Blog

  • The Curious case of Epic VS Google lawsuit – Everything you need to know

    On 20th August 2021, Epic Games finally revealed details about its antitrust lawsuit against Google. The newly released court filings contained the nature of the allegations and the evidence to back them up. Epic filed a case not only against Google but Apple too for the same reasons.

    The case against Apple finished its trails stages and are waiting to get a verdict from the federal judge, while the case against Google is going at a slow pace. Both Google and Apple had removed Fortnite from their app stores, which is what led to Epic filing a lawsuit against them. Fortnite currently has over 400 million registered players only from those two app stores.

    According to the lawsuit, Epic claims that both Apple and Google are misusing their monopoly power to control or generate more profits. The main problem that Epic has with Google and Apple is over the excessive fees that the app stores of these companies are charging its app developers. So far, Epic has made multiple allegations against both Google and Apple, keep reading to find out what they are.

    Why did Epic file a lawsuit against Google?
    Epic’s Allegations against Google
    Other Allegations against Google
    What is Google’s Response against these Allegations?
    Frequently Asked Questions

    Why did Epic file a lawsuit against Google?

    In July 2018, Epic Games received a partnership deal of over $208 million from Google executives for a period of three years, the gaming company also claimed that Google tried to offer a discounted fee of 25%, instead of its standard 30% cut it usually took from app developers, to give Epic Games an additional revenue share.

    But the gaming company is said to have rejected this “custom offer” and choose to allow Fortnite downloads for android through Epic’s own website through a partnership with Samsung electronics. Another reason Epic Games trying to bypass Google Play Store and Apple app store is that they wanted to help their users in availing better deals and offers for in-game purchases in Fortnite on Epic’s own store.

    After this happened, both Google and Apple removed Epic’s Fortnite gaming app from their app stores which led to Epic filing a lawsuit against Google. Both Google and Apple app stores are known to charge 30% fees for all the in-app purchases for games, which is their main source of revenue, especially for gaming app developers. Epic wants to charges their user’s only a 12% fee, but both the conglomerates have blocked the gaming company from getting its store on their platform.

    Epic also added that the 30% fee is over 10 times more than what payment platforms like PayPal and Stripe offer, which is only 2.9%. The Gaming Company is said to be expecting relief from Google and Apple monopolistic practices and is not looking to gain any monetary relief through this lawsuit.


    Apple allows Developers to accepts payment outside iOS App – Explained
    On 26th August, Apple Inc announced that it will allow iPhone or iOS app developers to use alternative payment options to the App store.


    Epic’s Allegations against Google

    According to Epic Games, Google has made many attempts to make big smartphone companies like Samsung and One plus not preinstall the Epic Games store. The lawsuit says that Google apparently created Project Hug in order to give benefits or deals to gaming companies like Activision Blizzard that support Google Cloud and YouTube.

    It also added that Google is offering side deals like YouTube sponsorships and cloud services to companies like Activision Blizzard through Project Hug. The company also claims that Google made attempts to buy shares of Epic Games through a major shareholder Tencent so they can shut down competition from the gaming company. Epic also stated that Google has added many unnecessary extra steps to prevent users from purchasing directly out of Epic.

    The allegation does not end there as Epic also claims that Android is not open-source as it claims and has made deals with Google that prevent smartphone manufacturing companies from offering other app stores without restrictions. Moreover, the company also went on to say that both Google and Apple are working together even though they are competitors.

    Epic’s lawyers added that “These deals allow Google to keep its monopolistic behaviour publicly unchallenged. But Epic is not interested in any side deals that might benefit Epic alone while leaving Google’s anti-competitive restraints intact; instead, Epic is focused on opening up the Android ecosystem for the benefit of all developers and consumers.”


    How does Gmail makes Money?
    Gmail is a free mail service provided by Google. Lets deep dive to understand all the ways how Gmail makes money.


    Other Allegations against Google

    Over 37 states and districts of the USA had filed a separate antitrust lawsuit against Google Play Store claiming that Google Play Store exercises a monopoly over application distribution. The attorney generals from these states claimed that the platform was cutting down the profits of app developers and taking a huge commission on the in-app sales.

    This lawsuit also added that Google was using illicit measures in order to maintain its monopoly over app developers. Because of this, Google Play Store for the first time in 13 years disclosed its revenue on 30th August 2021.

    According to the Google Play store, the total revenue of the platform was over $11.2 billion in 2019. This amount is said to include the price of the app, in-app purchases and the revenue generated through advertisements on the Play Store app.

    Worldwide gross app revenue of Google Play
    Worldwide gross app revenue of Google Play

    What is Google’s Response against these Allegations?

    Google has already come out and called these allegations baseless and said that it is mischaracterized their business conversations. Google spokespersons also added that Android does provide more choices in smartphones for both app developers and its consumers. Google has not come out with their official statement yet, while Epic’s year-old lawsuit against the company is likely to be a threat to its app store.


    Why is the UK competition watchdog planning a probe against Amazon and Google?
    As Fake reviews have been increasing a lot on the shopping sites the UK has registered a probe against Amazon and Google.


    Frequently Asked Questions

    What is the main reason behind the Epic lawsuit against Apple and Google?

    The main reason Epic has filed a lawsuit with Google and Apple is over the excessive fees that the app stores of these companies are charging its app developers.

    What is Epic Games?

    Epic Games, Inc. is an American video game and software developer and publisher with its headquarters based in Cary, North Carolina.

    Who is the founder of Epic Games?

    Tim Sweeney and Mark Rein founded Epic Games on 15 January 1991.

  • PayKickstart Review: An Easy Cart Management Solution

    Getting your business online is still a line that many struggles to cross. The reason being the complications that arise while trying to get a store up on the internet. This used to be true although, in the present age, web services have made the process so much easier.

    If you’re looking to get into e-commerce then PayKickstart is worth considering. PayKickstart is an automated and customizable cart manager and affiliate platform designed to help your online business. It is easy to get started with and provides features that help you accept payments, manage carts, and sell your products online.

    Co-founded by Mark Thompson in 2014, the service was marketed on social media. Since then its become popular due to its simplicity and gained conversions. Having a broad vision from a customer’s perspective, the platform is flexible and offers multiple ways payment options. It lets you add offers, provide trials and subscription-based services.

    Apart from this, PayKickstart serves benefits for affiliates with its affiliate management center by providing essential features and statistics.

    Features of PayKickStart
    Pricing of PayKickStart
    FAQ

    Features of PayKickStart

    A platform that’s made to be friendly for people who aren’t tech-savvy often does well, and PayKickstart is no exception. It provides users with instructions on how to set things up along with occasional hints and tips.

    It packs in complex features and yet maintains simplicity and a user-friendly interface. This is something many platforms do but fail to get right. That being said, let’s dive into some of the platform’s core features.





    Learn more about Paykickstart here


    Payment Gateways

    From a customer standpoint having multiple ways to pay for your product is always appreciated. It makes a store feel convenient and friendly for making a purchase. PayKickstart supports:

    • Card payments
    • Stripe
    • Apple Pay
    • Google pay
    • Bank Transfers
    • Paypal

    These gateways only require a few clicks to set up and more gateways can be added or removed at any time. The use of integrations means the gateways you use are automatically updated without needed any extra effort.

    The payment gateways work well with subscription-based services as well. A subscriber will automatically be prompted to use the same gateway unless they choose to change it. The only thing missing here is the ability to pay through cryptocurrencies.

    This isn’t a deal-breaker for most people but if you’re looking to accept payments specifically through cryptocurrencies then this service may not serve your needs.

    PayKickStart accepts all popular payment gateways
    PayKickStart accepts all popular payment gateways

    Subscriptions

    PayKickstart has an ideal system to manage your subscriptions. These subscriptions help your business build long-term customer relationships. Users of the platform can set custom billing models and create plans appropriate for the business accordingly. The process is easy and requires little effort to set up. There is also added support for coupons, trials and add-ons.

    The subscription management system also lets you charge customers on a usage basis. This means that you can charge them dynamically based on product or service consumption.

    Furthermore, there are options to set up free plans with limitations and processing fees. Having a detailed configuration is essential to make sure your business has the perfect pricing strategy and PayKickstart makes it possible for businesses to create pricing plans accurately.

    PayKickStart subscription dashboard
    PayKickstart subscription dashboard

    Integrations

    Everyone has preferences and businesses are no exception. Integrations allow users to connect applications they know and love to the platform’s already vast feature set.

    There are unlimited possibilities of what could be done for your business when you combine the functionality of various applications to your pricing model.

    For example, you can create discounts for customers who have a membership or set a trigger in your email marketing tool when a product is purchased. These are just some of the ways in which you can use the 60+ integrations that are supported by the platform.

