-based company that came into existence in 2019 and is offering drone-based delivery.

    DHL

    DHL collaborated with EHang, one of the biggest and world-known AAV companies to deliver packages through drones in some cities of China.

    Flytrex Aviation Ltd.

    Flytrex first launched its services in Iceland and it delivers food from restaurants and medical supplies as well. Flytrex is based in Israel.

    Drone Delivery Canada

    This drone delivery Service Company is based in Canada and provides its service to various sectors like E-commerce, healthcare, pharmaceutical and others.

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    Conclusion

    Drones itself is a magnificent technology that is bringing a revolutionary change in the delivery industry of the world. And it looks like Google is all set to revolutionise drone delivery services with its Wing. It will be exciting to see how Wing will transform the last-mile delivery services. Some of the top companies are also including their name in providing these services to their consumers. It is just a matter of time before drone delivery service will become one of the prime ways of delivery.

    FAQs

    Does Google own Wing?

    Wing is a subsidiary of Google’s parent company Alphabet. Wing is a company that provides drone delivery services.

    Do Wing drones have cameras?

    Yes, Wing drone does have cameras that are low res black and white cameras used to navigate and avoid obstacles.

    Where does Google Wing deliver?

    Google Wing is currently operating in 3 countries Australia, the US, and Finland.

  • List of Startups Funded by Varun Dhawan

    In recent years, more and more people are following the startup culture and indulging themselves in the startup ecosystem. People are following their dreams of starting their own companies and presenting their innovative ideas in front of the world.

    In between all these, the most important thing is, getting funds for your business, because, without that, your business will not survive and your dreams will crash down. In fact, it is impossible to even think about going ahead without funds.

    Fortunately, there are investors out there who willingly invest in startups that they find promising. In the list of these investors, celebrities also had added their names. A number of celebs take interest in startups and invest in them. Not only does it show, that they are supporting new entrepreneurs but also it becomes an advantage for the startup that they are associated with a popular celeb.

    With India being one of the biggest startup hubs, Bollywood celebs are taking interest in the startup ecosystem. Bollywood actor, Varun Dhawan also has shown his interest in funding some startups. Varun Dhawan is surely one of the most popular Indian actors of the current generation. The 35-year-old has served us with some popular and fine hits in his 10 years of career. He debut with the film Student of The Year in 2012 and is currently one of India’s highest-paid actors.

    Some of his films like ‘Badlapur’, ‘Sui Dhaga’, ‘Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania’ and ‘ABCD 2’ have been described as clear hits at the Box office and also some of them are critically acclaimed films.

    He has won Filmfare Awards, IIFA Awards and other recognizable Indian film awards for his performances. Apart from being a good actor, he is also a good dancer and has shown his tremendous dancing skills in dance movies like ‘ABCD 2’ and ‘Street Dancer 3D’. Varun Dhawan, as mentioned has invested in startups, in this article we will talk about those startups. So let’s get right into the business.

    “Don’t do a startup unless you’re ideologically driven to make it succeed beyond the economic motivation.” -Balaji Srinivasan

    Fast&Up
    Curefoods

    Fast&Up

    Fast&Up Logo
    Fast&Up Logo

    Fast&Up is a plant-based active nutrition brand that provides all kinds of nutritional products to fulfil the needs of Indian athletes. Fast&Up is founded in the year 2015 by Vijayaraghavan Venugopal and Varun Khanna. The brand’s products mainly are all kinds of vitamin supplements and multivitamin drinks.

    The startup has started attracting attention and has been able to reach out to 100 million people in just a month. The company has also won the ‘Best Health & Fitness Brand’ of 2019 by The Economic Times. The headquarters of the company is situated in Mumbai, India.

    Fast&Up made quite a noise when Varun Dhawan funded an undisclosed amount to the company. It received the investment from the Bollywood actor after securing funds of INR 165 Crores from Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia (MSPEA).

    Apart from that Varun Dhawan has also been appointed as the Good Vibes Officer of the brand. The main aim of this investment is to make more Indian people aware of intelligent nutrition and get them to associate with it. He has also appeared in the commercials for Fast&Up.

    Curefoods

    Curefood is a cloud kitchen operating company, under which brands like EatFit, Frozen Bottle, CakeZone and Great Indian Khichdi operate. The main of the company is to provide foods that come under the regular normal diet of customers and cater for their nutrition needs.

    Curefoods was founded in the year 2020 by Ankit Nagori and since then has been working on providing healthy and nutritional foods to its customers.

