Blog

  • Udacity – Training The World’s Workforce

    Due to the convergence of technological innovations, global use of the Internet, and the increasing need for a population trained regularly for the ever-evolving digital economy, online education in its different forms has been gradually rising globally. By 2025, online schooling is expected to become commonplace.

    Sebastian Thrun, David Stevens, and Mike Sokolsky created Udacity, Inc., an American for-profit educational business that offers massive open online courses. Udacity is an international, online, life-long learning network that connects education and employment opportunities. The company is on a mission to train the world’s workforce in the careers of the future.

    Udacity – Company Highlights

    Startup Name Udacity
    Headquarters Emeryville, California
    Industry Online Education, EdTech
    Founders Sebastian Thrun, David Stavens, and Mike Sokolsky
    Founded June 2011
    User base 1.6 Million
    Areas Served Worldwide
    Current CEO Gabriel Dalporto
    Website www.udacity.com

    About Udacity
    Udacity – Latest News
    Udacity – Industry
    Udacity – Name, Logo, and Tagline
    Udacity – Founders
    Udacity – Startup Story
    Udacity – Mission and Vision Statement
    Udacity – Partnerships
    Udacity – Spin-Off Company
    Udacity – Business Model and Revenue Model
    Udacity – Employees
    Udacity – Funding, and Investors
    Udacity – Acquisitions
    Udacity – Growth
    Udacity – Competitors
    Udacity – Challenges Faced
    Udacity – Future Plans
    Udacity – FAQs

    About Udacity

    Udacity is an international, online, life-long learning network that connects education and employment opportunities. Udacity provides online courses in artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, data science, autonomous systems, and cloud computing, among other fields.

    Udacity collaborates with technology firms to study how technology is altering businesses and teaches the essential skills that employers need in their employees, allowing learners to prepare for the most in-demand tech positions.

    Nanodegrees offered by Udacity have gained much popularity and many consider these nano degrees to be more effective than the regular college degrees. Front-end and senior web developer, full-stack web developer, data analyst, machine learning engineer, iOS and Android developer, programming introduction, tech entrepreneur, iOS app development beginning, Ruby beginning, and 2D mobile game developer courses are among the nano degree programs available.

    Udacity – Latest News

    As of September 2021, Udacity conducted a renowned virtual conference enabling women to thrive in STEM (Science, Technology Engineering, and Mathematics). Despite global discussions and initiatives to address the gender imbalance in STEM disciplines, women continue to be underrepresented, undervalued, and frequently discriminated against. Udacity’s virtual conference ‘STEM Forward with Women’ seeks to create a forum for women to interact with female industry leaders while also providing them with the chance to gain in-demand technical knowledge.

    “Changing the face of technology, especially during unprecedented times, is no easy task. STEM Forward with Women is the pep-talk all women need to take the leap forward and pursue a career that they deserve in the field of technology and computer science,” stated Kimberly Bryant, CEO and Founder, Black Girls CODE.

    Udacity – Industry

    Over the last decade, online learning has grown significantly as the internet and education have merged to give individuals the possibility to learn new skills. Online learning has grown increasingly important in people’s lives after the COVID-19 epidemic. The epidemic has pushed schools, colleges, and businesses to operate remotely, which has resulted in an increase in the use of online learning. Even before the pandemic, Research and Markets predicted that the online education industry will be worth $350 billion by 2025, thus the figures may be revised after assessing the effects of COVID-19 on the sector’s growth.

    All of these online learning businesses have a large quantity of user data, allowing them to employ machine learning algorithms to improve people’s learning habits. Pattern recognition is used by machine learning algorithms to customize material for each individual. When a student struggles with a subject during the course, for example, the platform can alter the e-learning content to give more comprehensive information to assist the learner.

    Udacity – Name, Logo, and Tagline

    Company Logo of Udacity
    Company Logo of Udacity

    Sebastian Thrun, the company’s founder, claims that the term Udacity stems from the company’s ambition to be “audacious for you, the learner.” It used to focus on university-style courses, but today it mostly offers vocational training for professionals.

    Udacity’s slogan says, “Be in demand!”


    Udemy: E-learning Platform | online courses
    Udemy is an online learning platform for learners. Read the success story of Udemy, and know about Udemy online courses, Udemy Business Model, and more.


    Udacity – Founders

    Udacity was founded by David Stevens, Mike Sokolsky, and Sebastian Thrun in 2011.

    David Stevens

    From June 2011 to May 2012, David served as CEO of Udacity, then from April 2013 to April 2014, he served as President. As CEO, he grew the company to 30 people, registered the first 250,000 students from 195 countries, and introduced the first 12 programs, the first MOOC employment program, and the first MOOC certified tests in collaboration with Pearson VUE. He obtained a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Stanford under the guidance of Sebastian Thrun. While at Stanford, David was one of the co-creators of Stanley an autonomous car that won the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge. The Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC currently has Stanley on exhibit.

    Sebastian Thrun

    Sebastian Thrun is a researcher, educator, inventor, and businessman. Sebastian is the founder and CEO of Kitty Hawk, a company whose mission is to relieve people from traffic congestion. He is also the creator, chairman, and president of Udacity, an educational platform with the purpose to democratise education.

    Sebastian founded X (formerly Google X), where he oversaw the creation of the self-driving vehicle, Google Glass, and other initiatives. He was a professor at Stanford University for several years, where he led the Stanford Racing Team, which won the DARPA Grand Challenge with its vehicle “Stanley.”

    Founder of Udacity - Sebastian Thrun
    Founder of Udacity – Sebastian Thrun

    Mike Sokolsky

    Mike believes that technology should improve rather than complicate life. He studied at Carnegie Mellon University and worked in robotics at Stanford University and the University of Alberta. His background includes autonomous cars, medical robotics, reinforcement learning, and robotic soccer. In 2011, he co-founded Udacity.

    Udacity – Startup Story

    Sebastian Thrun had a dream career for most academics throughout the world. The Artificial Intelligence specialist was a tenured professor at Stanford University, where he’d spent almost a decade leading student attempts to create self-driving cars and acting as the head of the university’s Artificial Intelligence Lab. Thrun also created Google[x], the tech giant’s well-known R&D branch focusing on driverless vehicles, balloon-powered internet networks, and other “moonshots” in his leisure time.

    But the entrepreneur and thinker had bigger ideas. Thrun announced his departure from Stanford in 2012 to launch Udacity, an online education company aimed at delivering high-quality tech education to the people.

    Salman Khan and his Khan Academy, one of the early entrants into the field, introduced Thrun to the notion of MOOCs. Thrun and co-professor Peter Norvig opened up their next computer science course at Stanford to a global audience as an experiment in 2011. Soon after, other roboticists David Stevens and Mike Sokolsky joined engaged, and the inaugural course had more than 100,000 students enrolled by the time it started. Udacity was up and operating in no time, with Stevens as the company’s first CEO and Sokolsky as the CTO.

    Udacity – Mission and Vision Statement

    Udacity’s mission statement says, “Udacity’s mission is to train the world’s workforce in the careers of the future.”

    Modern technology influences every industry. Companies all around the world are eager to employ people with the right tech skills to help them adapt and improve their operations. Through their strong and adaptable digital education platform, Udacity collaborates with the world’s leading technology companies to teach these vital tech skills. Udacity has made it possible for even the busiest students to prepare for the most in-demand tech jobs.


    CodeChef – Company Profile | Competitive Programming Community
    Founded by Bhavin Turakhia, CodeChef was started as an educational initiative in the year 2009. Know more about it’s business model, recent news, etc.


    Udacity – Partnerships

    Udacity’s top hiring partners include Google, Amazon Alexa, Auro, Bosch, CrowdAI, Dataspeed, HARMAN, Intel, Lucid VR, Mobvoi, Nod, Samsung, Slack, Telefónica Germany, Upload, etc.

    Udacity – Spin-Off Company

    In April 2017, Udacity announced the launch of Voyage Auto, a self-driving vehicle taxi firm that would compete with ride-hailing services like Uber. The business has been testing its concept on low-speed private roads in a retirement community in San Jose, California, using production consumer automobiles. Voyage established a ride-hailing collaboration with The Villages, a retirement community in Florida, in 2018. Voyage was purchased by Cruise in March 2021.

    Udacity – Business Model and Revenue Model

    Udacity is a freemium EdTech platform that offers massive open online courses (MOOCs) (courses open to anyone for enrolment). Udacity collaborates with businesses and institutions to provide nanodegrees (short-term online education programs focused on specialized skills in computer science). The user can choose to pay a one-time or recurring charge to access one or all of the courses. The courses are available to private individuals, businesses too can buy these courses for their employees. The cost of the consumer courses varies from $718 to $1436.

    Udacity courses are delivered in a nanodegree format by the firm. Nanodegrees are made up of a series of lectures and homework assignments that culminate in a capstone project.

    In the past, Udacity’s payment models have been prone to change. The most recent modifications are in line with their new approach of providing high-quality educational content, which includes professional mentors and specialized career counseling.

    Furthermore, a freemium business model is an element of the company’s growth plan. Udacity provides free access to beginning courses or sections of nano degrees in this way. This assists users in determining if they are comfortable in the learning environment and have the time and abilities required to finish the courses.

    Udacity – Employees

    • Alper Tekin – Chief Product Officer
    • Dana Bennett – Chief People Officer
    • Gabriel Dalporto – Chief Executive Officer
    • James Richards – CTO
    • Kenny Kim – Chief Marketing Officer
    • Alvaro Biel – Head of Business Development & Partnerships, Europe and Latin America – Udacity for Government
    • Blake Tablak – SVP of Global Enterprise
    • Grace Rhee – Vice President of People and Places
    • Holger Kobler – Regional Vice President DACH
    • Ira Stone – Regional Vice President, Enterprise Sales

    Udacity – Funding, and Investors

    Date Round Amount Lead Investors
    Aug 27, 2021 Secondary Market $5M
    Jun 20, 2021 Secondary Market
    Jun 12, 2021 Secondary Market
    Jan 28, 2021 Secondary Market
    Nov 3, 2020 Debt Financing $75M Hercules Capital
    Nov 11, 2015 Series D $105M Bertelsmann
    Sep 24, 2014 Series C $35M
    Oct 25, 2012 Series B $15M Andreessen Horowitz
    Jan 1, 2012 Series A $5M CRV

    Udacity – Acquisitions

    Acquiree Name About Acquiree Date Amount
    Terminal The Terminal provides bleeding-edge software and AI to edtech companies looking to improve student success. Mar 1, 2017

    Udacity – Growth

    The pandemic produced great burdens and drove individuals to make many tough decisions, and 2020 was a year of extraordinary challenges. At the same time, individuals continued to learn and grow despite the disturbance in their everyday lives. Over the course of 2020, Udacity increased its focus on assisting students in finding the courses they needed to prepare for a better future.

    Last year, the firm celebrated 14 million users, 1.5 million completed projects, and over 170,000 Nanodegree certificates granted, and they are looking forward to celebrating over 50,000 graduates in 2020 as well as some interesting improvements.

    The year 2020 was a momentous occasion for Udacity as a company. Enterprise and government bookings increased by 260 percent in yearly recurring revenue in the first half of 2020 alone, and the company just obtained $75 million in funding to assist support this remarkable development, tripling its Sales and Customer Success teams.

    Over the last year (2019-2020), the company welcomed a number of new team members to help them maintain this incredible trajectory with enterprise customers, including CFO Seamus Hennessy, CMO Kenny Kim, SVP of Global Enterprise Sales Blake Tablak, and SVP of Global Customer Success and Operations Jennifer Dearman, who joined in early 2021.


    Rise of e-leaning sector during COVID-19
    The online education is getting a great response. There is a great rise in the use of e-learning services. Let us see the whole case study of e-learning sector during COVID-19.


    Udacity – Competitors

    Udacity’s top competitors include Khan Academy, Skillshare, Coursebirdie, MasterClass, Pluralsight, Udemy, Coursera, LinkedIn Learning, BizLibrary, Articulate 360, iSpring Suite, PiiQ by Cornerstone, Infosec Skills, Pluralsight, and General Assembly.

    Udacity – Challenges Faced

    Udacity had to lay off roughly 20% of its employees and restructure its operations as of April 2019, as co-founder Sebastian Thrun attempted to decrease expenses in line with revenue without stifling growth.

    Udacity, which offers “nano degrees” in a variety of technical disciplines such as AI, deep learning, digital marketing, virtual reality, and computer vision, has been in financial trouble for months, owing to rising expenses and other inefficiencies. Thanks to popular initiatives like its self-driving vehicle and deep learning nano degree, the firm flourished in 2017, with revenue jumping 100 percent year over year.

    Udacity has also reduced expenses and streamlined marketing activities, shrunk and consolidated office space, and standardized instructional programs throughout its different locations, including the United States, Brazil, China, and India.

    The firm maintained an office in Mountain View, albeit in a smaller size, as well as one in San Francisco. Udacity has shuttered a second satellite office in San Francisco and is assessing its real estate requirements in other nations.

    Udacity – Future Plans

    Udacity has popularized the notion of “Nanodegrees” in fields including artificial intelligence, programming, autonomous driving, and cloud computing. Udacity will focus more on Sales and Marketing in the coming years.

