Tag: bootstrapped companies

Appyhigh – Success Story of India’s First & Largest App Ecosystem

Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organization

The development and usage of mobile Internet technology have been tremendous in the last decade. The growth of the mobile industry in parallel to the digital technology transformation is making the life of people much easier. The developers are helping build great mobile apps to engage and inspire millions.

AppyHigh is a mobile internet technology company to bridge the gap between people and technology. It has built innovative products and solutions and has achieved to engage over 550 million. Read the startup story of AppyHigh, its founders, the ideation, business model & Revenue model, and more.

AppyHigh – Company Highlights

Startup Name	AppyHigh
Headquarters	Gurgaon
Industry	Internet Technology
Founder	Venus Dhuria and Aneesh Rayancha
Founded	2018
Website	appyhigh.com

AppyHigh – About
AppyHigh – Industry
AppyHigh – Founders and Team
AppyHigh – The Idea and Startup Story
AppyHigh – Name, Tagline, and Logo
AppyHigh – Product and Services
AppyHigh – Team Management and Work Culture
AppyHigh – Employee Engagement Initiatives
AppyHigh – Recruitment
AppyHigh – Business and Revenue Model
AppyHigh – Customer Acquisition
AppyHigh – Challenges Faced
AppyHigh – Growth
AppyHigh – Funding
AppyHigh – Investment
AppyHigh – Award and Achievement
AppyHigh – Competitors
AppyHigh – Tools Used in the Company
AppyHigh – Recognition and Achievements
AppyHigh – Future Plans

AppyHigh – About

Vision: AppyHigh envisions a world where living is simple, decluttered and enriching. They are creating that reality, one app at a time.

Purpose: They are building a house of everyday apps that are intuitive and easy to use. They seek to mitigate friction from everyday lives, by helping people save time by being more efficient & productive.

Identity: A mobile internet technology company that builds global products to engage and inspire millions – every day. They are a multi-product, global tech company building utility and content platforms for the next billion.

AppyHigh – Industry

AppyHigh aims to serve a billion internet users by 2026 through its ecosystem of intuitive everyday apps. In that sense, the market is a multi-billion opportunity. The following highlight the multifaceted market opportunity –

1. There are 6.3 bn smartphone users across the world. This is projected to cross 7.3 bn by 2025. The opportunity is even bigger in the developing world, especially India where this number is expected to shoot up to 895 mn from the current 600 mn in the same period.

2. The digital advertising industry in India is estimated at USD 2 bn currently and is expected to expand to USD 10 bn by 2025, according to Dentsu Digital India Report 2021. On a global scale, it’s expected to touch USD 700 bn from the current USD 378 bn.

3. The global creator economy is pegged at almost USD 100 bnand is expected to grow to USD 500 bn by 2025, according to Kalari Capital’s report on the creator economy.

4. Further, with their expertise in the app ecosystem after launching almost 20 successful apps, they also seek to cater to the developer community with the SaaS products that help them monitor and scale their apps. The global SaaS industry itself stands at a staggering size of $ 272 bn today and is poised to touch $ 440 bn by 2025.

All of these are direct market opportunities for AppyHigh given its portfolio of apps focused on everyday use, creativity and design tools for the creator ecosystem, and business tools for app developers.

AppyHigh – Founders and Team

Venus Dhuria and Aneesh Rayancha are the co-founders of AppyHigh.

Venus Dhuria

Venus is a 3x tech-entrepreneur building AppyHigh as a multi-product, global internet tech company that makes mobile-first platforms for productivity and utility, entertainment, content discovery and creation, for the next billion!

He hails from a small border town called Fazilka in Punjab. Right from his early college days at Punjab Engineering College, Venus displayed a strong entrepreneurial zeal that not only enabled him to bag laurels throughout his academic career but has also fueled his serial entrepreneurship journey.

Venus started his career at Reckitt – one of the largest consumer goods companies in the world, scaling the corporate ropes as he worked in the supply chain, manufacturing and value engineering for iconic brands like Dettol, Harpic & Mortein. Reckitt is also where he met Aneesh who worked there as an R&D scientist.

Venus then went on to start Cricnwin- a cricket fan engagement platform. He raised seed funding and grew the platform to a million plus downloads.

When away from work, Venus can often be found reading and watching anything history, philosophy, psychology & humour. Apart from being an ardent cricket enthusiast, Venus is also an amateur rapper.

Aneesh Rayancha

Aneesh is a serial entrepreneur, building AppyHigh as a multi-product, global internet tech company that makes mobile-first platforms for productivity and utility, entertainment, content discovery and creation, for the next billion!

Hailing from a small town in Telangana – Ranjana Siricilla, Aneesh’s passion for digital products stems from his affinity for computer science and information technology which ignited during his days at IIT Mumbai, where he pursued a master’s degree in chemistry.

Together with Venus, he has started and scaled multiple ventures over the last 9 years.

They also experimented with building aggregator apps and created 3 of them – AnyJobs, Samachari and Smartshopper. This was the starting point for AppyHigh.

His first venture after being bitten by the entrepreneurial bug was a cleaning-chemicals company called InnoChem – banking on his experience as an R&D scientist at Reckitt working on iconic consumer brands such as Mortein and Dettol. Reckitt is also where he met Venus.

Having undergone the struggle of entrepreneurship himself, Aneesh firmly believes in supporting the startup ecosystem and budding founders with both experience and capital. AppyHigh is a well-known name in the investing circles for pre-seed funding with investments in over 20 companies, including Dukaan, Krishify, and One Code among others.

In his free time, Aneesh enjoys gardening and horse-riding and is currently also training for a shot at participating in the IronMan in the near future.

AppyHigh – The Idea and Startup Story

Venus and Aneesh have known each other for more than a decade and are serial entrepreneurs. Aneesh holds a master’s degree in chemistry from IIT Mumbai while Venus is an electrical engineer from PEC Chandigarh. They met while working at Reckitt.

In 2014, Aneesh & Venus together started Rutogo, a cab aggregator for outstation and local cabs. They raised funds from friends & family & scaled it to cover bookings from 20 cities in 12 months. They further expanded services to 60 cities, before Ixigo acquired them in 2015. The product merged with Ixigo Cabs & they joined Ixigo to lead this vertical and expanded it to 10,000 bookings per day.

