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  • Vayana Network- Aims To Solve Trade Finance For India’s SME Sector

    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 Vayana Network.

    With trade prospects diminishing amidst COVID-19, India’s small-and-medium enterprises (SME) sector — one of the largest in the world — could be exposed to life-threatening risks. With the government targeting an ambitious $5 trillion economy, trade was anticipated to climb steadily.

    Trade financing could be the answer to a lot of these problems. By giving sellers access to credit lines, helping them discern business demands, using predictive analytics to solve problems, recognize changing consumer trends, and optimizing their supply chain operations, SMEs could better withstand the downturn in business activity. Pune-based Vayana Network — one of India’s biggest trade finance companies – is perfectly positioned to help SMEs do just that, and more.

    Vayana Network- Company Highlights

    Company Name Vayana Network
    Headquarter Pune
    Founder Ram Iyer
    Founded 2017
    Sector Supply Chain Trade Finance
    Website vayana.com
    Registered Entity Name Vay Network Services Pvt Ltd

    Vayana Network- About and How It Works
    Vayana Network- Founder
    Vayana Network- Name, Logo and Tagline
    How Vayana Network was Founded
    Vayana Network- Vision and Mission
    Vayana Network- Target Market Size
    Vayana Network- Product/ Sevices
    Vayana Network- Business and Revenue Model
    Vayana Network- Startup Launch
    Vayana Network- Customers/ Clients
    Vayana Network- Funding
    Vayana Network- Advisors and Mentors
    Vayana Network- Acquisitions and Mergers
    Vayana Network- Recognitions and Achievements
    Vayana Network- Future Plans


    Vayana Network- About and How It Works

    Vayana strives to provide easy, digital access to low-cost financing to every enterprise – from large corporations to MSMEs – to help manage their working capital, grow business and create employment. Because of the relationships Vayana has cultivated over the years with corporates and financial institutions, most of the applications that it passes on to banks and NBFCs get approved quickly. The company trades on the trust it has built with all of its stakeholders, and it does so swiftly and successfully.

    Vayana’s data-driven digital platform enables identification onboarding, financing, and servicing of creditworthy SMEs at significantly superior unit economics compared to traditional lenders. This allows them to create and offer affordable, convenient financing to the entire supply chain. They are also India’s largest GSP and e-invoicing platform.

    Vayana Network- Founder

    Vayana Network is founded by Ram Iyer.

    Vayana Network Founder | Ram Iyer
    Vayana Network Founder | Ram Iyer

    Ram Iyer | CEO & Founder, Vayana Network

    Ram Iyer, Founder & CEO of Vayana Network, is a serial entrepreneur with over 25 years in the Cash and Trade space providing solutions to some of the largest Banks across the globe. At Vayana Network, Ram has led the company’s vision to democratize access to affordable finance for MSMEs. Previously, he was the co-founder and CEO of CashTech Solutions, a leading Cash Management vendor in Asia which was acquired by Nasdaq listed Fundtech (now a part of the Finastra Group). He has previously worked with Accenture in their management consulting business.

    He is a management graduate from IIM Ahmedabad and an Engineer from Mumbai University. A guest speaker at various Fintech & Trade forums, Ram brings an exceptional understanding of B2B trade, payment ecosystems, and technology.

    Hiring Funda

    Irrespective of hierarchical positions, they attract people who see themselves as ‘producers’ and ‘creators’ and not ‘managers’. They also are keen that everyone joining sees their role as something very significant – not just to the company but to their own professional and personal journeys.


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    Vayana Network- Name, Logo and Tagline

    Vayana Network Logo
    Vayana Network Logo

    Vayana: The Act of Weaving

    Originated from Sanskrit, Vayana represents its vision of building meaningful Trade Financing relationships between Businesses and their Supply Chain partners.

    How Vayana Network was Founded

    Vayana is not Ram’s first entrepreneurial stint, Ram Iyer was previously the co-founder and CEO of CashTech Solutions, a leading Cash Management vendor in Asia which was acquired by Nasdaq listed, Fundtech in 2004.

    After CashTech, he began selling banks systems to help manage companies’ trade finance. That’s when Mr. Iyer realized that there was a need and potential for a company like Vayana after several bankers he worked with told him that even though trade finance was a lucrative proposition, volumes of credit applications were quite low.


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    Vayana Network was started with a vision to democratize the access to trade finance to the smallest of enterprises. Team Vayana designs tailor-made, affordable, closed-loop programs to meet the financing demands of businesses and their supply chain partners with simplicity and speed.

    The employees, partners, and investors fully understand how Vayana Network operates as it is just as crucial as what they accomplish to create value for all stakeholders. Together, Vayana strives to provide easy, digital access to low-cost financing to every enterprise – from large corporations to MSMEs – to help manage their working capital, grow business and create employment.

    Vayana Network- Vision and Mission

    Vayana Network was started with a vision to democratize the access to low-cost trade finance to the smallest of enterprises. They believe that for an economy like India to achieve momentum, the millions of hard-working small wheels (i.e. Micro and small businesses) must run smoothly and financing is critical to this.

    Vayana’s mission, therefore, is to ensure that every entity on a supply chain, from the largest to the smallest, can access financing affordably and conveniently. They strive to make financing an integral, seamless part of the trade process and not a separate activity.


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    Vayana Network- Target Market Size

    Through Supply Chain Finance Vayana is looking to address a short-term trade credit gap of $ 260 Bn faced by Small and Micro Enterprises in India.

    India has about 63 Mn MSMEs of which only 5% have access to formal sources of financing. The cumulative financing gap faced by MSMEs left out of the formal system, is about $260bn.

    SCF market in India today is approx $10 Bn, which is less than 1 % of India’s GDP. In the next 5 years, we expect the market to be roughly 4% of India’s GDP, which is the case today in countries like China. This growth will be backed by the increasing formalization of the economy brought about by GST and E-Invoicing initiatives of the government, RB

    [ Sources- IFSC report on Financing MSME, RBI report authored by UK SInha and other sources.]

    Vayana Network- Product/ Sevices

    Starting from big ‘anchor’ companies at the top of the supply chain, they can detect, analyze and leverage the ‘creditworthy networks’ of downstream buyers, using real-time data. The digital process of onboarding is quick, painless, saving time, effort, and cost

    • SMEs can access affordable finance easily. A simple one-click process removes friction, enabling high utilization
    • Banks and FIs gain access to an expanded book from new segments which they could not viably access till now
    • ‘Anchor’ corporates enjoy the benefits of expanded supply chain coverage – predictable cashflows, increased sales, and frictionless supply chain relationships.

    And all of this without requiring any change in internal systems and processes.


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    Vayana Network- Business and Revenue Model

    Vayana’s technology & services platform enables their partner Banks and FIs to build a scalable and profitable portfolio, retain it and grow over time. The entire cycle from sourcing to settlement is managed by Vayana, hence partner institutions pay Vayana a service fee on the financed portfolio. Vayana is also a leading GSP (GST Suvidha Provider) offering a seamless API gateway for Corporates, Institutions, and MSMEs for their GST, EwayBill, and eInvoicing compliance needs; against platform fees.

    Vayana Network- Startup Launch

    The core emphasis of Vayana Network, when launching the company, was to build a process that is scalable and serves to solve the most critical need of any business i.e. freeing up the cash flow. One of the key needs for this process to run successfully was to create something that is so easy to use that one forgets that it is there.

    Initially, a lot of their business was driven via more of one to one interaction, but as they have grown from strength to strength they are now very well entrenched in the psyche of both the corporates as well as their FI partners, who appreciate the know-how and key knowledge we bring to the table for all the concerned parties, thus creating a healthy and meaningful trade network.

    Vayana Network- Customers/ Clients

    One of the key driving philosophies was to keep the process as simple as possible or as our CEO states “Dal – Chawal will never go out of fashion, as oppose to exquisite continental food that is good but, in the end, you will always crave simple food as it solves for your basic need.” Similarly, there are multiple solutions that are available in the market, but all businesses from large corporates to the SMEs are looking to solve for the key pain area i.e. freeing up their working capital allowing them to do business at a much larger scale and this is where Vayana comes in by managing the entire trade financing network in such a manner that business no longer needs to worry about the credit crunch and concentrate on what they do best, growing the business.

    Vayana with its simple & robust processes allows it to onboard large corporates as well as the smallest of MSMEs with equal ease in the shortest possible time thus eliminating long and tedious onboarding processes.

    Vayana Network- Funding

    Date Stage Amount Investors Name
    2017 Series A & B $ 9 Million Chiratae Ventures, Jungle Ventures & Recruit Strategic Partners

    Vayana Network- Advisors and Mentors

    The company is blessed with a strong set of experienced professionals and seasoned entrepreneurs on its Board and advisors like Dr. Marti G Subrahmanyam, Mr. Kannan Ramasamy, and Mr. Kalyan Basu.

    Vayana Network- Acquisitions and Mergers

    The company is open to acquisition opportunities in allied areas of strategic interest and has already made 2 acquisitions in the last two and a half years. Vayana focuses on lean teams working on some great models/ ideas in the space of facilitating B2B trade and where both teams see a great cultural fitment and commonality of interest. One such acquisition was of SahiGST in 2018 – a leading cloud-based ASP; to further strengthen our GST and E-Way Bill Portfolio. The next acquisition (not yet public) is in the B2B payments space.


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    Vayana Network- Recognitions and Achievements

    Vayana has been recognized as “Fast Learner” Fintech Startup at Fidelity WyAQ Award 2020 and has also won NASSCOM’s ‘Emerge 50’ in the Fintech category in 2019.

    Vayana Network- Future Plans

    Vayana Network is successfully servicing clients from over 25 industries, further impacting more than 20,000 MSMEs and 300-plus supply chains and processing more than 1.7 million invoices. Vayana has a CAGR of 300 percent, with an organic growth rate of up to 45 percent. The company recently finished financing $USD 5 Bn (Rs 37,000 crores) on their platform.

    Currently present in the US, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Indonesia, the company is targeting either Japan, South Korea, or Taiwan next.

  • Best Books For Freelancers To Know About Getting Success in Freelancing

    If you want to be your own boss, freelancing is an excellent way to make money and develop experience. When you are a freelancer, you are in control of your work hours, your income and the type of job you want to do. Convenience and the ability to work from home are the main advantages. Working on freelancing assignments usually means you can work from your home during your preferred hours. You’ll have to meet deadlines, but you’ll be able to choose when and where you work.

    When it comes to freelancing, the sky’s the limit, and practically anyone with the necessary skills can do it. For specific jobs, many businesses choose freelancers over full-time staff since it is more efficient and beneficial for both sides. However, when it comes to freelancing, proper supervision is critical, particularly if you are new to the field. These days, there are many places to acquire good counsel, but the best is to read and listen to what professionals have to say.

    In this article, we’ll look at the benefits and drawbacks of freelancing, as well as some outstanding books written by experts that can help aspiring freelancers get started.

    About Freelancing
    Advantages of Freelancing
    Disadvantages of Freelancing
    Best Books For Freelancers

    Conclusion
    FAQs

    Best Books about Freelancing

    About Freelancing

    When someone works for clients or companies as a freelancer, they do it on a contract basis rather than as a full-time employee. The person working provides their skills and knowledge to the assignment without committing to a single client. The quantity of projects or tasks one can take depends solely on their ability to complete them as requested.

    Freelancing is a tempting career path. It solves practically all of the challenges that a typical service-class individual faces. Freelancers either acquire work via third-party platforms like Fiverr, 99designs, and others, or they leverage their network to get more work and give quality services to their clients.

    Advantages of Freelancing

    1. You are in charge of your own.

    As a freelancer, you have the freedom to choose the projects you want to work on and the clients with whom you want to work. The nicest aspect is that you can work whenever you want. No one will mind if you work from home or from the beach as long as you make your deadlines.