    “On the enterprise and government side, we’re seeing enormous demand,” said Gabe Dalporto, Udacity’s CEO, who joined the firm in 2019. “However, it’s largely been inbound to date, with businesses, Fortune 500 firms, and government agencies seeking to collaborate with us.” Now it’s time to assemble a sales force to pursue them.”

    The interest in Udacity, both from investors and as a firm, is part of a larger emphasis on online education startups in the previous year. As schools, districts, governments, and public health officials implement social distancing to slow the spread of COVID-19, the focus has been on developing better technology and content to help students stay engaged and continue learning even when they are unable to be in their normal physical classrooms. Udacity is not considering any acquisitions for the next 6-12 months.

    Udacity – FAQs

    What does Udacity do?

    Udacity (an American company) is an international, online, life-long learning network that connects education and employment opportunities. Udacity is an online training platform that provides courses in artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, data science, autonomous systems, and cloud computing, among other fields.

    Who founded Udacity?

    Udacity was founded by David Stevens, Mike Sokolsky, and Sebastian Thrun in 2011.

    When was Udacity founded?

    Udacity was founded by David Stevens, Mike Sokolsky, and Sebastian Thrun in 2011.

    How does Udacity make money?

    Udacity earns money by selling instructional content to individuals and businesses. These courses are delivered in a nanodegree format by the firm.

    Which companies do Udacity compete with?

    Udacity’s top competitors include Khan Academy, Skillshare, Coursebirdie, MasterClass, Pluralsight, Udemy, Coursera, LinkedIn Learning, BizLibrary, Articulate 360, iSpring Suite, PiiQ by Cornerstone, Infosec Skills, Pluralsight, and General Assembly.

  • Why do Companies Acquire Other Startups and Companies?

    “Survival of the fittest” is a phrase the biologist Charles Darwin popularised. This denotes in biology the fact that, for an organism to live and survive in extreme nature, it has to be the fittest. So, the laymen implication is that the fittest are mostly entitled to survive. This is a widely used term in biology, whenever someone studies a species. In fact, every species that you see today is the fittest left out of past versions of species. The process of evolution leaves the fittest and curbs the rest of all.

    While “survival of the fittest” is the truth for the biological world, it seems that the same phrase cannot be used for the trade world. Businesses all over the world need not follow the trend. However a little tweak in that phrase will perfectly fit how the business world behaves. We can say that the business world follows the thumb rule of “Survival of the biggest”. Big corporations with deep pockets run the show. Everywhere you see, its valuations, employees magnitude, and scaling demographics are the prime factors that businesses run after.

    This is not as simple as it sounds. The reason being that every corporation in the world was at a time, nothing but small and fringe. The rough path that these small businesses go through makes them tough and with the flow of time they become fatter and bigger. The traditional path is to go bootstrapped, that is to use its own revenue for growth. Some follow raising capital techniques to go and scale.

    One of the most famous (now) and new trends that the businesses follow to go big is something other than these. It is through the way of acquisitions. So what does it mean ? How does it work ? and why do businesses resort to acquiring other businesses ? These are some questions which we will try to figure out in this article. Read on to discover otherwise unnoticed details.

    What do you mean by an Acquisition?
    Why do Companies Acquire other Companies?
    Types of Acquisitions
    Few Famous Examples for Understanding Acquistion
    FAQ

    What do you mean by an Acquisition?

    Acquisition means buying other corporations. Businesses all over the world follow this method to grow and scale either business. Not to mention that this is probably the fastest way to scale. So, acquisition occurs when one company obtains a majority stake in the other (target) firm, which retains its name and its legal structure.

    This can be done to foster your own growth or it can be also done to revive a dying business. For example, in the year 2002, PayPal was having a rough time and eBay stepped in as a hero to save its life. There are case studies or examples in later of this article but first let us know some basics.

    There are many ways a company can acquire some other company. We will discuss them in detail now. However there can be many types but there are always some prime types of acquisitions. Before jumping into the types of acquisitions, we need to learn why companies do that in the first place.


    When should you Stop Raising Funds for your Startup?
    Every entrepreneur wants funding to grow their startup but when is the right time to stop raising funds?. Let’s find out


    Why do Companies Acquire other Companies?

    There are many benefits to acquiring. That is why big businesses are always looking for good businesses to acquire. They kind of prey on them. The benefits can turn into  disadvantages too if the acquired business is not good. So, the acquirer has to be choosy in this matter. Here we are discussing some of the best known benefits of acquiring other businesses. Read on to find out the reason for which businesses acquire,

    Synergy

    The word synergy means to combine two organisations or substances in order to make the resultant substance more effective than the individual power of every combined corporation. This is one of the biggest reasons why big companies like to acquire other small corporations.

    The resulting organisation after the acquiring process turns out to be more effective and efficient than the previous two individual organisations. This helps in achieving more power and thus to get more market share in whatever product the companies are dealing in. This also ensures that both the companies get bigger market share than they were getting before the acquisition. This is a win-win situation for both the parties, which becomes now a single unit.

    Reducing Competition

    When a company acquires some other company, the resultant company faces less competition. Simply stated, earlier both the companies were competing for the same market share and with similar products.

    With the inception of acquiring, both the companies join hands to eliminate the competition and run towards the same goal of owning more market share. This however requires both the acquirer and the acquiree to be bound by a contract.

    The acquiree may agree to the acquiring terms only after some handsome paycheck. This makes it a little more complex than it looks on the outside. Moreover, for this transaction to happen we need to calculate the exact value of the acquired company which is a time consuming process. Anyhow, once it happens, eliminates the competition.

    Growth and Performance

    Another reason for acquiring a business is growth. This point can be said as a subpoint of the first mentioned reason. A company can grow and scale significantly without doing much hard work by itself.

    Acquiring can do the work for the organisation. It gets the opportunity of growth while achieving the goal of efficiency. You get to use the goodwill of the acquired company and the reach of that company to make your own organisation touch the sky. However, choosing which corporation to acquire is a challenge in itself. If done correctly, it can be a recipe for success and if done wrongly, can make you the architect of your own downfall.

    The Advantage on Cost Savings

    When a business acquires another business, it happens mostly in between businesses of the same product. When two same organisations of supply chain assimilates then this results in cost savings for the resulting company. Thus, by buying out a distributor or supplier of a product, businesses can lower their cost up to a large extent. This helps in achieving efficiency in manufacturing products and thus getting a much larger share of the product market.


    Difference between Red Ocean Strategy and Blue Ocean Strategy Explained
    If you are planning to enter the market with your product, it is important to understand the difference between the Blue ocean & Red ocean strategy.


    Types of Acquisitions

    There can be many forms and types of acquisitions. They can differ from one to another with a change in organisation to organisation. There are however, four basic and most widely accepted types. Those four types we are going to list here.

    Horizontal Acquisition

    If you’re a math fan, Horizontal means a flat two dimensional line on a plane. In a market, each organisation has to deliver some sort of value in order to survive. Not only this, they have to strive to be better than everybody else in that segment of product. This competition can be easily eliminated by acquiring the other standing organisation. So horizontal acquisitions are those acquisitions in which a firm acquires another similar firm (in a horizontal direction) to eliminate competition.

    Vertical Acquisition

    As horizontal is a flat line, Vertical is a perpendicular, that is a standing line from ground. In horizontal acquiring we saw firms acquire firms which are in almost the same shoulder as the acquirer. In vertical, we don’t look at some flat line, we just acquire forward or backward of the supply chain. For example, a wholesaler who is a big wholesaler in a market can acquire the manufacturer of the product in order to supply the product at cheap rates. This is known as backward vertical acquisition. In the same manner, if that wholesaler acquires a retailer, then it will be called a forward vertical acquisition. In this case he/she will be able to be more consumer facing and consumer centric.

    Congeneric Acquisition

    This acquisition is a little bit different than types mentioned before. So, in this modern world when time is really a luxury, we tend to go to shopping malls to get everything at one place. This helps us to save time travelling. This concept inspired the mode of Congeneric acquisition, which says to acquire businesses to provide a one-stop destination for your clients. For example, a bank whose big customers require more frequent travel around the world may need travel insurance.

    After identifying this opportunity, that bank can buy or acquire an insurance company in order to help get its customers a travel insurance plan. This makes them more profitable and provides the customers with a one stop market. This reduces hassle for both the parties.

    Conglomerate Acquisition

    This type takes the acquisition models to a whole new level. It is an acquisition between companies that are totally different. They have different products or services, different demographics, different business and revenue models. Even with all these disparities, they go on and initiate the acquiring process.

    The reason for such an acquisition happening is that the company is trying to go on unexplored territories. They want to expand to new places and to a different product market. This type of diversification strategy helps both the firms in diversification of their businesses, Synergy benefits, increasing customers magnitude, and to achieve better economies in scale.

    One famous example of this type of acquisition can be the merger between PayPal and eBay, both the companies are totally different and PayPal in 2002 was struggling to play in the payments markets.

    eBay acquired it by paying a sum like a billion dollars and kept PayPal going. Since then PayPal is able to revolutionise payments in the whole of the world. This is what a good acquisition can do to companies and it is still considered a benchmark in silicon valley.

    Few Famous Examples for Understanding Acquistion

    We all are fans of big and flashy organisations but most often we don’t get to see the BTS (Behind the scenes). Almost every big organisation has acquired some other businesses to foster growth. They were small too at some point in time, but now stand at a paramount position. Here are some examples of a few famous behemoths.

    Apple bought Siri (the automatic personal assistant) in 2010 to enhance its then newly launched iPhones. It became an instant hit and iPhone users loved it. So, In 2014, Apple purchased Novauris Technologies, which was a company specialised in speech-recognition-technology, in order to further enhance Siri’s capabilities. In 2014, Apple also purchased Beats Electronics, which had recently launched a music-streaming service. Both the companies now enjoy the biggest market share in their product segments.

    Speaking at India level, we are not too far off the list. We have seen many acquisitions in our business world as well. Startups do it, established companies have done it.

    Say for example Zomato in the year 2020 acquired Uber eats. In January 2020, Zomato had acquired Uber Eats’ India operations in a non-cash deal for ₹1,376 crore, excluding an amount of Rs 248 crore payable towards GST. As part of the deal, Zomato issued 76,376 compulsorily convertible cumulative preference shares (CCPS), each valued at ₹180,153, to Uber India. This acquisition was done to make Zomato scale and touch new heights, which it did. Zomato went on to even get listed in Indian stock exchange on July 27, 2021. Its story has been repeatedly referred to as a great success story in our startup ecosystem.

    Another big acquisition which the Indian startup ecosystem recently saw was BYJU’s acquiring Akash Institute for a whopping billion dollars. Byju’s is an educational and technology faced startup, referred to as an Ed-tech company. On the other hand Akash institutions are one of India’s biggest coaching institutes for competitive exams. This acquisition made Byju’s spread its wings as the company prepares to take a flight that will cover the whole of India. IPO-Bound BYJU’s Spent More Than $2.4 Bn On Acquisitions In 2021

    Top Acquisitions of Byju's
    Top Acquisitions of Byju’s

    Bootstrapped SaaS Startups | Tips for Bootstrapping your Startup
    Here are some tips that you should keep in mind while bootstrapping your Startup and checkout the 7 successful bootstrapped SaaS startups along with..


    Conclusion

    So we read what acquisition is and why companies acquire other companies. They can be a great way to scale in a country like India. Not to mention that the second most populous country is still in its development phase. Despite being hard to perform, acquiring businesses has become famous among not just big companies but new age startups too. New age startups like Zomato or BYJUs are open to buy corporations to scale new heights.

    There is however, indeed no magic formula for a successful acquisition. All we can do and hope and research for, is just better probabilities. Each deal has its own research and its own personal strategies at the back. But an acquisition is mostly seen as a neat method to scale, if done correctly. India has seen multiple acquisitions and it has seen economics of startups at scale too.

    This is a new world where leverage is at its probable peak. Anyone from anywhere can use it, but the thing that differs is how the person uses it. Use it well and you will fly, use it badly and you may become the architect of your own downfall. Some people may want to quote that “there are no losses, only learnings” and I agree with that.

    FAQ

    Why do companies buy out other companies?

    The major reasons companies acquire other companies to seek economies of scale, diversification, greater market share, increased synergy, cost reductions, or new niche offerings.

    Why companies merge or acquire?

    The most common factor companies acquire other companies are to grow its market share and reduce the costs of developing business activities.

    How do company acquisitions work?

    An acquisition is when a company acquires the target company’s shares to make decisions about the newly acquired assets.

  • List of Brands Endorsed by Robert Downey Jr.

    Presently, celebrity status is in demand, as placing a familiar face on everything will almost certainly lead to a rise in profits. Since it is convenient to sell stuff with a star pushing it, Robert Downey Jr. (RDJ) is among the renowned names whose been paid a fortune to assist entities to sell.

    RDJ is an artist, musician, and filmmaker best known for his performances in the Marvel series. He began his career in the entertainment sector at the age of 5 and now has a total value of USD 300 million. From 2012 through 2015, he led Forbes’ list of Hollywood’s top-paid artists for 3 years. He is among the most talented and well-known artists in the United States.