When they observed the rapid pace of internet expansion fuelled by the humble smartphone, they decided to experiment and observed 4 prominent patterns emerging in the consumer internet industry –

Everything was becoming mobile first. Tasks were transitioning from PC to smartphones and an entire generation of internet users was entirely skipping the PC.
People were spending almost half of their time awake on their smartphones, managing every aspect of their lives via their phones.
There were almost 6 million apps on all the iOS AppStore and Google Playstore put together, which is causing a problem of plenty.
They understood the value of building a business that is self-sufficient from day one, hence the marginal cost of scaling up should be as low as possible.
There was significant impetus being given by the government to Make in India

This gave birth to the idea of building everyday apps that are intuitive and easy to use and help people save time, become more productive and of course enjoy themselves while using them.

There was a lot of traction around the concept of ‘All-in’1’ & that’s how MessengerGo – an all-in-1 platform to access all your social media accounts and messengers, was launched.

Venus and Aneesh started AppyHigh with their personal savings and hence did most of the work themselves. They hired an app development intern to help them build the app, while the product design, launch & driving organic scaling was all done personally by them.

Validation of AppyHigh’s ideas has happened through their apps achieving significant growth in downloads and active users one app after the other. In 4 years, AppyHigh has launched 15+ apps that have garnered almost 500 million downloads and their revenues have grown at a CAGR of 45% in the last 2 years as per various news report of year 2022.

AppyHigh – Name, Tagline, and Logo

AppyHigh – Logo

Its name and logo embody what AppyHigh truly is. Appyzens are very passionate about building apps to solve the everyday needs of the digital masses. They derive a ‘high’ feeling from doing this. Further, their apps are designed to make life easier and decluttered for people! Giving users a happy high through their apps. This defines the origin of the name AppyHigh.

The logo’s fundamental building block is the quintessential symbol for apps – the squircle. The colon stands for bringing people and technology together, while the semicolon represents fostering startups with capital and growth.

AppyHigh – Product and Services

With 6 million apps available across various app stores, there are three pertinent issues that need to be addressed:

Users don’t find apps they download useful enough: Almost 89% of the apps are uninstalled within 7 days of installation and this number goes up to 95% for 30 days.
Phone space matters: Every user uses 80-90 apps on average. But phone space is a major constraint; in fact, 20% of app uninstalls happen due to lack of space. It is the 2nd biggest reason for app uninstall.
Just too many apps: Every year almost 2 million apps are released. To date, 21 million apps have been released by developers, but only 6 million remain active. This means that only 30% of the apps ever released are useful enough to be relevant and survive.
Absence of trusted brands providing quality products: Unlike the physical world where products belong to reputed and highly visible manufacturers/providers, the app ecosystem is dominated by almost a million developers, most of them not very well known. There is a dearth of reputed well-established brand/product stables that consumers can blindly trust for high-quality, reliable and safe products.

AppyHigh aims to be a global consumer internet company that is the trusted partner for a billion users in their digital journey.

They are addressing the above problems through their unique ecosystem of intuitive, reliable, easy-to-use everyday apps. Their apps, Instore and MessengerGo, enable people to do more with social media and communication, and acquire information (news, data, browsing); BrowserGo enhances their everyday browsing experience with a personal content feed; and apps like TV Lens, Like Karo, serve them curated content. Besides, their utility apps, Scanner GO, AppLockGO and Share Karo India, enhance their daily productivity.

Their USP lies in their ecosystem of apps. Other players are either focused on bringing traditional services online – e.g. travel, transportation, shopping, finance, health, education, etc., or creating single apps performing one standalone feature i.e. a standalone scanning app company, or a standalone file sharing app company.

Their ecosystem is based on what they call the ‘Digital Hierarchy of Needs’. Like Maslow’s hierarchy of needs – starting from the most basic physiological needs to safety, love and belonging and eventually, self-actualisation needs – an individual’s digital life can be described using the ‘Digital Hierarchy of Needs’.

At the bottom layer are the basics – utility apps which perform day-to-day tasks like file sharing, file storage/management, phone security and privacy, phone memory cleaning, etc. This is where AppyHigh apps like Share Karo, AppLock Go, Cleaner Go, etc., come into play.

The middle layer focuses on experiences – those which serve the need to belong, to build genuine connections, to be understood. This happens through social media apps, content, and entertainment apps. Their products like Instore, M video maker, Like Karo, Browser Go and TVLens aim to elevate the content and entertainment experience of users.

The top layer is the service layer where users start paying for premium services/features, which give them more personalised and exclusive experiences – like subscriptions, in-app purchases, online commerce, etc. Premium features of their products such as ScannerGo and their B2B offerings address this layer.

AppyHigh is a one-stop shop for the most reliable and intuitive apps for a diverse range of actions users might want to perform.

Some of the prominent products of AppyHigh with few details are:

AI Avatar Maker

It’s a one make individualized, one-of-a-kind avatars that showcase individuality. With more than 50 different AI avatars, one can alter how people view you. This covers social media profiles, personal portfolio, and professional social networks, as well as your dating profile.

MageAI GPT

The AI-powered chatbot MageAI GPT makes it simple and quick to discover answers to all of customers inquiries. As a GPT model, MageAI GPT may retain up to 1000 words from a conversation, making it simpler to rapidly and precisely obtain the needed information.

Scanner Go

One can scan, convert, optimize, and share documents directly from smartphone with the pocket-sized, all-in-one scanner app called ScannerGO.

Generative AI APP

AppyHigh has launched first generative AI in September, 2023. With its launch, AppyHigh will combine an AI picture generator, AI photo editor, chat assistant, avatar builder, VPN, and camera scanner into one platform, with the goal of democratizing top-tier technology.

AppyHigh – Team Management and Work Culture

They are a 51-200 team. They focus on building a positive and collaborative environment, where people can learn and have a blast while doing it. Appyzens are encouraged to experiment and take full ownership to find innovative solutions.

