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  • 9 Founders Shared their tips on Surviving Coronavirus Outbreak?

    Apart from being a threat to public health, COVID-19 has also emerged as a threat to the global economy. Indian Government has put restrictions on regular movement, malls, public spaces, offices. Everything except essential things has been locked down. During this time of uncertainty and unrest, small businesses have been hit the hardest.

    Flight, hotel booking firms are the worst hit. Whereas, at the same time, video conferencing providers and online education companies, messaging platforms and of course healthcare & pharmaceutical companies are witnessing a boom in demand but the situation has become for worse for the startups & small scale businesses as they have limited sources and capital.

    Indian benchmark indices (BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty) have fallen over 20% this month with foreign investors pulling out around Rs. 38,000 crores fearing recession Analysts predict that the impact of coronavirus in India will shave off 0.5% of India’s GDP growth in FY21. The impact on Indian trade alone is estimated to be more than Rs 34.8 crores.

    These macroeconomic headwinds have already affected sale of white labelled goods which contribute half of the GMV of ecommerce companies. Retrenchments and downsizing in the startup ecosystem have started to accelerate as businesses take a hard look at steep operational costs and dipping demand in an uncertain environment made worse by the Covid-19 pandemic. Oyo, Bounce, Udaan and Drivezy have begun laying off staff.

    While India has taken early measures to contain the virus, there is still uncertainty around how long this pandemic might last. Governments in Europe and USA have already announced aid packages for small businesses and India might have to go down the same route to revive the economy.

    Also Read:

    How will small businesses survive during Coronavirus India outbreak
    How will small businesses survive during Corona Virus outbreak

    We have asked few companies how small companies can survive when Corona Virus has affected the economy and so many businesses around the globe.

    Rising Sun

    Inatur Ayurveda & Aromatherapy manufactures Organic and Natural skin, hair care and wellness products. These are safer, eco-friendly, and more effective skin care products. Lets get views of Ms Pooja Nagdev, Founder and CEO, on how will small business survive during Coronavirus outbreak.
    The Coronavirus crisis presents the economy and businesses with challenges but also with some opportunities. All of us have got time now to review and reflect. This is the time to plan new strategies, check all costs and overheads. Small businesses will have to cut down unnecessary costs and expenditures in order to be profitable.

    Indi Collage

    Indi Collage is a Fractional Retail platform. It helps brands expand into new markets without the overheads of expensive retail spaces. We talked to Anuradha Singh, on how will small business can survive during Coronavirus outbreak.
    We are focusing on building a base & giving flexible options to our customers to take later tentative dates for booking their popups at our spaces.

    Zamit

    Zamit is an information, engagement and interaction platform that networks schools, students, teachers, parents, and school service providers. We talked to Aarul Malaviya, Founder, on how will small business survive during Coronavirus outbreak.
    Coronavirus has created a deep global recession across the world. In case of the Indian market, all the small businesses will suffer a short, serious but not catastrophic recession. Consumers should help these small businesses in any possible way they can since they’re the driving force for these businesses.

    • Tax relief is something which will help in relieving a major amount of pressure from these small business owners.
    • All the business owners need to opt for extra cost cutting in their businesses which includes- minimized travel, cancelling any non-essential subscriptions, reduce online sponsored posts, reduce or eliminate meetings to reduce expenses, pause any large costs that could be undertaken at a later stage.
    • They also need to set clear and realistic business plan and at the same time, motivating the employees to pull this off together as a team and irrespective of mode of working, every employee should be there to help each other as in when it is needed to keep the boat floating peacefully.

    CASA EXOTIQUE

    Established with an urge to deliver incredible experiences, Casa Exotique has redefined a new benchmark for remarkable interiors and exquisite finishes. We talked to Ms. Bhawana Bhatnagar, Interior Stylist, Founder, on how will small business survive during Coronavirus outbreak.
    Needless to say, this outbreak is detrimental to the economy – especially the small business firms that do not have very deep pockets to support their staff without doing business in the time of this crisis.

    • To survive this pandemic, there is a need to have open communication with the staff. Everyone can pitch in their ideas on how to keep the business running in such a tough time. By starting the chain of dialogue, more innovative ideas would come to light and effective plans can subsequently be put into place.
    • Obviously, if the situation gets worse, work from home will probably be the only option. Businesses that are based on IT infrastructure would find it easier to manage work than the ones that require fieldwork. Alternate working hours can be one option for such firms.
    • The time is beckoning to the employers to put contingencies and crisis management plans in action. Those who have worked out such plans would be at an advantage in the coming months in terms of managing their business.

    121 Experiences

    121 Experiences is India’s first ever out of the Line agency. 121 Experiences specializes in experiential brand communicating solutions to drive behaviour changing consumer habits. We talked to Aniket Sharma, Co-founder & CEO, on how will small business survive during Coronavirus outbreak.

    • All small businesses will need to learn to optimise their resources.
    • Maintaining transparency with the internal employees and customers can help with innovate solutions.
    • The spirit of survival is going to be the key, staying positive will help think straight in these times of difficulty.
    • Collaborating with competition instead of cutting costs will be pivotal to sail through together instead of trying to on up the other.

    MyStarHub

    In their endeavor to create the most authentic and memorable fan experiences across the world, MyStarHub provides a platform where fans can book personalized video shoutouts from their favorite celebrities. We talked to Swapnil Mahajan, Founder, on how will small business survive during Coronavirus outbreak.

    • Even though the Coronavirus has a negative influence on the market worldwide, it has also opened up doors of opportunities for smaller and unconventional businesses in the longer run.
    • In situations like this, the reliance of overseas suppliers will decrease and demand for local products will increase. Also with limited resources in hand, these small scale businesses, in particular, will innovate ways to survive the uncertainties and bounce back.
    • Besides this, the government aid and relaxations will help a lot of small businesses manage funds to keep the business going.

    Also Read:

    Dineout

    Dineout is India’s largest Dining out and Restaurant tech platform, helping more than 17 million diners monthly discover new restaurants, reserve a table, pay for their bills and get offers and discounts combined with a SaaS product offering to its restaurant partners manage their operations. We talked to Ankit Mehrotra, Co-founder & CEO, on how will small business survive during Coronavirus outbreak.
    We work with more than 40,000 restaurants in India, and the common concern right now is that since no one knows when this will end, there is no way to evaluate the potential business impact. However, it is also severely impacting the bottom line of small businesses like restaurants since their dining operations are temporarily closed.

    • We are advising our partners to look for ways to stay connected with their customers by means of adding flexibility in their operations. By offering a discount on take-home orders, free delivery, using popular delivery services and special discounts for its existing members opting for home deliveries.
    • While, no one knows how much longer this situation is going to persist, the one thing that has emerged from this crisis is the absolute need of technology! We’re working closely with our restaurant partners to support them with our B2B technology products in effectively managing deliveries.
    • We are also preparing for when this pandemic subsides and it’s business as usual to help our restaurant partners get back up and running powered stronger by technology.

    Packman Packaging

    Packman Packaging is one of India’s largest manufacturers of corrugated boxes, corrugated rolls, bubble rolls, bubble pouches, courier bags, POD jackets, duct tapes, e-commerce shipping bags and more. We talked to Gaurav Jalan, Director and Founder, on how will small business survive during Coronavirus outbreak.

    No doubt coronavirus has impacted several businesses. But one needs to think about the bigger picture. Yes these are hard times particularly for small businesses. But with proper information and following certain guidelines they can survive it too.

    If you take an example some markets in Mumbai have decided to work on alternate days just like an odd even program. One day markets on right and on other day the shops on left will remain open. This is a good concept and also ensures time to time income is generated. But yes cannot rule out certain degree of financial losses.

    Bridged.co

    Bridged uses a combination of AI and a 13,000 strong highly skilled workforce to develop unique and vast data at scale significantly improving the quality of data models. We talked to Ashwin Chalam, CEO, on how will small business survive during Coronavirus outbreak.

    • Here’s an opportunity for businesses to reassess their spending and identify areas of unproductivity. After that, businesses should direct all their efforts into ensuring that their money-making product/service keeps them afloat. Or, they might need to pivot and update their gameplan with new offerings, offerings that a coronavirus-affected market will accept.
    • Businesses will also have to make difficult decisions such as laying off loyal employees and scaling down on certain perks. But, until the coronavirus phase passes, they will have no other choice but to exercise monetary caution.

    St. Angelo’s VNCT Ventures

    With a unique approach to real estate development, SAVV Global offers value deliveries, superior design, world class amenities and infrastructure, coupled with timely deliveries and after-sales service. We talked to Mr. Agnelorajesh Athaide, Co-founder, on how will small business survive during Coronavirus outbreak.
    The pandemic is supposedly estimated to hit the economic growth by up to 50bps in FY 21, with the first two quarters slowing down at 4.4.5%, as per government sources. Although these are tough times, entrepreneurs can actually use this to effectively reflect and strategize the way forward, with a resilient attitude and a winning mindset.

    • Instead of spending the time counting the losses or panicking over the situation, the slowdown could actually be a boon. It is an opportunity allowing start-up founders to take stock of the situation, envision the market needs and demands after the pandemic is over, and gear up for a fresh start.
    • From learning new skills, conducting employee reviews, collaborating with new vendors/ chalking out an innovative product, to diversifying the business, the current lockdown can be effectively used as an opportunity by visionary and resilient entrepreneurs.