    He has endorsed a portfolio of brands and firms. These promotions have enabled him to gain a substantial sum of money and have significantly increased his net value.

    So, lets look at list of brands endorsed by Robert Downey Jr.

    Team Downey
    Call of Duty
    Audi
    Nissan
    Kraft Foods
    One Plus
    Nobell Foods
    HTC
    Ynsect
    FAQ

    Team Downey

    On June 14, 2010, RDJ and his spouse, Susan, founded their own film company, ‘Team Downey.’ RDJ has created films and television series under the filmmaking firm, including The Judge, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, A.I., and a few more. His valuation grew, and he amassed a sizable fortune.

    Call of Duty

    Guy Ritchie (Sherlock Holmes) produced the live-action teaser for Call of Duty: Black Ops II. It sustains the show’ witty “there’s a gamer in all of us” theme, but it makes it a step ahead with an appearance from Ritchie’s friend and longtime partner Robert Downey Jr. It’s an entertaining video that also previews the game’s munitions and, of all, zombies, which are set in the future.

    Audi

    Audi, like Avengers, was just getting started in the area of high-performance automobile manufacturing, and they intended to make a point. What perfect way to do it than to be an exclusive automobile partner in a brand that is estimated to rise? And boy, were they proven to be correct.

    Avengers star and spokesmodel Robert Downey Jr., found the recently introduced 2007 Audi R8 to be an excellent match. The R8 was a smash hit from the get-go in 2008, thanks to its blend of pace, style, engineering, and just pure coolness. After the premiere of Marvel Iron Man, the star would go on to proclaim it “the rebirth of the cool,” and both names would skyrocket in popularity.

    Nissan

    Robert Downey Jr.’s reputation was disrupted in the 1990s due to drug problems, but the dynamic artist is back in gear in the “Iron Man” movie as a playboy, tycoon, and intellect Tony Stark. In 2010, Nissan hired him to give the vocal narrative for its “Innovation for Everyone” advert, which promotes Nissan’s technical achievements. His image as the futurist Stark is a great fit for the role.

    Kraft Foods

    Up to this point, Mr. Peanut, the dapper Planters character since 1916, has kept mum. He’s receiving a voice as a component of Kraft Foods’ attempt to restore the mascot, and the name, back to life for millennial customers. In a cartoony ad, the star Robert Downey Jr. performs the voiceover. Folks adored Mr. Peanut, but there was nothing more to him than nostalgia.

    Allowing him to interact would help folks connect with him more. RDJ was picked to speak for him due to his “everyman handsomeness,” as per Mr. Wixom, who also stated that the star had “an accent that could wear the sombrero, monocle, and walking stick and still feel modern and stylish.”


    List of Brands Endorsed by Scarlett Johansson
    Scarlett Johansson is a American actress and also one of the highest-paid actress. She is Famous for her movies Black Widow and Avengers. Here are list of brands endorsed by Scarlett Johansson.


    One Plus

    OnePlus, a worldwide tech giant has debuted its fresh ad campaign, which stars American star RDJ. The ad recognizes OnePlus’s insight into the smartphone niche and reaffirms the company’s ‘Never Settle’ credo. They decided soon after the release of the OnePlus 7 range of smartphones.

    Nobell Foods

    RDJ has supported a meat-free cheese firm that produces dairy-like cheese without using animals. Magi Richani, the founder of Nobell Foods, a food tech business devoted to reproducing dairy proteins, has been refining the dairy-alternative methodology for 4 years. The DNA for casein, a key element in dairy, was successfully recreated by a new cultured cheese firm. The casein protein is extracted from soybeans and other crops, helping the firm to imitate the cheesy dairy qualities.

    HTC

    Robert Downey Jr. inked a 2-year pact with HTC, a Taiwanese mobile firm, for $12 million in 2013. According to The Verge, the Avengers star featured in the firm’s global tv, paper, and advert while still “preserving a modicum of artistic input.”

    Ynsect

    After the Playoffs in the United States, RDJ, a Celebrity, and cofounder of the Footprint Coalition in Los Angeles was a guest on Stephen Colbert’s Late Show. The actor demonstrated Ynsect goods to the crowd, touting them as world-changing. Following that, the French firm received significant funding from several international backers, including RDJ’s Footprint Coalition. Habitat destruction, GHG emissions, and microplastics are all addressed by this financing.

    That’s all for today folks.

    FAQ

    What is the net worth of Robert Downey Jr.?

    The net worth of Robert Downey Jr. is US$300 million.

    What is the age of Robert Downey Jr.?

    Robert Downey Jr. was born on 4 April, 1965 and is 56 years old.

    Who is the wife of Robert Downey Jr.

    Robert Downey Jr. is married to Susan Downey, an American film producer.

  • BrowserStack – Success Story of The World’s Best Cloud Based Testing Platform

    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 BrowserStack.

    Every aspect of human life, in one way or the other, is affected by Apps and Websites. They’ve become an integral part of our day-to-day life. As a result, the growth of the App and Website industry is reaching new heights every year. With the creation of the first website in August 1991, the industry has gone through massive growth. There are approximately 1.88 Billion Websites and 5.2 Million Apps on Google Play and the Apple store, as of September 2021. Around 2,50,000 websites and 3500 apps are born daily.

    Apart from developing apps and websites, the developers have another crucial role to play. To reach a wider audience, they have to ensure that their software functions effectively on various platforms, browsers and devices. Assuring the quality requires the software to be tested on each and every platform, which is a time-consuming and unachievable process for developers. This is where BrowserStack comes into play.

    BrowserStack helps the developers to test their apps and websites on multiple devices, browsers, and OS to ensure their functionality. It is an Indian Company established in 2011. BrowserStack’s customers include Microsoft, Twitter, Expedia and many more. It has turned out to be the leading software testing platform in the world.

    BrowserStack – Highlights

    Company Name BrowserStack
    Headquarters Mumbai, India
    Sector Enterprise Software, Web Development
    Founder Ritesh Arora, Nakul Aggarwal
    Founded 2011
    Valuation $4 Billion
    Total Funding Raised $250 Million
    Website BrowserStack.com

    BrowserStack – About
    BrowserStack – Latest News
    BrowserStack – Founders
    BrowserStack – Startup Story
    BrowserStack – Mission and Vision
    BrowserStack – Business Model
    BrowserStack – Revenue Model
    BrowserStack – Products and Services
    BrowserStack – Funding and Investors
    BrowserStack – Acquisitions
    BrowserStack – Growth
    BrowserStack – Partnership
    BrowserStack – Awards and Achievements
    BrowserStack – Competitors
    BrowserStack – Future Plans
    BrowserStack – FAQs

    Success story of BrowserStack by Ritesh Arora – Co-founder of BrowserStack

    BrowserStack – About

    BrowserStack is a SaaS platform that provides cloud-based mobile and web testing services. It helps the developers to deliver a quality service by testing their software on numerous devices, operating systems, and browsers. The company holds five primary products to test software for Quality Assurance (QA) namely, Live, Automate, and Percy for testing websites, App Live and App Automate for testing mobile apps.

    BrowserStack is a Mumbai-based company founded by Ritesh Arora and Nakul Aggarwal in 2011. The company has its global offices in Mumbai, Dublin, San Francisco, and New York. With more than 25,000 paid customers and 750 employees across the world, BrowserStack became a Unicorn valued at $4 billion in 2021. The company swanks itself as the world’s leading software testing platform.

    BrowserStack – Latest News

    September 28, 2021 – $50 Million worth of Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOP) was bought back from its employees by BrowserStack for the second time. This Buy-back exercise was carried out to help employees financially and more than 100 employees participated in it.

    August 10, 2021 – Forbes 2021 Cloud 100 named BrowserStack to its list of top 100 private cloud companies in the world. The judging panel for this ranking consisted of 34 CEOs from public cloud companies.

    BrowserStack – Founders

    Ritesh Arora and Nakul Aggarwal - BrowserStack Founders
    Ritesh Arora and Nakul Aggarwal – BrowserStack Founders

    Ritesh Arora and Nakul Aggarwal are the co-founders of BrowserStack. Ritesh Arora also serves as the CEO and Nakul Aggarwal as the CTO (Chief Technology Officer) of the company. They are ‘Serial Entrepreneurs’ who co-founded QuarkRank, QuarkBase, and Downcase (all were tech companies) before BrowserStack. Arora and Aggarwal, both were good friends and graduates in Computer Science from IIT Bombay.

    BrowserStack – Startup Story

    BrowserStack Logo
    BrowserStack Logo

    BrowserStack was created as a result of difficulties faced by the founders while creating Downcase, a cloud computing and consulting company. The founders faced an inability to run the test for their newly built website across various browsers and devices. The lack of resources got them frustrated. This forced Arora and Aggarwal to build a testing platform on their own, which resulted in BrowserStack.

    Ritesh Arora and Nakul Aggarwal founded BrowserStack in 2011 at a coffee shop in Mumbai. Today, 10 years later, the company is valued at $4 Billion and provides its service in more than 135 countries.

    BrowserStack – Mission and Vision

    “To empower developers to build amazing experiences” is the mission with which BrowserStack is functioning. The company wanted to build easy, quick and quality software testing tools. This in turn ensures Developers and Quality Assurance teams offer a flawless experience to billions of users. BrowserStack is also sticking towards its vision of “Becoming the testing Infrastructure of the Internet”. With the growing customers and services, the company has already started leading the software testing industry.

    BrowserStack – Business Model

    BrowserStack provides a cloud platform that offers cross-browser testing services to its users. Web/App designers and developers can use the platform to assess the quality and functionality of their software.

    BrowserStack runs the software through multiple combinations of devices and browsers to test for bugs if any, that cause malfunctions or glitches. They have 5 products for the users to choose from to perform the testing. BrowserStack ensures that the developers deliver a web/app, which gives a seamless experience to the end-users.

    BrowserStack – Revenue Model

    BrowserStack generates revenue through its subscription plans. The company also additionally made ₹44 Lakhs through interests and ₹77 lakhs through foreign exchange fluctuations in the financial year 2020.

    The five products offered by BrowserStack have a separate pricing plan for each of them. But all the products come at a discount of 25% if purchased annually. There’s also a free trial available for users with limited features. Here are its plans and prices:

    Live

    • Desktop – $39/month
    • Desktop & Mobile – $49/month
    • Team – $150/month (5 users)
    • Enterprise Team – Custom

    Automate

    • Desktop – $169/month
    • Desktop & Mobile – $249/month
    • Enterprise – Custom

    App Live

    • Individual – $39/month
    • Team – $30/month
    • Enterprise Team – Custom

    App Automate

    • App Automate – $249/month
    • Enterprise – Custom

    Percy

    • Free – $0/month
    • Professional – $129/month
    • Enterprise – Custom

    BrowserStack – Products and Services

    BrowserStack performs testing of apps and websites through five primary tools. Here are their brief descriptions:

    Live – It helps test cross browsers on mobiles and desktops. Any bugs detected can be eradicated in real-time using their pre-installed developer tools. ‘Live’ helps you to test in more than 3000 desktop browsers.

    Automate – Automate helps to run tests quickly and parallelly in both cloud devices and real browsers. Scaling can be done using a Selenium grid which gives flexibility, and at the same time, maintains the stability of your tests.

    Percy – Percy looks for visual bugs and performs tests that give a pixel-perfect user interface (UI). The Visual Testing can be automated and the running of tests is done real-quick in Percy.

    App Live – This is an exclusive cloud tool for Android and iOS devices. Similar to ‘Live’, App Live also comes with real-time debugging and running tests on development environments. You can also scroll, swipe and interact using many hand gestures while testing, just like you would do in any mobile.

    App Automate – App Automate allows you to run tests simultaneously on thousands of devices. This reduces the time for testing and helps to identify and fix the bugs swiftly. It also makes the integration with BrowserStack easy.

    BrowserStack – Funding and Investors

    Three Investors invested a sum of $250 Million in BrowserStack through 2 rounds. The 2nd round of funding made BrowserStack a Unicorn Company valued at $4 Billion. It was the 15th company in India to become a Unicorn in 2021.

    Date Funding Round Amount Investors Name
    June 16, 2021 Series B $200 Million Bond, Accel and Insight Partners
    January 30, 2018 Series A $50 Million Accel

    BrowserStack – Acquisitions

    BrowserStack Acquisition
    BrowserStack Acquisition

    BrowserStack acquired Percy, a visual review and testing platform based in San Francisco, on 9th July 2020 for an undisclosed price. This was the only acquisition made by BrowserStack so far.

    BrowserStack – Growth

    Born out of a coffee shop in Mumbai in 2011, BrowserStack has achieved a humongous growth in a decade. Profits started flowing in right from day 1 and the founders managed to run BrowserStack without any fundings. It took nearly 7 years for the company to reach a revenue of $20 Million whereas, it surpassed $100 Million in the next couple of years.

    The first milestone for 1000 paid customers was achieved within 6 months of commencing business. They slowly started enhancing their service by adding tools like ‘Automate’ and partnering with Microsoft. The mobile testing service for Android and iOS was launched in 2015. By 2016, BrowserStack started expanding its business by establishing offices in San Francisco and Dublin. The company also had constructed 15 Global Data Centres so far, widening its operational reach around the world.