    2. All profits are yours to retain

    Your entire reward from your hard work is yours to retain, and no one in senior management will take your hard-earned money and reduce it to a little monthly pay. This benefit is one of the most appealing aspects of freelancing. You can set a price for your abilities and hard work by negotiating with your client.

    3. No office meetings and less hassle

    Working as a freelancer eliminates the need to attend tedious workplace meetings and eliminates the waste of time and effort. You can do all of your tasks without having to deal with the hassles of workplace meetings and formality.


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    Disadvantages of Freelancing

    1. You are solely responsible for everything

    When you work for a company, it is your boss’s responsibility to pay you at the end of the month. However, as a freelancer, you are solely accountable for this. You don’t have the convenience and security of working full-time for an employer.

    2. It is difficult to get paid

    As a freelancer, it might be difficult to get compensated for your job because customers may try to pay you in the form of exposure and notoriety rather than money, which can be aggravating.

    3. Lower level of assurance

    Freelancing can be stressful at times because there is no guarantee of having a full-time job, and every freelancer endures the continual stress of losing assignments and not generating any money.


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    Best Books For Freelancers

    Now that we have discussed what freelancing is and its pros and cons, it is time to look at some great books that can help you on your freelancing journey.

    The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss

    Best Books for Freelancers | Best Books about Freelancing
    Best Books for Freelancers | Best Books about Freelancing

    Tim Ferriss is well-known for his impact and easygoing but informative writing style. Tim Ferriss discusses the need of not taking things too seriously in order to make a solid living freelancing, especially if you are inexperienced and lazy. Any freelancer would clearly benefit from learning his way of thinking and also how he manages to be so productive while remaining so laid-back. The book provides all of the necessary knowledge for a freelancer to understand and will prepare you for your adventure as a freelancer.

    The Freelancer’s Bible by Sara Horowitz

    Best Books for Freelancers | Best Books about Freelancing
    Best Books for Freelancers | Best Books about Freelancing

    This book is a massive hit, and it provides all of the essential information you’ll need to succeed as a freelancer. The book covers a wide range of subjects, like building networks and negotiating with clients, that can be quite beneficial to a new freelancer. Sara Horowitz, the founder and executive director of Freelancer’s Union, one of the world’s largest freelancing NGOs, penned the Bible. This ensures the book’s quality and reliability.

    The Freedom Figure by Adam Fletcher

    Best Books for Freelancers | Best Books about Freelancing
    Best Books for Freelancers | Best Books about Freelancing

    The Freedom Figure is a lighthearted, amusing, and honest book on the ins and outs of the freelancing world. For example, Adam begins by humorously clever and thought-provokingly outlining the whys and hows of the worldwide market change. He talks about it in strange analogies about overloaded gatherings, and then veers off into a tangent about roasting older folk. Altogether, The Freedom Figure is a lovely book that teaches you how to live a more future-proof existence filled with thrill, excitement, freedom, travel, riches, and purposeful jobs.

    Company Of One by Paul Jarvis

    Best Books for Freelancers | Best Books about Freelancing
    Best Books for Freelancers | Best Books about Freelancing

    Paul Jarvis, writer, tech designer, and accomplished freelancer, has been dubbed “the friend that every creative needs” for his “against the grain” attitude to freelance. Based on his 20 years of freelancing experience, Paul urges real soloists to take advantage of the potential new territory as an opportunity to expand and flourish in the profession.


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    The Freelancing Blueprint by Tyler Ford

    Best Books for Freelancers | Best Books about Freelancing
    Best Books for Freelancers | Best Books about Freelancing

    In The Freelance Blueprint, Tyler Ford delves into the ins and outs of the freelancing sector. He claims in the book that the vicious loop of freelancers bidding against each other for $5/hour assignments is unsustainable, and he recommends a template that almost all top-earning freelancers appear to follow. Tyler breaks down the freelance blueprint into tiny, specific, and actionable stages that any freelancer can implement in 90 days or fewer to become a top-earning freelancer.

    The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau

    Best Books for Freelancers | Best Books about Freelancing
    Best Books for Freelancers | Best Books about Freelancing

    The $100 Startup is a game-changing book on living life to the fullest, discovering direction and significance, and doing so while making a decent livelihood. The best part of this book is that Guillebeau doesn’t merely give counsel without providing concrete examples. In fact, he finds over 50 of the most fascinating case studies of people who have established enterprises worth $50,000 or more from a $100 investment. The $100 Startup is a great option as a sourcebook to refer to if you’re considering expanding your freelance business into an enterprise.

    Conclusion

    Freelancing is a fantastic way to make money using your talents and experience without having to commit to a single company. There are numerous advantages, but there are also numerous disadvantages. As a result, it is critical to conduct extensive research and learning, and there are numerous expert-authored books available to read in order to gain a better understanding of the profession.

    FAQs

    What do freelancers do?

    Freelancers are self-employed individuals that work for numerous clients at the same time.

    Is freelancing good for beginners?

    Freelancing websites are a simpler way to generate money online if you are a novice. These platforms make it simple to search for employment that match your qualifications.

    Is it simple to work as a freelancer?

    Some people are capable of handling certain situations, while others are not. Your attitude, working style, and ability to accept uncertainty may all play a role in how difficult freelancing is for you.

    What are the best books about freelancing?

    Some of the best books about freelancing are:

    • The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss
    • The Freelancer’s Bible by Sara Holowitz
    • The Freedom Figure by Adam Fletcher
    • Company Of One by Paul Jarvis
    • The Freelancing Blueprint by Tyler Ford
    • The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau
  • How Cloud Tailor is using ML to deliver Personalized Fashion Styling

    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 Cloud Tailor.

    Cloud Tailor is a D2C mobile app that enables Personalized fashion styling, fashion visualization, recommendations, order placement, tracking, and fulfillment. It is the only tech-enabled personalized fashion brand in India – Serving global women customers from India. StartupTalky interviewed Susmitha Lakkakula (Founder, Cloud Tailor) to get insights on the startup story and roadmap of the organization. In this article, you’ll discover how Cloud Tailor was started, its journey to date, marketing strategies, revenue model, and more.

    Cloud Tailor – Company Highlights

    Startup Name Cloud Tailor
    Founding Team Susmitha Lakkakula, Rudra Pratap, Mahesh Patel
    Headquarters Hyderabad
    Industry D2C Fashion
    Website cloudtailor.in

    Cloud Tailor – About and Vision
    Cloud Tailor – Industry Details
    Cloud Tailor – Idea & Inspiration
    Cloud Tailor – Product and USP
    Cloud Tailor – Founders and Team
    Cloud Tailor – Name, Tagline and Logo
    Cloud Tailor – Business Model & Revenue Model
    Cloud Tailor – Launch and Marketing Strategies
    Cloud Tailor – Challenges Faced
    Cloud Tailor – Achievements & Milestones
    Cloud Tailor – Funding
    Cloud Tailor – Advisors & Mentors
    Cloud Tailor – Competitors
    Cloud Tailor – Tools used to run startup
    Cloud Tailor – Future Plans
    Cloud Tailor – FAQs

    Cloud Tailor – About and Vision

    Cloud Tailor is a D2C mobile app that enables Personalized fashion styling, fashion visualization, recommendations, order placement, tracking, and fulfillment. Cloud Tailor’s unique asset-light ‘Online + Offline’ global fulfillment business model ensures the best quality and price outcome for personalized fashion in guaranteed timelines.

    Vision: To be the ‘One Stop Shop’ for all personalized fashion choices for global women.

    Mission: To simplify and enhance personalized fashion choices for global women.

    “We as founders believe that we have the right mix of technology skills, marketing focus, idea intensity talent, prior startup experience to make Cloud Tailor the No. 1 ‘top of the mind’ brand for personalized fashion across the globe” says Susmitha Lakkakula, Founder, Cloud Tailor

    Cloud Tailor – Industry Details

    Cloud Tailor Industry
    Ladieswear Fashion – Market Size

    The Women’s wear industry is a 185 Billion USD valued business per annum globally. The correct estimates of the Personalized fashion industry are not available since it is a completely fragmented market and there are no organized players in the market now.

    As per the founder’s discussions with multiple fashion experts and market leaders in this domain, the team has estimated the market in India to be a minimum of INR 8000 Crores per annum driven primarily by domestic consumption. The overseas market order fulfillment in India is an extremely under-served market accounting for only 2% of all organized personalized fashion orders. There is a huge scope to present a brand and offer timely dispatches in the best possible price points to overseas customers for their personalized fashion requirements.


    Also Read: How is AI being used in Fashion Industry


    Cloud Tailor – Idea & Inspiration

    The primary inspiration was the founders’ constant lookout for market segment gaps and under-served requirements. They excel at building an organized online solution to cater to offline requirements in society. The founding team saw a huge gap in the ‘Professional Services’ for personalized fashion, as Susmitha Lakkakula, and her husband, Rudra Pratap, faced a lot of issues trying to place orders to tailors, following up, and trying to reach them over the phone and in-person for updates and progress. The duo decided that it was time for someone to simplify this workflow and accept the challenge. Thus Cloud Tailor was born.

    The first set of validators of Cloud Tailor were Industry veterans such as Mr. M C Cariappa (President, Marketing and Sales, Jockey India) and 10 boutique owners with whom the team did the idea-bounce back. All of them immediately suggested that they get started on the startup. Since they conceptualized the initial business plan and structure in Covid times in March 2020, Susmitha had to take police permission for vehicle pass to go around to meet fabric and sewing machine traders, talk to cutting masters, tailors, and other intermediaries to understand how the personalized fashion industry functions and the crucial cogs in the machinery. Susmitha went about doing online courses on fashion on Udemy and other portals. Rudra went about bringing the first UX and UI mobile app screens to life by personally sketching them. He then digitized them and hired a Flutter developer – Tarun Dak from Ahmedabad to bring them to life on Google Cloud, Firebase DB, and Flutter.

    The first MVP app version in flutter was made live in the Play Store and iOS store in January 2021. To scale it to the next level, the team sought to onboard Mahesh Patel, who was then the National Head for eCommerce and online sales at Jockey India. He introduced Susmitha to M C Cariappa who was his boss. Mahesh loved the idea and scale possible and joined Cloud Tailor as Co-founder. M C Cariappa was the 1st full-time advisor to join Cloud Tailor.

    The team decided to fire on all cylinders and put their personal savings together to get the professionally designed app UX and UI did by Lollypop.design. When Anil Reddy (Founder, Lollypop) listened to their vision and idea, he immediately agreed to help them build the best UI app for Cloud Tailor and also offered to personally design the ‘Cloud Tailor’ logo. The current app in development at its App and Cloud Development center in Hyderabad is being built around the researched UX and UI designs made by the same team at Lollypop.design, who had made Myntra, Paytm money, housing.com, Swiggy, Vodafone idea, and the Aditya Birla app among many others.