    Recently, Varun Dhawan invested an undisclosed amount in the brand, right after the company secured $62 million of funding from companies like Iron Pillar, Accel Partners and entrepreneurs like Binny Bansal.

    Apart from the investment of Varun Dhawan, he has also become the brand ambassador of EatFit, which is a food ordering platform under Curefoods. Varun Dhawan invested in the cloud kitchen operator right after the company came forward with its new direct-to-consumer food ordering platform EatFit. As per reports, Varun Dhawan will also appear in the marketing campaigns of Curefood.

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    Conclusion

    Varun Dhawan himself being a health-conscious person and a fitness freak doesn’t really surprise us that he is investing in these startups. With his popularity, it seems the startups will also experience growth in the future and their association will only bring positive responses from the public to them.

    FAQs

    What is the age of Varun Dhawan?

    Varun Dhawan was born on 24 April 1987 and is 34 years old.

    Who is the wife of Varun Dhawan?

    Varun Dhawan married fashion designer Natasha Dalal on January 24 2021.

    What are some of the investments of Varun Dhawan?

    Varun Dhawan has invested in Fast&Up and CureFoods.

  • Case Study of How Indian Brands Under Twitter Attack After Indo-China Conflict

    Indian based startup unicorns like Flipkart, Zomato, Swiggy and Paytm have recently been under the radar of Twitterati accused them of getting investments from Chinese investors. This anger has abruptly taken a rise after the deceitful act done by China at the Galwan Valley after 20 Indian soldiers were killed.

    People have shown their anger on Twitter and have also suggested to start boycotting the services of these applications which are either china based or being funded by Chinese investors all over India. Many users have asked that these companies should get their stakes back as most of the stakes of these companies are in the hold of Chinese investors.

    How Flipkart Responding To The Situation?
    Snapdeal Statement
    China’s Investment and Future Prediction

    How Flipkart Responding To The Situation?

    People on Twitter are asking people to boycott and it can be a harm to their current market situation. Although they have not come up with any formal response regarding this they posted a photo informing people that how they are trying to help sellers across India to work hard and how they will support them by providing their health insurance plans, by laying off the storage fees and trying to provide flexible work policies making them feel more comfortable and helping these sellers to ease their work.

    China has created a large effect in the Indian market by investing frequently in the past 5 to 6 years. Many of the Indian homegrown startups have been backed up by Chinese investors. China has been a key investor in the technological development of the Indian market. With the recent situation where people are boycotting Chinese goods and the Government is banning Chinese Apps, things are turning worse.

    “The overall sentiment is anti-China and that is building on various counts which have now been aggregated. A lot will depend on whether or not the government wants to play the hardball.The social media storm was inevitable. In the past also we have seen how some apps were downgraded citing ‘national interest’. There could also be some direct business impact for the time being. However, how it will reflect in the long term will totally depend on the way the government plans to handle the current situation.” – Anonymous Industry Executive

    Snapdeal Statement

    While companies like Flipkart, Ola, Zomato, Swiggy and Oyo have not given any formal statement or uttered any word regarding this but Snapdeal came forward to give a statement.

    “Snapdeal has always been focused on creating opportunities and access for India’s small and medium businesses – sellers and manufacturers. For over a decade, we have championed the cause of Indian MSMEs and provided them with a platform to grow and succeed. As a proudly Indian company, we remain committed and steadfast in this mission.” – Snapdeal

    China’s Investment and Future Prediction

    A source named Gateway House has estimated around $4 billion of investments have been done by them in India’s technology-based Startups in 2019 while a $2 billion investment was done in the year 2018. Moreover, at least 18 of the top 30 startups in India are being backed by Chinese investors.

    Ant Financial, Tencent, Shunwei Capital, and Alibaba are some of the big Chinese investors who have their stakes in Indian based unicorns. Well, a startup founder has also stated that after the month of April the Chinese investments have started to come down due to which the doors have been opened for other avenues which are based in UK, USA, Middle East and India.

    “Fresh investments will take time because everyone is cautious as to what will happen next. There is going to be a bit of a lull because the sentiment is certainly low. Both Wuhan and border tensions have come at the same time. There is an element of negativity. However, it will not have a major impact on the existing companies operating in India that have Chinese investors on board. The very fact that Chinese companies have invested in Indian firms, doesn’t make them ‘Chinese products’. There are so many Indian companies that have set up manufacturing units in China. If we keep on boycotting things like this, we will end up hurting our own economy and the talent growth” – Sreedhar Prasad, Independent E-commerce Analyst

    Conclusion

    Although it will be a hard road for India on the economic front for a while as there is a ban on the investments by the world’s second-largest economy it will help in getting invested by other countries too which are more reliable and will help create a good relationship with them. Also, it will be helping all the Indian based startups and entrepreneurs and provide them with a great opportunity in the near future.