    BrowserStack – Partnership

    Zuci Systems

    BrowserStack, has partnered with Zuci Systems, a digital consulting and solutions company, in a strategic alliance on August 8,2023.

    BrowserStack – Awards and Achievements

    BrowserStack was named twice as one of the top 100 private cloud companies by Forbes. Here are some of the BrowserStack achhievements:

    • Forbes 2018 Cloud 100 and Forbes 2021 Cloud 100 included BrowserStack in their definitive list.
    • Economic Times Startup Awards recognized BrowserStack as the Bootstrap Champ in the year 2015.
    • G2 has recognized BrowserStack as the Leader in the Test Automation Software category for the year 2021.
    • LinkedIn has awarded BrowserStack as one of the 25 most attractive startups in India in 2018.

    Top 5 No-Code Automation Tools You Must Try [2021]
    Are you a noob when it comes to coding? If yes, here is a list of the top 5 no-code tools which you can use this year to make your life easier.


    BrowserStack – Competitors

    BrowserStack Competitors
    BrowserStack Competitors

    BrowserStack has few competitors who are better in terms of stability, support, and meeting the needs of customers. Here are some of the top competitors of BrowserStack.

    • Sauce Labs
    • TestComplete
    • LambdaTest
    • Browserling
    • RobusTest

    BrowserStack – Future Plans

    BrowserStack is expected to double its employee count in the upcoming years. The company is also planning to increase its onboard global talent pool in the future. As the first step to it, BrowserStack transformed itself into a Remote-First company on September 14, 2021. This eliminates geographical limits and enables employees to work from any part of the world.

    BrowserStack – FAQs

    What is BrowserStack?

    BrowserStack is a SaaS platform that provides cloud-based mobile and web testing services for developers.

    Is BrowserStack an Indian Company?

    It is an Indian company with 4 global offices located in Mumbai, San Francisco, Dublin, and New York.

    Who are the founders of BrowserStack?

    Ritesh Arora and Nakul Aggarwal are the BrowserStack’s founders.

    In how many other countries does BrowserStack provides their service?

    BrowserStack is offering services in more than 135 countries with 15 global data centres.

    Who are the top Competitors of BrowserStack?

    Some of the top competitors of BrowserStack are:

    • Sauce Labs
    • TestComplete
    • LambdaTest
    • Browserling
    • RobusTest
  • Garena Free Fire Marketing Strategy: How Free Fire became the Most Popular Battle Royale Game in India

    Let me ask you a question, what do you do when you are free ? Keeping the pandemic in mind, Chances are most young folks would say that they play games, multiplayer games with their friends. Even though I assume that we have a variety of audience on our blog, who like reading, being curious etcetera but gaming has always been most people’s favorite.

    If I had asked this question a couple of decades from now, the answer would vary hugely. With technology disrupting every field, gaming has become the one stop destination for quite any of the age groups. It is an escape from our rather boring world. This world doesn’t allow us much freedom but the gaming world is always ready to fulfil our human need to be limitless. Moreover as computers are getting smaller and smaller, almost to the size of our palms. We can see a surge in mobile gamers.

    Around the last couple years, the most played and talked game was PUBG or the Player’s Unknown Battlegrounds. The concept was simple and cooperative. Hundred random real people are parachuted into the same terrain, they fight till the end. The Last one standing wins the game.

    The game was so popular with Indians that there were reports of extreme addictions among children and teens. The issue got so big that even our prime minister Shri Narendra Modi commented on it in one of his speeches. The game was hated by parents and absolutely loved by their kids. As the game had multiplayer, It allowed them to connect with friends during the pandemic. But with rising tensions among India and China, PUBG was banned due to its roots in China.

    This doesn’t stop here, there were alternatives for these types of games. The most famous one “Free fire” came into the limelight. It had excellent marketing that made it surge the charts of downloads and installs. This article dissects the marketing of the game Free Fire and how games like these are changing the face of the Indian mobile gaming industry. Read on to discover unnoticed facts and figures.

    The Surging Gaming Fad
    What is Free-Fire?
    Free Fire Marketing Strategy
    FAQ

    The Surging Gaming Fad

    India with its huge population is the second most populous country in the world. Moreover, the average age in India is approximately 29 years. Which means that we are an immense young nation.

    Youngsters are known to break stereotypes and create their own path to success. This country is increasingly moving towards dominating the gaming sector. Till now, it was not seen as a viable career option but now the tide around this topic is changing.

    Especially after a pandemic hit the whole world. It confined us to our homes and led us to change our ways of living. Most of the sectors are now working on a remote model. Thus gaming got its much needed boost. With streaming partners like YouTube, it has become extremely easy to showcase your gaming skills online and build a community.

    One of the most famous formats of games in India and world wide is the online multiplayer genre. The genre that is followed by Free fire, the recent hit android game. Read to know about how this world operates in Free Fire.

    What is Free-Fire?

    Garena Free Fire
    Garena Free Fire 

    Free Fire or Garena Free Fire is an android game. In 2017, it was released as Garena Free Fire, which has over 80 million daily active users globally as of May 2020. It is headquartered in Singapore and is traded with the name of Forrest Li. The company which holds all the rights to this game is Sea Limited, with Terry Zhao as its president.

    At the heart of it, the game is a survival shooter game. Each game, which is about 10 minute places the player on a map with 49 other people. Every player is allowed to build up a team of four and play as a team also. Players can land on any point on the map by gliding through a parachute. They can fight, hide, take vehicles and travel the map. The ultimate standing wins the match.

    Other than the basic running-frame, the game also offers different modes and methods to play. Game modes like the 10 minute battleground, 4 people squad game, or 4 versus 4 modes are amongst the most played. The game manages to provide great graphics with all its functions as an online multiplayer. However the quality of gameplay may differ according to device specs.


    Growth Of Indian Gaming Industry During Pandemic
    The Indian Online Gaming Industry is growing exponentially fast and is expected to be worth $1.1 billion by 2021, this is because of the Covid 19 pandemic.


    Free Fire Marketing Strategy

    Free Fire is not just a regular game that hopes to increase its downloads with word of mouth, but it prepares for its marketing in India. It manages to hook more and more players with its marketing campaigns. This section of the articles lists some noticeable brand campaigns that the company runs.

    Roping in Celebrities

    It seems like the golden rule of advertisement is to make a celeb say good things about your product. Free Fire does not lag in that domain too. It roped in the all time pro footballer, Cristiano Ronaldo as the game’s brand ambassador. This is not a regular sight when you see the OG footballer promoting a game. The football player said on its association with the game a great feeling,

    It’s a great feeling having not only a character in Free Fire modeled after me, but also having the whole universe within the game-changing along with it. The Garena team has worked into the game tons of new features and elements for Operation Chrono. I hope Free Fire players all over the world are just as excited as I am!” said Cristiano Ronaldo.

    Ronaldo Character in Free Fire
    Ronaldo Character in Free Fire

    This collaboration with Cristiano Ronaldo went really well. The company reported more installs after this collaboration than recent times. This is a promotional video that the company uploaded on its YouTube channel.

    ‌‌Speaking of celebrities, India is a special place. If Free Fire wants to hold their leg in here they need something personalised with Indian audiences. They did what was probably needed. They made a song, roping in Sachin Jigar as singers. The song starred YouTube celeb Bhuvan Bam and actress Shraddha Kapoor. The song, not to mention really hit the chord with fans of these stars and the singer duo.

    Championships: the battle of bests

    The best part of a sport is not the winning or the losing, but the sport itself. The sportsman spirit and the sweat of hardwork is the best part about the game. Free Fire knows this very well and that is why it hosts championships of the best players and anyone can be the next player for that matter. Making an indoor game as exciting as an outdoor sport takes time but Free Fire is hacking the process on how to make a nerve racking thumbs game.

    The company has managed to make a space in the hearts of budding gamers. If you are someone who wants to be a gamer, then tournaments are what you look forward to. These tournaments provide a stage to show what you got, to show your skills and be liked by the gamer folks. This is one of the best marketing strategies that the company follows. Despite being marketing, it is first the gamer’s win.

    Free Fire Tournament in India
    Free Fire Tournament in India

    India is a land of diversity and we have a lot of people of different ethnicities. The company thoughtfully made this a task. What they did was they made the championships for people of almost all Indian languages. Yes, the championships happen in different slots, keeping in mind one region at a time. That is the reason we can see their YouTube channel filled with championships in languages like Hindi, English, Tamil, Bengali and much more.

    Onboarding Streamers

    When you are in a business of games, online streamers have to be your friends. They promote games without naming it as an advertisement or marketing tag. So Free Fire onboards streamers who create content around the gameplays.

    Streamers make the game a little more spicy with their own way of commenting. This makes up the basis of their tribe or channel. It also helps the game get more liking among the age group. It’s a win-win situation for both the gamers and game makers.

    Take for example, “Two side brothers”, two brothers who stream Free Fire and give their viewers a glimpse of their life. They also go and compete in tournaments, domestically and international tours, hosted by Free Fire.

    More than just reviews, Free Fire makes them more inclusive to their fans. In this video streamers went that extra mile and met their most loyal subscribers. This is all done to promote the sportsmen spirit that the game provides. It is to celebrate the collaboration of gamers and game makers to make everyday life a little more fun.

    Quick Updates for better performance

    Free Fire Update
    Free Fire Update

    If you look at the last update of this game on Google play store, it will show November 1. Not to mention, the company focuses on the user satisfaction in a very steep manner. If we notice the games of these types, we will find that these are quite heavy games and take good time to get better. They are heavy games because of the data that they are packaged with.

    Moreover they are multiplayer, which increases the probability of glitches every now and then. This makes the updating process expensive and time taxing, but Free Fire doesn’t stop, it manages to release updates on time. The recent updates included,

    1. Clash Squad Season 9 – Begins 09/29 17:00 GMT+8.
    2. Airdrop Vending Machine now available in Battle Royale.
    3. New Weapon – Treatment Sniper now available in Battle Royale.
    4. Weapon Stats adjustments.
    5. Character Balancing adjustments.
    6. Replay system available for Battle Royale and Clash Squad.
    7. Players can now customize the amount of items to drop from the bag.

    The key differentiator between PUBG and Free Fire, as seen by experts, is the fact that the latter has more flexibility with earning game characters and rewards. Keeping the skill sets almost the same on both levels.


    How did PUBG mobile India got Approved to Relaunch?
    The popular battle royale game PUBG has teased that it will be relaunching in India soon, but how did it got approved? Let’s find out


    Conclusion

    Mobile apps are considered to be a difficult market to win in. The mobile gaming market is even harder to tap into. Even in these windy markets, Free fire is mostly able to stand. As of May 2020, Free Fire has set a record with over 80 million daily active users globally. As of November 2019, Free Fire has grossed over $1 billion worldwide. These are massive numbers to the benchmarks in the mobile gaming industry.

    Free Fire was also one of the first battle royale games to hit the market in 2017. It soon became the most downloaded mobile game globally in the year 2019. The game also received an award for the “Best Popular Vote Game” by Google Play Store in 2019.

    The company behind Free Fire seems like it is pushing the throttle to make India its prime playing country. The game has more than 1,000,000,000 downloads as of now. however these are global numbers, the larger chunk of these numbers are expected to be in India.

    One visit to their YouTube channel will make you aware of the efforts that the company is putting in to elevate the game. Nonetheless these efforts can be proved with the hype that the game has garnered.

    FAQ

    Is Garena Free Fire a free game?

    Yes, Garena Free Fire is a free to play game.

    Who is the present CEO of Free Fire?

    Forest Li is the founder and the current CEO of Garena Free Fire.

    Which country has most downloads of Free Fire?

    India ranked top in the most number of Free Fire downloads and was followed by the USA at number 2 and Brazil at number 3.

  • List of Top Content Writing Tools in 2021 for SEO | Free Content Writing Tools

    If you are a content writer then you know content is the real king. You want to create great content, get more shares and backlinks. But you don’t know where to start the content writing process. You should start by researching the topic. Also, you should know how to optimize your content and format it in a better way, which can be done with the help of free content writing tools.

    This article will give you ideas about the best free tools for content writing. You will also know about the best content writing tools 2021, SEO writing tools, productivity apps, and business writing. So, let’s get started!

    The Best Free Content Writing Tools for SEO
    Top Grammar Tools
    Best Productivity Apps
    Must have Business Writing Tools
    Conclusion
    FAQs


    How to Hire Freelance Content Writer for your Startup
    Curious to know how to hire a freelance content writer. Well, this article will guide you on how to choose the right freelance content writer.


    The Best Free Content Writing Tools for SEO

    ProWritingAid

    ProWritingAid is a grammar checker and editor tool for bloggers, and business writers. This is one of the free online content writing tools that can be helpful if you have trouble with grammar and word choice. ProWritingAid is a content writing tool that helps in optimising word choices, editing grammar and punctuation faster.

    ProWritingAid Introduction

    It offers more than 20 different reports which help polish your content writing skill. This is one of the free online content writing tools that are helpful when you want to make your content sound more professional.

    Many writers fear the possibility of their content getting stolen or plagiarized from these content writing tools. But ProWritingAid is safe to use. It does not store any data after the analysis ends whether it’s free or paid.