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    Cloud Tailor – Product and USP

    USP and innovation:

    1. Only tech-enabled personalized fashion brand in India – Serving global women customers from India
    2. Cloud Tailor app (Beta is live on Android and iOS) is the only mobile app that has a full fashion styling, learning, social sharing, order placement, tracking, and rewards program
    3. It fulfills global orders for ‘Any Style – Any Design’ – Exclusively for women’s wear
    4. The entire backend fulfillment and stitching/shipping also happens through the ‘Cloud Tailor Operations app’ and browser applications at its dedicated Cloud Tailor Fulfillment Centers
    5. ML-based recommendation and upselling engine within the app
    6. VR visualization of dresses styled by the customer or by the fashion designer within the app
    7. Cloud Tailor has been running the Hyderabad Fulfilment Center for the last 5 months (as of Oct 2021) and is now scaling the Fulfilment center operations to Gurgaon, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, and Ludhiana in the next 4 months
    8. This gives a never-before option to Cloud Tailor’s overseas customers to choose the city for the styling and stitching of their fashion
    9. It is currently serving customers in 4 countries (US, Australia, UK, and Singapore) apart from India
    10. The startup has a full-time team of app and cloud developers at its Hyderabad Software development office
    11. Cloud Tailor is guided by a well-accomplished team of advisors from Jockey, Amazon, Geodis, GATI, and TESCO Retail in this rapid scale-up process
    12. The Cloud Tailor customer app has been made by the lollypop.design team which has made the Myntra, Paytm money, Vodafone India mobile, housing.com, and Swiggy apps. bringing vast industry expertise into its app
    Cloud Tailor

    Key problems Cloud Tailor is solving:

    • One-Stop-Shop for all personalized fashion – No more boutique hopping for different categories of personalized fashion
    • Professional and Trained staff – Customer-centric app and offline interactions
    • Tech powered organized solution in the organized boutique market across the world
    • Overseas customers – One Stop Shop (aka mobile app) for all their personalized requirements
    • Customers can now select their home – city (for local styling cues and nuances) for all stitching orders while being based in any country globally
    • Guaranteed delivery dates – No more follow up with the tailor and No more repeated calls and anxiety
    • On app fabric options to select and tag to the orders
    • Huge opportunity for job creation for its on-app Fashion Designers (It limits to NIFT, NID, and Pearl Academy graduates and alumni for now)
    • Dedicated ‘Fashion Designer’ for Cloud Tailor Gold club members
    • ML-based recommendations of wardrobe shortlisting of styles – Shorten order decision cycles
    • Save all measurements on the app and tag them to the profile – Checkouts will now be a breeze
    • Doorstep measurements option in serviced pin codes for that exact fit as required
    • Lifetime free alterations for its orders – No more hunting for alteration tailors
    • Social Styling options – Share your designs and images on the Cloud Tailor app – Tag them on social as well – Let someone else order your style – Earn redeemable buttons
    • On app ‘Loyalty Program’ – Cloud Tailor Buttons – Redeemable on order value
    • Offer a professional work environment with good benefits to its staff

    Cloud Tailor – Founders and Team

    Susmitha Lakkakula, Rudra Pratap and Mahesh Patel are the co-founders of Cloud Tailor.

    Susmitha is leading the company formation, strategy, USP, and product features. Rudra handles the mobile app and cloud part of the work and also the offline expansion and the details. Rudra and Mahesh Patel are friends and have known each other for the last 14 years Mahesh has a sharp business acumen has come from a business family in Gujarat. He is an expert at going to market, branding, online sales, and business partnerships at a global level. He immediately liked the idea to join as a co-founder when Susmitha and Rudra both had gone for his housewarming in Bengaluru in January 2021.

    Cloud Tailor Co-founders
    Cloud Tailor – Founding Team

    Susmitha Lakkakula | Founder & Full Time into Cloud Tailor

    • Masters in software engineering: BITS Pilani (Software Engineering)
    • EPBM – IIM Kolkata
    • MSc – Information Science: Osmania University
    • Work Experience: Wipro Technologies/ Quantum/ Dell/ Quest (Total 19 Yrs)

    Rudra Pratap | Co-Founder, Cloud Tailor

    • Masters in software engineering: BITS Pilani (Software Engineering)
    • EPBM – IIM Kolkata
    • BCA – Utkal University
    • Diploma in Advertising and PR: NiA
    • Work Experience: Wipro Technologies/ Reliance / Aliens Real Estate/ Cosyn/ raksan (Over 19 years experience)

    Mahesh Patel | Co-Founder, Cloud Tailor

    • Bachelors in Hotel Management, Sunway College University, Kuala Lumpur
    • Executive MBA, NIMT
    • Work Experience: Jockey (Page Industries), Shop CJ, Reliance, Spencers, Aditya Birla Retail

    Cloud Tailor Team

    Currently, Cloud Tailor has a total of 8 Full-time employees and 4 part-time employees. The founders are very selective in hiring as they need to be sure that the person will be able to don multiple hats when required, is flexible to adapt to a startup, and think like an entrepreneur when it comes to the customer.

    The founding team had initially booked ‘bookmytailor’ as the name of the brand and also got it Trademarked. Eventually, they realized that it did not signify the Technology depth of the startup and also the aspect of workflow happening virtually and seamlessly. Hence they brainstormed for over 3 days and found that ‘Cloud Tailor’ was an apt depiction of what they intended to be perceived as by their customers. It also had a nice ‘Cloud’ connotation to it which signifies both the ‘Cloud virtual part’ as well as ‘the cloud nine’ significance which meant satisfaction and happiness.

    When they approached Lollypop team, Anil himself volunteered to design the logo. There were multiple iterations and logo designs they ran through over 45-60 days and eventually zeroed in on the one. The founders went ahead and trademarked the ‘Cloud Tailor’ word mark and this has been registered to as well.

    Cloud Tailor Logo

    The tagline: ‘You Design, We Stitch’ also signifies the importance of the customer in the whole process and also that the customer is a part of the whole cycle. Mita, Rajesh, and Anil from the Lollypop team played a crucial role in sharing options and also shortlisting the logo options down to the last 3.

    Illustration of various Cloud Tailor Designed 

    Cloud Tailor – Business Model & Revenue Model

    Cloud Tailor offers a simple and reliable tech-based solution for personalized fashion solutions for global women.

    Cloud Tailor Business Model
    Cloud Tailor Revenue Model

    Cloud Tailor’s revenue model is driven by 4 sources:

    • Hyper Personalized Fashion: Style – Order – Track – Socialize. Repeat. ML-based recommendation engine
    • Ready to Fit: The Tatkal version of ‘Personalized Fashion’. Tag your saved measurements >> Select ‘Ready to Fit’ SKU >> Place Order (dispatch in 24 hours)
    • Accessories: Select from the hand-picked accessories to match your fashion: Clutches, Tote Bags, Belts, Handbags, and many more
    • B2B Clothing Line / Personalized Fashion Outsourcing: Dedicated styling/stitching unit setup to service other brands/boutiques anywhere in the globe

    Since the startup operates across all styles and design segments in women’s wear, each order is unique and thus its prices depend on the order type, the accessories, the work and time required to complete the order.

    Cloud Tailor – Launch and Marketing Strategies

    The team at Cloud Tailor used WhatsApp marketing and created small flyers on Canva and posted them in the gated community Whatsapp groups. They had their first order on the 2nd day of the first post. After that, the startup had a constant stream of orders and also because the team generated a lot of goodwill with the experience of their first critical set of customers whom they took special care of.

    They also did a small budget Google Analytics campaign for the US, Australia, and the Middle East to place its brand amongst the target group there. Apart from Whatsapp, they also used Facebook marketing with boost posts. Initially, the team also ran branding runs on the boosting on FB and Instagram.

    “We will still attribute our earliest quick success to the importance of closed WhatsApp groups of residents/ladies for maximum impact” – Susmitha added.

    Cloud Tailor hired a social media agency in July 2021 and like any online marketing hack, social media planning takes time and patience. The startup plans to do Customer Testimonial reels, Live comments, user stories, and process reels on how Cloud Tailor’s app enables easier and faster order design and placement. It Social calendar is also made and executed by the social team. Another important thing that the startup did, was to hire Social media interns from MBA colleges who would track the trends and act as growth hackers for the startup.

    The startup is in talks to use popular apps with specific partnerships for coupons and branding. It is currently running a tight ship and is diligent in its spend for the agency and interns process. The startup would enhance the team strength and build more branded content in due course in a planned manner.

    Cloud Tailor has grown mostly by customer word of mouth and repeat sales – since there is no other brand around who provides a similar service and a mobile app. Hence its best ROI was in spending time with its existing customers and nurturing their trust to be able to build credible support and core referral and brand ambassador group.


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    Cloud Tailor – Challenges Faced

    1. Being Software Engineers by career and training: The founding team learned basics of fashion, garments, styling, sketching, fabrics, machinery, repairs, manpower requirements
    2. Learning the fashion domain intricacies and nuances during COVID time with an infant at home and pre-teen
    3. Placement and ROI of fulfillment centers
    4. Overseas cities where they can scale for orders
    5. Differentiation factor communication to customers
    6. Keep increasing repeat order comfort with existing customers

    Cloud Tailor – Advisors & Mentors

    Cloud Tailor
    Cloud Tailor – Advisors

    Cloud Tailor – Achievements & Milestones

    Cloud Tailor’s biggest achievement – Highest Order Value from Single customer so far in Sep 2021: Rs. 51000 (From a repeat customer in the US, Houston). This shows the potential and scale the startup can grow to.

    Some of the Current Milestones achieved by Cloud Tailor are –

    1. Beta versions of Android and iOS apps LIVE
    2. Hyderabad Fulfillment Center Operationally break-even within 4 months of commencement
    3. M C Cariappa, President (Jockey – Page Industries) joined as a full-time advisor
    4. Abhishek Dwivedi, Head (TESCO – Soft Development) joined as a full-time advisor
    5. Harry Lagad, Regional Director (GEODIS) joined as a full-time advisor
    6. Chirag Bhuva, Leader – Asia Pac, Amazon Business Customer Services joined as a full-time advisor
    7. Started Software Development Office in Financial District, Hyderabad with 2 Full-Time Developers on payroll
    8. Full System Architecture on AWS with API interfaces and ML-based systems designed and approved by the team – Development in progress
    9. Achieved 70% customer repeat orders every month due to the convenience
    10. Average Order value in Aug 2021: Rs. 3000

    Cloud Tailor – Funding

    The team has bootstrapped Cloud Tailor through the current scaling stage and is currently raising funds to scale it faster, build the app and cloud development teams, set up 2 company-owned fulfillment centers and 6 partner-owned-operated fulfillment centers.

    Cloud Tailor – Competitors

    Cloud Tailor is an only tech-enabled personalized fashion brand in India – Serving global women customers from India.

    Cloud Tailor – Tools used to run startup

    Few tools which Cloud Tailor uses to run the startup –

    1. Zoho books – accounting
    2. Canva – posts design
    3. AWS – Stateless Architecture – Lambda, EC2, Cognito, Jitsu, Pinpoint, Postgres, API Gateway
    4. Knowlarity: IVRS
    5. Razorpay Payment Gateway
    6. Razorpay Payroll

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    Cloud Tailor – Future Plans

    Short term goals [end 2022]:

    1. 1 million MAU
    2. INR 2 Crores in ARR / GMV
    3. Stable Ver 3 of Cloud Tailor app and backend operations apps
    4. Fulfillment centers in 4 cities
    5. Brand Interaction Signature kiosks/centers in 4 cities
    6. 3 B2B partners for ‘managed backend fulfillment’
    Cloud Tailor Projected Growth

    Long term goals [by 2025]:

    1. 10 million MAU
    2. INR 100 Crores in ARR
    3. VR View of fashion styled
    4. Fulfillment centers in 7 cities
    5. Aggregated Partner operations in 7 Tier 2 cities
    6. Brand Interaction Signature kiosks/centers in all 7 cities
    7. 10 B2B partners for ‘managed backend fulfillment’

    Cloud Tailor – FAQs

    What is Cloud Tailor?

    Cloud Tailor is a D2C mobile app that enables Personalized fashion styling, fashion visualization, recommendations, order placement, tracking, and fulfillment. Its unique asset-light ‘Online + Offline’ global fulfillment business model ensures the best quality and price outcome for personalized fashion in guaranteed timelines.

    Who founded Cloud Tailor?

    Susmitha Lakkakula, Rudra Pratap, and Mahesh Patel are the co-founders of Cloud Tailor.

    Is Cloud Tailor funded?

    No. Cloud Tailor is a bootstrapped startup.

    What is the tagline of Cloud Tailor?

    Cloud Tailor’s tagline – ‘You Design, We Stitch’ signifies the importance of the customer in the whole process and also that the customer is a part of the whole cycle.

  • List Of Angel Investors In Bangalore [With Contact]

    Bangalore, the silicon valley of India, is one of the most famous Indian cities for entrepreneurs. In this post, we have listed some of the most prominent angel investors in Bangalore whom you can reach out to. You will get to know about their background and the sectors they like to invest in. You can contact these angel investors in Bangalore via their LinkedIn and AngelList profile.