    Skilfinity

    Skilfinity is full service Digital Marketing & Analytics Company, with operations in Singapore & India. We talked to Ujjal De, Co-founder, on how will small business survive during Coronavirus outbreak.
    Now is the time for longevity and surviving the crisis and not trying to use the situation and health scare as an opportunity.

    • Build community and trust for your brand by giving back in any way possible, to ensure, when this all is over, people invest in your brand.
    • Evaluate the offline marketing strategy and switch to bring as many online eyeballs as possible for all business, across industries.
    • Keep calm, be tenacious, support other businesses in any way possible and take the necessary steps so that you come out of this disruption stronger than ever.

    Grooming Naturals

    Groominh Naturals owns the brand RAWNATURE which is a line of conscious beauty products that is natural, vegan and designed to work within Indian weather conditions and suited to our people. It cover products across skin care, hair care and bath and shower and cater to both men and women. We talked to Mohit Saxena, on how will small business survive during Coronavirus outbreak.

    The key to survival will lie in managing what we can control. We will hopefully soon emerge from this crisis but even if we do, it will be far from over as the aftereffects of the COVID syndrome will stay for a while even after it is gone. Some of the areas we as a company need to be focussed on:

    PRODUCT LEVEL

    1. Look at our product portfolio and focus on what sells the most (say top 3 products). FOCUS ON OUR HERO PRODUCTS. This will help us reduce slow moving inventory risk and increase sales cycle. Also, the manufacturing will be easier as we will have only 20% of the SKUs that we will largely focus on.
    2. Relook at what people need in this time and if we can offer that as a solution. We make grooming essentials that are natural and clean. For us introducing a line of hygiene products that are plant based and effective will be more important and a natural extension than say a line of skin care. CREATE A MUST HAVE PRODUCT LINE from our portfolio.
    3. The consumers will be a bit wary for a while till the time the influence of COVID goes in the backburner. It will be prudent to GET MORE AFFORDABLE either by changing pack size or by offering more of the product at old price.

    ORGANISATIONAL LEVEL

    1. We will need to stay lean – Morally the last option is a lay off in these times. As entrepreneurs, we are responsible to our people and their families. Having said that, even the employees will agree that in these tough times, all hands need to be on the deck. Looking at salaries and minimising it basis seniority will be the need of the hour. Reducing manpower cost v/s the manpower itself should be the 1st priority
    2. A complete freeze on hiring for a substantial period going ahead will also be needed. Multi-tasking, multi skilling and figuring more efficient ways of managing day to day operations using technology or even outsourcing of certain operations will become key.

    PROFITABILITY and CASH FLOWS

    1. Post COVID, the need to be profitable will be ‘urgent’. This immediately will become the new buzz word. Not growth rate, not GMV sales, not multiple markets but positive cash flows and profitability.
    2. Plugging leaks in marketing and acquisitions drives, strategic alliances to reduce cost of sales, CRM and customer management, new markets and better GM’s on new products will be areas of focus till this financial winter thaws out.
    3. Reduce all additional costs and go back to being a bootstrapped venture. Shut every single cost head that can be closed and rationalise/minimise the others.

    FUNDRAISE

    1. While it may sound contrary to the market sentiment, if your product and business model is solid, fundraise will happen. However, 9-12 months from now this sentiment may change in case the after effect of COVID does not subside. So, we need to get what we can and brace for a longer runway. Since our focus now will be on profitability, this runway can will be substantially longer with the same money than we expect and must be the way ahead till we see the summer again.

    Emerging from this crisis will be a gradual process. It’s important to plan appropriately and find various alternate ways of sales and financing.  

    Also read:

    Hipcouch

    Hipcouch is an end to end interior design + build solutions startup based in Lower Parel, Mumbai. We talked to Pankaj Poddar, Founder, on how will small business survive when Coronavirus has affected the economy and so many businesses around the globe.
    Small businesses, as a first measure, have to look really hard at their expenses and trim out anything that might constitute as fat. Secondly, and equally importantly, you have to put in place a business continuity plan coupled with scenario analyses. We have never collectively faced so much disruption and uncertainty on a global level and preserving capital should be the topmost priority.

    IoTfy

    IoTfy is a #MakeinIndia IoT & AI cloud suite that superpowers consumer durable brands to add IoT capabilities to their device categories. We talked to Arpit Chhabra, Founder, on how will small business survive when Coronavirus has affected the economy and so many businesses around the globe.

    At IoTfy we are deploying a futuristic approach to mitigate the impact of the 21 days lockdown, on the business. Given we are a products’ company, we have already started focussing on the next set of features/products that are in the pipeline. The idea is to utilise this time well and invest in future product conception and planning during this period, where most businesses are trying to focus on the recovery aspect. To that end, we have already started planning two quarters ahead and are gearing for the spike in demand IoTfy is expected to witness from the brand partners, who have suffered huge losses on account of the global supply chains being disrupted due to Covid19 outbreak.

  • How to Ensure Productivity while Working Remotely – Khushboo Jain

    Amidst COVID-19 pandemic, corporate offices have shut down asking their employees to work remotely from home. Getting accustomed to working from home will be a task for which employees will need to prepare themselves.

    We talked with Khushaboo Jain, Co-Founder and COO at ImpactGuru.com about how to ensure productivity while working remotely. Here are 8 tips given by her to ensuring productivity while working remotely:

    How to ensure productivity while working remotely | Khushaboo Jain

    1) Creating A Workspace

    The easiest thing to do, in order to get into a working mode, is to ensure that there is a designated workspace in your house. This may be a separate room dedicated for the sole purpose of being a home workstation, &/or a pre-existing space that can be turned into a work environment.

    Either way, the work area should be clean and free from any clutter, and comfortable enough to not cause fatigue while working. Apart from this, you should ensure that the internet connection is stable and fast enough to allow for swift communication. If your work involves a lot of video calls/conferences, then you should also have decent lighting. Make sure that your background is clear and free from all clutter.

    2) Having The Right Tools

    After having the workspace set up, the next focus should be on ensuring that one has all the tools necessary to have a productive day. In terms of hardware, most companies are willing to provide laptops to their employees working from home. Any additional requirements such as a mouse or a communication headphone should be readily available. It is important to have all the required

    software’s/programs/applications for your work and seamless communication pre-installed in your device.

    3) Communication

    The primary means of communication during this period will be emails, phone calls, video calls/conferences, and instant messaging. You will need to know how to use these mediums effectively, and also which one is most likely to get a quick response.

    4) Know What is The Expected Outcome From You

    Get a clear idea as to what the end objective of your task should be. This will let you work more effectively, and reduce the chances of errors that will require revisions later.

    5) Setting Timelines

    If you are to collaborate with someone for a project, make sure that both have set aside time to communicate and update the other. You are accountable, so ensure that your timeline is set in such a way that you can achieve your objectives for the day, while also having time to make any quick revisions.

    6) Avoiding Distractions

    Your family, friends, pets and household chores will all be distractions you are not been prepared for. In these situations, you will have to know how to set up boundaries and let everyone know, that even though you are at home, it doesn’t mean you are available.

    7) Know When To Unplug

    Likewise, it is also important to let your company know when you are available and when you are not. Have a specific time after which you can stop concentrating on work and can get back to your home mentally. Ideally, it can be the same as your punch-out. This will also help you stick to the timeline more effectively.

    8) Take Care Of Your Health

    Now, more than ever, it is essential for you to take care of your health, both physical and mental. If you feel fatigued at your regular workplace, the options to unwind are limited, but at home, you have more and better options. You could take some time off to exercise, relax or cook.As long as it doesn’t affect your timeline, you are good to go.

    For employees working from home now, accountability will be the most important factor when it comes to them being as efficient as they can. With most of one’s travel time cut down, an accountable employee can prepare himself/herself better for work, with respect to health and skills.

    Also Read:

    About ImpactGuru.com:

    ImpactGuru.com is India’s leading healthcare financing platform for patients, raises money online for medical expenses via crowdfunding. It aggregates a large number of online payments to allow any individual requiring financial assistance to raise funds for medical expenses – be it cancer, transplant, accident, or any medical emergency.

    About Khushboo Jain:

    Khushboo Jain co-founded crowdfunding platform ImpactGuru.com in July 2014 and has served as the company’s Chief Operating Officer. In addition, she heads ImpactGuru’s Communications, Design and Brand teams. Khushboo Jain is actively involved in the company’s marketing and communications strategies, community building activities, the ImpactGuru product users’ experience, and with ImpactGuru’s work with non-profits.

    Khushboo was recently featured amongst the Top 15 winning women entrepreneurs at NITI Aayog & United Nations, 2019 Women Transforming India Awards. Khushboo Jain began an entrepreneurial career and co-founded ImpactGuru.com with a mission to help India’s people find crowdfunding solutions for patients struggling to fund critical illnesses.

  • How Startups are Building Products to fight COVID-19?

    The number of coronavirus cases has been rising steadily every day not only in India but whole worldwide. The state governments across the country are taking important measures to control the spread of the virus. With the globalized world going into partial or complete lock down over the Covid-19 pandemic, startups in the various sectors are facing a huge stress test and immediate disruption to business as people are encouraged or even forced not to travel. Now much of Indian startup ecosystem has just started to realise the gravity of the coronavirus pandemic as the country goes into lockdown.