They have put in place a number of initiatives to ensure the well-being and growth of their team. These include:

Learning budgets: AppyHigh is big on upskilling and supporting people rapidly in this tech/digital-first world. Every individual gets a personal learning budget, which he or she can use for availing of Udemy courses of their choice.

Paternity leave: 1-month paternity leave + 1 month WFH

Period leave: AppyHigh’s leave policy includes 10 days of paid period leaves every year for all women employees. This is a small step in their journey to be an equal opportunity workplace and does their part in dispelling the taboo around menstruation. They also maintain an open and positive environment along with proper checks to ensure none of their women employees feels awkward while availing of this benefit.

Comprehensive health insurance: They offer a comprehensive employee health insurance plan with an insured sum of up to Rs 10 lakh for each employee and his or her family through leading insurance companies. The group insurance policy covers maternity benefits, pre- and post-hospitalisation expense coverage and more.

Device ownership policy: They have a unique policy wherein the laptop ownership is transferred to the employees on completion of three years.

AppyHigh – Employee Engagement Initiatives

Virtual fun sessions: With in-person get-togethers becoming difficult due to the lockdown and the flexibility to work from chosen locations, they moved many of their celebrations, such as Diwali and Independence Day, online. They kicked off their virtual town hall last year with some great team-building workshops, and also brought in Rahul Subramanian and Kumar Varun for an evening of standup comedy.

Offsite workshops: They grew from less than 30 people to around 100, all during the lockdown. Although working online has become the new norm, the entire team continues to fire on all cylinders. To build focus on the future and achieve the scale that they want to, they have launched offsite workathons and strategy workshops starting with key functional leaders, to enable people to connect better and think in a synergised manner.

A few of the top communications points to convey to prospective talent are:

Learning Lifestyle
At AppyHigh, they fail smart and learn fast.

Their knowledge cafes, learning budgets, and test-and-learn philosophy on the job – all reflect their focus on enabling their people to maximise their knowledge and skillset.

They also believe that you learn the most when you teach. Employees are encouraged to share their knowledge via blogs relevant to their areas of expertise.

They empower you to make an impact
At AppyHigh, you work with a high degree of ownership and autonomy. If you are handling a particular project or role, the canvas is yours to define the problem, identify solutions, choose the ones you think will work and then see them through to execution and measurement. This teaches decision-making and also gives you a direct understanding of the impact your presence has.

Your individual aspirations matter
AppyHigh offers its employees not just a career but a career path with ample opportunities for growth, promotions and building a solid relationship with the company. They want them to thrive in all areas of life. They do not track daily attendance or office hours. They are open to flexible schedules. They have adopted a hybrid model where people have the option of working from their homes.

A great vibe
Their team comprises people with amazing talents, be it musicians and amateur singers or rappers who have launched multiple tracks, marathon runners, gymnastics and surfing enthusiasts, pet lovers, beer connoisseurs, you name it and they have them all.

AppyHigh – Recruitment

Their recruitment is a mix of freshers and lateral candidates. They look for candidates who are eager to continuously learn and try new things. When it comes to lateral candidates, they look for people who have worked in tech roles with prior experience in product companies, software services, consulting firms, and prominent startups.

AppyHigh – Business and Revenue Model

The consumer internet industry works on a three-pronged model.

Advertising revenue: Given the fact that such products are used on a daily basis by the masses, it’s a great platform for advertisers to reach their desired audience.

In-app purchases: Subscription services and premium paid features used by users.

Billion-plus monthly minutes are spent on their platforms that enable everyday personal and work productivity, creativity and personalised entertainment. On the other hand are advertisers that seek the attention of these audiences. They make a significant part of their revenues by bridging this gap via advertising. This, supported by in-app purchases, allows us to generate capital to invest in building better products.

AppyHigh – Customer Acquisition

Having launched and scaled 15+ products in just four years, they have established some golden rules. The success of AppyHigh products lies in their playbook – the build, learn-iterate approach, and fail smart and learn fast culture:

Knowing what the user wants: Always keeping a sharp eye on emerging user trends – what are people looking for, what kind of apps or features are they searching for. While doing this, they also create a tech stack to help build the MVP.
Identifying trends and speed to market: Once they identify the opportunity, they ship out the MVP very fast. For instance, AppyHigh was one of the first movers to capitalise on the void created in the app ecosystem when Chinese apps were restricted in India.
Grow organically first to validate the product market fit: In the initial phases of the product, use all the organic growth hacks such as SEO, ASO, content, etc., to drive the mental availability of the product. As more users trickle in, iterate to make the product better. This approach is specifically important and very useful when resources are scarce.
Drive engagement: Once the user base reaches a certain scale, increase the obsession around engagement and retention.
Monetisation and inorganic growth: With product-market-fit in place, monetise your products with minimal disruption of user experience and at the same time start investing in inorganic acquisition channels.

AppyHigh – Challenges Faced

AppyHigh has not only survived the pandemic but has almost doubled its business and grown its user base 10x in two years of the pandemic.

This has been possible by following these principles:

Consistently diversified product portfolio: AppyHigh started in 2018, with 1 app – MessengerGo (an all-in-1 social media messaging app). The first two years were spent on stabilising this product and further, and understanding the major user trends in the app ecosystem. However, from 2020 onwards, AppyHigh undertook a spree of new launches in quick succession.
Instore (a social media tool that lets users auto-generate captions and hashtags for their content and also bookmark their favourite content, launched in January 2020).
AppLockGo (smart and convenient app to lock apps and content on your device, launched in January 2020).
Browser Go (new-age fast and stable web browser, launched in July 2020).
Share Karo India (a fast social sharing app for sharing media, files, documents, etc., launched in July 2020).
Scanner GO (turns a user’s phone into a scanner with a host of AI-powered features, launched in October 2020).
TV Lens: A TV and movie show recommendation platform.

These new products contribute 85% to AppyHigh’s user base. The impact of continuous innovation and portfolio expansion has been the growth of their revenue from USD 3.5 million in 2019 to USD 8 million in 2021.