    A few of the platform's supported integrations
    A few of the platform’s supported integrations





    Learn more about Paykickstart here


    Affiliate Platform

    PayKickstart has a built-in affiliate management platform to help boost your growth and expand your reach. Offering an affiliate program is a great way to turn your customers into marketers. The platform has a dedicated panel with all the tools needed for you to start and manage an affiliate program for your business.

    You can view and approve affiliate profiles, track commissions and get some analytics on generated leads. Some additional features for affiliate marketing include:

    • Cookie tracking with IP fallback
    • Cross-campaign tracking
    • Branded tracking links
    • Lifetime commissions tracking

    The platform makes automated payments easy and fast. There’s also a panel to check total leads and monthly commissions. Affiliate commission payouts are done securely via Paypal.

    The affiliate dashboard gives a bird's eye view of all affiliate activities
    The affiliate dashboard gives a bird’s eye view of all affiliate activities

    Pricing of PayKickStart

    Being a popular cart management solution, PayKickstart is priced optimally. In all seriousness, the plans are named according to your needs and have the features to get you going.

    The Starter plan is available for $99/month and contains all the prime features with the lack of an affiliate management program. As the name suggests this is ideal for businesses and startups who aren’t willing to spend much but need a good cart solution.

    If you want to step it up with affiliate management, the Growth plan is priced at $199/month and includes additional features such as full API access and customer retention tools.

    The Scale plan grants you unlimited user access, priority customer support, and CRM integrations for $299/month. This is great for upscale businesses that require multiple user access and fast support to keep their business going.

    PayKickStart pricing and plans
    PayKickStart pricing and plans





    Learn more about Paykickstart here


    Conclusion

    Getting your business online shouldn’t be complex. The rise of platforms allowing everyday business owners to take their business online is certainly having a positive impact on e-commerce.

    PayKickstart tries to be a feature-rich cart manager that you can easily add to your website. The added benefit being a complete affiliate marketing center that comes with the platform which you’ll appreciate later down the line. The pricing and its well-structured design make it a go-to platform for setting up payments for businesses at any scale.

    FAQ

    What is Paykickstart?

    PayKickstart is an automated and customizable cart manager and affiliate platform designed to help your online business. It provides features that help you accept payments, manage carts, and sell your products online.

    What is the pricing of Paykickstart?

    The Starter plan is available for $99/month, the Growth plan is priced at $199/month and The Scale plan is priced at $299/month.

    What are some of the alternatives of Paykickstart?

    Chargebee, Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce are some of the alternatives of Paykickstart.

  • Why is Adidas selling Reebok for $2.5 billon to Authentic Brand Group and What will its future be?

    After 15 years of ownership, the German footwear giant Adidas sold Reebok to Authentic Brand Group in August 2021. Authentic Brand Group reportedly paid Adidas over $2.5 billion to acquire the company. The rumours of Adidas separating from Reebok were going around from past the mid of 2020, the company later confirmed its plans to sell the Reebok brand on February 16th, 2021.

    The German conglomerate first acquired the company in 2006 for $3.8 billion, as it wanted to compete with its rival Nike. Over the years Reebok tried to position itself among the top athletic footwear and apparel companies with high profile partnerships in UFC and Crossfit.

    But after the current losses and the stores shutting down due to Covid 19 pandemic in 2020 and after many failed efforts to grow the company, Adidas finally decided to let go of Reebok. Adidas will now focus on its own brand and try to improve it in order to compete with Nike in the North American markets.

    A Brief History of the Reebok and Adidas
    Reason Why Adidas is selling Reebok
    What is the future for the two brands?
    FAQ

    A Brief History of the Reebok and Adidas

    Before getting into losses Reebok was well known for its footwear and clothing designed especially for Fitness and running. The company initially became a part of the J.W Foster and Sons company in 1958. It was founded first in 1895 in Bolton, Lancashire, Great Britain as a sporting goods company.

    The company has its headquarters based in Boston Massachusetts and is the official sponsor of Crossfit and Spartan Race for footwear and apparel. Reebok is currently the subsidiary of Authentic Brands Group in August 2021 but before that, the company was a subsidiary of Adidas from the year 2005 to 2021.

    Adidas first acquired the company in 2005 after its intellectual property lawsuit and in an effort to take on Nike. Adidas reportedly spent over $3.8 billion to acquire Reebok. It then made Reebok the official uniform supplier for the NBA in 2006 which came alongside an 11-year deal, which made Reebok popular during those times.


    Learn all about Lifestyle Marketing
    Lifestyle marketing: the definitive guide. what is lifestyle marketing. why lifestyle branding? how to create a lifestyle brand? Tips for creating a lifestyle brand.


    Reason Why Adidas is selling Reebok

    Reebok has reportedly gone through tough times and financial struggles, for over a decade Adidas made numerous attempts to revive the brand and improve its performance but failed.

    Besides that, Reebok was also facing problems with trends for sports clothing and athleisure because of the stiff competition. The Covid 19 Pandemic had also brought down the sales of Reebok, as in November 2020 Reebok sales fell over 20% in the durations of nine months.

    Net sales of the Reebok brand worldwide
    Net sales of the Reebok brand worldwide

    During the lockdown, Reebok had to shut down numerous stores as it went under huge losses. In Britain, Footwear companies like Dr Marten and Birkenstock have seen an increase in sales as they promoting comfortable footwear products during the times where everyone is working from home.

    During the first few years of the Adidas and Reebok partnership, Reebok constituted over a quarter of Adidas’s total revenue, but in 2020 Reebok only generated over 6.9% of its overall revenue.

    During the press conference, Kasper Rorsted, the Chief Executive of Adidas said that, “After careful consideration, we have come to the conclusion that Reebok and Adidas will be able to significantly better realize their growth potential independently of each other. We will work diligently in the coming months to ensure a successful future for the Reebok brand and the team behind it.”

    The German sportswear giant announced its plans to sell the Reebok brand on February 16th, 2021. After that Adidas shortlisted a number of potential buyers for the brand. The shortlisted companies include Wolverine World Wide, Authentic Brands Group, Advent International, CVC, Cerberus Capital and Sycamore Partners. The Authentic Brand Group came out on top and acquired Reebok by paying Adidas a sum of $2.5 billion.


    Puma Brand: Top 5 Lesser known Facts you might not know about
    Puma is a well known sportwear manufacturer in the world founded by Rudolf Dassler. Here are some of the interesting facts about Puma you might not know about


    What is the Future for the Two brands?

    For Adidas, selling Reebok will allow the company to reduce its distractions and focus more on its namesake brand as it needs to accelerate its momentum to match up to Nike.

    Adidas is popular in some European countries but is weaker compared to Nike in other North American footwear and athleisure markets. Nike is known to be over three times bigger than Adidas in the North American market, this is why Adidas had to let go of Reebok.

    Reebok is now the subsidiary of Authentic Brand Group which is a well-known conglomerate with over 30 brands in its portfolio. Brands like Juicy Couture, Forever 21, Barneys New York, JC Penney and Brooks brother are part of the multinational company. This is why many experts say that the Reeboks addition could be a major asset for the company.

    ABG can help Reebok evolve in many categories of the brand and potentially make the company profitable again with unique methods. The consumers can now expect to see more retro style from Reebok being reintroduced in the near future as that is what the brand was known for. ABG will also help the company maintain its original DNA instead of building it from scratch and will continue investing in its marketing, products and people.

    FAQ

    When did Adidas acquire Reebok?

    The German conglomerate first acquired the company in 2006 for $3.8 billion, as it wanted to compete with its rival Nike.

    Who is the parent company of Reebok now?

    The parent company of Reebok from August 2021 is Authentic Brand Group.

    Why did Adidas sell Reebok?

    After the current losses and the stores shutting down due to Covid 19 pandemic in 2020 and after many failed efforts to grow the company, Adidas finally decided to let go of Reebok.

    What is Reebok?

    Reebok is one of the top footwear companies and as it is well known for its footwear and clothing designed especially for Fitness and running.

  • Business Emergency Plan | Importance and How to Prepare Business Emergency Plan?

    An emergency is something that not someone can either plan to avoid or can avoid by planning it perfectly also. These emergencies create sudden situations where things do not just stay in our hands. These emergencies create havoc situations in every sector. It also has a lot of adverse effects on the business factor. The business sector gets all its plans washed away, and the company needs to create a whole new business strategy.

    To handle these types of complications, companies makes a business emergency plan. Many expertise and tycoons have a round table conference to create this type of emergency handling plan.