    ProWritingAid Pricing

    Plan Pricing
    Monthly Subscription ₹1100/month
    Yearly Subscription ₹4345/year
    Lifetime ₹21945 (One-time payment)


    How to Hire the Best Freelance Content Writer For Your Startup
    We live in an era of information, where the content rules and a goodpresentation has value enough to score high points across all boards. Whether itis digital marketing [https://startuptalky.com/tag/digital-marketing/], SearchEngine Optimization [https://startuptalky.com/tag/seo/…


    Hubspot’s Blog Ideas Generator

    The Hubspot blog ideas generator is a free content writing tool for SEO. You need to enter the right nouns and HubSpot will generate blog ideas about your topic. Want to get inspiration for the next blog posts? This content writing tool can help you.

    Hubspot's Blog Ideas Generator
    Hubspot’s Blog Ideas Generator

    Hubspot doesn’t share the blog ideas generated. Your blog ideas will never be shared with any other users of this writing tool and are unique to the blog idea topics you submit in the tool.

    How to use Hubspot Blog Ideas Generator?

    1. Enter up to five nouns for topics you want to write about
    2. Click “Give me Blog Ideas.”
    3. In a matter of seconds, the SEO writing software will generate a week’s worth of blog ideas.

    You can unlock a year’s worth of blog ideas and more information on how to modernize your SEO strategy if you are interested in learning more.

    You need to be very specific while entering the words in the box. If you want more new topics ideas then this website content writing software is not suitable for you to use.

    Hubspot Blog Ideas Generator Pricing

    This platform offers the best SEO content writing tools and is completely free and does not charge anything.

    Airstory

    Airstory is one of the best content writing tools that offer to write large content faster by putting every piece in one place. If you want a flexible writing system that combines notes then this SEO content writing software is for you. This is free one of the content writing apps you can use with collaborators and team members. There is no need for a credit card to start using this tool. You will start writing with the help of content writing tools like Airstory within 9 seconds.

    Airstory Dashboard
    Airstory Dashboard

    There’s no doubt that Microsoft and Google docs have their own place. Around 10% of the working people in the world don’t want a digital rectangle. This is why you should try Airstory as it is one of the best free content writing tools.

    Airstory Pricing

    Plan Pricing
    Free $0/user/month
    Business $6.47/user/month


    The Best Blogging Tools In 2020 To Grow Your Blog
    The best way to start building brand awareness is by blogging. You can offerrelevant and useful content to your audience through blogging. It is an easy wayfor businesses to gain traffic to their particular site. If you are a bloggerfor a long time but are in frustration due to the things not wor…


    750 Words

    This online journaling tool was created by Developer Buster Benson. The idea behind these types of free content writing apps is a workbook “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron containing a page which is morning pages. This is a 3-page stream of writing every morning to get creative thoughts.

    750 Words Stats
    750 Words Stats

    This is one of the few free content writing tools that does not have a limit of 750 words and allows you to write larger content. You will get a word counter at the bottom and it turns green when you reach 750 words. Once you write your content, it will let you to the statistics page. 750 Words is considered one of the best content writing websites as it has interesting statistics and funky badges once you save your content.

    This is one of the best content writing websites, as its statistics contain a range of words used. Also, what you are concerned about while writing is, interesting isn’t it? The movie-style rating has a list of used words to make it more interesting.

    750 Words Pricing

    This content writing software for 750 Words costs $5 after a free 30-day trial.

    FocusWriter

    FocusWriter is one of the best content writing services designed especially for distraction-free content writing environments. This content writing app contains a central blank page for you to write there. Yet, you can change the theme later from default. Also, you can not change the size of the paper in the center. This free content writing tool is a pared-back version of the test editing options makes it cool to use.

    FocusWriter Default Theme
    FocusWriter Default Theme

    You get to set alarms after a certain period has elapsed. FocusWriter blocks out the PC’s clock because of distractions. Besides offering writing tools, you can also set targets which are a streak. This will ensure to push yourself and be competitive in the writing process. It fades everything, the section where you are currently typing and no distractions.

    FocusWriter Pricing

    FocusWriter is a free content writer tool available for Linux, Windows, and macOS.


    How to Convert Blog Traffic to Leads?
    Are you struggling to increase free trial signups? You’re not alone. Of course,if you have a SaaS product, you’ll eventually want to increase your conversionrates [https://startuptalky.com/tag/conversion-rate/] to get paying customers,but the process of getting a sustainable user base starts by g…


    Top Grammar Tools

    Grammarly

    Grammarly is one of the best free tools for content writing for grammar. It is available as a browser add-on to all the well-known browsers like Google Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge. It is one of the best free content writing tools in 2021 as it checks spelling and grammatical errors in post. Also, it suggests alternative words and phrases. Premium subscription to Grammarly gives benefits of clarity-focused sentence writing, tone correction, inclusive language, etc.

    This is among a few free tools for content writing that shows an indicator at the bottom right corner of the writing area. The indicator shows a number of errors. Spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors are highlighted with an underline. It also shows you the tone of the writing.

    Hemingway

    Hemingway Editor is free content writing website. If you want to know about the readability of your article then these type of writing tools is made for you. Readability means how easy or difficult the content is. This website content writing software generally pinpoints the wrong terms that are not suitable for better readability.

    Hemingway editor gives you readability scores between grade 1 to grade 12. The lower the grade better the readability. A grade below 9 is good but grade 10 is okay.
    The earnest Hemingway’s work is between grade 4 and grade 6. It lets you edit your content so that your words will be more clear and powerful. One of the free content writing tools that are suitable for anyone whether you are a blogger, fiction, essay, or academic paper writer.

    Hemingway Editor Pricing

    The online version of Hemingway Editor is free content writing software. The creators have indicated they intend to keep it this way. The desktop version, Hemingway App, is available for a one-time payment of $19.99. The price is the same for both the Windows and Mac versions of Hemingway.


    13 Benefits Of Guest Blogging [For The Guest Writer and The Website Owner
    You might be familiar with the term Guest blogging if you are serious aboutblogging. When you ask someone else to write an article for your website, it iscalled guest blogging. According to a survey, 60% blog writes 1-5 guest posts per month and 76% editorsays that they publish 1-10 guest posts …


    Ginger Grammar Checker

    The Ginger grammar checker can be considered grammar checkers analyzes the context of your sentence. This is among the top free tools for content writing that helps you to write better English and texts.

    Ginger Grammar Checker Dashboard
    Ginger Grammar Checker Dashboard

    Checking grammar can be hard, as some people sometimes spend so much time writing the correct sentence. You pass your content to others for reviewing it. It is among the top 5 free content writing tools for beginners! Using ginger grammar checker you will do it only by clicking once.

    It offers suggestions for sentence structures. It can’t be said that this tool is safe to rely on according to the feedbacks.

    Ginger Grammar Checker Pricing

    Plan Pricing
    Free $0/month
    Monthly $20.97/month
    Annual $89.88/year
    Two years One Payment of $159.84

    At the time of writing this best grammar checker, Ginger was offering a discount of 30% on its premium plans. You can also avail of a 7-day, 100% money-back guarantee.

    LanguageTool

    LanguageTool is an online grammar solution for the proofreading program and some even call it the best SEO article writing service. It fixes grammar and stylistics in the content. It detects errors for multiple languages which makes it one of the best free content writing tools. These languages are English, Spanish, French, German, Polish, and Russian. This content writing app fix grammatical mistakes and writing problems in more than 20 languages.

    LanguageTool Dashboard
    LanguageTool Dashboard

    The various online grammar checker tools offer a personal dictionary that is not in a conventional dictionary. You will get to add such words.

    LanguageTool Pricing

    Plan Pricing
    Free $0
    Premium ₹ 1,099.00/year
    Developer API ₹ 3,629.00/month (500 API calls per day)


    How to Create Quality Content that Ranks & bring Quality Traffic
    Not just blogger and writers, but companies too need quality content on theirwebsite. It is not just because of ranking but also for user experience. Qualitycontent is something which sparks a fire to buy your product in prospect’s mind. Therefore, every company website needs quality content. Al…


    Paper Rater

    Paper Rater is a web-based proofreading software and free content writer tool for reviewing. It improves writing and aids language for teachers’ reviewing students’ material. It’s a comprehensive grammar, spelling, and plagiarism checker conducted by professional editors. This SEO article writing software works by typing and copy-pasting content into the dialogue boxes. The files can also be uploaded onto the portal.

    Paper Rater Dashboard
    Paper Rater Dashboard

    If you are thinking, is paper rater safe? it is. You don’t have to provide personal or any payment information. There’s no need to provide credit card information as this service is free.

    Paper Rater Pricing

    Plan Pricing
    Basic $0
    Premium $11.21/month or $71.55/year

    Best Productivity Apps

    Anti-social

    Anti-social is a content writing software that is very simple and effective. It is used by hundreds or even thousands of people around the globe. One of its unique features is that it locks your computer away from social sites. These free content writing tools can stop the block of social sites by rebooting the computer.

    Anti-Social Features
    Anti-Social Features

    This app is among the best free tools for content writing because it has a great interface. You will be amazed to see how many things can be done. When you turn off your social sites. You have to download anti-social and get access free for 14 days. It has a complete phone monitoring solution.

    Anti-Social Pricing

    Anti-Social is available at a one-time payment of $15 with also a 60 Day Money Back Guarantee.

    Coach.me

    Coach.me is for those who are unaware of the goal tracking app and is one of the free content writing tools for SEO. You will get amazing UX and fun hi-fives. SEO writing tools like Coach.me are going to help you get a clean slate each day. And your duty is to check in the goals you have accomplished.

    Coach.me Dashboard
    Coach.me Dashboard

    Coach.me is an SEO tool for content writing that gets you to reach the goals through community and coaching. It is among the best content writing websites as its data helps you make progress on the important things. You need to add habits to your coach.me dashboard. The rating of this app in the play store is 4.0 stars. There are upgrades in this content writing app which provides the hiring of private coaches.  

    Coach.me Pricing

    Type of coaching Pricing
    Self-coaching with Community Support Free
    Heavy Mental $20/month
    Individual Habit Coaching $25 per week or $87 per month
    High-Impact Leadership coaching $249/month
    Phone consultation One-time charge, rates vary

    You can combine one-on-one chat coaching and phone consultation if you like (and if the coach offers both). You can hire more than one habit coach if you like, but each one is priced separately.


    6 Effective Email Marketing Tips that will increase Open Rates
    Email marketing allows the brand to promote their products and new launches byusing emails. So, if you have an online business or a blog or just own a store,and you want people to know about your new product, new offers or just yourposts. Neither you are going to every person and tell them about …


    Freedom

    This is a computer program app used to keep a user away from the internet. This can be done up to 8 hours at a time which is what makes it the best content writing service. This free content writing app can be described as a way to “free you from distractions. Allowing your time to write, analyze, code, or create”.

    Freedom Productivity Tool features
    Freedom Productivity Tool features

    If you want to block the app using this tool then you need to follow the given steps. Tap the blocklists icon and then tap “manage”. Now you will get a list of your phone apps. On this screen, you can choose the apps you want to block.

    This is not among the best content writing websites as it is not safe to use because it affects hardware. As it has passed the RSA verification. It’s okay to run the system with changes. Providing privilege to malicious SEO article writing software can be harmful.

    Freedom Pricing

    Plan Pricing
    Monthly $6.99/month
    Yearly $2.42/month
    Forever $129

    Use coupon code AUG2020 for Freedom and get Forever Plan for $64.50.

    RescueTime

    RescueTime keeps a track of websites and applications are used during work. This content writing software runs in the background, collecting internet usage data online. It is known for providing the best content writing services such as a dashboard where your data is sorted into charts to manage time.

    RescueTime Dashboard
    RescueTime Dashboard

    It prepares a report of how much your employees are spending on websites. such as google docs, Wikipedia, and much more. Rescue time shows how much time employees spend at sites such as Facebook, Twitter, etc. At the end of the week, the rescue time of this website content writing software sends you a detailed summary of the activities employees were engaged in.

    RescueTime Pricing

    Plan Pricing
    Basic Free
    Premium $18/month or $78/year


    Ways to Repurpose Your Content | Ultimate Guide
    Running out of ideas for the website? It’s a common problem every content writerfaces once a while but that doesn’t mean that the website will not come with newarticles because no matter what happens there should be a continuous spread ofarticles to keep the consumers on board. So, what’s the sol…


    Must have Business Writing Tools

    Microsoft Word

    Microsoft word is a software that is used for creating new documents and is one of the most well-known free content writing tools. These documents can be letters, learning activities, and homework assignments for students. There are also many useful content writer tools available in this software.

    Microsoft Word
    Microsoft Word

    This tool is the market leader in all word processors. Also the very common text editor for individuals and organizations. The menu bar lists the file, edit, view, insert, format, tools, table, window, help.

    Wridea

    Wridea is a management service and a brainstorming tool and is another known SEO article writing tool. Create new idea entries in seconds and organize your data from different categories. This free content writing tool can be a very useful tool for teachers and students.

    Wridea Features
    Wridea Features

    This is a free content writing tool for SEO. It has major authoring tools and editing symbols. Also, to organize an idea and group them into different categories. The brainstorming sessions make these SEO tools for content writing more attractive.