    Starting as a group of nearly 70 entrepreneurs and investors who had written to the government last week, the “Founders vs Covid-19” group has now become a 600-member crew which includes stakeholders from the healthcare sector, technology industry, the social sector and government. The collective has now transitioned into “Startups vs Covid-19” and is now fighting the coronavirus battle across multiple fronts. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi also announced the “COVID-19 Solution Challenge” to encourage the startups in India to find solution to fight the virus by proposing ideas.

    Many entrepreneurs and startups across the world have focused on developing solution to contain the spread of virus. Designers, engineers and programmers are also trying to scale testing through telemedicine, building multistage testing procedures, scaling the manufacturing of test kits and the healthcare infrastructure. It has also built various applications, such as a portal for citizens to report symptoms and a heatmap of the infection based on symptoms reported by doctors.

    Startups are helping fight Covid-19 by building Products
    Many startups are being encouraged to build Products to fight COVID-19

    So here are some products developed across the world to cope with novel coronavirus-

    Fever-finding Smart Helmet

    The Shenzhen-based Chinese tech firm KC Wearable is also trying to increase testing through telemedicine, building multistage testing procedures, scaling the manufacturing of test kits and the healthcare infrastructure. Further, the group also planning for the path ahead which includes planning for Stage 3 of the pandemic or community transmission. The company has developed a smart helmet that can detect people with a fever up to five metres away and indicates with sounding an alarm when anyone with a high temperature comes close.

    The headset, which is already used by police in many cities of China including Shenzhen, Shanghai, etc. It also features an infrared temperature detector, an augmented-reality visor, a camera that can read QR codes, plus wifi, Bluetooth and 5G so it can beam data to the nearest hospital. Equipped with facial recognition technology, the helmet can also display the subject’s name on the AR visor, as well as their medical history. According to the developer, it would only take officers two minutes to scan a queue of more than 100 people with the help of the helmets, while one big hospital would only need 10 such helmets to cover every corner of its site.

    3D-printed Ventilator Valves

    An Italian startup came to the rescue after a hospital ran out of crucial valves that connect oxygen masks to respirators for its ventilators. The hospital in Chiari, in northern Italy hit hard by the virus, had 250 coronavirus patients in intensive care, and was short of venturi valves – which connect the ventilator to a patient’s face mask, and need to be replaced for each patient.

    After the original supplier was unable to provide new valves quickly enough, the hospital put out a call for help. Isinnova contacted the manufacturer, Intersurgical, but was unable to obtain a digital model of the part, so its team decided to reverse-engineer its structure themselves. The first prototype was ready within six hours, with 100 working valves printed and supplied to the hospital within a day.

    Also Read: How Entrepreneurs are Helping to Fight COVID-19?

    Hands-free Door Opener

    Door handles are said to be among the most contagious places in a building or house. Thus, it is advised to refrain from touching the door handles. Belgian 3D printing company Materialise has designed a hands-free door handle attachment under the slogan “Do less harm, use your arm!”. The design, which has been made available to download for free, consists of two simple parts that can be screwed either side of a handle, allowing you to use your arm or elbow to turn the handle.

    UV-sanitising Robots

    A Danish company developed a sterilising robot looking like a cluster of light swords on wheels. It can kill virus cells and sanitise hospital wards without the need for chemicals. The eight bulbs on each roaming robot emit concentrated UV-C ultraviolet light which destroys bacteria, viruses and other harmful microbes by damaging their DNA and RNA so they can’t multiply.

    The robot was launched in early 2019, following six years of collaboration between parent firm, Blue Ocean Robotics and Odense University Hospital. But recent demand has seen boom in production. A similar device has been developed by Chinese firm YouiBot, which took its existing robot base and added thermal camera and UV-C bulbs for disinfection. It has supplied factories, offices and an airport, and a hospital in Wuhan. This helps reduce dependency on chemical-based disinfectants which require rooms to be left empty for several hours during sterilisation,

    3D-printed isolation wards

    Chinese company Winsun has deployed its rapid 3D-printing technology for manufacturing 15 coronavirus isolation wards in a single day. Those little cabins were originally designed to be used as holiday homes but seeing the demand from overcrowded Chinese hospitals to cope with Covid-19 pandemic, the company increased production the wards.

    The company says it uses recycled construction material in the process and claims its structures are twice as strong as a conventional concrete construction. The buildings, which have showers and eco-toilets, were printed with a robotic arm mounted on rails, gradually depositing layers of concrete to build the walls.

    Corona 100m App

    Coders have joined the battle against coronavirus, racing to develop apps. In South Korea, virus-tracking apps make up six of the most popular 15 downloaded apps, by far the most popular being Corona 100m. Using the wealth of data collected by the government’s testing programme, the app alerts users when they come within 100 metres of a location visited by an infected person. This app is one of the most crucial things developed to fight Covid-19. It needs to be used in India also.

    3D-printed face shield

    Czech company Prusa, which claims to have the largest 3D printing farm in the world, with more than 500 printers, has started mass-producing protective face shields used by medics. It is manufacturing over 800 a day and has donated 10,000 to the Czech ministry of health. Another firm, Stratasys, has also developed a 3D-printed face shield and masks. According to its CEO, Yoav Zeif: “The strengths of 3D printing, be anywhere, print virtually anything, adapt on the fly, make it capable for helping address shortages of parts related to shields, masks, and ventilators, among other things.”

    Virus-fighting Drones

    No one needs to mention the need of drones from preventing people from stepping out of their houses. Many governments have started using drones to keep watch but these drones have been modified with more features to fight the coronavirus. The world leader in drone manufacturing, China has used the mini choppers(drones) for everything from fever detection in crowds to disinfecting public spaces, to delivering supplies to remote locations. Drones have also been used to deliver test samples, dramatically cutting journey times.

    In France, the police have started using drones to help enforce its lockdown, monitoring parks and public spaces to make sure people are not leaving their homes for non-essential trips, while, in the UK, Northamptonshire police are planning to increase the use of drones, which will be equipped with speakers to transmit public information messages and tell people to get back indoors. In India too, a Tamil Nadu startup is helping government to disinfect roads & hospitals with drones.

    Also Read: What will be the Scenario after Coronavirus Outbreak?

    Robots at Kerala’s Airports

    Kerala Health Minister Shailaja KK has proved to be a strong pillar of strength and support in the time of COVID-19 crisis. Kerala’s Asimov Robotics has developed two robots that are to be stationed in the airports. While one robot distributes sanitisers, masks, and napkins to the people, the other robot streams World Health Organisation’s (WHO) campaign videos and also briefs people about social distancing and other steps to be taken to prevent the spread of the virus.

  • Do I Need An SSL Certificate For My Website?

    Whether you’re running a business, or perhaps managing a personal blog diary, you might find yourself wondering if you need an SSL certificate on your site. The impact of this single element on your website is massive, and not following the trend would mean getting ready for a kick.

    Not only would having an SSL certificate serve as a symbol of security consciousness, but you also become a friend of Google. But without it, you become the lost sheep that Google would backlist. Furthermore, you protect sensitive information of your users, especially if you run transactions.

    Google loves its users, and if you must get some juices from this giant search engine, an SSL certificate on your website is something you shouldn’t neglect.

    When Do You Need An SSL Certificate?

    If you’re wondering if you need an SSL certificate on your website, then the chances are you do. First, do you collect data inputs in form membership forms, contact forms, and search queries, etc.? Also, does your website operate on HTTP://? If you answer yes, then you need an SSL certificate right now at this moment. In other words, you will be able to protect your website from hackers and rank high in search engines.

    What Does An SSL Certificate Do?

    SSL, or perhaps called Secure Sockets Layer, is a standard security technology that helps ensure the encrypted transfer of data between the web server and a browser. With this technology, you’re able to create a secure connection, thereby protecting the information your users share.

    An SSL certificate has the following information

    • Name of the holder
    • Serial Number and termination date
    • Copy of the credential holder’s public key
    • A digital signature of the certificate-issuing authority

    Core Advantages of an SSL certificate on your website

    1. Build Brand Truth And Loyalty

    Without the SSL certificate, users immediately feel uncomfortable and unable to transact. They fear that the site is vulnerable. But with an SSL certificate, your users would see a green address bar showing that your website is secure and encrypted. No doubt, this would boost the trust users have on your website.

    2. Protection From Cybercriminals

    There is no doubt that these criminals are smart, as their damages cost the world over $6 trillion annually by 2021. This dark monster is growing, and there is no escaping. Unless by encrypting your information and that of your users. However, you can’t do that without an SSL certificate. Without an SSL certificate, these smart criminals can intersect data while it’s moving between destinations.

    Conclusion

    No site is too small or too big to hack. According to research, the main target of hackers or cyber criminals is small businesses. A web creepy crawly doesn’t concern itself about how little your website. Its job is to find vulnerabilities, do its dirty work can begin. So, never assume that your website is too small for hackers to pick an interest. Ensure your install an SSL certificate on your website by contacting your hosting company.

  • Skillate- Solving the Complications of Recruitment Flawlessly

    Recruitment is a tough process and it’s not just today but it always has been. Intending to make recruitment Easy, Fast and Transparent, Bipul Vaibhav, Anand Baranwal, and Kumar Sambhav launched Skillate in 2016. The whole idea behind this venture is to shift the focus of recruitment teams “from the ‘how’ to the ‘who’, i.e. process automation to candidate recommendation.”