    Relevant Read – List of Startups in Bangalore

    List of Angel Investors in Bangalore – With Contact

    1. Abhishek Gupta
    2. Binny Bansal
    3. Phanindra Sama
    4. Krishna Jha
    5. Sameer Brij Verma
    6. Ganesh Krishnan
    7. Aprameya Radhakrishna
    8. Praveen Gupta
    9. Rajeev Krishnan
    10. Amit Gupta
    11. Shamir Karkal
    12. Srinivas Anumolu
    13. Ananda Kallugadde
    14. Gaurav Lochan
    15. Nagendra Bhanuprakash
    16. Brij Bhasin
    17. Pradeep Reddy Kamasani
    18. Abishek Surendran
    19. Rutvik Doshi
    20. Toby Ruckert
    21. Nilesh Trivedi
    22. Sachin Garg
    23. Mark Straub
    24. K. Srikrishna
      FAQs

    Top Angel Investors in India

    List of Angel Investors in Bangalore – With Contact

    Below are listed some of top and active angel investors in Bangalore with their contacts and the markets they are interested in.


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    Abhishek Gupta

    Contact: AngelList | LinkedIn

    Markets Interested: SaaS, E-Commerce, Application, Platforms, Machine Learning, Big Data, Education, Developer APIs,Designers, Advertising, Music
    Investments: 135 Tech Labs Pvt., AskCake, bluegape.com, bottr.me, DataWeave, FlixStock

    Abhishek Gupta- Angel investors in Bangalore
    Abhishek Gupta- Angel investors in Bangalore

    Abhishek Gupta did his engineering from IIT, Varanasi in 1999. After completing engineering, Abhishek joined Oracle as an Associate Consultant. After working there for 4 years, he joined GlobalLogic. He then switched to a new company after working at GlobalLogic for almost 4 years and joined Lime Labs India as VP Technology. Later in 2011, he became the Head of Accelerator at TLabs. Now, Abhishek Gupta is the COO at TLabs and also serving as a Board member of MintM Inc. and GradeUp. Moreover, he likes to work as an angel investor for startups.

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    Binny Bansal

    Contact: AngelList | LinkedIn

    Markets Interested: Technology, Resource management, EdTech, Media
    Investments: Ather Energy, Grey Orange Robotics,InShorts, Unacademy

    Binny Bansal- Angel Investor in Bangalore & founder of Flipkart
    Binny Bansal – Angel Investor in Bangalore | founder of Flipkart

    One of the most famous names in the Indian entrepreneurial world, Binny Bansal started off at Sarnoff as a Software Engineer in 2005 after completing engineering from IIT, Delhi. In 2007, he switched to Amazon at the same position. However, after working there for 9 months, he along with his colleague, Sachin Bansal, came up with a new idea. They duo founded Flipkart. Binny recently left the company and co-founded another startup called X to 10x Technologies. Binny Bansal also serves as an advisor to many companies. Binny Bansal has invested in a lot of Indian startups as an angel investor.

    Phanindra Sama

    Contact: AngelList | LinkedIn

    Markets Interested: Consumer Internet, Enterprise Software, Mobile SaaS
    Investments: Belong, Betaout, DailyObjects, Drivezy, Fyle, galleri5

    Phanindra Sama- Angel Investors in Bangalore & founder of redBus
    Phanindra Sama- Angel Investors in Bangalore & founder of redBus

    Phanindra did his engineering from BITS, Pilani. He then started working as a design engineer at ST Microelectronics. After working 2 years, he joined another company called Texas Instruments at the same position. In 2006, Phanindra Sama co-founded redBus and served as the CEO for 8 years. Phanindra now serves as the Chief Innovation Officer for Government of Telangana.


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    Krishna Jha

    Contact: AngelList | LinkedIn

    Markets Interested: Mobile Consumer Internet, SaaS, Enterprise Software, Productivity Software, FinTech
    Investments: AdPushup, Apptimize, Kwench Global Technologies, PrettySecrets, ReTargeter

    Krishna Jha - Angel Investors in Bangalore
    Krishna Jha – Angel Investors in Bangalore

    Krishna Jha completed his education in Mumbai from St. Xavier’s College. He founded ITFinity Solutions Pvt. Ltd. in 1999. He then became the head of OnMobile and served in that capacity for almost 2 years. Krishna Jha now serves as the President of Telnet ventures.

    Sameer Brij Verma

    Contact: AngelList | LinkedIn

    Markets Interested: Enterprise Software, Big Data, Cloud Computing & Infrastructure, Energy Storage, PaaS, Security, SMS Databases, Developer APIs.
    Investments: Archer Technologies, Bira 91, Buildsupply, CloudByte, Dhama Innovations, Eband Communications

    Sameer Brij Verma - Angel Investors in Bangalore
    Sameer Brij Verma – Angel Investors in Bangalore

    Sameer did his engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology. He started his career as an engineering intern at Spectranet. He went on to do many internships in various companies in the engineering field. Sameer then became the founder and CEO of Breakthrough Capital and now serves as the board member and investor at many companies including Zolo, Jumbotail, Hasura, Myupchar, and Unacademy.

    Ganesh Krishnan

    Contact: AngelList | LinkedIn

    Markets Interested: Consumer Internet, Healthcare, SaaS
    Investments: Must See India, Avagmah, bookadda.com, Browntape, delyver.com

    Ganesh Krishnan - Angel Investors in Bangalore
    Ganesh Krishnan – Angel Investors in Bangalore

    Ganesh Krishnan completed his engineering from Delhi and later pursued an MBA from IIM. He served as the CEO of Bharti Airtel in 1998. Ganesh is the founder of Portea.com and TutorVista.


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    Aprameya Radhakrishna

    Contact: AngelList | LinkedIn

    Markets Interested: E-Commerce, Online Travel Taxis, Consumer Internet, Food Tech
    Investments: DailyNinja, Fisdom, Unacademy, TapChief, Vogo Rentals

    Aprameya Radhakrishna- Angel Investors in Bangalore
    Aprameya Radhakrishna- Angel Investors in Bangalore

    Aprameya completed his engineering from National Institute of Technology, Karnataka. He started working as Software Engineer at Infosys. But in 2006, Radhakrishna decided to study further and joined IIM for his MBA. In 2008, he began working at Jones Lang LaSalle as the head of business development. After working for 2 years, he founded TaxiForSure in 2010. He remained the director of TaxiForSure till 2015. Now, he’s more into angel investing and also founded another startup called Vokal.

    Praveen Gupta

    Contact: AngelList | LinkedIn

    Markets Interested: Social Commerce, Healthtech, SaaS, IoT, eCommerce, Wearable Technologies, CPG Technology, Big Data, Real Estate, FinTech, FoodTech
    Investments: Brilliant, ezCater, Milk Mantra Dairy, Planetary Resources, Adarza BioSystems, Asiatic, Biscuit Labs

    Praveen Gupta - Angel Investors in Bangalore
    Praveen Gupta – Angel Investors in Bangalore

    Praveen completed his engineering from BITS, Pilani. He later joined IIM to do his PGDM. In the year 2000, he founded Cross-Tab Marketing Services where he serves as a Director now. In 2013, Praveen Gupta founded Tallenge Inc. and serves as the CEO.


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    Rajeev Krishnan

    Contact: AngelList | LinkedIn

    Markets Interested: Clean Technology, Consumer Internet, Enterprise Software, Healthtech, Biotechnology, Fintech
    Investments: Absentia VR, Appvigil, Belita, DailyNinja, Effie, Exploride, FinoZen

    Rajeev Krishnan - Angel Investors in Bangalore
    Rajeev Krishnan – Angel Investors in Bangalore

    Rajeev Krishnan is an Engineer from National Institute of Technology and later did PGDM from IIM. Before switching his career, Rajeev worked as a Technical Consultant at National Instruments. He then joined the same company and was promoted rapidly. Rajeev now serves as the Country Manager for MTS System Corporation. Rajeev has seed funded many startups.

    Amit Gupta

    Contact: AngelList | LinkedIn

    Markets Interested: Clean Technology, Consumer Internet, Enterprise Software, Healthtech, Media, e-Commerce
    Investments: Admission Table, Fleksy, Get@, Hate2Wait, HealthifyMe, Inc42 Media

    Amit Gupta - Angel Investors in Bangalore
    Amit Gupta – Angel Investors in Bangalore

    After graduating from IIT, Kanpur, Amit Gupta joined Herman Industries as a software engineer. He later went on to launch InMobi as a co-founder and is now working with Yulu, the cycle rental startup.

    Shamir Karkal

    Contact: AngelList | LinkedIn

    Markets Interested: Consumer Internet, Enterprise Software, Mobile Healthcare, Fintech Industry
    Investments: ChartIQ, ClearFactr, EarnUp, inDinero, MPOWER Financing, Nowait

    Shamir Karkal- Angel Investors in Bangalore
    Shamir Karkal- Angel Investors in Bangalore

    After completing his MBA from Carnegie Mellon University, Shamir Karkal joined McKinsey & Co. as a Management Consultant. He then did many high profile jobs before co-founding Sila in 2018.

    Srinivas Anumolu

    Contact: AngelList | LinkedIn

    Markets Interested: Consumer Internet, Mobile Healthcare, Small and Medium Businesses, Healthtech
    Investments: bigbasket.com, bluestone.com, bookadda.com, delyver.com, DocsApp

    Srinivas Anumolu - Angel Investors in Bangalore
    Srinivas Anumolu – Angel Investors in Bangalore

    After completing his engineering from IIT Madras, Srinivas Anumolu joined IIM Calcutta to do his PGDM. After completing his studies from IIM in 1987, he went to UCLA to pursue an MBA in finance. Srinivas is the Co-founder of TutorVista and Elance (now Upwork). He also served as the director of Amazon India in 2005. All of the startups he has funded in are doing exceptionally well.

    Ananda Kallugadde

    Contact: AngelList | LinkedIn

    Markets Interested: Consumer Internet, Enterprise Software, Mobile Healthcare, Edtech
    Investments: Cheapesto, iKaaz Mobile Payments, inthree, KleverKid, LoudCell

    Ananda Kallugadde - Angel Investors in Bangalore
    Ananda Kallugadde – Angel Investors in Bangalore

    Ananda Kallugadde completed his engineering in 1995 from National Institute of Technology. His first job was at Ernst & Young LLP. Later, he worked at a few companies before he helped co-found NeoBytes in 2006. Ananda now works as an Advisor for many companies.


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    Gaurav Lochan

    Contact: AngelList | LinkedIn

    Markets Interested: Music, Healthcare, Education
    Investments: Aisle, AppVirality, HasGeek, Localize, Springboard, Zycada Networks

    Gaurav Lochan - Angel Investors in Bangalore
    Gaurav Lochan – Angel Investors in Bangalore

    Gaurav Lochan did his Masters in Computer Science from the University of Southern California. He then joined Microsoft as a Software Engineer. In 2012, Gaurav Lochan helped co-found BeetRoute. However, after one year, he joined Flipkart as an Engineering Manager. Gaurav is a Software Engineer at Facebook at present.

    Nagendra Bhanuprakash

    Contact: AngelList | LinkedIn

    Markets Interested: Clean Technology, Consumer Internet, Enterprise Software, Mobile Healthcare
    Investments: Able Lending, Bring Me That, Instamotor, Mosaic

    Nagendra Bhanuprakash - Angel Investors in Bangalore
    Nagendra Bhanuprakash – Angel Investors in Bangalore

    Prior to launching Strumsoft as a co-founder, Nagendra did his MBA from Massachusetts and worked as a Program Manager at Comverse. He is now the VP of Engineering at Synchronoss Technologies.