    With the current tensions at the border, it looks impossible for a while to expect good relations with China and the spread of the deadly coronavirus will also play an important role in the Chinese market as many countries would give a second thought to having economic relations with them.

    The USA is the world’s largest economy, and is showing some disinterest in China for the past two to three months too can look forward to India and can become a prime investor in these firms.

    FAQs

    How many Chinese apps are banned in India?

    224 Chinese are banned in India since 2020

    Is PUBG banned in India?

    PUBG is banned in India under the instruction of the Government of India.

    Why Chinese apps are banned in India?

    Chinese apps are banned in India because of the security and thereat of Indian citizens and the ongoing conflict between the two countries.

  • How Are Startups Getting Affected by Rising Fuel Prices?

    The pandemic has hit the Indian economy hard. Consumer demand has fallen drastically and the supply side of the market has become vulnerable to shocks and crunches. But it’s not all for these entrepreneurs. The latest addition to their list of woos is the ever-increasing price of petrol, which is a key manufacturing ingredient for many chemical and pharmaceutical processes and the backbone of energy-driven service startups.  

    The price of petrol has galloped upwards through 2020 and touched all-time highs in June 2021. The government has sighted several reasons for this hike in petrol price but all those claims have been shot down by independent policy experts and economists, who claim the real factor behind this meteoric rise in the price of petrol is the indirect tax levied on it by the Government of India.

    Several economists, energy policy experts, and trade have requested the government to reduce this indirect tax on petrol to help increase the profitability of these already hard-hit startups and these requests have been backed by the State Bank of India (SBI) and Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in their annual and quarterly evaluations. Now, let’s have a look at the impact of the rise in petrol prices on startups, in a sector-wise manner.

    Impact on Startups In the Logistics Sector
    Impact on Startups in FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) Sector
    Impact on Startups in Appliances Industry
    Impact on Startups in the Pharma Sector
    Impact on Startups in the Core Manufacturing Sector
    Impact on Startups in the Doorstep Service Industry

    Impact on Startups In the Logistics Sector

    The logistics sector is one of the hardest-hit sectors in the current economic scenario. The pandemic and rising fuel prices have helmed the conquest against this sector and have succeeded in closing doors for many budding startups and as well well-established companies.  

    With the increase in diesel and petrol prices, the startups in the logistics sector have been forced to increase the cost of their services to just breakeven and this, in turn, has led to shrinkage in demand.

    Freight owners have complained about the lack of two-way cargo trips and how it has affected their profit model and them vulnerable to losses. Overall, the country’s mobility has been hard hit by this upward climb in the price of petrol.

    The Reserve Bank of India has cautioned the government about the same in its reports on the Indian Economy and the depressionary spiral that the startups and MSMEs of this sector have become prone to, following the price of petrol and other energy commodities like diesel.

    Impact on Startups in FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) Sector

    Fast Moving Consumer Goods can be defined as products that are sold quickly over the counter and are bought by most consumers, irrespective of their preferences like biscuits, candies, medicines, etc. Due to the steady demand for these goods, the goods have to be shipped continuously to maintain the supply.

    The startups here have faced acute problems with the rise in fuel prices. Due to increased freight costs and distribution costs, the cost of the products has gone up, which has led to the shrinkage of demand for the durable goods produced by these startups.

    All this increased distribution has caused the firm to not even break even and decimated its profits. Also, like fuel is a key ingredient in meeting the energy demands of the production plants and some manufacturing processes, the inflationary push has caused extra trouble for the startups in the FMCG sector.

    Impact on Startups in Appliances Industry

    Currently, this sector is valued at 85,000 crores, and alone the domestic appliances sub-circuited is estimated to be 35,000 crores. The sector used to be one of the most thriving playgrounds for startups. But the increase in manufacturing and transporting costs owing to an increase in fuel prices have hard-hit many budding startups. Also, this increase in petrol and diesel prices has caused a cost-push in raw material, component supply, and operational costs.

    Impact on Startups in the Pharma Sector

    The pharma sector is no stranger to the hardships of increasing oil prices. Petrol and diesel play a huge role in the manufacturing aspect of this industry. The rise in the cost of fuel has, in turn, raised the cost of petrochemical raw inputs and the cost of operating the manufacturing unit.