    Skilliate HighLights

    Startup Name Skilliate
    Headquarter Bangalore
    Sector HR Tech
    Founders Bipul Vaibhav, Anand Baranwal, Kumar Sambhav
    Founded 2016
    Website skillate.com

    Skilliate Details

    Skillate – About and How it works
    Skillate- USP and Innovation
    Skillate – Target Market Size
    Skillate – Founders and Team
    Skillate – How did skilliate start?
    Skillate – Startup Launch
    Skillate – Business Model and Revenue Model
    Skillate – Startup Challenges
    Skillate – Funding and Investors
    Skillate – Advisors and Mentors
    Skillate – Growth
    Skillate – Future Plans

    Skillate – About and How it works

    Skillate is an advanced decision-making engine to make hiring easy, fast, and transparent. The AI-based platform helps in optimizing the entire value chain of recruitment, beginning from creating the job requisition, to resume matching, to candidate engagement. Skillate can work as both –

    1. A standalone Application Tracking Software (ATS) that takes care of the end-to-end recruitment needs of your organizations, or
    2. As an intelligent system that integrates with your existing ATS to make your recruitment easy, fast, and transparent.

    Skillate solutions are solving the following problems:

    • Candidate sourcing: Skillate’s new-age sourcing methodology continuously expands your central database through a connected network of resources: job boards, emails, ATS, consultancies, referrals, career pages, etc. Skillate solutions help you utilize your central database better.
    • Candidate screening: Skillate Chatbot and AI-powered matching, thinks like a recruiter and provides AI-backed scores for candidates based on education, experience, and skill levels. The intelligent platform provides ‘much beyond a keyword match’, and understands patterns and context to ensure that you never miss out on a quality candidate.
    • Candidate experience: The Conversational AI of our chatbot automates communication and creates personalized candidate experiences at scale. It captures information beyond resumes (for ex.- shift and relocation readiness) and keeps the information repository fresh. Our JD assistant, on the other hand, gives real-time feedback to recruiters on their JD and helps them in writing detailed job descriptions to attract the best candidates.

    Also Read: Top 6 Ways ChatBot For Business Can Help You

    Skillate- USP and Innovation

    Skillate has trained its system with over 20 million diverse profiles and has 15+ paying clients. Working with it, the clients have achieved the following benefits:

    • Reducing hiring time by 65%
    • Cost per hire by more than 30%
    • 40% Lesser Interviews
    • 2.2x conversions

    Some other prominent USP’s are:

    • The AI-based solutions are ‘self-learning’ and provide improved results over time
    • Skillate is secured and is working with some of the biggest enterprises across sectors
    • Skillate integrates with existing ATSs like Success Factor and Taleo to help organizations with a smooth transition
    • Skillate works efficiently at scale. The platform processes 5 Lakh resumes screening in 4 seconds
    • Skillate is the official partner of SAP

    Skillate – Target Market Size

    The Recruitment Industry in India is growing at 21% per year and is approximately worth Rs. 35,000 crores as per Executive Recruiters Association and Ernst & Young. The global recruitment software market size was valued at US$ 1,753.2 Mn in 2017 and is projected to reach US$ 3,095.8 Mn by the end of 2025, exhibiting a CAGR of 7.4%, according to Fortune Business Insights.

    The technology landscape is dynamic. Currently, traditional products like Workday, SuccessFactors, etc. are used by enterprises. Even though these solutions promise end-to-end management of the recruiting process, there are gaping holes that need to be filled. Solutions that use cutting edge technology along with the power of AI to integrate with these existing platforms can solve some real pain points of the industry. New players like Skillate, Talview, HackerEarth, Leena AI, KPISoft, Xoxoday, etc. are centering themselves around a mother platform to make the entire recruitment experience seamless.

    “People Analytics” and “Offer to Joining Ratio” are two new problems of this decade. Diversity and Inclusion is one of the core agendas for all the large enterprises today, and it is a global mandate to implement this at scale. The industry has started talking about the Quality of Hire and Reduced TAT by leveraging technology. The world is expecting to see some great innovation happening in these areas. So, in general, there are exciting times ahead. In the next 5 years, the industry will talk about analytics in the HR function by leveraging tools like Tableau or Power BI the way we do it in Sales, Marketing, or Operations.

    Skillate – Founders and Team

    The founders Skillate are Bipul Vaibhav, Anand Baranwal, and Kumar Sambhav. Sambhav and Bipul are friends from their college days. Sambahv was more into technology, and Bipul always had a great sense of business. When they decided to start their venture, Anand, who was living with them as their flatmate, decided to join in. Anand was working in Tracxn then as an analyst and had developed a deep understanding of the startup ecosystem during his research.

    Bipul Vaibhav, Co-founder, and CEO, Skillate- At Skillate, Bipul is responsible for AI, Investment, and overall business growth of Skillate. Before founding Skillate, Bipul worked as a Data Scientist at DataWeave Software Pvt Ltd, where he developed a machine learning model to classify the product categories of e-commerce products. He also worked as an advanced software engineer with Burning Glass Technologies for a little less than a year. Bipul holds a B. Tech degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from IIT Guwahati. He has co-authored a paper on an autonomous river cleaning robot and a model for video classification using semantic keywords. He holds research publications in the field of Artificial Intelligence at International Forums like SPIE and IEEE. Bipul is passionate about Cricket, Reading books, and Building software products.

    Bipul Vaibhav, Co-founder, and CEO, Skillate

    Anand Baranwal, Co-founder, Skillate – As one of the co-founders of Skillate, Anand’s primary role/responsibility is to drive business and growth at Skillate. He is responsible for Business Development, Marketing, and Hiring the right talent for his company. Before co-founding Skillate, Anand has had extensive experience as an analyst with Tracxn where he engaged with the FinTech industry in the Southeast Asia region. He has also managed projects for JSW Steel Ltd. Anand graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Production and Industrial Engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Jamshedpur. Anand’s specialization skills lie in the areas of Business Development and Operations activities. Anand’s passion is to find and meet like-minded people to learn and grow in all aspects of life.

    Kumar Sambhav, Co-founder, Skillate – Sambhav is the Co-founder at Skillate and he is responsible for strategy, roadmap, and feature definition of the product to deliver unique value to our clients. Before Skillate, Kumar was involved in software development at Capillary Technologies. He was working in the product that handles the campaign management and subscription management for the client. Sambhav holds a degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from IIT Guwahati. He specializes in software design and system architecture which varies from the backend to the front part of the application. He is passionate about music and plays guitar in his spare time. He has a sports bug and plays Tennis and Table Tennis.

    Currently, the Skillate team is made up of 25+ dynamic individuals with expertise in different domains. Skillate management is flexible with working hours and doesn’t believe in micromanagement. There is just one criterion to join the Skillate team- behave like an entrepreneur while respecting the team dynamics.

    Also Read: How to Hire CTO for Your Startup

    Skillate – How did it start?

    In January 2015, Bipul was working for an analytics software company in Chennai. Unhappy with his role, Bipul contacted various organizations with openings, but to no avail. The frustrating part was not that he was getting rejected, but that often, he would simply not receive any response from the recruiters. He had no clarity on what stage his applications were getting rejected, or even if they were noticed at all!

    This got Bipul thinking about the lack of transparency prevalent in the recruitment process. He realized that even though candidates desperately want a response from the company on the stature of their candidature, large corporations often don’t have the time and bandwidth to respond to every candidate at each stage of the hiring process. With corporate firms receiving millions of applications every year, the unstructured hiring process not only keeps the candidates in the dark but also deprives organizations of the best talents.

    This led Bipul with his co-founders – Sambhav and Anand to form Skillate, an AI-based platform that makes recruitment Easy, Fast, and Transparent with its cutting edge technology.

    Skillate – Startup Launch

    In the beginning, when the co-founders had only tested the platform on LinkedIn profiles, they connected to an HR manager through a mutual connection and collected about 1600 resumes. “We tested our algorithms on these resumes and failed miserably! We were shocked. It was one of the days when we doubted if we should go ahead with our product or not.” Says Bipul Vaibhav.

    However, rather than giving up, the team went back to the drawing board and revisited the basics of the technology they had created. They understood that to truly make AI work in a complex industry like recruitment, they will need to consider the human element of resume making.

    For example, they can’t just feed the machine with names and expect that it will understand the context. Let’s say a candidate has written his address as “next to Lakshmi road”. The machine needs to understand that here ‘Lakshmi’ is the name of the street and not a person as it normally would be.

    Similarly, as they tested more and more resumes, they understood some of the different patterns of resumes. Simple elements, like mail id and contact information, are placed at different places by different candidates. And then they trained the algorithms to identify elements like that.

    After this, the first person they spoke to was Tanuj Choudhry from HomeLane and Anuj Agarwal from zyoin. They had a deep understanding of the recruitment industry and came from a rich technical background. Then the founders started with finalizing a set of target organizations and sent highly personalized emails to the decision-makers so that they can trust the product as well as them. In the early stage, founders must make themselves as credible as they want their product to be. Apart from the personalized emails, in-depth market research helped them in understanding the pain points of our customers. Word of mouth and reference from existing clients also played a crucial role in acquiring new clients since they were highly satisfied with the product.