    Types of Business Emergencies
    Why should one have an Emergency Plan?
    How To Prepare For A Business Emergency Plan?
    Conclusion
    FAQs

    Types of Business Emergencies

    A business emergency plan is processed and made thoroughly to handle sudden and unexpected situations. There are a lot of business emergencies such as:

    • Medical Emergencies
    • Natural Disasters
    • Prolonged Power Outages
    • Security Breaches
    • System Crashes
    • Lawsuits
    • Loss of an Employee or Business Partner

    Medical Emergencies

    Medical emergency in Business
    Medical emergency in Business

    A medical emergency can occur at any time, can make havoc on the whole company. It happens frequently and of a sudden. No one can predict its fore coming, and this medical emergency can be anything. It could be just a superficial injury, a significant car accident, or just a chaotic surgery.


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


    Natural Disasters

    A natural disaster itself is making its meaning. It occurs naturally and by nature; hence no one has control over it. Floods, fires, earthquakes, hurricanes, and sometimes it can take the shape of storms. They just come and quickly start affecting properties and inventory.

    Prolonged Power Outages

    This plan is followed to have a proper and safe passage for the employees and customers during a power outage. If a business relies on electricity, then a power outage may affect the employees to stop the work. Hence, a prolonged Power outage carries a premium role.

    Every single item is stored manually or by a soft copy. And, unfortunately, sometimes all these can just get faded away if it is not backed up frequently. It can cost a lot, and for this, an emergency business plan is necessary.  

    Security Breaches

    Business Securities
    Business Securities

    The security breaches may sometimes get intentional and sometimes unintentional. But however it may be, the confidential data get transferred to an unidentified and rough source through this process. Hence, a business emergency plan is also a must in this case.

    Lawsuits

    A claim or dispute in some cases may arise a lot of complications in the future, which may affect the business somehow. Hence, a proper law abided business emergency plan carries a lot of weight in this whole structure.


    VakilSearch launches their Mobile App – News
    VakilSearch, a legal tech startup launched their mobile app to offer legal services on-the-go.


    Loss of an Employee or Business Partner

    As the future is uncertain, it has to be something for the plan if it loses an employee or business partner. Without a proper emergency plan, the company may get through a lot of havoc. Hence, an emergency plan is required.

    However, all these emergencies can be divided into different levels of a business emergency. These measurements are performed keeping an eye on the rational threats and the potential threats to lives, property.

    Hence the emergencies can be categorised as:

    1. Routine Emergency: An emergency handled daily is termed a routine emergency. This emergency is controlled by police, fire, medical expertise, or by some operation departments. The nature of these emergencies is not that serious, and they do not put any life at stake and do not create a significant impact.

    2. Minor Emergency: When a single department of the company gets an impact by the emergency. But in a greater area, it is termed as a minor emergency. These are managed by the expanded incident command structure and the emergency operation center.

    3. Major Emergency: Whenever more than one departments face an emergency, due to any of the unknown reason, this emergency is termed as the immediate emergency. This type of emergency does not occur daily, and whenever they occur, they create an adverse effect.

    4. Catastrophic Emergency: A catastrophic emergency is licensed when the whole company is under a crisis. It is when handling that situation that goes out of the company’s control. It impacts a lot of life and properties and needs an aggressive response it. The recovery period is most likely to be a significantly longer one than the routine emergencies.

    Why should one have an Emergency Plan?

    Business emergency plan in Business
    Business emergency plan in Business

    From the very starting of our consciousness, we have always been taught of having a second plan or plan B in between our every plan. These plans help us not freaking out when we are in a complicated situation. Because we cannot control these complex situations, we can try to counter these emergencies. Hence, from all these points of view, keeping an emergency business plan in mind is very important.

    1. These emergency plans can help the company and the employees themselves to stay safe and avoid the minimum effects during this whole event of a disaster.
    2. These plans can help in specifying proven procedures to handle sudden and unexpected situations.
    3. It is to be kept in mind that the pan intends to be prepared, not to stop the upcoming emergency. Hence, by the implications of the pan, we can reduce damages and prevent fatalities and livestock.


    Types of Business plan for Startup Founders
    Business plans help you run your business. A good business plan guides you through each stage of starting and managing your business. Read this article to know the Types of Business plans.


    How To Prepare For A Business Emergency Plan?

    Saving a business from an emergency depends on what our intention is. It can make a difference in staying and running the business and lose everything that we have. Therefore, keeping an emergency business plan is the most flexible and easiest way to provide a safer side to survive and recover when needed. So, the programs include:

    Focusing on preventing emergencies

    Regular audits and regularly checking on fire prevention and safety systems are essential to determine fore-coming disaster planning. So, by focusing on these routine checks, one can easily handle the situation.

    Creating an emergency kit

    Emergency kit includes flashlights, first aid supplies, radio powered with batteries, tool kit, extra batteries, some non-perishable foods, and some sealed bottled water. This emergency kit must be available to everyone during the emergency period to save their life.

    Creating backups of essential data

    When there would be no proper backup for the data, it becomes a disaster when these types of emergencies take place. Hence, keeping backup copies in separate folders and drives is one technique that can save from primary troubles.

    Knowing the insurance coverage

    The agent should review the insurance policy regularly, which can help in making sure and understanding the deductibility, and the limitations of the different types of coverage.

    Knowing the risks and prepare accordingly

    Being aware of the total amount of risk one can go through is an excellent decision itself. In that way, one can keep an eye on the minimum potential damage and can cover up the loss, and take action to save everything from disaster.  

    Conclusion

    Hence, these are how one can easily distinguish what it takes to plan an emergency business plan. The way it seems, it is not that simple, and it is not that difficult either if performed well.

    In every business firm, the emergency business plans give almost priority because if there remains nothing to save, then on what one would be working on. It would make a chaotic and unreasonable situation for the employees and the company to handle and start from the starting point again. Therefore, one should plan the emergency plan accordingly and make it better efficient to work during an emergency.

    FAQs

    What is an business emergency plan?

    Business emergency plan is a written set of instructions that outlines what workers and others at the workplace should do in an emergency.

    Why is it important to have an emergency plan for business?

    Business emergency plan is to reduce the negative impacts, protect the community and maintain business continuity.

    What things should be included in a business emergency plan?

    Business emergency plan should be made considering below things:

    • Focusing on preventing emergencies
    • Creating an emergency kit
    • Creating backups of essential data
    • Knowing the insurance coverage
    • Knowing the risks and prepare accordingly
  • Story of AdmitKard: Career Guidance & Foreign Admissions Assistance 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 AdmitKard.

    ‌‌AdmitKard is a venture capital-funded Edtech that simplifies access to higher education opportunities. Founded in 2017 by Piyush Bhartiya and Rachit Agrawal, the startup has already facilitated admission for 1500 students and is tied up with 2500 universities across the globe.

    AdmitKard’s platform suggests the best possible universities through data-backed algorithms and applies to these universities from the same platform in a few clicks. The platform also suggests relevant current international students, called Mentors, who can share their real-experience of their journey to studying abroad. From end-to-end guidance on best education loans to profile building and accommodation services, students can get it all in one platform!

    StartupTalky interviewed Mr. Piyush Bhartiya (Founder & CEO of AdmitKard) to get insights on the startup story and growth hacks of the company. In this article, you’ll discover how AdmitKard started, its founders, AdmitKard’s funding details, and more.

    AdmitKard – Company Highlights

    Startup Name AdmitKard
    Founders Piyush Bhartiya (CEO), Rachit Agrawal
    Headquarters Noida
    Industry Edtech
    Website admitkard.com

    AdmitKard – About and Vision
    AdmitKard – Industry Details
    How AdmitKard Started?
    AdmitKard – Product/Services Offered
    AdmitKard – Founders and Team
    AdmitKard – Startup Launch
    AdmitKard – Challenges Faced
    AdmitKard – Growth
    AdmitKard – Funding and Investors
    AdmitKard – Advisors/Mentors
    AdmitKard – Competitors
    AdmitKard – Recognition and Achievements
    AdmitKard – Future Plans
    AdmitKard – FAQs

    AdmitKard – About and Vision

    ‌‌AdmitKard is a venture capital-funded Edtech that simplifies access to higher education opportunities. A lot of times students are not even aware of the possible opportunities abroad. All they know is the popular universities and courses. For the students who aspire to avail higher education abroad, AdmitKard is here to ensure that they are aware of all the courses, universities, admission criteria, financial support, application procedures, and other necessary details.

    AdmitKard’s long-term goal is to make global education easily accessible to all by building information transparency and process simplicity. Enabling the flow of global talent is the only way to unlock individual potential.

    AdmitKard – Industry Details

    As per MEA, there were 5.88 lac Indian students who went to study abroad where globally there are 5mn students who chose to study outside their country. This has been growing at 20% YoY and in next 5 years, more than 1 mn students should go abroad from India. This is one of the fastest-growing market segments.


    13 Best Education Business Ideas in India [2021]
    The best education business ideas are – Online Tutoring, Computer Training, Preschool Franchise, Service in Thesis Making, Music Teacher, etc.