    Also, to maintain a steady supply of drugs in the markets, startups here have to maintain well-equipped fleets of freights. With the rise in the cost of petrol and diesel, the cost of maintaining and distributing the product through such a logistic mechanism has become excruciatingly expensive for startups to maintain.

    Crude Oil Price vs Retail Price
    Crude Oil Price vs Retail Price

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    Impact on Startups in the Core Manufacturing Sector

    The core manufacturing sector acts as the backbone of our economy. Being on the most thriving playground for MSME startups, this sector has become the subject of many complex backlashes and ripple effects that accompany an increase in the price of an essential energy commodity like petrol.

    The cost of production and maintenance of plants has shot up rapidly with the increase in fuel price. Petrochemical components have become costlier, along with the logistic cost of acquiring these key components of the manufacturing process.

    The transportation cost of the finished product and distribution cost has pushed the market price to rise to combat the effects of the rise in diesel price. However, this increased shelf price has been met with a rapid demand shrinkage, which has put this sector in a difficult economic spot.

    Impact on Startups in the Doorstep Service Industry

    The doorstep service industry relies on the commitment to procure and provide already available services at the cheapest rate possible. The increase in petrol price has become a great impediment for the sector, as the logistic costs have risen sharply.

    In the past few years, several internet-based startups have come up in this sector, but today most of them have had to close shop and the remaining strive hard to break even. Many economists suggest, that if the fuel price rises any more, the valuation of this industry can fall greatly, and most startups will fail to maintain their business model in the long run.

    Conclusion

    Thus, we can conclude the rampant increase in petrol price has a detrimental effect on the startup atmosphere of the country, irrespective of whichever sector they belong to. A further surge in petrol prices may become the key reason for the closing of startups in the coming months. However, it can be expected that the government will pay heed to the petrol price policy advice given by the apex bank, and eminent economists and reduce the petrol price to create a more business conducive atmosphere.

    FAQs

    What is the effect of the increase in the price of fuel?

    The rise in fuel price affects the price of other essential goods as the transport costs increase. It also leads to inflation which affects businesses.

    Will higher fuel prices lead to inflation?

    Yes, higher fuel prices lead to inflation as the fuel price impacts all the goods and services.

  • Top 4 Marketing Strategies of Cure.Fit [Case Study]

    Cure.Fit is a health and wellness startup based in Bangalore founded in 2016 by Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagori. However, the latter left the company in October 2020. Cure.Fit distinguishes itself from other players on the market by using a mix of online and offline platforms to direct its preventive health philosophy through interaction, coaching, and delivery.

    The company initially started at HSR, Bangalore with one fitness center. Today it operates more than 100 centers in the city of Bangalore and has also expanded to other cities.

    The multiple services of Cure.Fit, including Eat.fit meal delivery has hooked millennials to healthier habits and food. The mobile application that Cure.Fit offers has an integrated framework that promotes healthier lifestyles and mental health.

    After a rebranding attempt, Cure.fit has changed the name of its “Cure.fit” app to “Cult.fit”, as of May 11, 2021. Cure.fit has turned into a unicorn startup, valued at $1.56 bn, on November 10, 2021, thus becoming the 36th unicorn in 2021 and 77th unicorn overall in India. The company was reviewed as a unicorn after a cross-selling deal with Zomato, where the fitness brand acquired the fitness arm of the foodtech giant, Fitso for $50 mn and infused another $50 mn.

    Cure.Fit Business Model
    Marketing Strategies of Cure.Fit
    Expansion Plan of Cure.Fit
    A Look at the STP of Cure.Fit
    How does the brand engage its users?
    Acquisitions of Cure.Fit
    Campaigns of Cure.Fit
    Customer Feedbacks of Cure.Fit

    Cure.Fit Business Model

    Being a health-tech startup, Cure.Fit has rather witnessed an exciting and unique journey whether it is the funding or the expansion of the company, which we will discuss later on in this article when compared to that of other health-tech startups of the country.

    The company’s funding was always deeply rooted, which began with the rounds of biggies like Axis and HDFC and was complemented with Flipkart, Myntra, and the latest round where the company raised around $75m from Tata Digital. The brand has successfully raised over $479.6M in a total of around 10 funding rounds. Furthermore, Cure.Fit has also acquired a handful of companies like Tribe Fitness, a1000Yoga, and Kristy’s Kitchen, which helped in further expansion of the brand. Its recent acquisition was TREAD.

    With its innovative marketing plan that comprises unique campaigns and other promotional ventures, the company is now operational with more than 180 fitness centers across the country.