    Skillate – Business Model and Revenue Model

    Skillate charges on a yearly subscription model, depending on the size of the company.

    Skillate – Startup Challenges

    Recruitment as an industry still plays by the old rules. Convincing the team that heads technology can make their work easier and more efficient was a challenge. Even after Skillate’s solutions convinced them, adoption in the company remained an issue. Also, it’s dashboard’s highly intuitive design, along with our committed customer success team, ensured that adopting the Skillate platform was a smooth process with little training to the recruitment team.

    Skillate – Funding and Investors

    In October 2019, Skillate raised its pre-Series A funding of $1 Million from investors like Mynavi Corporation, Incubate Fund, and Whatfix Founders, among others.

    Also Read: Top Funded Startups India

    Skillate – Advisors and Mentors

    The advisors and mentors of Skillate are:

    • Shraddhanjali Rao – Head HR – SAP, India, Partner to the business
    • Abhijit Bhaduri – ex-Chief learning Officer – Wipro.

    Skillate – Growth

    Skillate is working with some of the biggest enterprises of the country, including the likes of Yes Bank, OYO, Saint-Gobain, L&T Financial Services, Software AG, RBL Bank, Liberty Insurance, Bigbasket, etc.

    Skillate – Future Plans

    “International expansion is one of our key focus areas, especially in the US. As we expand, we are making our product multi-lingual and more scalable so that it can handle even more volume.” Concluded Bipul Vaibhav.

  • LogYcode – Digitizing and automating the Logistics and Supply Chain

    Logistics and supply chain management are the most important attributes for manufacturing and servicing industries. For any business in the ecosystem, an optimized logistical chain is a must. With the vision to create a platform or a marketplace and a central grid which will facilitate the trade stakeholders’ single window digital solutions expediting seamless supply chain movement, Dr. Ambrish Kumar launched LogYcode in 2018.

    LogYcode aims to digitize and automate the logistics and supply chain industry.

    LogYcode Highlights

    Startup Name LogYcode
    Headquarter Delhi NCR
    Sector Logistics and Supply Chain
    Founders Dr Ambrish Kumar
    Founded 2018
    Parent Organization LogYcode Tech Solutions Pvt Ltd
    Website logycode.com

    LogYcode Details

    LogYcode – About and How it works
    LogYcode – Target Market Size
    LogYcode – Founders and Team
    LogYcode – How did it start?
    LogYcode – Name, Tagline, and Logo
    LogYcode – Startup Launch
    LogYcode – Business Model and Revenue Model
    LogYcode – Startup Challenges
    LogYcode – Advisors and Mentors
    LogYcode – Growth
    LogYcode – Awards and Recognition
    LogYcode – Future Plans

    LogYcode – About and How it works

    The web and mobile application ‘LogYcode’ is an e-cloud based platform that can be accessed from anywhere, anytime and using any device that is connected to the internet. The portal facilitates and encompasses almost all prerequisites and mandates of the freight forwarding cycle. It provides the most cost-effective match between freight forwarders, exporters, importers on one hand and air freight carriers on the other. It enables precisely instant and spot price comparison between the preferred carriers for any origin-destination pair based on the customers’ query input and consequently places booking with the opted carrier.

    LogYcode provides an outright digital and integrated experience of the whole freight forwarding process as an alternative to the scattered transaction gateways that a freight forwarder usually goes through. The wide experience states that cost efficiency is directly proportional to the digital integration of processes, which leads to lesser head costs, visibility of the most competitive pricing options, disentangled paperless documentation, archiving of data in e-clouds, reduction in turnaround time, and so on. By syncing all real-time air cargo data into one cloud platform, the customers ought to get what they want: speedy and reliable deliveries, exceptional transparency, and an overall hassle-free logistics experience.

    Furthermore, LogYcode is an online software with multiple user access and does not require any installation or troubleshoot hassles. The customers are given the convenience of both web and Mobile App versions which are synced and equipped with all features. LogYcode offers the only Mobile App service in India offering unique features like real-time Air Freight live rate comparisons, booking of cargo through App, preparation and management of Airway Bills which is a one of a kind experience that freight forwarding professional could not have imagined even till a few months back.

    The customer is given the convenience of preparing Master and House Airway Bills, Manifests within the portal. E-transmission of FWB and FHL data is capacitated which permits end to end real-time tracking of shipments. Finally, the invoices can be retrieved from the portal after the execution of the shipment. The customer can refer to air freight published tariffs and surcharges of all carriers from pan-India locations. With the use of Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things and the latest technologies, bring about utmost transparency and visibility to the customer and the parties involved in the supply chain thereby embracing blockchain technology.

    LogYcode’s business model can be stated as an amalgamation of technology with logistics, using state-of-the-art technology to develop a logistics e-marketplace wherein a freight forwarder, shipper, exporter, importer can shop and ship their cargo and avail supply chain services like transportation, warehousing, customs brokerage and so on, experiencing seamless transactions with utmost transparency and visibility. In a nutshell, LogYcode provides cost-effective, efficient and quick means to improve the quality of work.

    Also Read: Cryptocurrency and Blockchain: How can it change India?

    LogYcode – Target Market Size

    The Logistics industry is dynamically evolving as the fastest growing industry globally. The Indian logistics sector is currently at a worth of $160 billion which is expected to reach $250 billion in the next 5 years at a CAGR of 10.5%. The global market size of the logistics industry is $ 4730 billion.

    The coming decade is ought to be a revolution for logistics and supply chain in terms of technological advancement. Technological innovations like Robotics augmented reality, vision picking has already been implemented in warehousing, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) and shipment tracking systems help in virtually trailing the shipments,

    Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence leading to predictive and prescriptive analysis beneficial for identifying and targeting prospective and highly profitable business opportunities, production optimization and improving operational coherence. As customers are now addicted and obsessive about pocket services, mobile apps and single dashboards are making way to replace elongated manual procedures. This is the era when consumers cannot wait and so trade cannot wait, so we also witness drones, airships, and hyperloop coming into existence.

    Also Read: List of Top Logistics Startups in India

    LogYcode – Founders and Team

    Dr. Ambrish Kumar is the founder and CEO of LogYcode Tech Solutions Pvt Ltd. He holds the acumen of 12 years of experience in stalwart diverse combinations in the domains of Logistics, Freight Forwarding, CFS, Operation, Supply Chain Management, Warehousing & Evaluating New Project Movements. He has held senior management pedestals of different reputed organizations like APM Terminals India Pvt. Ltd., Eastern Cargo Carriers India Pvt. Ltd and his penultimate tenure were with S.A. Consultants and Forwarders Pvt Ltd, one of the largest logistics company of North India, in the capacity of COO before venturing into establishing LogYcode.

    He has an affluent academic background, having obtained PHD. in Economics, with his thesis on ‘Industrial Policy and Industrial Growth’. Also, his qualifications include M. A. in Economics and an MBA in International Trade. Furthermore, he is a motivational speaker, trainer and an active orator in various educational institutions.

    Mr. Vikas Kharbanda, the co-founder of the company has also been highly instrumental in taking the concept and implementation promptly. He is a professional with over 19 years of experience in various functional areas including Sales, Customer Support, Operations, Marketing and Business Unit leadership roles in various organizations like APM Terminals, Hind Terminals, INTTRA and Kuehne Nagel.

    Mr. Ashish Asaf, the founding member of LogYcode, has remained the Vice-Chairman of S. A. Consultants and Forwarders Pvt Ltd which is one of the largest neutral wholesale freight forwarding companies of India. The logistics fraternity harbors an inevitable relationship with him and sees him as a youth icon because of his supreme success. Ashish Asaf also holds the fame of the ‘Face of the Future’ title and award honored by India Cargo Awards, the most esteemed and renowned award in the Indian Freight Forwarding camaraderie. He is also consulted by various Government trade bodies for advice on the contemporary logistics ecosystem.

    LogYcode – How did it start?

    Along with a perceptive inclination towards technology, artificial intelligence, and human development, the impetus to establish LogYcode is attributed to three major factors. Primarily, the increasing logistics and supply chain cost compels for integration and digitalization of the processes offering single-window solutions. Another major aspect is attributed to improving Government policies and initiatives to bolster the logistics industry and multiply global trade opportunities and investments. The e-commerce industry is overhauling the conventional logistics industry. It offers absolute customer experience like effortless booking of consignments, smooth transaction gateways, transparent tracking, accurate delivery predictions.

    The enormous logistics industry is yet to adapt to the technological advancement and the need of the hour. The initial people are the veterans of the industry and the Vikas, perceived coining of the idea and its execution as a revolution in the logistics market and straightaway planned to join hands to make it a success. The development started for an ERP system for M/s S.A. Consultants and Forwarders Pvt Ltd which is one of the largest neutral freight forwarding companies of India.

    Soon after, the development of a prototype model portal for the customers of SA Group was carried out which was highly innovative addressing the ground realities and pain points of the customers/ clients of the company digitally. The then MD of the SA Group also found the LogYcode portal working successfully for his customers and also increasing revenue for his company with phenomenal turnaround times.

    Tagline of LogYcode is – “Logically coding your future”

    LogYcode, the first half of the name refers to Logistics and logic. The whole idea and the venture is to decode the entangled logistics processes into a simple 5 steps/ clicks process. The code also symbolizes digitization. Hence digitization of the logistics sector logically, thereby leading to a bright future for the customers and the industry.