Capitalise on market opportunities quickly: AppyHigh was one of the first movers to capitalise on the void created in the app ecosystem when Chinese apps were restricted in India. They were quick to identify the user needs that would go unfulfilled with the Chinese apps pulled out. This led to the launch of three of their leading apps – BrowserGO, Scanner Go and Share Karo India.
Maintain focus on execution: When the pandemic hit in Q1 of 2020, AppyHigh’s new launches and portfolio expansion were already planned. Rather than getting distracted and holding back on investing in building more products and growing the team, they carried on unfazed.
Prioritise sustainable growth: They follow a standard principle – grow the product organically and start monetisation before investing in paid acquisitions. This helps them maintain profitability and cash flows that are then reinvested into making the products better.

AppyHigh – Growth

In the last 4 years, AppyHigh has achieved significant business impact:

In a short span of 4 years, AppyHigh has revenues of 8.1 mn USD (2021)
In the last 2 years, revenues have grown at a CAGR of 45% as of 2021
In 4 years, AppyHigh has launched 15+ apps, which together have gathered more than 500mn downloads and have 50 million monthly active users on its ecosystem of apps as of 2021
AppyHigh today employs 51 – 200 employees.
Company has 550 million plus users engaged in the platform as of October, 2023.

What makes them proud is that all of this has been done while remaining 100% bootstrapped!

AppyHigh – Funding

They have kept AppyHigh bootstrapped till now as they have always believed in building a business that generates profits and cash flows. Most of the initial funding for the startup came from personal savings.

To grow to one billion users, they are to plan a fund-raising in the near future. They have strong inbound interests from investors. They will definitely associate with partners who understand their vision and operating model and have seen the explosive scaling of similar ecosystems across the globe.

AppyHigh – Investment

AppyHigh has done investment in 5 companies.

Below are the details:

Company Name	Funding Stage	Amount	Date
Knocksense	Convertible Note	$150K	Nov 15, 2021
MobiGarage	Seed Round	–	Jul 12, 2021
KIWInow	Seed Round	$250K	Jan 5, 2021
Deyor	Seed Round	–	Mar 15, 2020
Try & Buy Fashion	Seed Round	$1 million	Jun 22, 2019

AppyHigh – Competitors

Their ambition is to build a global consumer internet giant in India. Their apps transcend the entire hierarchy of users’ digital needs. That makes their competition multifold.

On one hand, they have established players such as Adobe Scan (document scanning), Picsart (photo editing) and Chrome (browser). On the other hand, there are Chinese tech giants such as Bytedance, Inshot and Meitu, which have evolved their own portfolios of widely adopted everyday apps (though some of them are now banned).

Last but not the least, there are thousands of small individual developers across the globe that make apps in similar categories and vie for users.

AppyHigh – Tools Used in the Company

Appyhigh uses a range of tools across functions.

On the tech front, Taiga is used for project management.
For cloud platforms, AWS, IoFlood, Azure, DigitalOcean, Nvidia Triton and E2E solutions are used.
The design team uses Figma, Zeplin and Photoshop. For Product management, the GSuite and Notion come really handy. Strapi and WordPress are used as CMS.
The analytics team depends on Firebase, Google Analytics, Clevertap and Jupiter Notebooks.
Android Studio, VS Code, Xcode, Elasticsearch, Apache Spark, FastAPI, Celery, Django, rabbitMQ, NodeJs, React, NextJs, GraphQL, and Swagger, are very useful for the development team.
They also use Docker, Kubernetes, FastAPI, Apache Airflow, Devtron, Lambda, Jenkins, Github Actions, Ansible, Carpenter, rancher for their operations management, while Prometheus, Grafana, Kibana are used as dashboards.
MongoDB, PostgreSQL, MySQL, RDS, Redis are the most used databases at AppyHigh.
Besides that Wasabi, S3 are used for cloud storage, and Git are used for version control.
All internal communications take place on Slack.
The HR department uses Zoho People and Payroll.
The marketing team employs Firebase and Clevertap to send notifications to the users, while the sensor tower is used for SEO research.

AppyHigh – Recognition and Achievements

AppyHigh has been adjudged as one of the Top 10 developers (No.6) headquartered in India by App Annie (now Data.AI) in 2020, among industry behemoths like Times Group, Reliance Industries, and Airtel and ahead of Dailyhunt, Inshorts, and Paytm.

It has shown a rise in its monthly active users from 5 to 50 million as of December 2021.
AppyHigh won Top Publisher Award in 2021.

AppyHigh – Future Plans

Their ambition is to double their user base every year which means that in the next 2 years they want their apps to serve almost 200 million users. By 2026, they aspire to have 1 billion MAUs in their ecosystem.

Appyhigh has backed almost 75 budding entrepreneurs with pre-seed investments. They include – Fitso (now acquired by Zomato), Krishify (an agritech startup focused on improving business prospects for farmers and agri-businessmen), MyDukaan (a startup focused on digitisation of the retail landscape in India), EloElo (a live streaming and social gaming platform for creators in India), and many more, One Impression (Integrated influencer marketing network), One code (connecting digital-first brands with sellers). All of these companies have subsequently grown their businesses and undertaken fund-raising with marquee VC investors.

FAQs

Who is the founder of AppyHigh?

Venus Dhuria and Aneesh Rayancha are the co-founders of AppyHigh.

When was AppyHigh founded?

AppyHigh was founded in 2018.

What is the funding of AppyHigh?

AppyHigh is a bootstrapped company. It has not received any funding yet.

How many users use AppyHigh?

There is over 550 million users of AppyHigh.

October 12, 2023

Top 13 Most Successful Bootstrapped Startups in India in 2023

India is a global leader in the number of startups, with many talented entrepreneurs taking the plunge to bring their ideas to life. Despite the inherent risks, startups in India have a promising future thanks to the creative techniques and unique business models devised by the country’s youth.

Bootstrapping, which involves starting a business with one’s own finances without external funding, is a popular approach among Indian entrepreneurs. This independent method has paved the way for numerous successful bootstrapped startups in India, some of which have been thriving for over 25 years. These startups span various sectors, including food, software, dating, and shopping, and have honed their strategies to cater perfectly to Indian households.

Overall, the future looks bright for bootstrapped startups in India as they continue to innovate and meet the needs of the country’s dynamic market. Join us on this exploration of India’s top bootstrapped startups, where we will showcase their inspiring stories, shed light on their remarkable achievements, and delve into the secrets of their success.