    How AdmitKard Started?

    Rachit and Piyush were in London celebrating the success of their first startup venture. Sitting at a cafe in London, surrounded by 20 Indian students, they realized that most of them could have grabbed better opportunities. They could not avail themselves of the course or stream that they aspired for, only due to lack of awareness. Either they were misguided, misinformed, or simply lacked awareness. That is when Rachit and Piyush decided to establish AdmitKard to address the gap.

    To be sure of the feasibility of the idea, the founders spent 6 months just researching, conducting surveys, and discussing the idea and model with their mentors. A lot of communication had to be done with the universities as well to understand the channel.

    AdmitKard – Product/Services Offered

    AdmitKard is an end-to-end platform equipped with all that is required to understand the universities and the courses. The platform suggests the best possible universities through data-backed algorithms and applies to these universities from the same platform in a few clicks. The platform also suggests relevant current international students, called Mentors, who can share their real-experience of their journey to studying abroad. Students get end-to-end guidance from availing of the best education loans, academic, and language test preparations, profile building, accommodation services, and financial services.

    AdmitKard’s services are its USP. The startup is trying to solve a challenge that has been prevailing for the longest, as offline counselors are unorganized and not tech-enabled.

    AdmitKard – Founders and Team

    Rachit Agrawal and Piyush Bhartiya are the founders of AdmitKard.

    AdmitKard Founders and Team
    Rachit Agrawal and Piyush Bhartiya – AdmitKard Founders

    Rachit and Piyush used to work together at BCG. Then they started their own first venture.

    “Since we were already enthusiastic entrepreneurs, we understood the fact that if there is a gap, then there is scope too. We decided to start AdmitKard as we could see the scope, challenges, and a feasible model. And all this following an experience that he and I shared together” Piyush added.

    AdmitKard is a team of 60 dynamic and young people. A large number of members have been hired on referrals and they maintain a positive work environment. The company has monthly town halls as well as each team member has personalized development plans.

    As a founder, Piyush’s responsibility is to reach out to more and more students and create the guidance framework while Rachit ensures that each student is delivered the best in class guidance.

    AdmitKard Founders and Team
    AdmitKard Team

    AdmitKard – Startup Launch

    ‌‌If you look at the students, they throng to various social media channels when they are in doubt and are seeking help. AdmitKard created a student community on Facebook and enabled them to get their queries answered by its mentors. Getting the first 100 was a breeze for AdmitKard.‌‌‌‌The team’s entire focus has been on creating a world-class product that enables 2 things –

    1. Best recommendations for the student based on their objective, profile, and preferences
    2. Making the process simple and transparent by giving them all they need on a single dashboard.

    This has enabled AdmitKard to scale its advisory multi-fold with much more additional costs and yet be able to deliver quality at scale. Mentor sessions and webinars have been the most successful campaign for the startup.


    Educational Tools for Students for Online Classes, Learning, and Assessment
    Educational tools for students for online classes, fun learning, engagement, and assessments including Edmodo, Socrative, ClassDojo, Animoto, and Toppr learning


    AdmitKard – Challenges Faced

    It is a complex problem that AdmitKard is trying to solve. It needs information about lakhs of courses and a wide variety of interests. The team has solved this with their mentor network, where the startup crowdsources data and enables live conversation between mentors and students thereby resolving the most peculiar of doubts.

    AdmitKard – Growth

    AdmitKard is a startup based in Delhi-NCR. Over the period, the startup has been able to process around 12000 student applications and has guided over 1 lakh+ student. Due to the pandemic, a lot of students were struggling with the admissions, prospects, and uncertainties, which lead to a rise in the number of queries by over 1100 percent on its platform.

    AdmitKard has already facilitated admission for 1500 students and is tied up with 2500 universities across the globe.

    AdmitKard – Funding and Investors

    AdmitKard’s funding details are as follows:

    Date Stage Amount Investors
    July 13, 2021 Pre Series A $1 Mn Vamsi (Vedantu), Ravi Sekhar (Doubtnut), Ashneer (Bharatpe), Mayank (Upgrad), Sumit Jain (Unacademy)

    The team at AdmitKard has tried its best to create relevant tech-enabled solutions. AdmitKard’s algorithm helps students discover the best for them. And, it has heavily implemented AI to facilitate counseling for aspirants. All this requires a tech team and a lot of investment, which the startup has been able to pursue following the financial support provided by the investors.


    Indian Startups – Funding & Investors 2021 Data | Updated
    Exclusive Startup Funding Data of the Indian Startup Ecosystem 2021. The most updated list of Startup Funding news India.


    AdmitKard – Advisors/Mentors

    AdmitKard – Competitors

    Most of the players in the field of foreign education counseling are offline counselors only. And that market is very unorganized. In terms of edtech, AdmitKard claims to be the pioneer in this specific model.


    Univariety Company Profile – Contributing to students’ success
    Univariety is a guidance platform for the students of India. Learn about Univariety’s funding, business model, and other aspects in this article.


    AdmitKard – Recognition and Achievements

    AdmitKard’s biggest achievements are its student testimonials and it has 1000s of those. There is no bigger or more important trophy than that. That said, the startup has received multiple awards within the academic community for its career guidance to students by multiple universities and schools.

    AdmitKard Review

    AdmitKard – Future Plans

    AdmitKard aims to help students not only from India but globally to use its platform for taking their education and career decisions. There is already fast traction that the team is seeing and a record number of students are applying through the platform. The startup plans to become a $100 revenue company in the next 2-3 years.

    AdmitKard – FAQs

    What is AdmitKard?

    AdmitKard is a venture capital-funded Edtech that simplifies access to higher education opportunities.

    Who are the founders of AdmitKard?

    Rachit Agrawal and Piyush Bhartiya are the founders of AdmitKard.

    How much is AdmitKard’s funding?

    AdmitKard has raised total funding of $1 million from Vamsi ( Vedantu), Ravi Shankar (Doubtnut), Ashneer (Bharatpe), Mayank (Upgrad), and Sumit Jain (Unacademy) in Pre-series A Round.  

    Is AdmitKard trustworthy?

    AdmitKard’s biggest achievement is its student testimonials and it has 1000s of those. One can check AdmitKard’s website for more details.

  • Signal Business Model | How Does Signal Work and Earn Revenue?

    In recent times, Signal has become the talk of the town after an issue was reported regarding WhatsApp data privacy. Moreover, nowadays hackers or many spurious acts have been carried out where, which happened due to data leakage. So it would be necessary for someone to hold data privacy at a high-security level before it gets in the wrong hands.

    Phone calls, messengers, share videos or images and voice calls are highly personal between one party and the other parties. So, securing such data is a high risk as well as an integral role to protect an individual’s privacy.  

    Since February 2021, three major social media sites have been at stake- Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp after they failed to accord to the new rules and regulations of the Ministry of Electronics & information technology.

    WhatsApp have been chastised for being counterfactual messenger apps, whereas WhatsApp proceeded a Controversial policy update as it is compulsory for a user to share data with Facebook when he/she is opening a WhatsApp business account. This issue engendered a deluded act on the side of WhatsApp. Eventually, people began to hype the launch of Signal.

    Generally, Signal is a cross-platform centralized encrypted instant messaging service where it functions one-to-one or group chat and subsumes files sharing, voice notes, images and videos download etc. I know, people may wonder that Signal and WhatsApp have analogous features, but Signal has been given a recognized brand name in terms of protection of data privacy.

    Where does Signal operate?
    Main Products and Services of Signal
    Target Audience of Signal
    Business Model of Signal
    What’s unique about the Business Model of Signal ?
    How does Signal makes Money?
    FAQ

    Where does Signal operate?

    Signal was launched on 29th July 2014 by Signal Technology foundation and Signal Messenger LLC to secure all communications with end-to-end encryption. Signal is licensed to access in android, IOS, Linux, Mac and Desktop with an updated version of it.

    An Interesting fact about the origin of the Signal is that it is a California-based app, a not-for-profit organization. So, obviously Signal is accessible worldwide, where any person from any distant place can endure the features of the Signal app. Currently Signal has surpassed 40 million users globally.

    Main Products and Services of Signal

    As is discussed above Signal app has been renowned for screen security. Apart from that, the app is ready to bestow top-notch features to feel safe while functioning.

    The app has five privacy features such as an incognito keyboard, as you see when you are about to type something it will suggest you complete the sentence because the keyboard is functioned to save what you are typing. But on Signal, it doesn’t allow your keyboards to save.

    Signal access the users to screen lock by setting fingerprints to lock. Besides, Signal also augmented the group invitation privacy mode, where you can invite as many people to the group, but joining in such a group is valid only if the person accepts the invitation or is willing to join.