    Conclusion

    The above given top free SEO writing tools are your reliable assistant. You will get much relief whether it’s for productivity tools and general free online content writing tools. Using these tools you can save a lot of time and will get quality content. So try out these great tools given above and save your time.


    How to use Medium for your Business | Guide to Medium Content Marketing
    Medium is a blog hosting platform, which lets both amateur and professionalwriters and publications publish their work. Launched in August 2012 by EvanWilliams, Medium is an apt example of social Journalism, and a wonderfulplatform to read and write important stories because everyone has a story…


    FAQs

    What are the must-have business writing tools?

    The must-have business writing tools are Wridea and Microsoft Word.

    What are the top Grammar tools?

    The top Grammar tools are Grammarly, Hemingway, Ginger Grammar Checker, LanguageTool, Paper Rater.

    What are the Best Productivity Apps?

    The Best Productivity Apps are Anti-social, Coach.me, Freedom, RescueTime.

    What are the Best General Writing Apps?

    The Best General Writing Apps are The ProWritingAid, Hubspot’s Blog Ideas Generator, Airstory, 750 Words, FocusWriter.

  • How Artificial Intelligence Has Revolutionized Marketing [Case Study]

    We have seen automation happening in manual habitats but AI has brought us a whole new world to figure out. Computers are slowly taking over manual tasks and this has triggered fear in a tech giant you might be familiar with. Using artificial intelligence in marketing has now become a norm as it has transformed the Marketing Industry.

    Yes, I’m talking about Elon Musk fearing that the advancements in AI might create human hunting robots and it would be us, mortals, against AI-powered geniuses. However, there has been an increase in companies using AI for marketing and ad campaigns.

    What is AI Marketing?
    Why Is AI A Good Approach For Marketing?
    How Companies Are Using AI For Marketing?
    Most Successful Marketing Campaigns Designed By AI
    How Small Businesses Are Using Ai Tools
    Conclusion
    FAQs


    Top 10 Viral Marketing Examples
    Check out these top viral marketing campaigns that created a huge sensation on social media and how it tends to reach a larger target audience.


    What is AI Marketing?

    Artificial intelligence plays a big role in marketing, as it helps companies to make decisions based on the data collected by a company. The use of artificial intelligence in marketing will help you get the data could be anything from the customer’s favourite hangout places to their birthdays.

    Any AI marketing strategy helps data to be collected from general behaviours of consumers from polls on social media, surveys, and their interests when surfing the internet. Marketing teams along with AI study consumer patterns and accordingly place and plan their AI marketing campaigns.

    AI has suspended a large area of the consumer field where everything can be predicted. The AI marketing research mainly consists of collecting and analyzing data, media buy-in, personalization, content creation, and much more. This case study on artificial intelligence shows you how most of the marketing tasks are highly dependent on AI these days.

    Why Is AI A Good Approach For Marketing?

    AI-based marketing has entirely changed the way people use social media. Before it sneaked into every device, social media was leisure, rather, luxury.

    Cut to today, every individual and even kids are owners of smartphones enabling them access to social media and shopping sites because of the artificial intelligence advertising campaigns. Your everyday social media behaviour is what fuels the study of AI-based marketing tools. With this being done, marketers can reach up to a larger demographic without spending a fortune on marketing campaigns.


    Low-Cost Marketing Strategies For Startups | Creative Marketing Strategies
    In marketing, you have to spend money to make money. However, the rise of socialmedia and digital marketing has made it easier and quite inexpensive to market abusiness. Even small business owners can be creative with their marketing ideasand strategies. They can reach targeted customers with eff…


    How Companies Are Using AI For Marketing?

    Many AI marketing companies use core elements like Big Data, Machine Learning, and other powerful solutions that allow AI to get adopted quickly by a marketer. Big data is nothing but a prodigious amount of data aggregated by the marketer and segmented into various categories with a minimal amount of manual work.

    With the help of big data, marketers can personalize every message sent to their customers. Like mentioned earlier, several marketers keep an eye on repetitive actions which offer deeper insight into responses. It is a demanding task when we try to make sense out of the massive data collected. This is where machine learning and AI in marketing are used.

    You may have been familiar with pop-up messages or push notifications from the apps you install from time to time. These messages are powered by AI-programmed systems and automated to deliver context in a specified manner. There are several other AI marketing strategies that marketers have adopted to keep you hooked and engaged. Let us have a look at what they are.


    The Big Data Market 101 Trends, Analysis :Everything you need to know
    The big data market is becoming a growing area of cognizance throughout thediverse end-use industries. The big data market helps industries to manage itsimportant data hence, permitting businesses to manipulate huge chunks of dataefficiently. Data mining today is extremely important for companies…


    PPC Ads

    Pay-per-click (PPC) is an online advertising model used to drive viewer traffic to the website. Nowadays AI-based marketing is used in every blog, website, and video. When you visit a certain page and click on the link containing an advertisement, it directs you to the said website.

    This is an AI marketing analytics used by the advertiser where they pay the publisher every time a user clicks on the link. Some of the tops AI marketing companies like Facebook ads, Instagram, Twitter Ads, Google Ads make PPC Ads.

    Pay-per-click Ads
    Pay-per-click Ads

    Personalization

    If you have your mailbox overflowing with promotional emails, worry not, you’re not alone. Personalization has become a crucial contributor to every company where they want you to feel like the most sought-after customers.

    Personalized messaging has a direct influence over your mind giving you the impression that this auto-generated message was especially typed for you because it has your name on it. Artificial intelligence marketing helps organizations to place bids on relevant ad spaces in real-time. With critical analytics and results from big data, artificial intelligence, and marketing you can send personalized messages to individuals.

    The AI tools for marketing are not limited to just emails. Have you noticed how Netflix uses your previously watched movies and gives recommendations based on past experience? Or how it shows you different imageries for the same movie every time you open it? Their blog, Netflix tech blog, talks about how creating different imageries for the same movie or show has got viewers hooked to Netflix all day long.

    Netflix using Different imageries for the same show
    Netflix using Different imageries for the same show

    A movie title may not be that intriguing. But a picture is worth a thousand words. It may contain a familiar face, your favourite actor, something that draws you in and keeps you engaged.


    Top 10 Low-Cost Marketing Strategies for Startups
    Are you an entrepreneur? Are you looking to grow your business in a cheaper way? We can help you find the best low-cost marketing strategies.


    Predictive Analytics

    Predictive analytics is based on processing the historical data of a demographic to understand or carve a pattern or predict future behaviour. Predictive analytics is an AI marketing strategy that compares the trends and patterns of different data sets and pulls out a new analysis using a mathematical ‘model which helps companies prepare for what’s coming.

    It could be identifying a customer likely to ditch a service or product, or a customer who is likely to stick around and send them marketing campaigns. AI marketing companies use predictive analysis to improve current services and make organizational changes accordingly.

    Deep learning

    Deep learning is a class of machine learning algorithms used to extract higher-level data from raw input and is considered to be the future of AI in digital marketing. Machine learning and AI in marketing are important because they help in creating voice-controlled chatbots, image recognition (in the case of Facebook), and predicting customer interests.

    Many brick-and-mortar stores are turning to AI systems enabled by deep learning such as cashier-less counters, contactless payment options, and virtual baskets. One of the popular AI in marketing examples is Amazon GO stores that have adopted auto checkouts where AI-enabled cameras detect the movements of customers and add items to a virtual basket. Customers can check themselves out after making payments online.


    The Secret Behind Apple’s Successful Marketing Strategy
    Apple Inc is a world renowned name of innovation and breakthrough in theconsumer electronics and computer industry. Apple is known to be one of thegreatest marketers of all time because they understand that marketing is one ofthe most crucial aspects of a business venture which greatly determines…


    Most Successful Marketing Campaigns Designed By AI

    Chase+Persado

    Chase, a New York-based consumer bank upgraded its copywriting by collaborating with Persado, is one of the tops AI marketing companies that use AI in its creative processes. Chase bank wanted a humanitarian perspective to their AI marketing campaigns and after a successful pilot, the bank saw a 450% surge in the click-through ads created by Persado and both the companies have ties hands for a five-year contract.

    Starbucks

    Starbucks is one of the other companies using AI for marketing. The company uses predictive analytics by making use of its loyalty cards and mobile app to collect and analyze customer data. The coffee giant has also used AI marketing research to optimize the user experience to an extent where it records details of purchases, including what time and what buy. It is concentrating on a model “AI for Humanity” where they believe will create better connections with humans surrounding them.

    In a busy world, as is ours, Starbucks makes unique use of artificial intelligence in marketing, as it aims to recreate human interaction which is seemingly blurred since everyone is literally into their devices. This artificial intelligence marketing initiative may be invisible to the customers as it focuses on inventory management, processing orders, staffing requirements, and much more so that there are more interactions between customers and partners at Starbucks. You would leave the café with much more than coffee for sure.


    Analyzing Top 4 Marketing Strategies of Cure.fit [Case Study]
    In a short amount of time Cure.Fit attracted a huge subscriber base, by adopting these marketing strategies.


    Alibaba

    Alibaba is known to use many AI tools for marketing, it has now opened its first AI fashion store in Hong Kong. This store has deployed AI in streamlining fashion retail. The store has introduced Intelligent garment tags with radio-frequency identification, gyro-sensors, and low-energy Bluetooth chips. This can enable the garment to carry information such as colour and size.

    Smart mirrors
    Smart mirrors

    The gyro-sensors will recognize patterns when an item is touched, moved, or picked up. Another intriguing feature is its smart mirrors located on sales floors and changing rooms that help customers find related items along with the ones picked up and also add them to a virtual basket. Alibaba uses different types of AI in marketing in order to provide a one of the kind experience to its customers.

    Nike

    Nike launched the “Nike Makers’ experience” campaign in 2017 that allowed customers to design their own Nike pair. Using AI marketing analytics, the shoe brand can encourage their customers to choose their designs and graphics using projections and augmented reality on blank Nike X Presto sneakers.

    Nike Makers’ experience
    Nike Makers’ experience

    This is the future of AI in digital marketing, as customers then chose their designs and they were delivered the shoes in 90 minutes. Not only their sales soared but Nike used this opportunity to collect customer preferences using machine learning and design future products.


    What is Halo Effect and How does it apply to Marketing? (Explained)
    The halo effect plays a major role in marketing for any brand. So, Lets understand What is halo effect and How does it apply to Marketing.


    Sephora

    Sephora is one of the few companies using ai for marketing and is also an early adaptor of AI-based marketing. The AI marketing strategy that the company uses is responsible for three bots that interact with customers on a personal level to understand their needs and wants. It is really daunting to order a foundation or lipstick that may or may not be your perfect match.

    Sephora’s Kik bot
    Sephora’s Kik bot

    Sephora’s Kik bot helps you with an interactive quiz, make-up tips, how-to videos, and reviews. Using AI in marketing will help your customers can even scan images of celebrities to find matching make-up products.

    How Small Businesses Are Using Ai Tools

    The use of artificial intelligence in marketing has proven to be quite a revolution in the industry. Recent studies and case studies on artificial intelligence, predict that almost 70% of marketing jobs will be replaced by automation. The vital role of artificial intelligence in digital marketing has made many AI marketing companies successful, while the small businesses are no longer shying away from

    Here’s a list of AI tools you could check out while you chalk out your next marketing plan.

    Concured

    Concured is an AI content strategy platform that gauges what your audience is looking for. This AI tool for marketing offers three exclusive tools for content- research, creation, and personalization. It has other beneficial tools which include live audits, automation of content and removing of content waste by 90%, planning tool for detailed content brief, performance tracking, and analysis for better ROI and user engagement.

    Import.io

    Import.io is a data extraction tool that helps you with everything from extracting data from the sea that is the internet, even hidden pages, with anomaly detection, and validation rules. These AI-based marketing tools allow you to optimize your campaigns with access to competitor price search and analyze all your customer reviews.


    Apply 7p Of Marketing Is Bound To Make An Impact In Your Business
    Once anyone developed the marketing strategy there is a “7P formula” to evaluateand grow the business. Staying ahead of the digital marketing game can be tough,especially in the world of more competition and many trends and tactics. Asproducts, markets, customers, and needs change rapidly, you mu…


    Grammarly

    Grammarly is a popular AI tool for marketing and is considered a savior for all the content creators out there. Writers, please take note. Grammarly not only eases the spell checks but suggests you rephrase your sentences in case they appear to be blurry or unclear. Ultimately, it makes you a better writer over the period.

    Cortex

    Cortex helps you build AI-based marketing strategies based on visual analytics, that is what images or video ideas are trending on social platforms. These AI marketing strategy helps you gain insights on what will work better and what’s suited better for your company. After you have analyzed your competitors’ social media efforts, it pushes you and your team to do better by refining your marketing and content strategies.

    Phrasee

    If you break a sweat every time copywriting challenges come up, then Phrasee is here to ease that out. With AI-powered language optimization, you can create professional and compelling copies for your audience. These AI-based marketing tools help you create email subject lines, push notifications, social media posts, and much more with, what they call a “Magic” button.

    Sentinent Ascend

    Sentient Ascend is a testing tool for marketers that helps enhance conversion rate optimization (CRO). AI for marketing has proven to be 100 times better than the current A/B testing multivariate solutions and gives marketers a free hand in trying several copies, images, designs, and interaction changes that speed up revenues and conversions.