Most successful Indian Bootstrapped Startups

Top Bootstrapped Startups In India

Here are some of the most successful bootstrapped startups in India.

FusionCharts
Zoho Corporation
42Gears
Zerodha
Freshworks
GrabOn
HappyFox
QuackQuack
Thinkpot
Kayako
Wingify
Tagalys
SocialPilot

FusionCharts

Company Name	FusionCharts
Website	www.fusioncharts.com
Headquarters	Kolkata
Deals In	Data visualization solutions
Founders	Pallav Nadhani
Founded	2003

It is a startup with offices in places such as Bangalore and Kolkata. It is a one hundred percent bootstrapped startup and was started in 2003. It helps to chart several pieces of information together. It uses various software such as Javascript, SVG, and VML and can create compact, interactive, and easily understood charts.

Pallav Nadhani started it. It has spread in over one hundred eighteen countries and is used mainly in the United States, Korea, and Europe. It has over ten million users. It has expanded many times its original size and has been recognized widely. Its staff has also been increased up to two hundred and fifty times and its revenue.

Nadhani worked alone developing the product, its website, sales, marketing, and customer support for the first three years. Also, she independently set up the whole company, and the company used up the money it made in expanding its area of business. These apps are mainly used because of their ease and effectiveness in depicting ideas in charts.

Zoho Corporation

Company Name	Zoho Corporation
Website	www.zoho.com
Headquarters	Chennai
Deals In	Online productivity tools and business software solutions
Founders	Sridhar Vembu, Tony G. Thomas, Sreenivas Kanumuru
Founded	1996

Zoho - Successful Bootstrapped Startups in India — Zoho – Successful Bootstrapped Startups in India

It is a company that makes business tools based on the web. It offers a range of software that office workers need. It was founded as early as 1996. In its previous stage, it was also known by the name AdventNet. It is privately owned. There are over fifty applications that are a part of the software set provided by it. It helps in conducting office functions with ease.

Sridhar Vembu founded it along with Tony Thomas. Zoho was founded in the year 1996 and has now spread over the globe. Its headquarters is in Chennai, which is in India. Its total assets include five hundred seventy million US dollars. It has many employees, which is more than ten thousand people working under it. It has a total of twelve offices worldwide.

It is a bootstrapped startup as it first started with the two brothers who set up this company with the help of Tony Thomas. Sridhar agreed to do the sales himself and printed cards for business. After getting many contracts, they started focusing their attention on making new products. After the year nineteen ninety-eight, when the sales of this company crossed the one million mark, they started getting paid and hiring people t work for them.

ZOHO the bootstrapped company (Zoho Case study )

42Gears

Company Name	42Gears
Website	www.42gears.com
Headquarters	Banglore
Deals In	Enterprise mobility management (EMM) solutions
Founders	Onkar Singh
Founded	2009

42 Gears provide a set of software tools that are a single management system used in mobiles, personal computers, and other devices. It also helps in other functions such as securing the phone, creating content, collaborating, etc. It also has a private mobile testing app that goes by the name Astrofarm. It helps in mobile security, management, EMM, BYOD, MDM, etc.

It was founded in 2009 by Onkar Singh and Prakash Gupta. It has over eighteen thousand customers and has spread across one hundred fifteen different countries across the globe. It has been successfully used in more than five million devices and has one hundred thirty partners worldwide. It is still privately owned and gaining popularity with social media advertising.

It is bootstrapped as Onkar and Prakash set up this company on their own. They decided to risk it, as they were sure that they would be stable once the economy had recovered. His thirteen years of experience in the software field helped them create proper tools that would be helpful to people. Also, the company flourished after they made a profit on their own.

Zerodha

Company Name	Zerodha
Website	Zerodha.com
Headquarters	Banglore
Deals In	Online retail stockbroking and investment services
Founders	Nithin Kamath, Nikhil Kamath
Founded	2010

It is a platform that deals explicitly with electronic trading and provides financial services. Its products include kites, coins, and consoles, and it offers services for trading with commodities, mutual funds, government funds, bonds, equity, etc. It reached its peak in the year 2020. The name comes from the words Zero and Rodha combined.

Nithin Kamath founded this Zerodha in the year 2010. Its headquarters is in Bangalore. Its income is ₹4,042 crores. And at present, it has over one thousand one hundred people working under it. About five million people are using it now, and it has become the largest retail stockbroker in India, with almost fifteen percent of stocks from the market at its name.

It is a bootstrapped startup as, In June two thousand twenty, Zerodha attained a self-assessed valuation of over one billion USD. The money that was used to set up the company was their own. In the year two thousand fifteen, Zerodha won the Bootstrap Champ trophy. They have to rely totally on their salaries for their company’s growth.

Freshworks

Company Name	Freshworks
Website	www.freshworks.com
Headquarters	Chennai
Deals In	Customer engagement software
Founders	Girish Mathrubootham, Shan Krishnasamy
Founded	2010

Freshworks is a global software company that provides customer engagement software solutions to businesses. Their suite of products includes helpdesk software, CRM, marketing automation, and more, helping organizations streamline customer support, sales, and marketing processes for improved customer experiences and business growth. Furthermore, Freshworks has expanded its product portfolio to include Freshservice (IT service management software), Freshchat (live chat software), Freshcaller (cloud-based call center software), and more.

It was founded by Girish Mathrubootham and Shan Krishnasamy in 2010, with the aim of offering a cloud-based customer support software solution. Freshworks started as a bootstrapped company in India and now has gained recognition and a loyal customer base worldwide.

GrabOn

Company Name	GrabOn
Website	www.grabon.in
Headquarters	Hyderabad
Deals In	Online coupon codes, deals, and discounts for online shopping sites in India
Founders	Ashok Reddy, Bhanu Raj
Founded	2013

GrabOn is probably the first company that comes to our mind when we think about the bootstrapped business of India. Founded by Ashok Reddy in 2013, it is the largest and leading affiliate e-commerce brand in the country. With its wide range of coupons and deals on various renowned brands, it has truly made the shopping experience for online shoppers easy and affordable.