    Notably, Signal was launched such that even the Signal app itself or the government cannot access a person’s chat or personal data because the app is processed into end-to-end encryption.

    Target Audience of Signal

    Signal aims to capture social media users, business account users, or any individual who wants to protect their personal information from getting it deleterious.

    Number of Users on Signal
    Number of Users on Signal

    Business Model of Telegram | How does Telegram make money
    Telegram is an open source free messaging software used by millions of users. Lets look at the business model of Telegram to understand how it makes money.


    Business Model of Signal

    Signal is a messaging platform that bestows end-to-end encryption, where the sender and receiver only know what is said and heard, neither the Signal app itself nor Government have the right to peek into someone’s personal data.

    The app provides text messages, sharing, voice notes, images and videos download either among one-to-one or group chat. Recently, just like WhatsApp, the Signal also installed payments mode, where the users can transfer funds to the freinds and family via ‘MobileCoin’.

    Payments on Signal
    Payments on Signal

    Besides, Signal earns money through donations, as the company is a non-profit organization. As of 2021, the Signal crossed more than 40 million active users, as many corporations are willing to make donations and can donate to the Signal Technology Foundation either in regular currencies or cryptocurrency.

    What’s unique about the Business Model of Signal?

    Signal is famous for its rise in 2020 after the tweet from Elon Musk to “Use Signal” amid the WhatsApp privacy policy adjustment.

    Elon Musk tweet about Signal
    Elon Musk tweet about Signal

    Signal does not have a detailed Business Model as it is a non-profit organization run application. Signal earns money through Donations.


    WhatsApp vs Signal Messenger: Why you Should Use Signal Over WhatsApp
    Why you should choose Signal Messaging Application over WhatsApp along with the pros and cons of both WhatsApp and Signal. Read this article to know more about it.


    How does Signal makes Money?

    Donations are the main form of revenue for Signal as it is owned by a non-profit foundation. It is a tax-exempt organization based in the United States. Signal also holds the privacy of the donors therefore the donors are unknown and the donation amount is also kept in the dark.

    Due to the non-profit nature of the company, the company only focuses on the privacy of its users. Donations to Signal can be made in both regular currencies and cryptocurrencies.

    The largest donation received by the foundation was in 2018 where WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton donated $50 million who acts as the executive chairman of the Signal Foundation currently.

    Conclusion

    Two words: “Use Signal” from Elon Musk made a sizable impact on the price of the shares of Signal. The app saw a major increase in the downloads. The application was also endorsed by the Black Lives Matter protest organizers during the summer protests.

    Signal is mainly used by journalists and investigators to protect source identity. All this information only solidifies the trust of its users in the Signal application to guard their privacy as it is one of the only messaging applications that doesn’t collect identifiable information on its users. And because the foundation doesn’t focus on profit makes the application trustworthy in maintaining the privacy of its users.

    FAQs

    What is Signal?

    Signal is a free and open-source application founded by WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton. It provides users with privacy in messaging. It is an instant encrypted messaging app through which a user can send photos, videos, voice notes, etc. without the worry of not having privacy.

    Who is the developer of Signal?

    Signal was developed by Signal Technology Foundation and Signal Messenger LLC headquartered in California and was released in July 2014.

    How does Signal make money?

    Signal being a non-profit organization makes money through donations.

  • Top 15 Startups in Israel to watch out for in 2021

    Israel is one of the brightest startup hubs around the world. When we think about technology or startups, our minds venture to the Silicon Valley of North Carolina, the cradle of some of the major world’s startups like Facebook and Apple. However, what many are not familiar with is the fact that Israel is also counted among the world’s top startup hubs.

    It has a high level of entrepreneurship and numerous great, innovative minds. According to the recent records, Israel has more than 3p technical companies whose round off is over $1 Billion.

    As per facts, Israel has the highest number of startups per capita across the world. Furthermore, Israel provides all kinds of facilities required for the beginning of startups such as investors, accelerators, incubators, funding, and every other resource. With its systematic outlines and resources, Israel has become an enormous startup hub.

    Israel has won several expansions and acknowledgment for its incredible growth over fintech, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence. Since the year 2017, Israel has been raised to 17% in the net value and proceeds. In this article, we present you with some of the top startups available in Israel that are proven to be an absolute success. Let’s get started.

    Prospera Technologies
    Waze
    Tailor Brands
    Guesty
    Perimeter 81
    Tomorrow.io
    OrCam
    Intuition Robotics
    MyHeritage
    Fiverr
    Flytrex
    Brayola
    Cato Networks
    Gong.io
    AccessiBe
    FAQ

    Prospera Technologies

    Founder – Daniel Koppel, Raviv Itzhaky, Shimon Shpiz

    Founding year – 2014

    Annual revenue – $9.6 million

    Prospera Website
    Prospera Website

    The very prominent agricultural technical based startup, Prospera Technologies, work together with artificial intelligence and substantial data. It analyzes and studies its customer’s farming data to improve and optimise the greenhouse production system and digital farming methods.

    Prospera Technologies also works to improve the quality of row crops with varying irrigation levels and further steps to automatize the management of crops.

    Waze

    Founder – Ehud Shabtai, Amir Shinar, and Uri Levine

    Founding year – 2008

    Annual revenue – $37.7 million

    Waze Website
    Waze Website

    The GPS navigation app Waze was an Israeli startup when it was acquired by Google in a whopping 1.1 billion dollars deal in 2013, one of the biggest Google acquisitions. Waze didn’t receive much appreciation in the beginning, but it ultimately found its way to success. People didn’t even consider Israel for building a consumer brand that would thrive. However, Waze proved its ability, and now it leads several other brands for this purpose.

    Tailor Brands

    Founder – Nadav Shatz, Tom Lahat, Yali Saar

    Founding year – 2014

    Annual revenue – $52.7 million

    Tailor Brands Website
    Tailor Brands Website

    The very distinguished in-demand service, Tailor Brands is an automated logo and branding-based startup. It aims to support small businesses with their branding needs and offers tailor-made branding and logo design services to fulfill them.

    Tailor Brands is famous as the world’s first AI-powered branding and logo design platform, which also leverages other cutting-edge technologies like Big data.


    List of Top 12 Chinese Companies Operating in India
    Chinese companies have acquired a huge part of the Indian market. Here’s a list of 12 Chinese companies operating in India.


    Guesty

    Founder – Amaid Soto & Koby Soto

    Founding year – 2013

    Annual revenue – $34.8 million

    Guesty Website
    Guesty Website

    Guesty, the well-known company for property management simplifies the aspects of the basic requirements of these companies. It works by offering certain deals and solutions that are necessarily required for short term rental businesses.

    It has scored pretty well in the market and has raised more than $25 million and ready to reach more heights with its developing strategies and funding through appropriate sources.

    Perimeter 81

    Founder – Amit Bareket, Sagi Gidali

    Founding year – 2018

    Annual revenue – $24.7 million

    Perimeter 81 Website
    Perimeter 81 Website

    The promising technology-based startup, Perimeter 81 strives to improve the network security for its customers. The company offers a range of services to its customers that helps them easily access their network with added Cloud security, mainly for the network environments, on-site resources, and different SaaS applications.

    Perimeter 81 believes in the modernization of the networks. Furthermore, it also concentrates on making connectivity a secure option for smooth and easy corporate access through several VPN features.

    Tomorrow.io

    Founder – Shimon Elkabetz, Rei Goffer and Itai Zlotnik

    Founding year – 2016

    Annual revenue – $31.7 million

    ClimaCell or Tomorrow.io, the name which the Israeli startup was rebranded in April 2021, is a Weather Intelligence Platform founded in Israel in 2016. The startup, which now has its headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, is based on weather technology that works by blending data from the Weather-of-Things with the help of the cutting-edge technologies of the present. This data is extracted from different sources such as connected automobiles, cell towers, and methods of traditional weather data.

    Tomorrow.io looks after plenty of companies of different genres such as industries of sports, aviation, logistics, drones, construction, energy, and many more. The report from Tomorrow.io ensures improved operations, minimum risk of weather-induced disasters, and maintaining safety around the workplaces. Tomorrow.io has always been well-known for its work and is counted among the leading startups.

    OrCam

    Founder – Prof. Amnon Shashua and Mr. Ziv Aviram

    Founding Year – 2010

    Annual Revenue – $10 million

    The very prominent startup, OrCam is built by the same person who developed Mobileye (driver visual assistance startup based in Jerusalem). OrCam works with the technology to help visually impaired or blind people. It invented a wearable device, MyEye 2.0, which provides audio for blind people, which enables them to perform independently. OrCam is a unique and promising startup that always results in bringing innovative products and services, capable of ushering a benevolent future guided by technology.