    LogYcode – Startup Launch

    LogYcode is comparatively a very new startup in the Logistics arena. The idea of LogYcode was conceptualized in November 2017 and the company was incorporated in March 2018. The portal was started serving the B2B model for the freight forwarders of the air freight forwarding sector. The air freight forwarding sector is still working on an orthodox model with multiple windows, time-consuming workflows, scattered gateways, unorganized entities, and low-margin profitability due to sheer competition.

    LogYcode’s initial target consumers happened to be the direct customers of its client M/s SA Group whom the portal was provided without charging any premium. The clients found the portal easy to use, with a seamless user interface and a one-stop solution for most of their work process. The clients started accepting the portal as it was complimentary and served a great deal of their routine work thereby saving time, increasing work efficiency and highly cost-effective. Since then, the journey has been a very enthralling affair. Within just a short span of 8 months, LogYcode recorded approximately 964 users across India.

    LogYcode – Business Model and Revenue Model

    LogYcode has planned customized models based on customer requirements. LogYcode has both customer and vendor portals. There are multiple subscription options and pricing structures based on criteria like Volume of business, Per transaction, per user, and so on. Also, LogYcode software works in the SaaS model as well as per the working requirements of the client.

    Also Read: 5 Types of Business Models Fruitful for High-Income

    LogYcode – Startup Challenges

    The Logistics industry still inadequately strives on an orthodox approach of working, whereas the closest counterparts, the passenger air travel industry, is now majorly based on e-booking platforms and smooth paperless transactions. The customers are accustomed to using emails and phone calls for inquiries and paper-based transactions that spur an initial reluctance to a technological transformation or any kind of change.

    LogYcode – Advisors and Mentors

    The founder Dr. Ambrish Kumar is a mentor and leader of LogYcode and a great visionary who has a clear vision of the future of not just the industry and its stakeholders but how to integrate the various stakeholders of other industries as well.

    LogYcode – Growth

    The recognition and acceptance of LogYcode as a unique revolutionary innovation by the customers just within a span of 8-10 months itself is the biggest achievement. As per March 2020, it has close to 1600 users/ consumers on-board across India and globally. While its control tower happens to be in Delhi NCR, though it has other counterparts across India. As the LogYcode platform creates an e-marketplace where the logistics service seeker from any part of the world can access it anytime from any device connected to the internet.

    LogYcode has received overwhelming penetration and recognition amongst the customers after the implementation endeavors. It has largely carried out training and demonstrations to its customers on a pan-India basis. The customers understand the dire need for automation of processes, accuracy, transparency, visibility thereby reducing turnaround time and following best practices. The sheer conception of saving time, cost and manpower and rather using these elements for more productive endeavors is accepted by the customers phenomenally.

    LogYcode – Awards and Recognition

    • In July 2019, LogYcode became a certified member of IAMAI (Internet and Mobile Association of India).
    • Again in July 2019, LogYcode Tech Solutions Pvt Ltd was recognized as a startup by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, aligning with the #startupindia initiative.
    • In August 2019, LogYcode was recognized and awarded as the “E-Commerce Startup of the Year 2019” at the 10th All India Maritime and Logistics Awards 2019 (MALA 2019).
    • In Nov 2019, LogYcode became a certified member of NASSCOM and NAP (neutral AIR PARTNER) Association.
    • LogYcode was awarded Certificate of excellence in the category “Vibrant Startup of the Year 2019” by Startup City Magazine
    • The startup also happened to be recommended among the contenders in the pipeline for the digital logistics services for Indian Ports Association (IPA).

    LogYcode – Future Plans

    LogYcode plans to expand outside India on a large scale in a coming couple of years as the team understands that there is a sheer requirement of digitization of the logistics sector globally which is still not at par with the other industries. Hence they plan to create a huge network in the supply chain integrating all stakeholders for smooth movement of trade.

    Also, the team is working to use advanced technologies like Machine learning, AI, IoT to ensure stark visibility and transparency in the movement of goods much needed for achieving high standards of service levels with minimal risk involved.

  • Therapy1on1- Curing Mental Health Problems one by one

    Earlier in the last decade, we came across the concept of mental health and emotional intelligence and over the decade its importance was established correctly. All the attention emotional and mental well being is getting today is legit, given the mindset of this generation. Therefore to create an ecosystem of technological tools that help the individuals understand mental Health and eliminate the taboo associated with it, Simar Preet Kaur launched Therapy1on1 in 2018.

    Therapy1on1 Highlights

    Startup Name Therapy1on1
    Headquarter New Delhi
    Sector Health, Psycology
    Founders Simar Preet Kaur
    Founded 2018
    Parent Organization Therapy1on1
    Website therapy1on1.com

    Therapy1on1 – About and how it works
    Therapy1on1 – Target Market Size
    Therapy1on1 – Founders and Team
    Therapy1on1 – How did it start?
    Therapy1on1 – Name, Tagline, and Logo
    Therapy1on1 – Startup Launch
    Therapy1on1 – Startup Challenges
    Therapy1on1 – Advisors and Mentors
    Therapy1on1 – Growth
    Therapy1on1 – Awards and Recognition

    Therapy1on1 – About and how it works

    Therapy1on1 is the first 24*7 Online emotional wellness platform that provides instant help. If the person has something stuck on his/ her mind they don’t need to wait for tomorrow and can directly approach Therapy1on1 online for professional help and this is what makes it different. provides instant, anonymous and confidential support through its online emotional wellness platform which is available 24*7.

    Therapy1on1 is an online emotional wellness platform where anyone can come up anytime and discuss their issues with professional psychologists via calls, video calls, and chats. This is convenient, secure and much more effective than traditional therapy as anyone can get instant support. If anyone feels overwhelmed with personal and professional issues or has been suffering emotionally can definitely reach out to the Therapy1on1 team without any second thought. The user can also choose to stay anonymous and all details are kept confidential.

    Therapy1on1 – Target Market Size

    Sources say that one in four suffers from mental health issues in India. With the increase in the issues and stress levels amongst people, there is a shortage of mental health professionals too. By providing the services online, Therapy1on1 is all set to ease the pain people are going through.

    Also Read: List of the Best Healthcare Startups in India

    Therapy1on1 – Founders and Team

    “I met my co-founder (Karamjeet Singh) in college itself and since then we have been planning to start something. We had way too many plans in our head and this one specifically gave us a kick to work on.” Says Simar Preet Kaur. Both of the co-founders Simar and Karamjeet don’t come from a psychology background so it has been a little difficult to understand the key challenges being faced by the venture. There is a huge diversity of needs and subjectivity of issues and this is not something that comes down to a list and this platform needs to justify the same. Surveying various psychologists and communicating with various people in the health sector has helped the founders a lot and this has evolved over time.

    • Simar Preet Kaur – Simar has a degree in B.Tech (IT) from Indraprastha University, Delhi
    • Karamjeet Singh- Singh has a B.Tech (IT) from Indraprastha University, Delhi and an M.B.A in Marketing from Balaji Institute of Modern Management.

    “We are well versed with technology and have a strong desire to help people cope up with the struggles and create a positive aura all around.” Added Simar Preet Kaur. She has been managing everything from scratch and then eventually decided to align dedicated people for specific tasks. Now, Therapy1on1 has a dedicated team of developers, designers, testers and account management people. “I keep an eye on everything and make sure everything works well and clients can have a quality talk with the psychologist and have a smooth experience and also understand that anyone can come up anytime to discuss anything whatever’s bothering them because Big or Small, your problem matters.” Added Simar. Karamjeet Singh looks into Marketing and branding. They have also approached a lot of firms that are now associated with the firm and conduct offline introductory sessions for creating awareness too.

    Therapy1on1 – How did it start?

    Simar started Therapy1on1 in September 2018 with a vision to eliminate the mental stigma and help anyone who feels overwhelmed with personal and professional issues and help individuals. The thinking had initially begun when her life goals became anxiety spells until one of her colleagues advised her to visit a therapist and Simar was quite hesitant about it. “This helped me change my outlook towards a lot of things and I soon realized that this applies to a larger population.” Says Simar.

    For the name “Therapy1on1” the founders had something else in mind but again domain availability matters so they just went with Therapy 1on1. It means personal attention ( 1 on 1) and Therapy is for everyone.

    For the tagline, the founders had this very particular thing in mind that common people suffering from any issues, life changes or anything can come up and seek guidance at the platform.

    That is why the tagline: Big or Small, your problem matters!

    Therapy1on1 – Startup Launch

    The founders had a lot going on in their minds about this idea. So they went ahead and checked about the legal aspects online and if any other firms were working on this or not. Simar couldn’t really get this out of her head which kept her insanely working on this. Initially, she discussed this with her family and one of her friends ( who is now the co-founder too) and then they together started working on it. In another couple of months, Simar was ready with the masterplan.“We went ahead and approached colleges, attended seminars and promotional events and got a lot of clients. This helped us in giving an initial push.” Said Simar Preet Kaur.

    Therapy1on1 – Startup Challenges

    As mentioned above, the founders don’t come from a psychology background so it has been a little difficult for them to understand the key challenges being faced by the people in general. There is a huge diversity of needs and subjectivity of issues and this is not something that comes down to a list and the platform needs to justify the same. Surveying various psychologists and communicating with various people in the health sector has helped them a lot in establishing a strong footing in the industry.