GrabOn ensures that its deals and coupons are regularly updated and verified to maintain their authenticity and usability. Users can explore deals based on specific categories or search for deals from their preferred online stores. The platform also provides a seamless user experience with features like deal alerts, personalized recommendations, and user reviews.

HappyFox

Company Name	HappyFox
Website	www.happyfox.com
Headquarters	Chennai
Deals In	Customer support and helpdesk software
Founders	Shalin Jain, Shervin John Thulasidasan
Founded	2011

HappyFox, founded in 2011 by Shalin Jain, started as a bootstrap company, relying on its internal resources and self-funding to establish its customer support and helpdesk software solutions. As a bootstrap company, HappyFox demonstrated remarkable determination, resilience, and a commitment to building a successful business without relying on external investments.

It is a help desk and customer support software solution company. Over the years, the company has grown by leaps and bounds, becoming the best ticketing software for modern IT teams. Trusted and used by several fortune 500 brands, the company offers mind-blowing customer support all the time. Moreover, the company has also expanded its business and has its presence in California. So, if you are looking for a smart help desk software, happyFox is all you need!

QuackQuack

Company Name	QuackQuack
Website	www.quackquack.in
Headquarters	Hyderabad
Deals In	Online dating platform
Founders	Ravi Mittal
Founded	2010

QuackQuack is an Indian online dating platform founded in 2010 by Ravi Mittal. It is headquartered in Hyderabad, India. It is known to have been a bootstrap company during its early stages. QuackQuack is designed to connect singles and facilitate meaningful relationships, friendships, and matchmaking.

With more than 4 million users, over 800k downloads, the company has seen 2.05 million matches. Going forward, the company is planning to start an in-app video chat feature using which strangers can have a video call if they want to. The company is also planning to launch its app in nearly 10 international languages.

Thinkpot

Company Name	Thinkpot
Website	www.thinkpot.com
Headquarters	Mumbai
Deals In	Inspirational and motivational products
Founders	Manoj Pillai
Founded	2014

Thinkpot is another successful bootstrapped company which is doing just fabulous work in creating and offering inspirational and motivational products. It is a leading merchandise brand in India which has gained huge fame due to its incredible range of products. Established in 2014 by Sumit and Ritesh, the company today deals in more than 1000 exemplary products. From stationary to bags and pouches, from drinkware to palo healthcare, you can find a vast collection of products at an affordable price. All the products of the company and designed to meet the trendy taste and preferences of today’s generation. They are made using unique technology and are sure to be of supreme quality.

Kayako

Company Name	Kayako
Website	www.kayako.com
Headquarters	Jalandhar
Deals In	Customer service software
Founders	Varun Shoor, Vikas Bhagat
Founded	2001

Kayako, a customer service software company, initially started as a bootstrap company. Founded in 2001 by Varun Shoor and Vikas Bhagat, Kayako focused on developing innovative solutions to help businesses improve their customer support processes. Kayako’s bootstrapping journey involved careful financial management, strategic planning, and a focus on delivering value to its customers. By staying lean and agile, the company could adapt quickly to market demands, invest in product enhancements, and provide exceptional customer service.

The brand is known to provide customer service and help desk software services to businesses. The company provides a brilliant support to lakhs of firms and is still growing big day by day. Besides this, it also offers some excellent solutions such as e-commerce support, ticketing software, customer support, shared inbox and much more.

Wingify

Company Name	Wingify
Website	www.wingify.com
Headquarters	New Delhi
Deals In	Conversion rate optimization (CRO) software
Founders	Paras Chopra
Founded	2009

Wingify is recognized as one of the successful bootstrapped startups in India. It was founded in 2009 by Paras Chopra with the aim of providing conversion rate optimization (CRO) software solutions to businesses. By relying on its internal resources and revenue generation, Wingify managed to grow and establish itself as a leading player in the CRO software market without external funding or investments.

Currently, thousands of customers use the extra-ordinary services provided by the company. With its par-excellent solutions such as e-commerce, SaaS, e-learning, media/publication and enterprises, Wingify has today become the country’s pioneering tool for optimizing a business’s online presence.

Tagalys

Company Name	Tagalys
Website	www.tagalys.com
Headquarters	Chennai
Deals In	eCommerce merchandising
Founders	Antony Kattukaran, Palaniappan Murugappan
Founded	2012

Tagalys is an Indian company that specializes in eCommerce merchandising solutions. Established by Antony Kattukaran and Palaniappan Chellapan, Tagalys has become the go-to option for retailers to optimize their business. Their software platform helps online retailers optimize and personalize their product search, navigation, and recommendations to enhance the shopping experience for customers. This company is on a mission to provide dynamic merchandising to various businesses. So, if someone wants to build and boost the revenue of an online store, Tagalys can be their best companion.

SocialPilot

Company Name	SocialPilot
Website	www.socialpilot.co
Headquarters	Rajkot
Deals In	Social media marketing tools
Founders	Jimit Bagadiya, Tejas Mehta
Founded	2014

Social media has become a powerful tool in today’s world. It can easily make or break any business. Last on our list is one such bootstrapped company ‘SocialPilot’ that helps businesses to scale up their social media channels by offering social media marketing tools. Be it brand collaborations, engaging posts or insightful analysis, the company will take care of all your social media activities and give you the best results at the best price.

Conclusion

As we know, bootstrapping means being independent in every way and keeping everything in our own hands; it reduces the chances of getting into debt. Considering that most startups fail (almost ninety percent), we cannot guarantee that a bootstrapped startup will always be successful. The model of business and the goods that it deals with should be unique. Rest is a matter of luck regarding how the public responds to these products. But as bootstrapping makes the company independent, there are fewer chances of going indebted if it doesn’t succeed. All that is needed to make a company work is innovation.

Bootstrapping is a good idea at present. the Thriving ecosystem of bootstrapped startups in India is a testament to the entrepreneurial talent, innovative ideas, and unwavering determination of Indian entrepreneurs. As they continue to disrupt industries, create value, and make a positive impact, these bootstrapped startups are shaping the future of India’s business landscape.

FAQs

What does it mean for a startup to be bootstrapped?

Bootstrapping refers to starting and growing a business using the founder’s personal funds and resources, without external investment or funding.