    Top 10 Successful Startups in Singapore [2021]
    Singapore has emerged to be the new home to technology-based startups with great financial assistance. Let’s look at Top 10 successful Startups in Singapore.


    Intuition Robotics

    Founders – Dor Skuler, Itai Mendelsohn, Roy Amir

    Founding Year – 2015

    Annual Revenue – $12.5 million

    Intuition Robotics Website
    Intuition Robotics Website

    Intuition Robotics is a Raman Gan-based company that looks after the development of social tech companies to enrich the lives of older people. Intuition Robotics is widely known for ElliQ, a part-table computer, and part-robot, designed to empower senior citizens and let them not feel lonely. The friendly table robot suggests interesting digital and physical activities to the elderly people and urges them to take part in them in order to stay active and engaged with their friends, family, and with life overall. Intuition Robotics works with the brightest and most innovative minds on several missions and projects and leaves a great impact on society.

    MyHeritage

    Founder – Gilad Japhet

    Founding Year – 2003

    Annual Revenue – $133 million

    MyHeritage is a famous online ancestry platform that provides you with the facility to upload photos, create family trees and search historical documents. It was founded by an entrepreneur and genealogist Gilad Japhet in 2003. He began his career from a small room in Bnei Atarot, a rural moshav. MyHeritage is a self-funded startup and was widely recognised, which is why it was acquired by the leading private equity firm, Francisco Partners in February 24, 2021.

    Fiverr

    Founder – Micha Kaufman and Shai Wininger

    Founding Year – 2010

    Annual Revenue – $189.51 million

    Fiverr Website
    Fiverr Website

    One of the biggest freelance service marketplaces in the world made for entrepreneurs Fiverr provides freelance employment to many entrepreneurs at varying rates across the globe. Fiverr is now used by around 850,000 freelancers and 5.5 million businesses across 160 countries. The company has its headquarters in Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel, and has already witnessed a global expansion, always gearing up for more.

    Flytrex

    Founders – Amit Regev, Yariv Bash

    Founding year – 2013

    Annual revenue – $2.06 million

    Flytrex Website
    Flytrex Website

    The very prominent Tel Aviv-based startup, Flytrex is an on-demand delivery service provider that leverages the power of drones to fuel its deliveries.

    Flytrex helps its customers deliver food and other goods and parcels of various kinds without any hassles. With the unique concept of the aerial route, the company extends great service to the customers and also saves their time per delivery. It has been really amazing with its job and garnered huge appreciation and accolades from the customers.

    Brayola

    Founder – Jon Medved

    Founding year – 2013

    Annual revenue – $2.2 million

    Brayola is an online lingerie retailer-based startup founded by Orit Hashay, the serial entrepreneur who founded Israel’s second most popular wedding services review site, Mit4Mit, and Ramkol, which are known for their great services to the customers. The company helps its customers discover bras that fit them better. The bra analyzer and extractor used by Brayola helps in the identification of bras based on size, style, color, price, materials, purpose, quality, and attributes. Therefore, now women around the world can shop from a wide range of bras that need no altering and/or resizing.

    Cato Networks

    Founders – Gur Shatz, Shlomo Kramer

    Founding Year – 2015

    Annual Revenue – Around $50 million

    Cato Networks Ltd is a Tel Aviv-based cloud computing and information security startup. The company helps its customers avail of the highly-secure, cloud-based SD-WAN, which is integrated to its security platform embedded into a cloud-native service. With its significant offerings, Cato Networks seamlessly connects business locations, individuals, with the data it collects. As a result of this, Cato helps businesses improve their network performance, cut costs, enhance the security of their internet connections, and integrate their mobile users into the WAN along with the cloud data.

    Gong.io

    Founders – Amit Bendov, Eilon Reshef

    Founding Year – 2015

    Annual Revenue – $120 million

    The AI-powered software startup, Gong, started in 2015 in Israel and eventually expanded to the US, where the company has now established its headquarters. The company uses its cloud-based AI platform to help the sales teams of other companies to record conversations automatically and get written transcripts of the records. Empowered with advanced AI technologies, Gong is a boon to the sales teams of now.

    AccessiBe

    Founders – Dekel Skoop, Gal Vizel, Shir Ekerling

    Founding Year – 2018

    Annual Revenue – $5.5 million

    AccessiBe is one unique startup from Israel. Founded in 2018, the Tel Aviv-based startup aims to make the internet a navigable place for the persons with disabilities. The contextual AI that the company leverages, helps them to scan the web pages in much the same way as a non-disabled person would, which would then be converted in an easy and readable format to the user’s screen reader for those with visual impairments. Furthermore, the UI offered by AccessiBe will help those with visual impairments to adjust the UI of websites that they frequently visit. All of these would thus be perfectly suited to their needs.

    Conclusion

    Israel has been nurturing a world of promising startups. Many of these companies are business-to-consumer startups, which are relatively innovative and bring in a whole range of possibilities for the customers. This is because Israel procures a community to support and offers proper infrastructure and other facilities required for the growth of these startups. Furthermore, it also supports the passion and innovative minds of the people who brainstorm and found startups. Besides, it also provides FB groups for the entrepreneurs and investors of business-to-consumers companies and more.

    Israel is a hub of some of the most innovative minds of the generation, propelled by proper support and facilities, thereby helping them grow successfully and with great results. This StartupTalky article has covered the top startups of Israel that have garnered success from all parts of the world.

    FAQ

    Is Israel great place for startups?

    Yes, Israel is a great country for startups. It has the largest number of startups per capita in the world.

    How many startups are there in Israel?

    There are around 6000 active startups in Israel.

    How many unicorns are there in Israel?

    There are over 65 unicorns already in Israel so far in 2021.

  • Afghani Startups which might not remain active anymore

    On 15th August, the world watched as the Taliban took control of Afghanistan by capturing its capital Kabul. This took place after US forces withdrew their troops from the country after a deal with the Taliban to end their two-decade-long war. Taliban is a fundamentalist Islamic force that has been fighting and taking over parts of the country over a few years. The current conflict has led to the death and displacement of millions of Afghani people.

    Before the recent takeover, Afghanistan had slowly started to open its door towards modernization and many small business and startups were starting to rise. With Google launching its startup grind program in Afghanistan in 2016, the country saw a few startups and ventures coming up and support the success of entrepreneurs and their businesses.

    Currently, Afghanistan is in crisis, as the country’s small business economy has been dealt with yet another series of devastating blows by the Taliban. And many of the startups that have started to provide technology services and products and small businesses are facing numerous problems and are even closing down. Many banks, ATMs, media centres, Government offices, Passport & Visa offices, Schools, colleges, universities and many other workplaces are being shut down by the Taliban.

    A brief history of the Taliban in Afghanistan
    Top Afghani startups that might shut down
    What is the future of these startups in Afghanistan?
    Frequently Asked Questions


    Reasons behind why Google might fund in Airtel
    On 28th August, it was announced that Airtel is soon going to get a huge investment from Google. Read to find out more info on the massive deal.


    A brief history of the Taliban in Afghanistan

    The military organizations emerged during the civil war in the southwest and border regions of Pakistan. Taliban had held power in most parts of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 and had also imposed the strict interpretation of the Sharia Law or Islamic law back then. Taliban started out by saying that they had vowed in fighting corruption and improving security, but in reality, the Taliban is an extremist group that follows the austere form of Islam.

    Taliban is an extremist group that earns its money from various illegal ways. Some of the ways it earns its money are by taxing and drug trade which has to lead to the country becoming the world’s largest producer of opium, which can be refined to make heroin. Besides taxing and drug trade, the organization is also illegally mine the precious minerals of the country. While the mining industry in Afghanistan is said to bring in over $1 billion every year.

    Now with the Taliban taking over the entire country just in the matter of a few days, we see the history repeating. With the Taliban in power, the women of the country face the greatest threat as they will lose their basic human rights like the freedom to work, to dress as they want, or to leave home alone under Taliban rule. Not only that the country has possibilities of turning into yet another training ground for terrorism. While many business and startups are losing their employees and are close to shutting down.


    Companies that provide Incentives and Wellness Programs to employees for staying healthy
    Currently, employees find it difficult to balance their work and wellbeing. These are some companies that provide incentives to their employees to stay healthy.


    Top Afghani Startups that might shut down

    Over the past few years, the country has seen a steady increase in the growth of IT startups that had also started to expand into other sectors. Before we check on how the current situation can affect the startups in the country, these are some of these top Afghani startups are:

    SmartMaktab

    Smartmaktab logo
    Smartmaktab logo

    SmartMaktabcis a startup that was started by Naikbeen Naikpay in order to create a better educational system for students. This Afghani startup is revolutionizing the way that instructors present school subjects ranging from mathematics to English, by creating an app and digitizing education for more than 10 million students across the country.