    Innovative Marketing Strategies of Forever 21
    One of reason behind the success of Forever 21 is its innovative marketing strategies. So, Lets look at the marketing strategies of Forever 21.


    Drift

    Drift helps in AI marketing research as it connects you to potential clients in real-time. It is a marketing and sales chatbot that helps you connect with business leads. It personalizes every experience of your website visitors by interacting with them while turning conversations into conversions.

    FindTheRipple

    FindTheRipple is an AI-driven platform that enables you to create content with impact, find untapped trends, and alert you with emerging engagement peaks to target your audience. It also recommends you match digital assets to optimize your content creation.

    Lucy

    Lucy is an AI-powered knowledge management assistant that helps you leverage business insights across your company. You ask her a question, and she answers you with the best possible solutions for your challenges. Lucy’s integrations allow it to quickly enter your systems and access information hence helping you the right answers to your business needs.

    Nudge.ai

    Nudge.ai is a relationship management tool that helps you connect better within and outside your organization. Its powerful AI leverages big data and data mining brings better connectivity to your business and helps you make meaningful relationships.

    One of the AI tools for marketing helps develop relationships that are organic and natural and shows you how to reach out with a perspective thereby creating a genuine sense of urgency which is vital during closing a deal.


    Risks and Rewards of an Invite-only Marketing Strategy
    The main benefit of invite only strategy is that it makes your startup seem exclusive and private which makes it even more interesting for users.


    Cogito

    Cogito is a real-time conversational and analysis system that identifies human signals on calls and predicts the emotional intelligence of the caller. It incorporates AI and machine learning to voice calls and assists call centres to be more empathetic while conversing.

    It monitors speed, volume, and pauses in the conversation between agents and customers records the transcripts of the call and detects keywords used by the customers, and helps executives with apt responses.

    Optimail

    Processing emails manually can be extremely time-consuming and expensive. A manual process is always prone to human error. Hence, Optimail enables marketers to continuously and automatically optimize their email and AI marketing campaigns. It not only promotes campaigns but adjusts the timings, content, and personalization. It builds better engagement and also reduces spam.

    Aizimov

    Aizimov is an AI social selling platform that writes ultra-personal messages for each of your target audiences. It’s basically like having a personal secretary. It optimizes the time spent on sales leads and improvises with every feedback and response. The smart AI also analyses the psychological profile of a prospect and crafts its message carefully. It takes a step further and chooses the best channel to reach the potential client.

    Pathmatics

    Pathmatics offers solutions to what, when, where, who, and how-to questions in marketing. You can see ads served, impressions, and digital strategies of brands and publishers across Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Marketers can take a jiffy from aggregating data and use digital insights to pitch new ideas and create more effective campaigns.

    Emarsys

    Emarsys is an omnichannel customer engagement platform that helps you accelerate your business outcomes. These AI-based marketing tools include industry-specific analytics and use-cases that cater to every business. By one’s own bootstraps, Emarsys powers all your marketing needs with 1:1 personalization across all channels and devices.

    Conclusion

    AI has become indispensable in many areas of our life. The importance of artificial intelligence in marketing is that it leads to Driverless cars, Automation Marketing, conversational bots like Siri and Alexa are the new highs of AI technology. We’re yet to comprehend what AI can accomplish.

    Could they completely replace human interference and take over our world like Elon Musk fears? We don’t know. But it surely has prodigious potential to make things happen which we never imagined were possible. Hopefully, this artificial intelligence case study would have helped you understand the importance of artificial intelligence in marketing.


    About Beachhead Strategy | How companies use it?
    Beachhead Strategy is a marketing strategy to target the correct market and succeed. Learn about Beachhead strategy and how companies use it.


    FAQs

    How is AI used in marketing?

    AI tools are used in marketing to learn how to best communicate with customers, then serve them tailored messages at the right time.

    What are the 3 stages of AI?

    The three stages of AI are artificial narrow intelligence (ANI), artificial general intelligence (AGI), and artificial superintelligence (ASI).

    How AI is used in mobile marketing?

    AI used to craft more targeted and personalized marketing messages such as special offers and ads by spotting consumers’ behavioural trends and patterns.

    Ho does AI work in digital marketing?

    Artificial intelligence is transforming customer-facing services for digital marketers by increasing efficiency and optimizing user experience.

    Is AI the future of marketing?

    AI is changing the future of digital marketing, that is certain. It’s not so much about what new developments are happening, but also what new trends are likely to emerge over the next few years.

    How is AI used in Marketing?

    One common example of AI across the web is the use of chatbots to provide customer services to users.

    What is AI marketing?

    Artificial intelligence plays a big role in marketing, as it helps companies to make decisions based on the data collected by a company.

  • Merlin Brands’ Co-founder on Building trust as a new D2C brand

    This article is contributed by Sumit Suneja, Managing Partner of Merlin Brands, an urban consumer goods company that owns the leading brands – Rabitat and Headway.

    The Covid-19 pandemic has completely disrupted our lives in so many ways. It has changed the way we communicate with each other, work, and even buy things on a daily basis.

    This unprecedented scenario has led to brands adopting the Direct-to-consumer model to grow ever since the time the pandemic hit us. Mr. Sumit highlights some key factors driving this change and how D2C brands can make the most of the situation, to thrive and not just survive!

    A Paradigm Shift in Consumer Behavior

    Covid-19 pandemic has induced a more isolated and contactless way of operating/living, significantly transforming customer preferences. With limited physical movement, consumers are migrating into the virtual environments at a tremendous rate thus accelerating the adoption of digital media & platforms. And it’s unlikely to be coming back to a “non-virtual” set-up, as more and more consumers are drawn in and getting used to the convenient experience provided by online platforms. In addition to being the more obvious safer option, people are preferring to just sit back and shop from the comforts of their homes.

    In a nutshell, here are the key factors influencing behavioral changes in consumers during a pandemic –

    • Digital adoption: More people are shifting to digital platforms for everyday needs.
    • Mobility preferences: Limiting public transport and unnecessary travel; Greater inclination towards remote working setup.
    • Purchasing behavior: Shift to online shopping more for convenience and a better experience.

    Offline Presence becomes a Liability

    In response to evolving customer preferences, more businesses turned towards digital and online platforms as their primary outlet for selling products as compared to traditional brick-and-mortar stores. This process has proven to be a double-edged sword for companies.

    Smaller and upcoming brands open to Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) models found the scenario ideal for growing their presence. These brands benefit from the fact that D2C eliminates the role of dealers as companies can get across to consumers directly. However, the legacy brands which have been heavily relying on physical presence and more traditional ways of marketing found it far from ideal. Moreover, the restrictions levied in travel across different parts of the world adversely impacted the supply chain, making businesses look for alternatives.

    With more focus on online, social media came into the picture with platforms like Facebook/Instagram acting as a marketplace for sellers fuelling further growth and bringing down Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC), at least in the initial phase. This championed the development of the D2C brand ecosystem. Social media platforms are filling the void of online presence for companies that relied primarily on legacy distribution channel partners to reach customers.


    How Mother Sparsh became an esteemed brand in D2C Industry
    Dr. Himanshu Gandhi (Co-Founder & CEO of Mother Sparsh) shares his perspectives on D2C Industry & how he scaled Mother Sparsh. Get Insights on Starting & Scaling D2C Brand


    Survival of the fittest

    As the D2C model became the core of every consumer brand’s marketing strategy, competition intensified among companies. Apart from reaching and communicating with customers directly, brands had to work on creating a unique value proposition driven by brand-building exercises and delivering better quality products. Standing out from the crowd became ever so important with both small/upcoming and larger legacy brands competing in the same platform and space.

    The competition can only get stiffer and challenging from here on. Players who are here for short-term gains will face even bigger challenges as customer acquisition costs are bound to further increase. This is inevitable as more and more legacy brands rush towards social media platforms as they try to harness and understand the importance and power of this network in building their sales strategy. Soon advertising costs will have quadrupled, which will eventually push away temporary players who are here for the short run.

    Thus, only the serious and long-term players who would not solely rely on social media channels will be able to sustain and make it big as a successful brand. Companies will need to focus on creating a cohesive marketing strategy leveraging other communication channels like email and SMS marketing. These mediums are likely to play a more important and bigger role in the long run in establishing the brand and reaching out to the masses.

    Learnings as a D2C brand

    One key aspect of building a successful brand that is valued is understanding the importance of customer retention. While companies put in a lot of effort and capital in acquiring new clients, not a lot of focus is given to retaining an existing one. To begin with, it is proven that acquiring new customers is far more expensive than retaining ones. Also, even if your business has a high customer acquisition rate but at the same time it is equally losing out on many existing ones, the overall customer base will remain nearly stagnant. Moreover, having some loyal customers onboard can enhance brand reputation as well as develop a constructive relationship with customers and understand their needs better.

    For us, customer retention has been a key factor in driving brand success. To ensure that we bring value for customers and get those recurring purchases, at Rabitat and Headway, we provide benefits such as – doubling the warranty, compliance with European norms, and lower pricing. This helps us to keep the customer acquisition costs down by 40% than our immediate peers.

    Getting genuine reviews from the customers and working on it to improve on the company’s shortcomings has helped enhance customers’ experience. Staying in constant touch with the customers through email and messages also helped in building the brand’s trust.

    Also, Brands that have transparency throughout their business strategy (production, supply chain, etc.) will be able to build trust and credibility in the long run. D2C allows companies have total control over these various factors for them to sustain with no hindrance in their journey.


    How Lifelong built its Value Chain via tech-enabled D2C Model
    Exclusive interview with Lifelong’s co-founder Bharat Kalia -Pinpoints the operations of Lifelong, marketing & pricing strategy, business model & more


    Advice for fellow entrepreneurs

    Companies trying to shift to D2C from the traditional model might face bigger challenges. They should be clear about what they exactly want, either go solely D2C or go hybrid model (both traditional and D2C). Adopting new processes, training employees, or hiring new ones for the new model can cost a lot of money while ensuring efficiency, profit, and providing value to the customers at the same time.

    As the competition is growing one needs to think beyond the current buzz of D2C, work towards building a stronger brand. While building it, one should think in terms of being sustainable and not fly by, think in terms of decades and not years.

  • Success Story of Notion – An All-in-one Productivity Tool That Collaborates Your Workspaces

    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 Notion.

    With the evolution of time, our way of creating and storing records and managing our work-life has changed. Our day-to-day work was made easy by various modern tools, where one tool creates files, other stores and another reminds us about the work and time it should be done, etc., There is a tool for every activity we do as a part of our work life.

    Now, this extended tools list has made our life difficult. Jumping between them for every activity consumes time and creates chances for missing out on some tasks. So, what if we get software that merges the activities of all those tools together? What if it further provides various work management services all in one place? It’ll definitely be a boon.

    Notion is one such tool that puts together all our work-related activities right from file management, scheduling tasks to project management. It is an all-in-one workspace that helps to collaborate and customize our entire work. It was developed by Notion Labs Inc., in 2013. They’ve shown huge growth in the past five years in terms of valuation and customer base. This was evident when the company became a Unicorn in 2020.

    Notion – Company Highlights

    Company Name Notion
    Headquarters San Francisco, California
    Founders Ivan Zhao, Simon Last
    Founded 2013
    Industry Software
    Developed by Notion Labs Inc.
    Valuation $10 Billion (October 2021)
    Total Funding Raised $343.2 Million
    Website Notion.so

    Notion – About
    Notion – Latest News
    Notion – Founders
    Notion – Startup Story
    Notion – Mission and Vision
    Notion – Business and Revenue Model
    Notion – Employees and User Acquisition
    Notion – Challenges Faced
    Notion – Funding and Investors
    Notion – Acquisitions
    Notion – Growth
    Notion – Competitors
    Notion – Future Plans
    Notion – FAQs

    Notion – About

    Notion Logo
    Notion Logo

    Notion is a software that combines all the apps and tools that we use as a part of work and serves as an all-in-one workspace. Performing management works like task management, project management, and knowledge management can also be integrated into Notion. It offers customization of all the functions and activities as per our needs.

    In other words, Notion is a Collaborative Tool that blends documents, projects, teams, other work apps, and various other work-related functions, that we use as a part of daily work, in one place. With thousands of templates offered to design our workspace and with a simplified way to create and edit wikis, Notion proves to be a worthy choice for both personal and professional use.

    Notion was created in 2013 by Ivan Zhao and Simon Last. After a terrible failure in 2015, the company rose back strong with the founder’s perseverance and investor’s funding. Today, Notion is valued at $10 Billion with over 4 Million users worldwide.

    About Notion Productivity Tool

    Notion – Latest News

    October 8, 2021 – Notion raised huge funding of $275 Million, since its inception in 2013. This was raised in the Series C round and the lead investors were Coatue and Sequoia Capital.

    September 28, 2021 – A new startup program was launched by Notion to give access to their tools for new companies. The early companies can customize and use Notion’s tools for up to a credit of $500.

    September 28, 2021 – Notion initiated a new partnership between Amazon Web Services and Stripe to expand their researches. This partnership also encourages new users of Notion by offering them discounts up to $1000.