Which are the top Indian startups that are bootstrapped?

Top Indian Startups that are bootstrapped are:

FusionCharts
ZOHO
42Gears
Zerodha
Freshworks
Wingify
InMobi
MyOperator
Kayako
Paytm

Which Indian bootstrapped startup became unicorn?

Zerodha is an Indian bootstrapped startup that became unicorn in 2020.

Why do startups need bootstrapping?

Startups may choose bootstrapping to maintain control, avoid debt or equity financing, build resourcefulness, and prove viability before seeking external funding. It fosters independence and allows founders to retain ownership and decision-making power.

What makes a bootstrapped company survive?

If you too want to kick-start a bootstrap business, you must keep the below things in mind.

Come up with an innovative and unique business idea
Hire excellent employees as employees will be your true investment
Control your expenses
Focus on your customers
Keep an eye on your metrics

What are the challenges faced by bootstrapped startups?

Bootstrapped startups often face challenges such as limited resources, slower growth, and increased financial constraints. They need to carefully manage their finances, prioritize investments, and find creative solutions to overcome hurdles.

May 18, 2023

Hostinger – Success Story of the Employee-Owned Web Hosting Platform

Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations. The content in this post has been approved by Hostinger.

Revenue in the Web Hosting Segment is projected to reach $90.42 billion in 2023. With an annual growth rate (CAGR 2023-2027) of 12.42%, it is expected to reach $144.40 billion by 2027. With the internet and technological advancements, websites have almost become a part and parcel of life. There are over 1.13 billion websites, of which only around one-fifth are active. Over 70% of Small and Medium Businesses have started using websites to exhibit their profile and promote their products.

Besides the rising needs, a major factor that impacted the growth of websites is the Web Hosting Platforms. A creation that once required immense knowledge of coding was now made in a matter of a few minutes by these companies. Their cheaper and more secure service paved the way for everyone willing to have a website. Hostinger is one such popular web hosting platform.

Hostinger is a web hosting service platform that helps you to create and maintain websites quickly and in a simplified way. It was established in 2004 in Lithuania. This platform offers various services like shared hosting, cloud hosting, domain registrations, WordPress hosting, etc. Hostinger is one of the largest hosting service providers in the world.

Hostinger – Company Highlights

Company Name	Hostinger
Headquarters	Kaunas, Lithuania
Industry	Web Hosting
Founded	2004 (as Hosting Media), 2011 (Renamed as Hostinger)
Founder	Arnas Stuopelis
Area served	Worldwide
Employees	1000+
Website	Hostinger.in

Hostinger – About
Hostinger – Key People and Team
Hostinger – Startup Story
Hostinger – Mission and Vision
Hostinger – Business Model and Revenue Model
Hostinger – Challenges Faced
Hostinger – Funding
Hostinger – Subsidiaries
Hostinger – Growth
Hostinger – Competitors
Hostinger – Awards and Achievements

About Hostinger

Hostinger – About

Hostinger is a web hosting and internet domain registering platform that also provides simple ways to create websites with just a click of a button. This company offers affordable, quick, and secure hosting services to its users. Hostinger is also helping customers with WordPress, Cloud, VPS, Minecraft, and Shared Hostings.

Hostinger is an employee-owned company that was instituted in 2004. The company is based and headquartered in Kaunas, Lithuania, and has 3 other offices in Vilnius, Yogyakarta, and Florianopolis. Hostinger has over 29 million users around the world with an average of 15,000 new users every day. The company runs its operations in 178 countries to create a simplified platform for users to build websites and grow online.

Hostinger – Key People and Team

Arnas Stuopelis - CEO and Chairman, Hostinger — Arnas Stuopelis – CEO and Chairman, Hostinger

Hostinger is an employee-owned web hosting company that was established in 2004. An employee-owned company is a term used to refer to companies whose shares are owned by the employees of the same company. The other key people and team members involved in top management are listed below:

Arnas Stuopelis – CEO and Chairman
Balys Krikščiūnas – Chief Executive Officer (CTO)
Antanas Patašius – Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
Domantas Beržanskis – Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Gabija Jasiulionytė – Head of People
Žygintas Rimkus – Chief Product Officer
Daugirdas Jankus – Marketing Head

Hostinger – Startup Story

A group of people with the same ideas and goals joined together to create Hostinger. It was initially started with the name Hosting Media in 2004. Their main goal was to make the internet readily available to all people and let them host their websites. They wanted to provide their services for free without limitations.

With this idea, Hostinger was bootstrapped in 2004. The company started doing well right from the beginning. The initial customers were so pleased by Hostinger’s service and they kept recommending this web hosting platform to their circle of family and friends. This ensured Hostinger’s success in the early days and also helped them grow faster than expected.

Hostinger – Mission and Vision

Hostinger’s mission is to create a platform that helps web developers easily create and run websites. It wanted to provide reliable, fast, and stable hosting services for customers. The company has a vision that enables people around the world to explore the power of the internet and capitalize on them to learn and grow.

Hostinger – Business Model and Revenue Model

As a web hosting company, Hostinger’s major focus is to provide hosting at a cheaper price with better quality and security. Unlike other competitors who offer many unlimited services for a higher subscription price, Hostinger takes a different path. It avoids unwanted bundling and excess add-ons of plans and services, thus enabling it to provide a low-cost service. The company’s 7 data centers located across the world help it to provide a reliable and quick service for its customers.

Hostinger generates its revenue through subscription plans. The company offers multiple services in hosting and domain registrations, which have independent pricing plans for each of them. Hostinger also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee for all its plans.

Hostinger – Challenges Faced

000webhost, a subsidiary of Hostinger faced a backslash in 2015. A major data breach resulted in the theft of around 13 million customers’ data. The company admitted that the breach was caused by hackers and necessary steps were taken to avoid more leaks. The web host was forced to block access to all customers temporarily and reset their passwords. The platform’s security was further enhanced after this issue and was made even more secure.