    Daftar

    Daftar logo
    Daftar logo

    Daftar is one of the most well-known co-working spaces in Afghanistan with its headquarters based in Kabul. Daftar helps other small startups and businesses by renting out desks monthly and by providing them with multimedia rooms to assist with business marketing operations.

    Netlinks logo
    Netlinks logo

    Netlinks is one of the first successful IT startups in Afghanistan founded by Farshid Ghyasi. The company’s employees were said to be trained in Indian and now the company is capable of providing customized IT solutions to over 3,000 clients.

    Ibtikaar

    Ibtikaar is a startup incubation program that helps entrepreneurs by mentoring, training their skills and getting funding. So far the company has supported and helped many startups grow across Afghanistan.

    Aria Gems

    Aria Gems logo
    Aria Gems logo

    This company was started in 2013 and is known to play a vital role in cutting down the illegal and black market trade in the country. The company aims to prevent emeralds from getting sold through illegal ways and by ensuring miners receive a fair price for their gems.


    Global Startups – Funding & Investors Data [2020 Updated]
    Find the 2020 updated list of Startup Funding News Globally. Get the recently top-funded and seed-funded startups and the investors’ data.


    TechSharks

    TechSharks logo
    TechSharks logo

    TechSharks is one of the top startups in Afghanistan and was founded in 2011. The company offers services from web hosting services to mobile app creation, among others. The company is also helping Afghanis to come up with innovative ideas that will help the IT industry grow in their country.

    Farah Farhat Faizi

    Farah Farhat Faizi is a fruit and vegetable processing company was founded in 2012 by Kobra Dastagirzada. The company helps promotes domestic products of Afghanistan and was also a part of the Google initiative of Afghanistan’s Start-Up Grind.

    Bushra Tranum

    This is a food company that was started by another woman named Zarifa Razaee in 2019. The company produces and sells organic food products.

    Gahwara

    Gahwara is a unique startup that was started by Shabeer Ahmad Hameed in 2018. The company started an artistic kindergarten for kids where they can learn are music, dancing, painting, and handicrafts along with the Preliminary Body Practices, Yoga, Technology, and Management.

    ToNext

    ToNext was started by Akmal Arzhang in 2017 and is a firm that provides many cost-effective IT solutions and services.


    Indian Startups – Funding & Investors 2021 Data | Updated
    Exclusive Startup Funding Data of the Indian Startup Ecosystem 2021. The most updated list of Startup Funding news India.


    What is the future of these startups in Afghanistan?

    After the Western-backed Afghanistan Government fell after 20 years and the Afghani President Ashraf Ghani fled the country. Many Afghanis started to fear for their future and started running to the airport which was one of the last ways to get out of the country. The Afghanis are now struggling to get out of the country in any way possible, in order to find a better future in other countries.

    Employees of these startups leaving their jobs and leaving the country. The women will now have to stay in their house or wear a full burqa and be accompanied by a male relative if they want to go out, which has led to many women already losing out on education or jobs.  Many businesses that were run by women or had women as employees will be shut down.

    Besides, that businesses and startups will no longer get support from the government. While the electricity and internet access, education gap in the society and poor economic conditions will only grow and this will harm the upcoming startup ecosystem in Afghanistan. There is also a potential that the illegal activities will increase in the country because the Taliban and might become a training ground for terrorist groups like Al Qaeda.  


    What is BharatNet Project and How Startups can participate in it?
    To provide on demand internet access to rural areas Indian government has commenced the project BharatNet. Lets find out What is BharatNet and how it will benefit rural India.


    Frequently Asked Questions

    What are some of the top startups in Afghanistan?

    The top startups in Afghanistan are SmartMaktab, ToNext, Gahwara, Bushra Tranum, Farah Farhat Faizi, TechSharks, Aria Gems, Ibtikaar, Netlinks, Daftar, among others.

    Who are the Taliban?

    The Taliban is a military organization that emerged during the civil war in the southwest and border regions of Pakistan.

    What happened to Afghanistan on 15th August 2020?

    On 15th August, the Taliban took control of Afghanistan by capturing its capital Kabul.

  • Berger Paints Business Model | How does Berger Paints Make Money?

    A business model is a criterion to find an orderly business-like way to open long-term value for a company while providing importance to customers and apprehending value through monetization schemes. It can be of any industry which has several assumptions to comprehend in the marketplace.

    When it comes to wall paints, many multinational paint companies pop up in our minds. From which Berger paints is one of them. It was founded in 1760 by Lewis Berger and was incorporated in Kolkata, India in 1923.

    About Berger Paints
    Key Products and Services of Berger Paints
    Target Audience of Berger Paints
    Business Model Of Berger Paints
    What’s unique about the business model of Berger Paints?
    How Does Berger Paints Make Money?
    Conclusion
    FAQs

    About Berger Paints

    About Berger Paints

    With modest outfits in India in 1923, today, Berger Paints India Limited is the second largest paint corporation after Asian paint in India with a uniform track record of being one of the fastest-growing paint companies for the past few years.

    The company is set up in many areas Russia, Poland, Nepal, and Bangladesh. It has hands of around 2,800 and a distribution bandwidth of 25,000 plus agents.

    Key Products and Services of Berger Paints

    Berger Paints Products
    Berger Paints Products

    Berger Paints provide several painting products including, decorative paints, coatings, chemicals, and industrial finishing products. We can go through its product finder that provides one to choose the best colors for their inner and outer walls.

    It provides professional painting services to decorate homes, buildings, and offices with its incredible color palette and complexions of your preferences.

    Target Audience of Berger Paints

    Berger paints mainly focuses on marketing by their promotional strategies to draw the attention of their audiences. They advertise their products through TV commercials. This plays a significant role in their promotion. They intend to prioritize their product extent for combinations and expand its resources across towns and small cities. They spread their advertisements through social media marketing. Berger paints promote its theme on social media platforms to improve the attention of the brand with its audience.

    The themed activity highlighted the promotion of Berger’s color palettes and compositions. For example, the #JaldiKaro theme was geared up on many social media channels including, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. It became possible only with the support of a series of joyful videos. Even in the offline advertisement, Berger paints made an immense splash on travel media on the trains, flights, buses, etc.

    Berger Paints Advertisement

    Business Model Of Berger Paints

    Berger Paints Logo
    Berger Paints Logo

    Berger Paints explores the brand with the marketing combination covering the 4Ps. These 4Ps refer to the amalgamation of product, place, price, promotion. There are several marketing strategies like product designing, pricing method, publicity planning by advertising, etc. They are giving their customers a variety of innovative painting ideas for decorating and industrial too.

    The company’s protocol is to establish in the market and position its product with the help of service segregation, product segregation, and image segregation which helps to grasp a good position in the market by offering better value products at a reasonable and affordable price. These business schemes, based on Berger Paints’ marketing which helps the brand to succeed.


    Case Study on Asian Paints | Asian Paints Marketing Strategy
    Asian Paints is the leading paint company in India. Read the Asian Paints Case Study, its business model, supply chain model, marketing strategy, etc.


    What’s unique about the business model of Berger Paints?

    As we have already mentioned, Berger Paints is one of the top paints companies in India. The product portfolio of Berger Paints contains decorative paints and industrial paints, which form the product scheme in the marketing of Berger Paints. The Berger Paints of today has an enticing history of varying ownerships.

    Berger Paints has driven through many ups & downs along with ownership changes to increase its current significance. The majority stake is with the Delhi-based Dhingra brothers.

    In its business model, Berger paints have the following secret recipes, which are the pillars in their business strategy:

    1. Focusing on the base of the company – Mr. K. S. Dhingra, advocater, Berger Paints, stated, “We have to concentrate on paint and rise only in paint. It’s particularly a competitive job. One minor misstep can take us back more than four months behind our partners. We have to leg it safely. Our competitors are waiting for Berger to make a mistake. We even wait for our competitors to make a mistake so that we can cover the opening between them quicker.”
    2. Strengthening the competition track – Berger has only focused on bringing up its products with unique features. This has let it create a strong brand for such products. By this, Berger products have promoted Berger to strengthen its competitive positioning in the industry.
    3. Distribution of capital – Mr. K.S Dhingra, promoter, Berger Paints stated that whatever net worth is available to them, they will utilize it only for their paint business. The capital will never use it for any other purpose. They will use the capital in a controllable manner.

    The Creative Marketing Strategy of Asian Paints
    Asian Paints is one of the most successful and largest paint company. Lets deep dive to understand its marketing strategy.


    How Does Berger Paints Make Money?

    Berger makes money through all the products and services mentioned above. Berger Paints India lifted to the 15th position from its 24th position in the fiscal year of 2016. It goes on to provide innovative, advanced, and refined paint products and services. Berger Paints is the second largest firm in India which established itself as a trusted brand in the Indian paint business.