    Brij Bhasin

    Contact: AngelList | LinkedIn

    Markets Interested: Consumer Internet, Enterprise Software, Media, Mobile Healthcare, SaaS, Impact Investing
    Investments: Flintobox, HackerEarth, Little Eye Labs, Pokkt

    Brij Bhasin - Angel Investors in Bangalore | founder of Boost Tech
    Brij Bhasin – Angel Investors in Bangalore | founder of Boost Tech

    University of Minnesota is where Brij Bhasin completed his engineering and also worked as Research Engineer for 2 years. He later worked as a Product Manager at Pramata Corporation for 6 years. In 2011, Brij Bhasin launched Boost Tech. He left the company after a year and did many high profile jobs in the next 3 years. Brij Bhasin is an Angel Investor and Board Member of multiple companies.


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    Pradeep Reddy Kamasani

    Contact: AngelList | Linkedin

    Markets Interested: Healthcare, Tech, Edtech, Marketing, SaaS, Logistic, Event management, Automobile
    Investments: Explara, Spareshub, Edurev, Ahataxis

    Pradeep Reddy Kamasani - Angel Investors in Bangalore
    Pradeep Reddy Kamasani – Angel Investors in Bangalore

    Pradeep Reddy Kamasani has nearly 2 decades of IT, Business, Sales & Marketing experience in North America, Europe, and Asia. He has been active in the startup ecosystem since 2014. Pradeep is currently the CEO of HunterTech, an IT Services Company based in Bangalore. Pradeep is the founder of 2 startups in addition to being an Angel Investor and Advisor to Edtech, Healthcare, and Tech startups. He is an advisor to Edurev and BeYouPlus. Pradeep is helping small businesses scale to an enterprise level with his Growth Strategy, Marketing Automation, Digital, and Content Marketing Skills. He is Hubspot Inbound Marketing certified.

    Abishek Surendran

    Contact: AngelList | LinkedIn

    Markets Interested: Consumer Internet, Enterprise Software, Mobile Healthcare, Big Data, Computer Vision, Artificial Intelligence
    Investments: IQLECT, LensBricks, Mad Street Den, Riversilica

    Abishek Surendran - Angel Investors in Bangalore
    Abishek Surendran – Angel Investors in Bangalore

    After completing his engineering from VESIT in 2004, Abishek joined Tata Consultancy Services as a security consultant where he remained for 5 years. In 2009, he went to School of Investment and Banking and switched to Intellecap as a Senior Associate. In 2013, Abishek Surendran completed his MBA from IIM and interned at an investment company. He then joined Exfinity Venture Partners as President and stayed for almost 4 years. Abishek is a Partner at pi Ventures.


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    Rutvik Doshi

    Contact: AngelList | LinkedIn

    Markets Interested: Mobile Enterprise Software, Advertising, SaaS, Cloud Computing, Edtech
    Investments: eDreams Edusoft, SysCloud, Unbxd, Aasaanjobs

    Rutvik Doshi - Angel Investors in Bangalore
    Rutvik Doshi – Angel Investors in Bangalore

    Rutvik completed his engineering from IIT, Kharagpur. He joined CA Technologies as a Software Engineer straight out of college. He worked there for a long time in many positions. He then decided to pursue an MBA from INSEAD in 2006. After completing his MBA in 2007, he joined Google as a Product Manager and worked there for 3.5 years. He was the CEO of Tagge.com in 2010. He now serves as the Managing Director of Inventus Capital India.

    Toby Ruckert

    Contact: AngelList | LinkedIn

    Markets Interested: Unified Communications, Social Media, Cloud Computing, Big Data, Social CRM, Advertising Platforms, e-commerce, SaaS, B2B, Deep Information Technology, Disruptive Models
    Investments: TVInfo.in, Advanced Millennium Technologies, Viva-Lite, Wellness-Shop.com

    Toby Ruckert - Angel Investors in Bangalore
    Toby Ruckert – Angel Investors in Bangalore

    Toby Ruckert found SysOp in 1992 and also worked as a Software Tester at IBM at the same time. After that, he became a Board Member at Viva-Lite International Ltd. where he served for 17 years. During that time, he co-found AMT in 2004. Toby Ruckert is the Board Member of many organisations and is the founder and CEO of UIB, which he launched in 2014. Along with a deep interest in business, Toby likes to play music and went to a piano school in 1997.

    Nilesh Trivedi

    Contact: AngelList | LinkedIn

    Markets Interested: Enterprise Software, Big Data, Fintech
    Investments: mobileGullak, Pixel2Desk, Protomake , RevOs, Skyware, ToneTag, VendorMach

    Nilesh Trivedi - Angel Investors in Bangalore
    Nilesh Trivedi – Angel Investors in Bangalore

    After doing a diploma in Business Management, Nilesh worked at Nortal as a System Analyst. He found a tech startup in 2000. He later joined Cisco as a Software Engineer. Nilesh Trivedi did an MBA in 2012 and became an Advisor to many companies. In 2015, he founded another company called IOTLab. Nilesh is an angel investor for many startups.

    Sachin Garg

    Contact: AngelList | LinkedIn

    Markets Interested: Recruitment, E-commerce, Media, Tech Industry
    Investments: iimjobs, Overcart, upRack, ZAPR Media Labs

    Sachin Garg - Angel Investors in Bangalore
    Sachin Garg – Angel Investors in Bangalore

    Sachin Garg is an Engineering dropout who founded his first startup in 1997. He was a Software Product Consultant at TCS, India, and Canada. In 2006, Sachin joined Yale University to do an MBA. After completing his MBA, he became a founding member of GSF Accelerator & Investments. While working on the startup, he also worked as the Product & Business head at Amazon.com. He left both the companies and founded another startup called upRack.com, an e-commerce platform. In 2013, he launched another startup called REXPROP, which was later acquired by BroEx. Sachin now works as a Product and Business Consultant for various companies.

    Mark Straub

    Contact: AngelList | LinkedIn

    Markets Interested: Impact Investing, CleanTech Industry, Mobile Social Recruiting, Emerging Markets, Healthtech, Information Technology, Mobile Health
    Investments: Babajob, EyeNetra, Kopo Kopo

    Mark Straub - Angel Investors in Bangalore
    Mark Straub – Angel Investors in Bangalore

    After completing his education from the University of Virginia in 2004, Mark Straub joined Banc of America Securities as an Analyst. After 2 years, he joined Draper Fisher Jurvetson Growth Fund. In 2011, Mark became the Director of Khosla Impact and worked there for 7 years. In 2017, Mark Straub co-founded Smile Identity.

    K. Srikrishna

    Contact: AngelList | LinkedIn

    Markets Interested: Mobile Consumer Internet, Enterprise Software
    Investments: Althea Systems, IndianStage

    K. Srikrishna - Angel Investors in Bangalore
    K. Srikrishna – Angel Investors in Bangalore

    K. Srikrishna started his career in 1988 as a Marketing Manager at National Semiconductor Corporation after doing his Masters and Ph.D. in Engineering from University of California. He was the President and COO of Microcon in 1996. He held several high profile jobs till 2008 when he founded Zebu Group. Srikrishna was the CEO of Zebu Group and became Executive Director of National Entrepreneurship Network in 2011. In 2015, he co-founded Zebu Games and now serves as its CEO.

    This was our list of Angel Investors in Bangalore. If you are an investor, connect with us at shubham@startuptalky.com to get featured in the list.

    FAQs

    What is meant by angel investors?

    An angel investor is an individual who invests in emerging and promising startups. They provide funding for a startup in exchange for an ownership stake in the company.

    Who is the founder of Indian Angel Network?

    Padmaja Ruparel and Raman Roy are Co-Founders of Indian Angel Network.

    How does an angel investor gets repaid?

    Angel investors expect to get their money back within a fix straight schedule. The tenure ranges from 5 to 7 years with an annualized internal rate of return (“IRR”) of 20% to 40%.

  • Top 7 Subsidiaries of Walmart: The Biggest Retail Store

    Imagine finding a marketplace, where you can get almost anything and everything. Well, you don’t have to imagine anymore, because a place like that already exists in reality itself. From groceries to furniture, almost everything you need can be found under a single roof, thanks to the world’s biggest retail corporation, Walmart.

    This American multinational corporation was founded in the year 1962 by Sam Walton and has been serving its customer since then. It also comes under the list of the top 5 largest corporations in the world by sales. Approximately 40% of products in Walmart are produced by contractors and manufacturers for the retail store itself, basically, it is private-labeled.

    Walmart has been with its customer as a trusted partner since its beginning and currently has more than 11,000 stores in 27 countries that run under different names. The headquarters is situated in Bentonville, United States, this store sells over 75 million products and largest private company to employ over 2.2 million people.

    This retail giant has captured almost all the largest marketplace and has subsidiaries, almost all over the world. This retail giant mostly concentrates on selling quality products at a reasonable price, thus giving cut-throat competition to its competitors.

    “There is only one boss, The customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else.”

    Sam Walton

    In this article, we will talk about all the popular subsidiaries that are owned by Walmart. So let’s dive into it.

    Sam’s Club
    Seiyu Group
    Jet.Com
    Eloquii
    Flipkart
    Bodega Aurrera
    Moosejaw
    FAQ

    Sam’s Club

    Sam's Club
    Sam’s Club

    The child of Walmart itself, Sam’s Club was founded in 1983 by Walmart’s founder, Sam Walton. This member’s only retail warehouse was started to give access to different products and services to those who want to make their small businesses successful.

    This warehouse club offers its members good products at a reasonable value. The headquarters is in Bentonville, United States. Over 600 warehouse clubs over the United States and Puerto Rico, give the members an option to buy products in a huge quantity. The current CEO of the club is Kathryn McLay.

    The club has been able to win customers by offering some features like free shipping to its plus members. The revenue of Sam’s Club is $64 billion in 2021.

    Seiyu Group

    Seiyu Group
    Seiyu Group

    This is a Japanese retails store group consists of supermarkets, department stores, and shopping centers. It was formed in the year 1963 by Seibu Department Stores. It is home to a great collection of fresh food, general merchandise, and clothes and offers them to its customers.

    In the year 2002, Walmart bought about 37% of Seiyu. While in 2003, a deal was signed between Seiyu and Walmart that states it will teach global supply chain practices to the former. Walmart became the owner of Seiyu in 2008 after obtaining the majority stake of the company. With its headquarters situated in Tokyo, Japan, the company is headed by Lionel Desclee.


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    Jet.com

    Jet.com Website
    Jet.com Website

    Founded in the year 2014 by Marc Lore, Mike Hanrahan, and Nate Faust, this is an E-commerce retail store, where one can get anything from groceries to beauty products. The headquarters was situated in New Jersey, United States.

    In the month of August of 2016, Walmart acquired Jet.com with $3 billion in cash and $3 million in Walmart stocks. It is considered the biggest purchase of an e-commerce site in the history of this industry. Unfortunately, Walmart closed Jet.com in the year 2020.

    Eloquii

    This online plus-size clothing store designed trending clothes and accessories for plus-size people. Eloquii Design with its headquarters situated in New York, United States was founded in the year 2012 by Jodi Arnold, John Auerbach, Julie Carnevale, and Steve Zawada.

    Walmart acquired Eloquii in the year 2018 by paying $100 million in cash. Currently, the CEO of this online clothing store that is the destination of fashion for plus-size people is Mariah Chase.

    Flipkart

    India’s one of the largest online retail stores was founded in the year 2007 by Binny Bansal and Sachin Bansal. It is situated in Bangalore, India; it is undoubtedly currently one of the biggest online marketplaces that offers 30 million products to its customer in 70 plus categories.

    Walmart in 2018 grabbed the opportunity and acquired Flipkart for $16 billion. From 100 orders per day to 10,000 orders per day, it has come a long way, Walmart decision to acquire it is surely one of the greatest deals. The CEO of Flipkart is Kalyan Krishnamurthy and its revenue as of 2020 is Rs 34,610 crore.


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    Bodega Aurrera

    Bodega Aurrera
    Bodega Aurrera

    The biggest Mexican food and beverage store was founded in the year 1958 as Aurrera. In 2001, Walmart bought Bodega Aurrera, currently, its headquarters is situated in Mexico City, Mexico.