    At the core of the vision of Cure.Fit lies holistic health and well-being, which the brand wants to make easily accessible to people all around the nation. To make it possible Cure.Fit has an unshakable focus on the mind, body, and nutrition of their consumers and others.

    Though the original business model of the company mainly focused on gyms, healthy foods, and health clinics, their model also included online/digital fitness sessions after the pivot, which is effectively leveraged after the COVID-19 outbreak. To sum up the business model, it consists of four pillars or platforms that are built to empower a healthy lifestyle. Cure.fit also has a mobile application that offers an integrated platform to bring in healthy lifestyles and holistic cure, concerning fitness, food, and mental well-being:

    Cult.Fit

    With the assistance of the best class trainers and group workouts, this section of Cure.Fit is built to make exercise enjoyable and easy. It can be done as a group class at a Cult.Fit center and at home with the help of DIY videos.

    Cult.fit became a popular fitness brand over the years and no less than a market leader that was synonymous with success. As a result, Cure.fit had further aimed to expand their own brand under a single, popular banner, “Cult.fit”. Cure.fit now has been rebranded as Cult.fit, effective from May 11, 2021, onwards.

    Cult.Fit had acquired Gold’s Gym by picking up a majority stake in F2 Fun & Fitness India Pvt Ltd.

    Mind.Fit

    This section includes mental fitness solutions. It provides different practices such as yoga, meditation and care. Whether it’s stress and anxiety management, better sleep quality or focus improvement, or combining your body-mind, there are many formats to suit the needs of the users.

    Care.Fit

    By providing physician consultation in its health centers via video conferencing. This platform provides basic health care needs. It provides high-quality facilities such as in-house pharmacy and medical services, health monitors, ultrasound systems, ECGs and diagnostic test packs.

    Eat.Fit

    This platform offers fresh and delicious food which is nutritious and is prepared with special care to keep it healthy. There are a range of food and menus to choose from when offering healthy and conservative-free items.

    Cure.fit acquired the 10th position in the highest funded startups in 2018. However, Eat.fit was declared a separate entity after it spun off its parent Cure.fit on October 1, 2020. This was done because of the rising demands, as mentioned by Cure.fit. Varun Dhawan is the face of the flagship brand of Curefoods, Eat.fit.

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    Marketing Strategies of Cure.Fit

    Content Marketing

    In a very short time, Cure.Fit has attracted a large number of viewers because they answer consumer questions and link consumers to the brand. Cure.Fit creates material such that influences consumers to buy their services.

    Social Media Marketing

    Cure.Fit wins the people’s hearts through its committed sharing of content. Cure.Fit exactly understands who its customers are and produces persuasive content.

    Cure.Fit aims at reaching people who want to lead a balanced and fit lifestyle seriously with 3.5 Lakh followers on Facebook and Instagram. It uses the platform to provide up-to-date information, to submit invitations for events, posts, imaginative posts, tips and recipes for healthy food and drinks, customer reviews, etc.

    Offline Marketing

    Along with leveraging the cutting-edge technologies to gear up their marketing initiatives embracing the digital ways, Cure.Fit has also made space for marketing offline as well. The company has opted for active radio channels where they assign their fitness experts to conduct talk sessions.

    Influencer Marketing

    Cure.Fit has developed a strategy for influencing the promotion of its releases to promote new goods. The brand collaborated with many inspiring figures from around the world, including Hrithik Roshan, Milind Soman, Tiger Shroff and Sindhu, as well as other prominent athletes. Hrithik Roshan has also signed a five-year agreement with his brand ambassador Cure.Fit.

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    Expansion Plan of Cure.Fit

    Cure.Fit has witnessed a considerable growth in the health and wellness sector in the past years and it gets a renewed boost with Tata Digital signing an MoU to invest up to $75 million on June 7, 2021. Mukesh Bansal, Founder and CEO of Cure.Fit will join Tata Digital as President, according to the strategic deal that both the companies are looking forward to.

    The expansion plan of Cure.Fit as clearly laid by the company includes:

    • Introducing a ready-to-eat category
    • Bringing a whole new range of workout apparel and equipment
    • Introducing the facility of online doctor consultation
    • Help in the consultation of super-specialists online for you and your family
    • Reaching 20 cities encompassing 200 outlets in 2022

    A Look at the STP of Cure.Fit

    Cure.Fit segments its buyers to urban and rural divisions where their users range from kids and youths to adults.