    The company is planning to subsidize expansion. Berger Paints India Ltd Managing Director & CEO Abhijit Roy stated that they are already in the process of subsidizing two fresh new plants. Around Rs 220 crores are being utilized in a facility in Bangalore. On the other hand, another plant is appearing near Pune. The plant in Bangalore would generate water-based paints. The other plant near Pune would provide industrial-based paints.

    In this way, it will maintain its growth by some of its plans. Berger stands out with its distinctive business model that intends to give its customers with best outputs and services at reasonable prices. Berger is not one of the firms that have attained fast growth and expansion. But one that stands as a market leader purely because it has innovated things and earned its position.

    Conclusion

    The above study on Berger Paints states all the marketing schemes that the firm is using have one goal. The one goal is to circulate awareness about its products and services and schedule appointments with its customers using a satisfying combination of digital media and offline trade plans to withstand this problem. They have a great Digital Marketing strategy. They have to keep their methods growing with time to make them suitable. The company has to preserve its reputation as well as maintain its status. They also need to maintain their performance amazingly as they are already doing.

    FAQs

    What is the business of Berger Paints?

    Berger Paints Ltd is an Indian multinational paint company, based in Kolkata, India involved in paint color business.

    Does Berger Paints operate in different countries?

    Yes, Berger Paints is a multinational company. Berger Paints has 16 manufacturing units in India, 2 in Nepal, 1 in Poland and 1 in Russia.

    Who is the owner of Berger Paints?

    U. K. Paints India Private Limited is the parent company and owner of Berger Paints.

  • Telegram: User Growth and Popularity of the Platform

    There are loads of social media messaging platforms to contact people through, but Telegram has been growing tremendously and securing a place in the market for itself.

    Telegram is an online instant messaging service that allows users to send messages, share files and facilitates to make voice and video calls.

    Telegram was founded by both Nikolai and Pavel Durov in the year 2013 who belonged to Russian social media platform VK which was initially headquartered in St Petersburg now changed to Dubai, after stints in London, Berlin, and Singapore.

    There has been a close competition between Telegram and WhatsApp in terms of the features. Telegram differs from WhatsApp in allowing its users to access accounts from multiple devices. Telegram owners also claim that its multi-data infrastructure and encryption is more secure than the Facebook-owned app.

    Telegram User Growth
    Telegram’s Peculiarity
    Why Telegram is in the Lead?
    Telegram Features
    FAQ’s
    Conclusion

    Telegram is a simple, straightforward messaging solution that helps its users to receive the media files so that they can download them for free. It also provides some global groups that can accommodate up to 200,000 members. Telegram associates with cross-platform connections, programmable bots, and high levels of customization.

    Co-founder of Telegram
    Co-founder of Telegram 

    Telegram User Growth

    All the users and non-users of Telegram can see how rapidly it has been grown in the world of online messaging. It also anticipates some extraordinary milestones to be hit over the next few years. Telegram is targeting around 1-2 billion users by the end of 2022.

    Telegram has already completed 1 billion user downloads and becomes the 15th app to do so globally, as reported on August 31, 2021. India has a 22% share in the total downloads of Telegram, which is followed by Russia and Indonesia, with 10% and 8% downloads respectively.

    Telegram proved to be popular from the start on certain levels and had reached 100,000 users by October 2013. It was launched in August of the same year on iOS and October on Android. This was a great kickstart for Telegram.

    By the month of March 2014, the app hit 35 million Monthly Active Users. There were 15 million Daily Active Users, rising to almost 50 million by the end of the same year. The exponential growth of Telegram was doubled by February 2016, with eye-catching growth occurring from 2015 onwards.

    Number of growth in users using Telegram
    Number of growth in users using Telegram

    The stats say that almost 2.2 million residents of urban cities used the Telegram platform daily on mobile devices in the year 2017. With all the rigorous growth in next two years, in March 2019, the figure reached 4.5 million. By the year 2017, Telegram saw around 180 million operating Telegram users and another 20 million users were added in the list by the end of March 2018.

    In March 2019, it was reported that Telegram added 3 million new users over 24 hours during Facebook outages, including WhatsApp. There was a rise of the newly registered users that went up to at least 1.5 million users on the platform every passing day.

    10 Ways to Market On Pinterest | Pinterest Marketing Tips
    In this modern era, people tend to use social media to market their products tosell quickly. Social media can be accessed by anyone in the world so that theycan identify products that are trending. Besides, they can find whatever theyneed. Pinterest can be used an effective tool for marketing. Bu…

    Telegram’s Peculiarity

    The only issue with Telegram is that it’s not as popular as WhatsApp but this might not always prevail in this era of competition. Telegram is gaining speed, thanks to its attention to providing users with end-to-end encryption.

    Telegram aces its features when it comes to business. The app concentrates on embedding privacy and integrates added security into the messaging strategy. For example, users can remove the option to screenshot conversations, and opt to send secret messages that disappear after a certain point in time.

    Telegram also offers an advantage of fun additional features. Users can use stickers while messaging to add context to a conversation.


    Telegram has a unique feature called channels, which is pretty much similar to the experience on apps like Microsoft Teams or Slack. Channels are a familiar means for groups in this business space to stay updated with what’s happening in their environment and current affairs. In addition to this, any files that are shared in the respective channels or instant messages are also saved to the cloud automatically, so there is no hassle of re-uploading the files between conversations.

    How To Use Quora For Marketing? | Ultimate Guide On Quora Marketing
    Marketing on Quora brings a lot of traffic which converts like crazy. TheInternet is a great place for brands and businesses to connect with theiraudience. Social networks. Bookmarking site and discussion forums have greatlyhelped us to keep building our brand visibility regular promote goodwill …

    Telegram has also offered several customization options that WhatsApp did not, options like to switch phone numbers when necessary and provide that new number to users and coworkers instantly. User will also be able to choose a range of languages for the app that is different from the main language of the phone.

    Why Telegram is in the Lead?

    • Media compression to save the device’s space
    • Cloud storage for file sharing
    • Secret chat for complete privacy
    • Group member numbers can be larger
    • Multiple Channels to connect with multiple groups
    • Multi-platform support
    • Built-in Bots ready to help

    Telegram Features

    There are certain features of Telegram, which are directly related to the growth of the platform and its popularity among the users.

    1. Group member capacity

    The group member capacity in Telegram was 200 initially. The numbers then rose to 5000. Now, a Telegram group can consist of up to 200,000 members.

    Telegram provides unlimited storage to successfully store all the user texts, images media files, documents on their cloud. Users can also log out and log in any number of times from any number of devices simultaneously without losing any data, they don’t need to worry about backup. They can also view the active sessions and keep a track on which devices the user is logged in. Therefore, the user can download any file anywhere.

    2. Media Compression

    Users can choose whether to compress the file or send the uncompressed version forward.


    3. Channels

    A channel is nearly similar to groups, which can accommodate an unlimited number of members, the creator of the channel decide who can post and other members can view them.

    4. Username Feature

    Users can communicate with anyone on telegram even if they don’t share the contact number. This ensures the privacy of the user’s contact number.

    5. Bots

    Bots are pieces of programs based on AI and Machine learning at a small level. They can perform various tasks, including an image bot that can fetch images from the name. Some popular bots are Image bot, sticker bot, gif bot.

    FAQ’s

    Who owns Telegram?

    Telegram is owned by the same two people who founded the company in Russia back in 2013, Pavel Durov and his brother Nikolai. Pavel is also the company’s CEO.

    Why do people use Telegram?

    The reason for this is Telegram’s enhanced use of the cloud. Essentially, it stores all of your messages and photos on a secure server. This means you can access them from any connected device, making Telegram much more multi-platform friendly than other chat apps like WhatsApp. Another security feature is usernames.

    Why use telegram over WhatsApp?

    Even though WhatsApp has more than 1.3 billion users worldwide, the features offered by Telegram like secret chat, self-destructing messages, encrypted backup ensure more secured chats. Apart from security features, Telegram is also ahead of WhatsApp in terms of other features like Dark Mode and larger group capacity.

    How much money does Telegram make?

    The venture founded by the Russian duo of brothers Pavel Durov and Nikolai Durov is valued in the range of $3-5 Billion and according to the founders will never be up for sale. These facts are astonishing since Telegram spent zero cents on promotion and the user base is growing organically based on the product.

    How does Telegram make a profit?

    Telegram does not generate revenue as it stands, with a purported commitment to keeping the company free of the influence of money. As of September 2019, the funding is 100% privately generated by Pavel Durov.

    Conclusion

    Telegram has been closely competing with the Facebook-owned WhatsApp, and its enticing features often make it difficult for the users to decide which platform they should rely upon. Nonetheless, Telegram has seen significant growth over these years, and there is always more to come!