    This subsidiary of Walmart is the leading grocery store and has over 2044 plus stores all over the region. As of now, the CEO of Bodega Aurrera is Raul Quintana.

    Moosejaw

    Moosejaw
    Moosejaw

    This retail store mostly offers outdoor clothing like sweatshirts, hats, short shoes, and objects required for camping and traveling. Founded in the year 1992 by Robert Wolfe and David Jaffe, this online e-commerce site was acquired by Walmart in the year 2017 for $51 million. From snowboarding to rock climbing, to hiking, every item needed for this adventure can be found in Moosejaw.


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    Conclusion

    With acquiring so many subsidiaries since its founding in 1962, it has become one of the biggest companies in the world and took the spot of Number 1 by revenue. Apart from offline retail stores, it is acquiring the biggest e-commerce stores of different countries to spread its business. Walmart is in the mood of world domination and at this point, it is not going to stop at any moment.

    FAQ

    Who owns Walmart?

    Walmart is owned and controlled by the Walton family.

    What is the revenue of Walmart?

    The revenue of Walmart is 55,920 crores USD as of 2021.

    Who is the founder of Walmart?

    Sam Walton founded Walmart in 1962.

  • Challenges in Scaling Mental Health Startups in India – By Industry Experts

    The opinions & views in this article are contributed by various industry experts in the mental health domain.

    “Health is wealth” goes the famous quote. It is true that most of us take care or have grown to focus on our physical health, the mental health and well-being have always been alarmingly abandoned. The health of our mind is almost as important as our physical health and results in damaging aftermath if not proving to have the most perilous of effects on our body.

    Though quite a few of the startups of today have been founded to focus on our mental health, scaling these startups has been quite a challenge. If you are interested in the mental health startups and the challenges faced by them, go through this StartupTalky article to know further about them!


    Also Read: Top 5 Mental Health Startups in India that are transforming the industry


    Dr. Anuneet Sabharwal | Founder & Director, The Happy Tree

    Scaling Mental Health Startup
    Anuneet Sabharwal – Founder & Director, The Happy Tree

    Happy Tree is a de-addiction, rehabilitation, and mental health hospital based in New Delhi, with a particular emphasis on the rehabilitation of addicts.

    In my (Anuneet Sabharwal) opinion, one of the main reasons why mental health startups haven’t worked is because most of these startups are not founded by professionals in the field. Because they are not founded by professionals, the ins, outs, and subtle details that make or break a mental health or deaddiction business are not properly understood by the founders. Make no mistake, there is humungous demand. But the quality of mental health apps and businesses is not substandard. On the flip side, the mental health professionals who are doing a fantastic job, are simply not business or tech-savvy. So, while they are rendering excellent services to their clients, they don’t have the vision for scalability. The Happy Tree has been a roaring success within just 5 years in the mental health and deaddiction space. The industry needs a visionary who is also a professional practicing in the field, to take charge and build a scalable business.

    Seema Rekha | Managing Director, Antarmanh Consulting

    Scaling Mental Health Startups
    Seema Rekha – Managing Director, Antarmanh Consulting

    In the last 5 years around 500+ new mental health startups came into existence. Interestingly, the market for mental health looks very attractive to investors and they invest in technology-driven mental health startups led by non-medico/non-clinician anticipating an exponential growth curve, however, mental health is a complex and linear business model.

    Unfortunately, technology, mobile apps, AI BOT, etc., can be a supplement not a solution when it comes to mental health help hence failing to create the right product offerings. Another set of startups led by clinicians sincerely lack growth and impact strategy. The B2C market demands a strong sense of vision, structure, and right implementation.

    The global corporate wellness market size was valued at USD 52.8 billion in 2020 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.0% from 2021 to 2028. Hence attracting more and more players in the market who offer basic products like EAP (Employee Assistance Program) as their primary offering

    However, EAP is a low-impact product and does not appeal to the business leaders anymore who are looking for concrete solutions. Another reason why Mental health startups are not taking off is because of the lack of product knowledge, industry knowledge, poor research & analysis, and a non-holistic approach.

    In a nutshell, Startups are failing in creating the right products due to lack of understanding of the market, lack of industry knowledge, poor or no research, lack of appropriate training, qualified but untrained staff, less experienced team members, lack of innovation, investing in infrastructure than its people, trying to quick fix the infrastructural requirements, heavily relying on technology and social media.

    Priya Kumar | Chief of Content & Founder, Genius Inside

    The pandemic has worsened the mental health crises around the world and India was no exception. One in two people aged 18-29 years is possibly subject to anxiety and depression and another 17% are probably affected by it as per the latest reports. While it’s been a phenomenal time for the startup ecosystem in India as is evident, we are yet to see a surge in mental health startups. Many Venture Capitalists understand and see a huge demand for mental health startups, however, very few want to invest in these endeavors as they think these business modules would not scale.

    We want to change the way people approach mental health issues and their cures by developing an ecosystem that is safe and can make people feel like they are in good hands. At Genius Inside we thrive on aiding individuals in personal and professional transformation. We aim to be at the forefront of bringing change and battle the invisible but evident threat.


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    Samreedhi Goel | Founder, SizeWise Fitness Studio

    Mental health startups in India haven’t received the kind of response that the overall startup industry has received. This could be due to multiple reasons like lack of awareness, lack of support, lack of reach to all age groups.

    Mental health as a point of conversation is gaining traction, but yet the mindset of multiple people is still to change, especially of the older age groups. It will take time for them to recognize mental health issues within them and in their younger generation and support anyone who needs helps to seek the same. This shift in mindset, however small it is, is prevalent only in the urban regions of the country, while other areas still do not give regard to mental health the same way they do to physical health.

    Trust, sense of security, and breach of privacy are also factors that contribute to people not being completely accepting of mental health startups. While online counseling and therapy did see a rise during the lockdown, being completely open about having mental health issues is also stopping people from spreading the word about it.

    For mental health startups to take flight in India as an industry, it is key that the mindset of people changes and awareness about mental health increases. Along with giving recognition to mental health at the same standard of physical health

    Nitin Bindlish | Founder & CEO, Mom’s Belief

    Scaling Mental Health Startups
    Nitin Bindlish – Founder & CEO, Mom’s Belief

    It’s been quite a while that mental health which was once a taboo is now an important subject of discussion. The startups dedicated to upscaling mental health have been trying to put their best foot forward to spread awareness about the importance of mental health and mental health issues. What is also worth mentioning is that the pandemic came as a silver lining and rendered a helping hand in increasing awareness about these subjects. Consequently, people not only know but are also trying to accept the need for mental health measures. But they do face their fair share of challenges. The spending capacity for mental wellness by people is not considered as it takes them time to accept that paying for a mental health issue isn’t a big deal. Just as other countries prioritize mental health, India also needs to look at greater investments in this domain. Another major hurdle is that experienced trusted senior talent is unable to cope with the new-age developments in this field. The age-old concepts won’t fit into the present times’ industry landscape.

    One of the major challenges for the field of mental healthcare is for people to accept the need for mental healthcare services, especially for the kids. This problem would amplify when kids will join offline schools and they will face obstacles in adapting to the changing environment. This is where courses helping in bridging the gap would emerge as a saving grace. We at Mom’s Belief are the largest mental healthcare providers in the Asia-Pacific region for children. We offer a plethora of programs & services for building emotional intelligence to interventions that help kids counter the challenge with the help of AI/ML. We ensure deep learning of actions, brain signals, and emotions for a quick, accurate, and insightful analysis of children dealing with developmental delays. On the whole, we aspire to empower each parent and touch a million lives with our offerings. (for regular and kids with developmental delays).

    Conclusion

    Though the mental health startups are striving to make their own mark among the startup companies of now, most of them are not able to reach their full potential due to the rising list of challenges that they are facing. This was thus an attempt to highlight a majority of them.

    We hope you liked our article! It would be great if you let us know how you feel about it via your valuable comments and feedback. Also, let us know what else we can cover in this article and the upcoming ones.

  • Ajay Banga: At The Fore Of Mastercard

    Technology, without any doubt, has undergone unfathomable advancement. The Banking segment forms the bloodline for economies. The role of credit and debit cards in this regard is paramount. While brands like Diners Club, Visa are popular, one cannot discard Mastercard. It is one of the biggest vendors of its segment. Ajaypal Singh Banga leads Mastercard from the front.

    Ajay Banga is an India-American business executive who is currently serving as the executive chairman of Mastercard. Previously, he was the President and Chief Executing Officer (CEO) of Mastercard until Michael Miebach took over from Jan 2021. Earlier, he was the President and Chief Operating Officer in the same organization.

    Ajaypal Singh Banga – Highlights
    Ajay Banga – Latest News
    Ajay Banga – Education
    Ajay Banga – Net Worth
    Ajay Banga – Professional Career
    Ajay Banga – Biography
    Ajay Banga – Mastercard
    Ajay Banga – Other Associations
    Management Style of Ajay Banga
    Ajay Banga – A Natural Leader
    FAQs

    Ajaypal Singh Banga – Highlights

    Name Ajaypal Singh Banga
    Born November 10, 1959
    Age 61
    Citizenship United States
    Education University of Delhi (BA), Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (MBA)
    Occupation Executive Chairman, Mastercard
    Salary Total compensation at Mastercard is $23,250,000
    Net worth At least $208 Million dollars as of 14 July 2021

    Ajay Banga – Latest News

    22nd September 2021 – Mastercard announced that Ajay Banga, the executive chairman will retire on December 31, 2021, with current Lead Independent Director Merit Janow filling in as non-executive independent chair of the board, effective January 1, 2022.

    Ajay Banga – Education

    Ajay Banga, executive chairman of Mastercard, was born in Khadki, Pune, Maharashtra where his father was posted as an Army officer. His family hails from Jalandhar in the Indian state of Punjab. He did his schooling across India consecutively in Secunderabad, Jalandhar, Delhi and Hyderabad.

    Later, he went on to pursue graduation with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in Economics from the prestigious St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University followed by an MBA from the top B-School of the country, i.e. the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

    In conversation with Ajay Banga, executive chairman of Mastercard.

    Ajay Banga – Net Worth

    The estimated net worth of Ajay Banga is at least $208 Million dollars as of 14 July 2021. Mr Banga owns over 60,000 units of Mastercard stock worth over $114,456,560 and over the last 12 years, he sold MA stock worth over $69,986,261. In addition, he made $23,250,000 as Chief Executive Officer at Mastercard.

    Ajay Banga – Professional Career

    Ajaypal Singh Banga served as the executive chairman of the Mastercard. Executive positions at Citigroup (1996-2009), including CEO, Asia Pacific region; Chairman and CEO, International Global Consumer Group; Executive Vice President, Global Consumer Group; President, Retail Banking, North America; and business head for CitiFinancial and the U.S. Consumer Assets Division Previous experience at Nestlé India and PepsiCo totalling 15 years, in roles of increasing responsibility.

    Ajay Banga – Biography

    Ajay started his career with Nestle India as a management trainee in 1981. In the next 13 years of his stay at Nestle, he leads a variety of assignments spanning sales, marketing, and general management. After his tenure at Nestle, he joined PepsiCo’s Restaurants Division and was instrumental in the launch of Pizza Hut and KFC in India.

    He joined Citigroup in 1996 as the head of marketing in India for its consumer business and served in multiple positions of increasing responsibility. The most iconic of them was the chairman and Chief Executing Officer of International Global Consumer Group, President of Retail Banking, North America and the business head for CitiFinancial and the U.S. Consumer Assets Division. He was the division executive for the bank in Central/Eastern Europe, Middle East, Africa, and India too.

    Ajay Banga has received several accolades, including the Indian civilian honour Padma Shri, which the Government of India conferred on him in 2016.