    The main target consumers of Cure.Fit is based out of urban cities and metros, mostly belonging to higher income groups and aged between 20-40 years.

    Cure.Fit as a brand is positioned as a fitness brand that promotes “healthy body, mind, and soul.”

    How does the brand engage its users?

    Cure.Fit has seen a successful run engaging a considerably large band of consumers throughout the years. The 3 main methods that Cure.Fit adopt to engage its users:

    • Gamification – Cure.fit has a unique way to encourage its users to display their badges and weekly ranks to their friends.
    • Buddy workout – Cure.fit believes in spreading their business by word of mouth and has a keen affinity towards the “kid next door.”
    • Fitter families – Cure.fit encourages families to come on board and keeps them motivated with the help of interesting programs like super family of the week.

    Acquisitions of Cure.Fit

    Cure.fit has acquired over 14 companies to date. Cure.Fit acquired Urban Terrain on December 20, 2021, and then it acquired Gold’s Gym on February 14, 2022, which was the last acquisition of Cure.Fit. Here are some of the other major acquisitions:

    Acquired Company Name Acquired Date Price
    Gold’s Gym February 14, 2022 –
    Urban Terrain December 20, 2021 –
    OneFitPlus December 20, 2021 –
    RPM Fitness December 20, 2021 –
    FITSO November 11, 2021 $50 mn
    TREAD June 10, 2021 –
    Fitternity February 9, 2021 –
    Onyx January 18, 2021 –
    Rejoov April 12, 2019 –
    Seraniti November 20, 2018 –
    Fitness First India Pvt. Ltd May 22, 2018 –

    Campaigns of Cure.Fit

    #FORTHELOVEOFFIT

    Cure.Fit breaks the barrier and allows people to share their health in the most enjoyable way. It provides a unique offer that includes physical, emotional, and dietary fitness. The film aims to demonstrate the full range of deals from the cure.fit app, which also tries to get people to think fitness is more open and fun.

    This campaign shows that Cure.Fit will benefit you if you don’t feel well and are not prepared to attend a physician.

    #CULTLIVE

    The aim of this campaign is to demonstrate that cult trainers are dedicated to your health and fitness and encourage you to enter the app for a live workout.

    Customer Feedbacks of Cure.Fit

    Cure.Fit has been largely successful in onboarding new customers and retaining their old ones, and has ended up being recommended by a large group of customers. Cure.Fit allows unlimited pauses in between the challenges that the company presents its users. This has contributed largely to the successful streak of customer retention that the company boasts of!

    With its successful branding, quality products and services, and innovative motivational ventures it has been seen that 90% of their cult users recommend the classes to others. Furthermore, it has also been seen that 60% of the total users renew their subscriptions.

    Conclusion

    Mobile apps drive the world today and people really rely on them for everyday work. Apps like Cure.Fit try a lot harder to interact with people and completely change their lifestyle in these tough periods of social separation. Cure.Fit has used its marketing strategy in a way that the their consumers respond.

    FAQs

    Who owns Cure.Fit?

    Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagori are the founders of Cure.fit.

    When was Cure.Fit founded?

    Cure.fit was founded and launched in 2016.

    Who are the target audience of Cure.Fit?

    The target audience of Cure.fit are people from the urban population who are between 20 years to 40 years of age.

    Are Eat.Fit and Cure.Fit the same?

    No. Eat.fit was previously a subsidiary of Cure.fit, but was declared an independent entity in October 2020.

  • How to Start an EdTech Company in 2022? (Step by Step Guide)

    Markus Aurelius said that the first step of understanding anything is simplicity; he proposed that one should understand the nature of something before dwelling on it. So going by the words of one of the most renowned philosophers in the world, let us understand what is ed-tech or educational technology.

    Breaking it down to its simplest form educational technology usually involves the use of computer software and hardware along with teaching pedagogies to facilitate and enhance the learning experience. The ed-tech industry is quite a niche market and its demand has been rising in recent years. so if you are someone who wants to build your own edtech company here’s how you can get started.

    Research the Market
    Narrow Down and Validate Your Idea
    Define Your UVP and Choose the Right Business Model
    Build the Perfect Team
    Have a Proof of Concept/MVP

    Research the Market

    Research about EdTech Industry
    Research about EdTech Industry

    While I was researching this topic, I understood that many renowned personalities in this field have suggested first understanding the ed-tech market. For example, before the pandemic started, the US ed-tech sector received 1.66 billion in investments, which is the highest in 5 years.