    Therapy1on1 – Advisors and Mentors

    The advisors and mentors of Therapy1on1 are:

    • Dr. Kamaljit Ananad
    • Ph.D. IIM Ahmedabad, Founder KiE Square Inc. ( Data Science)
    • Angel Inv, Transport ( Merchandise Tagging)
    • Advisor, Rupee Circle ( P2P Lending Platform)
    • Harpreet Sareen
    • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    • Research Scientist ( Display Technologies, Interaction Techniques )

    Also Read: HealthifyMe – Story, Founder, Business Model, Funding, Career, News

    Therapy1on1 – Growth

    The company is still in the growing phase but the future looks bright. The dramatic increase in mental health issues and the inability to open up because of the stigma associated with it. Sources say that nearly 20% of the population is going to suffer from mental health issues and lack of expertise available might deteriorate the issue as well. Just like people take care of their physical health as mainstream, Therapy1on1 just wants to bring mental health at par with it.

    Therapy1on1 – Awards and Recognition

    “Making a change every day is I would say our biggest achievement. Whenever people come up giving feedback like we saved their lives and they feel like they have a safe space to vent out. This keeps us going.” Concluded Simar.  

  • ADOHM- Optimizing Digital Marketing Campaigns for the Indian Businesses!

    Digital marketing is not just a trend now, it’s one of the most essential mediums to drive sales for the company. To optimize this process and to provide the best MarTech products in the market, Kuldeep Chaudhary launched ADOHM in 2017.

    ADOHM is a platform that uses the power of big data and incorporates machine learning techniques, applied propensity models, predictive analysis and other AI applications to deliver highly personalized communication across multiple devices and channels. Built from scratch using AI, ADOHM is an autonomous machine that requires little or no human intervention and can execute ad campaigns seamlessly across different paid channels, including mobile, social, video and display. ADOHM comprises a Marketing Suite, Sales CRM, Chatbot and Google My Business Dashboard.

    ADOHM HighLights

    Startup Name ADOHM
    Headquarter Bangalore
    Sector MarTech
    Founders Kuldeep Chaudhary
    Founded 2017
    Parent Organization Nikulsan Digital Agency
    Website adohm.com

    ADOHM Details

    ADOHM – About and How it works
    ADOHM – Target Market Size
    ADOHM – Founders and Team
    ADOHM – How did it start?
    ADOHM – Name, Tagline, and Logo
    ADOHM – Startup Launch
    ADOHM – Business Model and Revenue Model
    ADOHM – Startup Challenges
    ADOHM – Growth
    ADOHM – Awards and Recognition
    ADOHM – Future Plans

    ADOHM – About and How it works

    ADOHM is an Artificial Intelligence-powered platform that automates the entire advertising process by uniting ad campaigns from various platforms such as Google, Facebook, Instagram, and Taboola and offers an end-to-end solution for all digital marketing needs of brands and businesses. Beginning with a marketing suite for advertising, a sales CRM for lead management and automation, Google My Business for managing business location listings, auto-replies and an in-built chatbot, ADOHM is a truly autonomous machine that delivers impactful campaigns with little or no human intervention.

    The main idea at ADOHM is to build products using more futuristic technology like Facial Recognition, Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality and the biggest pool of data consisting of patterns combined with facial information. The core belief is to build an original product from scratch in MarTech and rather than copying similar techniques.

    Also Read: 13 Tips To Make A Video Ad To Pump Up Your Sales

    ADOHM – Target Market Size

    According to the State of Marketing Report, India, the MarTech Industry is being adopted in India in a big way. Digital Media is getting expensive due to competition and brands are looking to derive greater advertisement returns and a connected view with the marketing technologies. This industry is expected to grow at a CAGR of 44% for the next 5 years. India as a country has a projected opportunity of $250-300 million. The idea is to grow and expand in India and the European and US Market.

    ADOHM – Founders and Team

    The founders of ADOHM are Kuldeep Chaudhary, Sandeep Chaudhary, and Nishant Chaudhary.

    The roles of the co-founders are divided as follows:

    • Kuldeep is the CEO of the company and heads the management of the company
    • Sandeep is the mind behind the innovation and strategies of the companies and the clients
    • Nishant is the conceptual mind behind the smallest details behind the quality of work that the company produces.

    ADOHM currently is working with 30 employees

    ADOHM – How did it start?

    ADOHM, as a concept germinated when the trio Nishant, Kuldeep and Sandeep, the three brothers working at Nikulsan Digital Agency (parent company) understood their clients/manufacturers’ requirements of high ROIs and seamless optimization of their businesses’ digital campaigns in a cost-effective manner. This led them to develop the AI-powered product which is poised at helping businesses optimize their digital campaigns, use ad budgets effectively and generate leads at an affordable price. “The initial people that we talked to were our clients which helped us understand what problems they are facing in real-time.” Says Kuldeep Chaudhary.  

    The name ADOHM is a combination of AD + OHM. Ohm is the unit of resistance, the idea here was to remove any resistance that came in between while running ads and marketing campaigns. Hence, the name ADOHM. The idea was to convey that ADOHM makes running marketing campaigns as easy as using a smartphone powered by Artificial Intelligence.

    ADOHM – Startup Launch

    The techniques that worked the best for the ADOHM team were cold calling and Google Ads. These two techniques helped them gain a lot of traction and created a lot of buzz in the market through which they got a good number of clients.

    Also Read: Best Ways to Advertise SaaS

    ADOHM – Business Model and Revenue Model

    The revenue model of ADOHM is based on a license per user for the Sales CRM and the Google My Business Dashboard. The Marketing Suite runs on Pay as you use, a model where the user can recharge a sum of money for their marketing campaigns and 5% is charged as platform fees for that out of the amount that is recharged. The licenses have 4 different plans – Free, Standard, Premium and Enterprise. The price of the licenses is based on the number of features required by the customer.

    ADOHM – Startup Challenges

    The most challenging part for ADOHM was to explain to the consumers that they are facing a problem and creating a need for a solution that will help them with their end to end marketing. “In the beginning, it was very difficult to make people understand what solutions we were offering and how it will solve most of their marketing challenges.” Added Kuldeep Chaudhary.

    Another challenge for this venture was to manage the attrition rate of the employees as it was a fast-paced growing industry and the churn of employees was very high.

    ADOHM – Growth

    ADOHM is currently working out of Bangalore, London, and New York. Some of its notable clients are – Sobha Developers, Apollo Hospitals, Puravankara, Brigade Group, Barbeque Nation.

    ADOHM – Awards and Recognition

    The awards and recognitions received by ADOHM are:

    • Digital Startup of the Year – Global Marketing Awards
    • The best campaign in Healthcare and pharmaceutical – Indian Marketing Awards
    • AI platform of the year – Zendesk
    • Best AI Platform – Realty Proptech Summit

    ADOHM – Future Plans

    The future plans for ADOHM are to expand in the European and North American markets.

  • How Entrepreneurs are Helping to Fight COVID-19?

    Needless to mention, Coronavirus has affected every aspect of human life. Lockdowns and social distancing particularly has had immediate effect on several banking activities. Thus, at the same time, many efforts are being made to raise funds and help startups and SMEs. Experts in the sector have greatly underscored the need for focusing on digital channels and platforms during times like these. After the coronavirus wiped $7.6 trillion off the world’s stock markets in four days, global health groups are asking companies, governments and even the public for billions of dollars to fight the contagion. The World Health Organization(WHO)set up a website seeking contributions from anyone in an attempt to raise at least $7 billion.

    On Tuesday (March 24) evening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the whole country has been put on lockdown and had announced INR 15,000 Crore package to strengthen the Indian healthcare infrastructure in India. The fund will be used to develop testing facilities, personal protective equipment and procure more isolation beds, intensive care unit (ICU) beds and ventilators. Moreover, the government will be using the fund to train paramedical and medical staff helping in treating affected patients. Earlier in the day, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman had relaxed timelines for filing taxes and raising default thresholds for avoiding bankruptcy proceedings. She had added that the government will soon announce a package to address the coronavirus impact on the economy.

    In one such efforts, Prime Minster of India, Narendra Modi announced a special emergency fund for the nation to fight crisis like COVID-19 on March 29. Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund), is a dedicated national fund with the primary objective of dealing with any kind of emergency or distress situation, like posed by the Coronavirus pandemic, and to provide relief to the affected. Hours after the announcement, entrepreneurs and celebrities from various walks of life have come together to show their appreciation.

    Ratan Tata

    Joining a number of India Inc leaders who are doing their bit in their own way, Ratan Tata has committed Rs 500 crore for protective equipment for frontline workers, respiratory systems for treatment of increasing cases and testing kits in the fight against COVID-19. In a tweet on March 28, Ratan Tata shared a post detailing how Tata Trusts and the group companies will help as India battles to contain the spread of COVID-19 crisis. Ratan Tata tweeted, “COVID-19 is one of the toughest challenges we will face as a race. The Tata Trusts and the Tata group companies have in the past risen to the needs of the nation. At this moment, the need of the hour is greater than any other time.” The amount would be used for personal protective equipment for the medical personnel on the frontline, respiratory systems for treating increasing cases, testing kits to increase per capita testing, setting up modular treatment facilities for infected patients, and knowledge management and training of health workers plus the general public.