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    Ajay Banga – Mastercard

    Mastercard logo
    Mastercard logo

    During his tenure with Citibank, he moved to Hong Kong in 2008 to oversee the bank’s business in Asia—credit cards and consumer banking, wealth management, and alternative investments. In 2009, he returned to the United States to join Mastercard. After joining Mastercard, his task was clear—compete against a giant named ‘Visa’.

    While working with Mastercard, he worked with one of his best clients and identified a way to attract the youth. He redesigned the debit card product with its package of features, connecting to music, and the creation of a whole new marketing approach with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. This proved to be the masterstroke.

    An area of development Mastercard chose to transform was e-commerce and transit fares. Mastercard also targeted the group which included young, trendy, and innovative people developing new ideas. The company also built for multiple banks and merchants new, innovative ways to pay for goods and services; one being the ability to scan bar codes from phones and converting the code into a purchase.


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    Ajay Banga – Other Associations

    Ajay Banga is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Economic Club of New York. He is a member of the Foreign Policy Association and the Financial Services Roundtable. He chaired the Information and Technology Initiative.

    Banga is on the boards of trustees of Enterprise Communtiy Partners, Inc., the National Urban League, and the New York Hall of Science. Mr Banga was the director of the Council of Economic education too. He has a keen interest in social development issues and was named the 4th “Most Powerful Indian” in the world.

    He now serves as the executive chairman of Mastercard after stepping down from being the CEO in 2021.

    Management Style of Ajay Banga

    Since Ajay Banga has achieved almost everything a budding entrepreneur dreams of, his story has several takeaways. He describes himself as a passionate man who makes time to work on his endeavours.

    Although he leads a company that is synonymous with plastic, he always encourages his staff to use cash and keeps the workplace less intense.

    According to the man, the highest form of leadership is being well and performing well. The principle of being and doing good holds true for anyone and every organization. This is a powerful principle in business and the private sector. Banga says both the private and public sectors play a big role in bringing more people into the financial mainstream. This in turn consolidates the economy.

    Ajay Banga – A Natural Leader

    Ajaypal Singh Banga is endearing to many in the startup circuit. His ideas and strategies have been instrumental in the development of many Indian food chain industries. His tenure with multiple companies has enabled rapid growth for those organizations. In 50 years, he helped the economy sail through tough times. Ajay, the top gun at Mastercard is seen as a representative for India on the global platform, a visionary who motivates millions across the globe to emulate successful leadership.

    FAQs

    Who is Ajay Banga?

    Ajay Banga is an India-American business executive who was the President and CEO of Mastercard from July 2010 until December 31, 2020. He now serves as the executive chairman of the company.

    Who is the new CEO of Mastercard?

    Michael Miebach is the new CEO of Mastercard from January 1, 2021. He was previously the Chief Product Officer of the fintech.

    Is Mastercard an Indian company?

    No, Mastercard is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in New York, United States.

    What is Ajay Banga’s net worth?

    The estimated net worth of Ajay Banga is at least $208 Million dollars as of 14 July 2021. In addition, he made $23,250,000 as Chief Executive Officer at Mastercard.

    What is Ajay Banga’s education?

    Ajay Banga pursued his graduation with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in Economics from the prestigious St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University followed by an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

  • PokerDangal – India’s Largest Online Poker Gaming 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 PokerDangal.

    One great aspect of digitization is the fascinating online games that are taking on the world at a skyrocketing speed. It’s literally like being in this global village of the dream world. To make the online gaming zone more interesting and taking it on the edge, this group of four brilliant entrepreneurs namely Varun Mahna, Varun Puri, Karan Gandhi and Shashwat Jain launched PokerDangal in the year 2017.

    PokerDangal – Company Highlights

    Startup Name PokerDangal
    Headquarters Delhi
    Founders Varun Mahna, Varun Puri, Karan Gandhi and Shashwat Jain
    Sector Online Gaming
    Founded 2017
    Parent Organization Xeta Networks Pvt. Ltd.
    Website pokerdangal.com

    About PokerDangal and How It Works
    PokerDangal – Industry Details
    PokerDangal – Founders and Team
    How was PokerDangal Started?
    PokerDangal – Name, Tagline and Logo
    PokerDangal – Startup Launch
    PokerDangal – USP and Innovation
    PokerDangal – Business Model and Revenue Model
    PokerDangal – Startup Challenges
    PokerDangal – Funding and Investors
    PokerDangal – Acquisitions and Mergers
    PokerDangal – Competitors
    PokerDangal – Growth
    PokerDangal – FAQs

    About PokerDangal and How It Works

    PokerDangal is an Indian online poker gaming platform. It is the flagship product of Xeta Networks Pvt Ltd, an online gaming company from Hatu, Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The game, as goes its title, is a poker game, developed with an aim to redefine Poker in India. PokerDangal was founded in 2017 by Varun Mahna, Varun Puri, and two other co-founders, Shashwat Jain and Karan Gandhi. PokerDangal is currently registered in Kolkata and headquartered in New Delhi. It also has small offices in Kolkata and Chennai as well.

    On www.pokerdangal.com, the users can opt to play a range of exciting tournaments and cash games in a safe game-playing environment.

    PokerDangal is available for desktop users, along with the users of Android and iOS, where they can play three variations of poker:

    • Texas Hold’em Poker, the most popular of the variations in the world
    • Four card pot limit Omaha
    • Five card pot limit Omaha.

    Though the four card pot limit Omaha was already there even before PokerDangal, the five card pot limit Omaha was first introduced by PokerDangal, which has gone on to become the most favourite variation of poker on the platform now. The fast speed and the wide range of probabilities and possibilities are some of the factors that distinguish the five card variation from the rest.

    “It appeals to the statistical and analytical abilities in people,” said Varun.

    While playing any of the three variants of the poker matches in PokerDangal, the players can choose to play individual cash games or get involved in a tournament. Emotional control, analytical ability and strategy are 3 important characteristics that define a good player from the other players.

    The online is at par with the physical game in nearly all thinkable aspects. However, there are only a couple of differences that exist between a physical game and the online PokerDangal. For instance, a player can change his/her strategy when playing a physical game of poker based on the observations from the other players. Another point of difference is that while on a physical game of poker an individual can concentrate only on one game whereas on online PokerDangal he/she can play multiple games together.

    The guiding principle of PokerDangal is to enrich the online gaming industry in India along with extending a safe, reliable, and fun ecosystem for the players of the country.


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    PokerDangal – Industry Details

    The online gaming industry is a brilliant example of a flourishing industry. With the emergence of fantasy gaming platforms and other gaming brands offering a wide range of games of varied nature to the audiences, the gaming industry looks at a bright future ahead.

    The Indian online gaming sector has already reached $1.027 billion in 2020, which stood at around $543 million only in 2016, thereby showing a growth of ~17.3%. The current trajectory that it is exhibiting now would make the industry climb to $2 billion by 2023. Furthermore, the number of online gamers in India, which currently stands at 360 million, is estimated to grow to 510 million by 2022.

    The online poker games, holding the hands of PokerDangal, have already started to disrupt the online gaming industry of India with huge potential.

    How to earn money from online poker games in India

    PokerDangal – Founders and Team

    Varun Mahna, Varun Puri, Shashwat Jain and Karan Gandhi founded PokerDangal in the year 2017.

    The Xeta Networks and PokerDangal founding team.
    The Xeta Networks and PokerDangal founding team.

    Varun Mahna, Founder & CEO – Varun pursued his MBA from XLRI Jamshedpur and graduated in B.E Computer Science from BITS Pilani. Before PokerDangal, he was in the position of HR Lead at Star Sports.

    Varun Puri, Founder & COO – Varun Puri holds a bachelor degree in Mechanical Engineering from BITS Pilani. This is not his first time being an entrepreneur. His first venture was Neevtech India which is a leading exporter of agricultural machinery to Europe.

    Shashwat Jain, Co-Founder & CTO – Shashwat did his Engineering from IIT Dhanbad and has headed the position of VP Analytics for quite a few ventures like Box8, Amazon, Mu Sigma, etc.

    Karan Gandhi, Co-Founder – Karan holds a degree in B.Com from Delhi University and has previously worked in big brands like Zomato and NDTV.

    Currently, PokerDangal has a team of 25 people with the key members being Manan Sobti, Sahil Parakh, Anurag Upadhyay and Akshat Bharadwaj. This team is a close-knit unit with zero attrition in the last 2.5 years.

    How was PokerDangal Started?

    Varun Mahna, the founder of PokerDangal, was a student of BITS Pilani when he was first introduced to poker in 2005. Varun and his friend Varun Puri joined various poker groups and enjoyed playing poker during their university days.

    Varun next joined XLRI Jamshedpur, where poker was again a favourite. With the passage of days, Varun’s love for the game only grew. He then went on to join Star Sports and this is the first time when his attention was drawn towards online poker.

    Varun soon found his interest in online poker and switched to the online form of the game. Online poker was yet a new concept back then but had the potential to disrupt the gaming industry. To leverage this opportunity, Varun decided to found his own company along with his engineering batchmate Varun Puri, Shashwat Jain, Karan Gandhi under the name Xeta Networks, the parent company of PokerDangal, which eventually gave rise to the latter.

    The founders and co-founders together invested close to Rs. 30 lakhs from their personal savings and initially started working from a friend’s house.

    PokerDangal logo
    PokerDangal logo

    The PokerDangal team wanted a catchy name and the one that signified high octane action. The founders turned to be big fans of Bollywood and the movie Dangal inspired them to get an apt name for their gaming startup. There’s a line in the movie that says that “Dangal is not only a physical battle but also a mind game where one has to out-think their opponent.” That is what stayed with the founders and that’s how they decided to call the platform PokerDangal, as it is a mental duel.

    The tagline of PokerDangal is ‘Where Skills Meet Fortune’, which is built with an endeavour of redefining Poker in India. Besides, they also use #AbDangalHoga, which is again inspired by Dangal.

    The logo is a thoughtful mixture of acute sumo who is ready for a battle. It is coloured in a mixture of blue and white and is ingeniously crafted where a silhouette of a sumo wrestler is embedded on one of the chips of poker along with containing the initials of PokerDangal “PD”.

    PokerDangal – Startup Launch

    “We provide an online poker platform available on iOS, Google Play Store and Desktop versions for the users. A user can download our app, create their account, complete their KYC and profile and start playing at a time and place of their convenience.” says the founder proudly.

    Interestingly, users can also deposit and withdraw money in their bank accounts. The business of online gaming is differentiated on customer acquisition, customer retention and customer engagement. With PokerDangal’s core strengths of understanding user behaviour, data analytics, and operational excellence, the tea was able to outpace the market on each of these 3 levels. The prime success in this business depends on how well is the CAC: LTV optimized.

    Since its inception, the team has made major changes to the product and the way they conduct business. The product has been upgraded multiple times post the feedback from the users. Also, they have consistently integrated the feedback to create a better product and this is an ongoing process.

    “From a policy point, we made a big change in April 2018 when we introduced instant cash-out on the platform. A user can withdraw their money 24/7/365 and the money hits the bank account in less than 10 seconds,” said Varun Mahna.

    PokerDangal – USP and Innovation

    The USP of PokerDangal lies in the fact that the platform takes an interest to popularise poker in India and serves as a safe, interesting, and rewarding gaming platform for the existing poker players of the country.

    PokerDangal was the first platform to introduce the five card pot limit Omaha. Furthermore, it also serves as a platform that allows the players to play at multiple tables simultaneously.

    PokerDangal – Business Model and Revenue Model

    PokerDangal has mainly 2 revenue streams.

    1. The first revenue stream is from the tournaments the platform conducts. They charge a 10% service fee on the entry fee for a tournament.
    2. The second revenue stream is from the cash tables, where the platform charges a 3-4% service fee on the amount wagered by the users on the tables.

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    PokerDangal – Startup Challenges

    The toughest part for PokerDangal was for them to sustain the concurrent traffic on the platform. To make this happen, they came up with a brilliant “refer a friend” program which fueled the traction and incentivized players to refer their friends to play on the PokerDangal platform. Poker as a game is typically learned and played in a group and hence each user on the platform had a circle which the team leveraged to its benefit with this campaign.