    While many industries were at a disadvantage due to the pandemic, ed-tech companies raised an astonishing 16.1 billion USD. Knowing the market, its demands, and other things like that would ensure any suitor in this sector scale the evidence and weigh the facts.

    Narrow Down and Validate Your Idea

    You need to understand the concept of divide and conquer when it comes to ed-tech. The ed-tech market is too vast and ever-changing for a single entity to rule over.

    The first step is to critically and objectively view your own idea. Find out whether your idea serves the customer’s needs and itself is unique. This will also go on to indirectly help you predict the market, discover the trend of your niche, and identify your competitive advantages.

    It may look tempting to start your own ed-tech company when I put it across in such simple terms but we need to understand the problem of validity because before you propose any idea you have to ask yourself these 3 questions,

    • Does your idea solve a problem that is troubling a lot of people or improve a system that is quite essential in this specific area?
    • How do you know that you are solving a problem?
    • Do you have enough data and research backup to support and pitch your idea?

    The development of edtech startups and interesting fund raise in India
    Edtech startups have made it easier to learn on online and make it an effective alternative to offline learning. The fundings in Edtech startups have skyrocketed
    StartupTalkyVibhavari Madki

    Define Your UVP and Choose the Right Business Model

    Any business requires a UVP or a unique value proposition. What can you offer that other companies can’t? Your unique value proposition can be constructed by 3 crucial things,

    • The value that is delivered by your product.
    • The customer base that you would like to target.
    • What is the approach you are adopting to sell your product in this highly competitive market?

    The right business model must follow your UVP. A business model usually entails how your ed-tech startup will achieve its goals and earn its revenue. It also describes the main highlights of your product and how it is going to create value for your customers.

    You can experiment with a number of business models. Certain business models usually are taken up with the intention of rapid growth and the capture of large market shares, whereas certain others would usually involve selling products to institutions and monetizing your customer base from the beginning.

    My advice to anyone who is interested in this area would be to choose a business model that helps you build a sustainable and independent business around a challenge or problem that you are trying to solve.

    Build the Perfect Team

    Building the Right Team
    Building the Right Team

    The right team is necessary for any business to succeed. In the highly competitive ed-tech industry, one needs to have the right team for even his/her idea to even come into consideration in front of investors. The best way to address this problem is to hire a group of professionals who are passionate and have an experienced background in education, which acts as their primary motive and the monetary benefits as their second priority.

    Try to build a team that can help you create a scalable monetization model and a go-to-market strategy for your product. Being an ed-tech company’s CEO is definitely a different experience. You should start engaging in educational conventions, start visiting your local schools and understanding their learning demands and start talking to other individuals who are involved in the same business.

    Being a startup in the initial stages would usually mean that you would have to work with minimum revenue. It is always better to work with an outsourcing company than pay an in-house team of engineers.

    The need to have a skilled CTO – an individual who has the experience and expertise to work on the design of your product and oversee your development team is key to progress.

    Have a Proof of Concept/MVP

    Theoretically, it is easy to pitch any business idea. Practically every aspect of the product will find it difficult to serve and deliver to different demands of the real world. The best way to resolve this issue would be to build a proof of concept.

    By building a proof of concept, you would have a strong base to validate your idea on a minimal budget. This application would usually involve the most important functionality or risky features of your product. Fancy design should not be used here to dazzle users.

    Minimum viable product (MVP) works on similar lines with proof of concept. Proof of concept usually involves proving that your product will work in real life but whereas an MVP ensures that your customers are satisfied and pleased with your product.

    Top 17 Emerging Edtech Startups in India 2022
    The edtech industry in India is one of the most profitable and successful industries. Take a look at emerging edtech startups in the industry.
    StartupTalkyAshwini

    Conclusion

    Finally, in conclusion, we can say that by following these steps, you may have the perfect start for your company, but we should all remember consistency is key for any business to become better. With thorough research and strategy, any business can become successful and so is the case with ed-tech.

    FAQs

    How does EdTech make money?

    Usually, edtech companies make money by selling their courses to students or schools. There are also companies that provide their courses for free but charge a small fee for the certificate.

    How do you get funding for EdTech startups?

    First, you need to prepare a solid business plan and then you can approach angel investors or VCs to pitch your idea and receive funding.

    What is the future of EdTech in India?

    India’s EdTech industry is growing at a really fast pace and is expected to reach $30 billion in the next 10 years.

  • Why Did the Indian Government Ban 22 YouTube News Channels?

    YouTube has become a daily part of our life, for most of us, it is the main form of entertainment videos. Apart from the entertainment it also provides information and news, food recipes, and educational videos. You name it and the video-sharing platform has it.