    Following Ratan Tata’s announcement, N. Chandrasekharan, chairman of Tata Sons, announced an additional Rs 1,000 crore in support towards COVID-19 and related activities. He said in a statement, “We will work together with the Tata Trusts and our Chairman Emeritus Mr. Tata and would be fully supporting their initiatives, and work in a collaborative manner to bring the full expertise of the group. In addition to the initiatives articulated by Tata Trusts, we are also bringing in the ventilators necessary and are gearing up to also manufacture the same soon in India.”

    Mukesh Ambani

    One of the top business tycoons of India, Mukesh Ambani has also contributed in his own ways. In collaboration with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital has set up a dedicated 100-bed centre at Seven Hills Hospital, Mumbai, for patients who test positive for COVID-19. Reliance Industries Limited is enhancing its production capacities to produce 100,000 face-masks per day and a large number of personal protective equipment for the nation’s health-workers to equip them further to fight the coronavirus challenge. Reliance Industries has donated Rs 500 crore to PM’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situation (PM CARES) Fund to help government in the fight against coronavirus.

    Similarly, other companies in India have come forward to contribute. Digital payments company Paytm said it aims to contribute Rs 500 crore to the fund. For every contribution or any other payment made on Paytm using the wallet, UPI and Paytm Bank debit card, the company will contribute an extra up to Rs 10, Paytm said in a statement. Also, Flipkart-owned PhonePe also launched a donation drive and said it aims to contribute up to Rs 100 crore to PM CARES Fund towards fighting coronavirus crisis. Infosys Foundation has also committed Rs 100 crore to fight COVID-19. Uday Kotak, managing director of Kotak Mahindra Bank announced a Rs 60 crore donation. On March 22, Anand Mahindra, CEO of Mahindra and Mahindra also offered the group’s hospitality arm as a medical care facility and said the group will work on how its manufacturing facilities can manufacture ventilators. Engineering and construction giant Larsen & Toubro (L&T) on Monday announced Rs 150 crore donation to the PM-CARES Fund to fight the coronavirus outbreak and said it has set aside over Rs 500 crore per month to support about 1.60 lakh contract workers. JSW Group, an Indian business operating in metals and mining has announced contributing Rs 100 crores to the prime minister’s citizen assistance and relief in emergency situations (PM-CARES) fund in the light of the ongoing Coronavirus outbreak. Paint and decor company, Asian Paints on Monday has announced contributing Rs 35 crores towards Covid19 Relief Fund.

    However, startups and small businesses were getting anxious about the support from the government considering the pressure they are facing to keep the operations running smoothly in the light of funds being scarce and market demand being low. This combined with the pressure to plan for remote teams due to the lockdown across India. Amid the country-wide lockdown, startups have been calling for a relief package for small businesses and the startups which are struggling as the coronavirus pandemic continues to hamper daily life. A Reuters report has now said that the India government may bring an INR 2.3 Tn ($20 Bn) relief fund by the end of the week for the poor sections of the population and businesses. For this, various entrepreneurs have showed willingness to help.

    Mark Zuckerberg & Bill Gates

    The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the philanthropic arm of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, has announced plans to team up with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to donate USD 25 million to a research fund exploring possible COVID-19 treatments. Separately, a coalition backed by Bill Gates and Norway is considering a crowdfunding campaign as they seek to attract about $2 billion to speed up development of vaccines. Mastercard and charity foundation Wellcome are also partnering with Bill & Melinda Gates as part of the initiative, which started with $125 million in seed funding at its launch. The goal of the project is to develop affordable treatments to COVID-19 that can be distributed at scale.

    In the same way, Facebook wants to help small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) survive the coronavirus pandemic. Now it is offering $100 million in grants to 30,000 companies in over 30 countries. Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook, said on her page on Tuesday (March 17) that the social media giant(Facebook) wants to “do our part” to help with the “enormous challenge in front of us.” To that end, the company is extending a total of $100 million in cash, as well as credits for advertising, to a maximum of 30,000 eligible small businesses.

    Similarly, Facebook’s Head of Health Kang-Xing Jin said in a blog post that Facebook is also supporting COVID-19 fact-checkers with a $1 million grant, in partnership with the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN). The funds will be used to launch a program to increase capacity during the coronavirus pandemic. Facebook has also opened a special hub to help SMBs during the pandemic, and is planning virtual training through Blueprint, its free e-learning training program. The company’s goal is to assist companies “in this new and unsettling environment.”

  • Freecharge – The best deals and cashbacks are right here

    Back in 2010, nobody even had the slightest of thought that like you can share videos over the internet, one would also be able to carry monetary transactions over the phone, at just one click. Amongst the early ones to exploit this idea and pioneer the evolution of digital payments were Kunal Shah and Sandeep Tandon by launching Freecharge in 2010.

    Company Name Freecharge
    Headquarter Mumbai
    Sector Ecommerce
    Founders Kunal Shah, Sandeep Tandon
    Founded 2010
    Website freecharge.in

    Freecharge – About and how it works
    Freecharge – Founders and Team
    Freecharge – How did it start?
    Freecharge – Startup Launch
    Freecharge – Competitors
    Freecharge – Funding and Investors
    Freecharge – Growth
    Freecharge – Mergers and Acquisitions

    Freecharge – About and how it works

    Freecharge Logo
    Freecharge Logo

    Freecharge is a digital payment portal that enables users to do activities as mobile recharges, pay bills, etc. The interesting part starts here- Freecharge is backed by solid Cashback offers from various Indian Retailers both Online and Offline. Freecharge is one of the most promising startups in Indian history.

    At the application, payments are done under 10 seconds which drives the vision of the company successfully of enabling customers with world-class and less time-consuming services, that too coupled with cashback and offers which leads to amazing customer experience.

    Also Read: How to find the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals?

    Freecharge – Founders and Team

    • Kunal Shah, Co-founder- Kunal is an entrepreneur in the truest form. He is an MBA dropout by choice from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS), has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Philosophy from the Wilson College and got into the buying selling dynamic way early. He decided not to join his family business and joined as a Programmer in a BPO firm. There on, he funded himself for 14 years selling Pirated CDs, Cards, etc. Kunal is also an investor. He has invested in 40-50 startups like TableHero, Razorpay, LifCare, and Zilingo.
    • Sandeep Tandon, Co-founder- Sandeep Tandon is a technology entrepreneur and also an angel investor. He has done his bachelors and masters from the University of South California. To this day, he is amongst the board of members of CRED, a partner at Whiteboard Capital to only name a few of his ventures.

    Freecharge – How did it start?

    All of this happened around 2009 when Kunal decided to sign the papers and start his own venture called Paisaback. Paisaback was created by him on the grounds of Cash Back in those days. The idea was to tie up with localized centers of companies like McDonald’s, Barista Coffee, Dominos, Croma to offer great cashback deals to the customers which were referred by his venture, Paisaback.

    Though the idea was brilliant, it didn’t last long. It primarily got defeated by online players like Mysmartprice, CouponDunia, and others. And eventually, he realized that for this idea to work, the conventional business models have to come to an end and he will have to come up with something new to disrupt the system. This fueled his entrepreneurial spirit and he went on to design a profitable model for Freecharge leaving Paisaback behind.

    Freecharge – Startup Launch

    After Paisaback, Kunal drew an insight that recharges were the new black. He researched a bit and found that 95% of invoices of a mobile store belonged to recharges. Both the co-founders then got into the development of the product.

    Sandeep being an engineer, both of them had a great experience while developing the product. And finally, Freecharge was launched on Aug 15, 2011. One of their initial partners were McDonald’s and which helped them grow rapidly.

    Freecharge – Competitors

    Right after they launched, in 2012, the competition sky-rocketed through other applications such as Rechargeitnow and PayTM. And then in 2015, the competition ramped up as mobile phones took over as the preferred medium. And that time, 80% of the Freecharge transactions were taking place on mobiles. They had to find a new way forward to prevent the company from fizzling out.

    Freecharge – Funding and Investors

    The startup economy knew that Freecharge will hit it high when Sequoia Capital, India’s one of the biggest investors, decided to invest in the company for its seed funding round in 2010. The amount still remains undisclosed.

    Between 2011 to 2017, Freecharge took up 6 additional rounds of funding, roping in $177.6 million in total, which clearly marked them as the startup darling. Over this course, Freecharge had six prominent investors namely Sequoia Capital India, RTP global, Snapdeal, Valiant Capital Partners, and Sofina.

    Also Read: Save on Everything with Latest Deals, Offers and Coupons from GrabOn

    Freecharge – Growth

    • Started with recharges and paying utility bills. Expanded and made couponing a possibility in 2012.
    • From having McDonald’s, Dominoes, and CCD on board for redeeming coupons to e-commerce platforms such as BookMyShow, Jabong, and Myntra, Freecharge grew with the trends
    • Average daily transactions- More than 40,000
    • Average daily transaction value- More than 60,000,00
    • Total wallet holders on Freecharge- 52 million

    Freecharge – Mergers and Acquisitions

    • In 2015, Freecharge was acquired by Snapdeal for $400 Million which comes to ₹2600 Crore. This was the second-largest acquisition after Goibibo’s acquisition of MakeMyTrip.
    • In early 2019, Axis Bank acquired Freecharge. This acquisition got Freecharge out of the shackles of a struggling owner like Snapdeal. And Axis bank got access to the vast wallet holders of Freecharge.