    So ideally PokerDangal made its users its brand ambassadors where they were getting tremendous value to refer their friends as well. Refer a friend as a marketing tool has multiple benefits – it is relatively cheap and it creates a very positive brand image for the consumers being referred. For the initial months, spends on this campaign were very limited but the team did a lot of strategic tie-ups to ensure that they are reaching out to the target consumers most effectively. As a part of the plan, they also tied up with some of the top B-schools and Engineering colleges in the country and promoted PokerDangal during their annual festivals and meets. Interestingly, those partnerships are still in place and PokerDangal is now the official gaming partner for colleges like XLRI, MDI, etc.

    Also, one of the most challenging parts was when PokerDangal was just 6 months old and wanted to raise some funds to scale the business operations. The founder team identified that to sustain in the industry it is important to hasten their user acquisition which in turn required a significant spend. So they decided to reach out to a few angel investors to understand the sentiments about the industry and they got a lot of positive responses from the people whom they reached out to. And they were finally funded by an angel investor in July 2018.

    PokerDangal’s biggest success was successfully implementing instant cash-outs which allows the users to withdraw their winnings in just 30 seconds to their bank accounts 24/7. This strategic shift was a huge change in the way the team conducted the business operations.


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    PokerDangal – Funding and Investors

    PokerDangal has raised a total of Rs. 7.30 crores in its latest funding round. The funding stabilized PokerDangal and helped in scaling the operations optimally.

    Date Deal Type Amount
    Jan 2021 Series A Rs. 7.30 Crores
    Aug 2018 Angel Investors

    PokerDangal – Acquisitions and Mergers

    In the first year, PokerDangal acquired a struggling poker platform named PokerMet. The team acquired PokerMet’s user base, assets and merged its operations with PokerDangal.

    PokerDangal – Competitors

    Some of the big players in this segment are Adda52, Pocket52, and PokerStars. The sector is very cut-throat and one has to be on their toes to stay competitive. The focus on providing a delightful customer experience is a key differentiator for this online gaming business. The users need a platform where they have complete faith and hence it is important to be transparent in the policies and actions. PokerDangal is amongst one of the firms to have the best customer support system and that was the key to their growth. Also, this was the first company in the country to introduce instant cash-out and 5 cards PLO which are hugely popular with the user base.  

    PokerDangal – Growth

    • The registered user base of more than 2,00,000 players.
    • A monthly deposit of more than INR 4.9 Crores.
    • The business saw a 14x growth over the last 12 months.
    • The average monthly turnover is INR 60 Crores.
    • The monthly revenue clocked in October 2019 was INR 2.5 Crores.
    • Tagged as an EBITDA positive company.
    • Amongst the top 4 real money poker sites.
    • PokerDangal is about to enter the fantasy/rummy business.

    PokerDangal – FAQs

    Who are the Founders of PokerDangal?

    Varun Mahna, Varun Puri, Shashwat Jain and Karan Gandhi founded PokerDangal in the year 2017.

    What does PokerDangal Offer?

    PokerDangal offers a plethora of exciting tournaments and cash games to the players who want to put their skills to test in online Poker.

    How much is PokerDangal Funding to date?

    PokerDangal has raised a total of Rs. 7.30 crores in its series A funding round.

    How much is PokerDangal’s Turnover?

    A monthly deposit of more than INR 4.9 Crores. The business saw a 14x growth over the last 12 months. The average monthly turnover is INR 60 Crores. The monthly revenue clocked in October 2019 was INR 2.5 Crores.

  • Founder of Liquii Beverages on Challenges in Scaling F&B Companies in India

    The article is contributed by Mr. Shubham Khanna, Founder & CEO, Liquii Beverages Pvt. Ltd.

    With a growing population, there is also a rise in concern over healthy foods and drinks. People are now more aware of the food and drinks they are consuming. This has led to Food and Beverages companies working on their toes to deliver the best product they can. Consumers these days are well aware of the products they are consuming, they are in regular touch with the health factors of the food delivered to their doorstep. Food and Beverage companies not only have to look out for their competitors but face other challenges too.  Some of the challenges that these companies have to go through are listed below.

    Innovation

    To retain their position in the market or to sustain the cut-throat competition, it is likely that companies have to go through innovative ideas. The market is full of Food and Beverage Companies offering products that are tempting enough for consumers to go for. In this rush to get creative, food and beverage companies have to come up with something new. With so many different products available for purchase across a multitude of channels, product innovation and differentiation is getting increasingly important. For one, plant-based and fresh Products disruption will continue to increase. Demand for Fresh substitutes has rocketed recently, and consumers are consuming more plant-based and Fresh alternatives. The key to longevity is the need to accelerate new product development and adapt & improve products in correlation to thorough R&D.


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    Striking the right concept

    For any company to achieve success and growth, it has to check all the boxes of striking the right concept. Most of the Food & Beverage companies fail because of the lack of awareness about the concept. Nearly 60% of the startups fail around the first year of their inception. But if you have done the right research about the market, and focus on disruptive ways to integrate the right balance between functionality and long-term brand vision, you will succeed. Products are bought and not sold, and consumers have now become aware of the social and lifestyle impact of the brands. It’s important to build a strong community of loyal customers who not only like the product but also align their values to the brand’s vision.

    Customer Centricity

    With the internet playing a dominant role in everyone’s life, consumers are well aware of what they are being offered on their plates. Consumers are becoming savvier, more informed, and are demanding change. To that end, customer-centricity has to be at the heart of every F&B company. The companies should not only keep the safety of consumers in mind but also their mindset regarding the environment. To better meet the demands of the target market, it is imperative to tap into customer insights like behavioral segmentation and product preferences and centering the innovation efforts around them. That doesn’t just mean the product itself, but also the end-to-end customer experience from shopping to eating, to delivery to the doorstep

    Waste Reduction and Sustainability

    Reducing food waste is imperative not just to cut down on unnecessary costs, but also to reduce planetary impact and optimize organization sustainability. In addition to that, the consumer is also becoming more aware and concerned about the planet, so they are opting for sustainable options.  Sustainability issues must be brought to the forefront. In particular, addressing the food system to eliminate food waste and build a better food system for everyone. One of the key pillars of sustainability is to fight food waste by finding a home to “bad-looking but not bad-quality ” fruits that otherwise get discarded. Through years of research, it’s been proved that it’s not the food that’s bad but it’s the food system.


    Also Read: How to Create a Zero Waste Business Strategy (4 Steps)


    The current impact and aftermath of Covid-19

    Pandemic has turned the world upside down. No one has ever expected the scale of impact the pandemic would cause. The Food and Beverage sector has faced the worst burn of the coronavirus. Not only has consumer demand decreased but it has also hit the manufacturing and supply chain. Ingredient sourcing with farming and agricultural activities have also seen a great loss due to pandemic. Consumers still refrain from ordering food from outside. While the onset of vaccination helps reduce some of these challenges, the aftermath of the pandemic is likely to remain.


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  • Freelancer Contract Format | How to Create a Freelancer Contract

    In any kind of business, a contract must be introduced. The agreement is a necessity at the time of hiring. It doesn’t matter if one is hiring a permanent employee or a freelancer, without a proper contract, the show cannot even begin. Contracts are formed to legally bind both parties together so that the smooth running of a business can continue.

    A written contract or agreement holds a different value than a verbal agreement. As it is documented in a paper, both sides can be confident of each other as the intentions are clear in the document, thus building a sense of trust and confidence.

    Hiring freelancers can be easy if proper steps are taken during the entire process. This article will explore how an contract format should be, with freelancers. Before that, let’s find out why there is a necessity for an contract while hiring freelancers.

    “A verbal contract isn’t worth the paper it’s written on”.

    -Samuel Goldwyn

    Why a Contract is Necessary to Hire a freelancer
    What should you include in a freelance contract?
    FAQ

    Why a Contract is Necessary to Hire a freelancer

    As mentioned above, the contract is needed in any kind of hiring. An contract can save the relationship between the client and the freelancer and prohibit the strain that can cause by an argument if a miscommunication somehow arises. This ensures both the party’s interests to be protected.

    The reasons for the agreement are:

    • A proper explanation is provided in an contract about the tasks that are required to be done by both the employer and employee; it is to avoid any kind of confusion.
    • An contract is formed after a lot of negotiations; here the duties are elaborated to the freelancers so that no problems can arise.
    • Especially in the case of freelancers, a specific time needs to be mentioned, by which the tasks need to be completed. The contract helps in specifying the time frame for all the duties that are assigned to the freelancer.
    • A proper contract gives an assurance that payment won’t be compromised.
    • If a disagreement occurs, the contract will save the relationship from getting any worse.

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    What should you include in a Freelance Contract?

    This agreement is done to keep both parties happy and the entire course of work dispute-free. Bad communication can end lots of good things, to avoid that a written document provides all the elements that are needed to maintain a good relationship between the company and the freelancers. Those elements are:

    An Introductory Statement

    Introductory Statement of Freelance Contract
    Introductory Statement

    This section provides an overview of the contract to the freelancers. The positions are mentioned and the tasks that have to be done by the worker are stated in clear and simple language.

    The name, contact number, and email address needs to be mentioned. Then the date that the freelancer has agreed to start the work must be mentioned.

    Prior discussion has to be conducted regarding the starting date. The overview is given so that the freelancer can understand the things that are expected from them during the course of work.

    Scope of The Project

    Scope of the Project in Freelance Contract
    Scope of the Project

    Another important clause that will state the nature of the work, it is included to protect the freelancer from any extra and unreasonable works that may be asked by the client. A fine line needs to be drawn that will ensure the security of both sides.

    The time it will take for the project and the number of hours the freelancers are assigned to work. This somehow will also refrain the relationship from getting bitter between the client and the freelancer.

    Charges For Working On The Project

    Charges for working on the Project
    Charges for working on the Project

    In this section, the payment of the freelancer for their work will be mentioned. If they are going to take the payment regarding the hours they have worked or they are going to get paid per product and will receive the payment after the completion of the project.

    Here, the method of payment must be specified, how it should be paid, and the duties that must be completed to attain that payment.

    Deadline For The Project

    Deadlines for the Project
    Deadlines for the Project

    The time allotted for the project to the freelancer should be mentioned here, and the deadline for that work as well. If the deadline is not met, the consequences should be mentioned here, if there are any.


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    Terms And Conditions

    This is probably one of the most important parts of an contract. This part clearly states the expectations which are needed to be fulfilled by the freelancers. This gives transparency between the company and the worker.

    In this section, all the services that are required during the time frame of work must be mentioned properly.

    The Project Rights

    The contract must mention the rights clearly of the projects that are being done by the freelancer for the company. It should elucidate, who will hold the ownership after the completion of the work.

    The minute the freelancer receives the payment, they cannot resell the product that has been completed by them to anyone else as the rights of that project are being acquired by the company itself.

    Cancellation Fee

    The process of cancellation must be defined in the contract, so as to avoid confusion. If an ongoing project is cancelled, the compensation amount must be mentioned.

    Expenses For The Equipment

    While working for the projects of the company some additional tools can be required, the contract must specify, who is going to pay for those tools, the freelancer, or the company themselves.

    Signatures

    The signatures of both the parties are needed to complete the contract, only then it would be valid.


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    Conclusion

    Taking freelancers for projects has now become almost normal in every business. Companies are now favouring freelancers over permanent employees. While doing all this, the proper contract has to be formed for the interest of both the company and the freelancers. Plus, to avoid and solve any kind of dispute in future a written contract must be present.

    FAQ

    How many hours do freelancers work per week?

    A Freelancer works approx. 40 hours a week.

    Is freelancer an employee?

    Freelancers are self-employed and are not permanent employees of any organization.

    Do you need a Contract to Hire Freelancers?

    Yes, you should always present a contract before hiring a freelancer.