    In a span of a few years, YouTube has become a big industry itself. It has become a platform where people can share their talents and can get noticed by the entire world. It is a global platform where one can share any kind of video; it is the second-largest search engine in the world and there is hardly anything that one cannot find on this platform.

    This platform enables you an option to communicate with a large audience, people have made it a business, and are earning through it by sharing information, providing entertainment, and sharing their talent and lifestyle.

    Through YouTube, many people are getting jobs and have a stable income now because of the content they are providing the world with. It has also given the power to people to provide information and news to the world, but with ‘great power comes great responsibility. Recently the Indian Government has banned 22 YouTube Channels. In this article, we will talk about the reason for the ban and how other YouTube channels can avoid this situation.

    “The joy of YouTube is that you can create content about anything you feel passionate about, however silly the subject matter.” -Zoe Sugg

    Government Banned YouTube Channels
    List of YouTube Channels Banned by the Indian Government
    Why These YouTube Channels Are Banned?
    How to Not Get Your YouTube Channel Blocked by the Government?

    Government Banned YouTube Channels

    Recently, 22 YouTube Channels were banned by the Indian Government. As per the new IT rules of 2021, it is the first time that YouTube Channels are blocked. Among these 22 YouTube Channels, 18 are Indian channels and 4 are from Pakistan.

    It is mainly done because these news channels were spreading fake news and disinformation, which can be a security concern for the country and disrupt the public order. All these happened after the new IT rules came into force. As per reports, these YouTube channels had over a billion viewers before they were blocked.

    List of YouTube Channels Banned by the Indian Government

    Some of the Indian YouTube Channels that are blocked are:

    • AOP News
    • ARP News
    • LDC News
    • SS ZONE Hindi
    • Smart News
    • Online Khabar
    • DP News
    • PKB News
    • KisanTak
    • Borana News
    • News23Hindi
    • Sarkari News Update
    • Bharat Mausam
    • RJ ZONE 6
    • Exam Report
    • Digi Gurukul

    The Pakistan based News Channels that are blocked by the Government are:

    • DuniyaMereAagy
    • Ghulam NabiMadni
    • HAQEEQAT TV
    • HAQEEQAT TV 2.0

    Why These YouTube Channels Are Banned?

    All the 22 channels were reportedly spreading misinformation regarding various topics, which include the Armed forces, Kashmir, Covid-19 and the recent Ukraine-Russia war.

    Screenshots of the YouTube Channels released by Indian Government
    Screenshots of the YouTube Channels released by Indian Government

    All these channels were using logos and distorted clips from other news channels and were merging them together and spreading disinformation amongst the public. These were done to gain views from the public. This was creating angst among the public and slowly becoming a national security concern.

    After new IT rules came into force, the Government got good control over the content posted on social media since then, they were blocking channels that are spreading fake information.

    How to Not Get Your YouTube Channel Blocked by the Government?

    It is a matter of concern for YouTubers as Governments is now stricter with their policies they are blocking channels that are being a ‘threat’ to the nation. So to avoid getting your channels blocked by the Government, you need to follow some rules and they are:

    • The first thing you need to do is avoid spreading disinformation and fake news to the public by showcasing distorted content in the name of creating content.
    • Be responsible while creating content, don’t just put it on the platform just for the sake of getting views. Remember, you’re responsible for the effect your content will create on people.
    • Do your research properly before making the content.
    • Check out authentic sources before indulging in creating content.
    • Re-check the facts and learn to differentiate between facts and opinion.

    Conclusion

    YouTube surely has given us an opportunity to showcase our talent on the global platform by making videos and through this, we can also have a stable income. Apart from this, we can create any type of content and it can blow if it is relatable to our audience. With the IT rules and the Government’s stricter policies, one needs to be more careful while creating any type of content. Especially if it is providing information to the public.

    FAQs

    Why did the Indian government ban YouTube news channels?

    The Indian government banned 22 youtube channels under IT Rules 2021 as the news channels were spreading fake news.

    Which are the YouTube channels that are banned?

    AOP News, ARP News, LDC News, SS ZONE Hindi, Smart News, Online Khabar, DP News, PKB News, KisanTak, Borana News, News23Hindi, Sarkari News Update, Bharat Mausam, RJ ZONE 6, Exam Report, Digi Gurukul, DuniyaMereAagy, Ghulam NabiMadni, HAQEEQAT TV, and HAQEEQAT TV 2.0 are some of the YouTube channels that are banned by the Indian government.