    Notion – Founders

    Ivan Zhao - Notion's Founder and CEO
    Ivan Zhao – Notion’s Founder and CEO

    Ivan Zhao and Simon Last are the co-founders of Notion. Ivan Zhao is also currently the CEO of the company. Ivan’s interest in coding and programming started during his childhood. He graduated in cognitive science and fine arts and worked at a software company named Inkling, before establishing Notion.

    Simon is a designer and engineer residing in SanFrancisco. Simon earlier worked as a software engineer at Space Telescope Science Institute and Nebula Inc. He graduated in Computer Science from the University of Maryland. Ivan and Simon together started Notion in 2013 with an aim to make it different and more customizable for users.

    Notion – Startup Story

    Ivan Zhao and Simon Last started Notion in early 2013. They were keen on creating a collaborative tool, during a time where most of the tools were for a single purpose and specialized ones. Ivan and Simon wanted to build LEGO-style software that makes their tool different from others and customizable for workers. With some personal investments and many sleepless nights, the model for notion got designed and was brought into shape.

    Notion – Mission and Vision

    Notion’s mission is to bring in the advancements in Computer Science and make them available to all users. Their aim is to make the work easy for everyone, without a need for coding. The company put its mission simply in this way, “To make it possible for everyone to shape the tools that shape their lives”. Notion’s vision is to be the “Foremost factor that pioneers the latest technological breakthroughs”.

    Notion – Business and Revenue Model

    Notion provides you with a workspace that helps to collaborate all our work-related activities. It collaborates with work teams and performs various management-related functions. Notion generates revenue by charging customers through their Priced Plans. There is a Free Trial offered with a limit of 1,000 blocks limit.

    Personal – Free
    Personal Pro – $4/month billed annually or $5/month
    Team – $8/ month billed annually or $10/month
    Enterprise – Customized price as per needs


    Google Workspace Tools | Reasons to Choose G Suite
    Google Workspace is a collection of tools like Gmail, Google Drive, Hangouts, and more. Read to know the features and pricing factors of G Suite.


    Notion – Employees and User Acquisition

    There is no exact figure for the number of employees working at Notion but it is estimated to be between 200 and 300. Notion started its operation with just 4 employees in 2013. Until December 2019, they scaled their operations with just 27 employees. Notion’s employee count has increased multifold only in the past couple of years.

    Notion had 1 Million users as of September 2019. After reaching a valuation of $2 Billion in April 2020, Notion announced that it has secured a customer base of 4 Million users. Notion has gained the trust of companies like are Spotify, Pixar, Cornershop, TravelPerk, and headspace.

    Notion – Challenges Faced

    Notion faced a terrible downfall in 2015. The software was almost dead when it started crashing continuously and the founders ran out of funds. Ivan and Simon fired their four employees and shifted their office to a cheaper place. Ivan Zhao even borrowed $150,000 from his mother to prevent the company from sinking. After months of hard work and sleepless nights, they rooted the company strong enough to enter the market and released Notion 1.0 in 2016.

    Another issue faced by Notion was in February 2021. The company went offline due to an issue caused by a DNS (Domain Name Servers) outage. Then the service provider Name.com jumped in to resolve the issue. A lot of users were unable to access the site during that period. After the issue got resolved many users’ data went missing and Notion faced severe criticisms for that.

    Notion – Funding and Investors

    Notion has secured a fund of $343.2 Million through Five rounds. With the fund raised in April 2020, Notion became a Unicorn Company.

    Date Round Amount Investors Name
    October 8, 2021 Series C $275 Million Sequoia Capital, Coatue, Shine Capital
    April 2, 2020 Venture Round $50 Million Index Ventures, Assiya Capital Partners
    July 19, 2019 Venture Round $18.2 Million A. Capital Ventures, Next Play Ventures, Josh Kopelman, Elad Gil, Aydin Senkut, Ram Shriram, Daniel Gross, and Lachy Groom
    January 1, 2017 Angel Round SV Angel, Sequoia Capital, First Round Capital, Felicis Ventures, Thibaud Elziere, Matt Maclnnis, Sherpalo, Elad Gil, Naval Ravikant, A.Capital Ventures, Draft Ventures, Third Kind Venture Capital, and Terrence Rohan
    January 1, 2015 Seed Round SV Angel

    Notion – Acquisitions

    Two organizations have been acquired by Notion so far. They made their first acquisition outside the US in September 2021 in India.

    Date of Acquisition Company Name Amount
    September 8, 2021 Automate.io Undisclosed
    January 1, 2014 Sugarbox.io Undisclosed

    Notion – Growth

    Starting with 4 employees, the two co-founders Ivan Zhao and Simon Last commenced the operations of Notion in 2013. With a little investment that was slowly burning out, they suffered a huge setback in the year 2015. The Notion app that was built on a sub-optimal tech stack started crashing continuously. The lack of funds left them in turmoil. The company was almost dead.

    Zhao and Last reduced their expenses in every possible way, used the borrowed money from Zhao’s mother and kept the company afloat. Keeping their primary motive in mind, they worked hard to rebuild the company and as a result, the first version of Notion was released in 2016. The company grew steadily through the years and in July 2019, Notion raised a fund of $18.2 Million in a Venture round, thus raising its Market Valuation to $800 Million. Notion became a Unicorn in April 2020 with the fund of $50 Million raised in another Venture round.

    Despite the Covid-19 Pandemic, Notion kept rising in terms of employee count and customer base. They acquired a fund of $275 Million in October 2021, after which, Notion reached a $10 Billion Market Valuation.

    Notion surprised and inspired many through their growth. A startup, from the stage of death to being valued at $10 Billion in a period of 6 years showcases their hard work behind this achievement.

    Notion – Competitors

    Notion has got competitors who outperform them in a few areas. Here are some of the top competitors of Notion:

    • Evernote
    • Trello
    • Quip
    • Microsoft OneNote
    • Coda
    • Confluence
    • Joplin
    • Slab
    • Tettra
    • ClickUp

    Notion – Future Plans

    Notion is planning to expand its operation in Asian and European countries. Most of the customers of Notion are outside the US. So the company wants to set its feet beyond geographical limits to offer a seamless service to its users. The company is considering countries like Brazil, France, Japan, and Russia to open its office in the near future.

    As the company enters the global market, there is a demand for them to provide their services in a country’s native languages. Also, there arises a demand for integrating various local apps of respective countries into Notion. Notion is currently working on these activities, to attract wider audiences. As a first step, the Korean version of Notion app was launched in 2020 in South Korea. More of such regional launches are planned for the future.

    Notion – FAQs

    What is Notion?

    Notion is a Collaborative Tool that blends docs, projects, teams, other work apps, and various other work-related functions, that we use as a part of daily work, in one place.

    Who are the founders of Notion?

    Ivan Zhao and Simon Last are the founders of Notion. Ivan Zhao is also the CEO of the company.

    Is the Notion app free to use?

    Yes, there is a free version of Notion available to users. In addition to it, there’re two priced plans with a free trial and an enterprise plan that can be customized.

  • When should you Stop Raising Funds for your Startup?

    Businesses are crucial for this world. You exchange what you have for something that you want. Trade is the basic brick that establishes the foundation of businesses. Which cements humans together with better cooperation abilities. As an entrepreneur goes about starting a business, he faces many problems. One of the problems is the issue of raising capital. If done correctly can change the future of enterprise for the better. Otherwise, it will sink the whole ship of sustenance.

    Money capital is the lifeblood of every investment. Without this fuel, there can be no product, no property, no sales and no cash flows. This is an article talking about the same issue of raising capital. Read to know, should you even raise money? when you should not raise money and when to stop raising capital.

    Things to Remember Before Raising Funds
    Disadvantages of Raising Funds
    When to Stop Raising Funds for your Startup?
    FAQ

    Things to Remember Before Raising Funds

    If you don’t know about raising capital, or If you don’t know how you will end up managing money – don’t raise funds. So, do your homework first. Deciding in advance, the goals and goalkeepers for the organisation is crucial. It will make the road to success otherwise it will be a recipe for disaster.

    Remember, raising capital is for achieving scale. Scale means growth in this context. Raising money is essentially losing control and getting scale. You need to let go of total control in some cases of raising funds. So, If you are not ready to jump off a cliff with a firm belief in your team and culture. Don’t seek a raise.

    Another con is simple yet thoughtful. You don’t need to raise. Yes, a raise is the least type of money that an entrepreneur wants. Even a Venture capitalist will tell you this. VC cheques are the worst kind of money. The favourable kind of money is your customers’ money. Your own revenue. The best way is to go bootstrapped. Again, If you are risk-averse, stay put.

    Disadvantages of Raising Funds

    The first question that a rational person should ask is “Should he/she really raise money?” This question is a valid and important point to consider. Raising capital is not a fairy tale, it has its downfalls too.

    If you are not ready to face the downfalls, smart advice will be that you stop chasing funds. These disadvantages can affect different people differently. Some might be more affected than others.

    Let us see some of the responsibilities that you will have to carry if you are seeking capital.

    Ownership

    When someone tries to raise capital, he is often left with the choice of diluting ownership of the company. Which means lessening the controlling power of entrepreneurs. It will allow interference of the Venture Capitalist in the decisions.

    This interference can be effective or it can affect the growth of the company, depending on the scenario. If the entrepreneur is someone who wants full control of the company, reconsider the choice of raising funds for your startup.

    Accountability

    An entrepreneur who raises capital has to be accountable. Depending on which source of raising he chooses, he needs to be accountable. The source or the Venture Capital can push and pinch for specific and exact usage of money.

    A business person has to iterate his ways in different scenarios. He/she needs to be experimenting with a product. In order to get the perfect product-market fit. In some cases “being accountable for the capital raised” can also reduce the experiments of an entrepreneur. Leaving no space or very little space for mistakes.

    Debt

    This can be seen as a subsection of the previous issue. Raising capital is debt. Some people might get overwhelmed by the thought of using others’ money. This heavy feeling of responsibility can disrupt the natural flow of an entrepreneur.

    Which also points out someone’s personal relationship with money. A person having a bad relationship with money will fear its responsibility. That responsibility rises manifolds if the money is a debt.

    When to Stop Raising Funds for your Startup?

    If you are through the hurdle of deciding to raise capital. Let us discuss when to stop your fundraising rounds. It is imperative to mention that you need to take professional advice on this matter. Investors write a cheque when they are compelled by your work. When raising capital, remember the time frame. Check these points to get some bookmarks.

    Ideal position –

    So, when you’ve managed to impress an investor, make sure you know the ideal condition. The ideal condition is to raise as much as you want to reach profitability. The reason behind this is that it allows you to stop raising for more rounds. It will lessen the hassle one needs to go through for another round of funding. Remember to stop with an ideal cash position in mind.

    Survival of Operations –

    When raising capital, think about your burn rate. You need to consider how many months you are planning your operations to survive. It can be a year to 18 months. This definitive time frame set a bar for raising capital. Even though different products and startups have different burn rates, making sure your burn rate is in check is helpful.

    The Growth Pace –

    If your company is in a good cash flow situation. Like, when the company is adding more customers and revenues and employees. When it is growing really fast. Then you should refrain from raising large funds. The reason is that if you raise 2 to 4 years of funds at this growth pace, then by the end of 2 years you would earn a similar amount by your own operations. There is a good chance you reach that cash by operations.

    So at that point, sitting on a huge debt is of no use. Checking your growth pace before taking financing decisions helps.

    Cash needs –

    It is always tempting to raise capital. To have surplus money than you actually may need. So it is important to remind yourself that there are harms too.

    First, raising capital is expensive and complex. If an entrepreneur is not ready to handle this hassle, it can be disastrous. Second, due to unpreparedness, you may never know the ideal position of raising, which can make you raise too much. This can be a worst-case scenario. Third, remember raising deprives focus.

    An entrepreneur’s main focus should be to provide value, anyhow. Raising money will get investors on board and this will take your arm and a leg. They might interfere with your vision too. So keeping these points in mind, you can set an ideal cash position for the company.


    How to find Finances when all doors seem to be closing on you?
    Though promising startups are founded on role business models and innovative products, a steady cash flow is also necessary to turn their dreams into reality, especially when the companies are in their fledgling stages. To gain a foothold in such a competitive market, startup funding is the lifeline…


    Conclusion

    We get to know with this enlightening article that raising capital is complex. The best money way is still the bootstrapped way. It is considered the smoothest. But when it comes to hacking growth and scaling your product, a VC can do wonders. It can provide you with a primary boost or a launchpad for flying.

    Nonetheless, that launchpad can also become the reason for your own perishment. Knowing how much you need, your burn rate of operations and the scale you want to achieve is crucial in setting a definitive goal for your fundraising. Having your vision and current situation intact in your head will go a long way in fixing this question.

    It is strongly recommended that you go and take the path of organic growth. That is, growing your business naturally should be preferred. Before going on a run for chasing capital and Silicon Valley dreams. You might need the right advice, the right homework and just the right negotiations to get to an ideal position. This is not rocket science but it is nothing sort of less than that.

    FAQ

    How long should a seed round last?

    A typical range seed round lasts between 12 and 18 months.

    How much traction is enough for investors?

    The “traction” that’s relevant for your current stage should be in the range of 0.1% to 0.5%.