Hostinger – Funding

In November 2004, a personal company named Hosting Media (today Hostinger) was bootstrapped in Kaunas, Lithuania. The company has survived successfully without raising funds for almost 16 years. Only in April 2021, a private equity company named ConHostinger led by the German entrepreneurs Jochen Berger and Thomas Strohe invested in Hostinger. They purchased approximately 31% of the company’s shares for an undisclosed sum from long-term employees.

Hostinger – Subsidiaries

This bootstrapped web hosting platform has established 5 subsidiaries so far. Here is the list of Hostinger’s subsidiaries:

000webhost

000webhost is the world’s first free web hosting provider launched by Hostinger in 2007. It offers services like website creation, SSL Certification, and WordPress hosting for free. 000webhost also has paid plans with additional features.

Hosting24

Hostinger established Hosting24 in 2008. It is a specialized company in web hosting that uses the popular cPanel platform to host websites. The company’s subscription plans come with the additional benefits of a free domain and SSL Certificate.

Niagahoster

This is another web hosting platform set up in Indonesia by Hostinger. Niagahoster was launched in 2013 as part of Hostinger International Ltd. to develop and build the company’s customer base around the country.

Weblink

Weblink is based in Brasil and was instigated as a part of the Hostinger group in 2014. This web hosting company offers services like Virtual Private Servers, cloud hosting, and WordPress hosting.

Zyro

Zyro was the latest addition to the list of subsidiaries of Hostinger. It was founded in 2019 and is based in Kaunas, Lithuania, the same as the parent company. Its main purpose is to help small businesses enter and succeed in the online world.

Hostinger – Growth

Beginning in 2004 as a bootstrapped startup, Hostinger’s journey for over a decade and a half contained more growth and expansion. Reaching from 0 to 29 million users in 17 years was their first achievement. This growth of the company was evident right from the beginning. With 3 offices and 7 global data centers, Hostinger has grown to be one of the largest Web Hosting companies in the world.

Hostinger started expanding its operations in 2008 by establishing various subsidiaries across the world. These companies helped Hostinger secure a strong customer base in around 178 countries. It took 6 years to reach 1 million users in 2010 and another 4 years to reach 10 million. Now, with over 29 million users, the company’s growth trajectory is showing 2x growth in the past few years. To add a feather to the hat, Hostinger made its way into the annual list of FT 1000’s ranking on Europe’s fastest-growing companies in 2020.

Hostinger – Competitors

As the popularity and demand for websites grow, many web hosting platforms have entered the market. Hostinger has got multiple popular competitors offering the same services, at times even surpassing theirs. But when it comes to price, Hostinger offers a better service at an affordable price. Here are some of the top competitors for Hostinger:

Bluehost
DreamHost
HostGator
GoDaddy
A2 Hosting

Hostinger – Awards and Achievements

FinancesOnline, a respectable analytical platform lauded Hostinger as an Outstanding Hosting Service for the year 2021. It also presented them with two prestigious awards on the same occasion. Also in 2018, Hostinger was recognized with awards for Great User Experience and 2018 Rising Star. Hostinger was ranked 890 among the 1000 fastest-growing companies in Europe by Financial Times.

Conclusion

Hostinger is a web hosting provider that offers a range of hosting services at affordable prices. They offer shared hosting, Cloud hosting, VPS hosting, and dedicated server hosting. They are known for their user-friendly interface, reliable uptime, and fast loading speeds. They also offer a 30-day money-back guarantee and 24/7 customer support. Overall, Hostinger is a great option for individuals and small businesses looking for affordable and reliable web hosting services.

FAQs

What is Hostinger?

Hostinger is a web hosting and internet domain registering platform that also provides simple ways to create websites with just a click of a button.

Who are the competitors of Hostinger?

Some of the top competitors of Hostinger are:

Bluehost
DreamHost
HostGator
GoDaddy
A2 Hosting

When was Hostinger founded?

Hostinger is based in Kaunas, Lithuania, and was established in the year 2004.

Who is the CEO of Hostinger?

Balys Krikščiūnas is the CEO of the Hostinger.

Who owns Hostinger?

Hostinger is an employee-owned web hosting service platform.

March 1, 2023

How did EaseMyTrip Manage to Launch its IPO Amid the Pandemic?

When situations turned worse for most of us due to the Covid-19, and all of us were restricted to our homes with few hopes of breaking the chains and going out, EaseMyTrip managed to sail past the hurdles and made their stock market debut on March 8, 2021.

The journey wasn’t an easy swim on calm waters though!

What did EaseMyTrip achieve?
Why was this feat hard for EaseMyTrip to achieve?
How did EaseMyTrip manage to achieve this feat?
The Future Ahead for EaseMyTrip
FAQ

What did EaseMyTrip achieve?

Covid-19 has turned the tables for all of us and on almost all occasions, it has been for the worse. The period of the pandemic has seen everything including layoffs, pay cuts, dissolution, and liquidation but in the midst of all these horrors, EaseMyTrip, led by the brothers, Nishant Pitti, Rikant Pitti, and Prashant Pitti, launched its Rs 510 crores initial public offering (IPO).

After the co-founders diluted their 25 percent stake, they were set to issue shares worth Rs 510 crore. The company stated they were oversubscribed by 159 times, which put forth a demand of around Rs 44,881 crore. The total valuation of the company stood at Rs 2,040 crore during the IPO, as per the reports.

Prashant Pitti, one of the co-founders of the company made it clear that EaseMyTrip has never been a company that heavily stressed on marketing. “The company was profitable and growing. It felt like a good fit for the IPO”, added Prashant.

Each share was sold at Rs 187 during the IPO, which is now trading at Rs 230. The shares of EaseMyTrip have thus generated around 23% profit for investors within just two months.

EaseMyTrip was successful in making a business of Rs 4,204 crores in the previous financial year. The EBITDA of the company for FY20, as per Prashant, was Rs 49.8 crores, and that for nine months of the financial year 2021 was around Rs 43.4 crores. It was towards the end of 2020, in the month of December that the company’s overall cash or cash equivalent raised to Rs 208 crores from Rs 148 crores in March 2020.

According to Prashant, the company has listed 17 percent of the share amount above the premium, which is still consistent.

Why was this feat hard for EaseMyTrip to achieve?

EaseMyTrip is a company that drives its sales through its wide range of travel booking services including flight booking, booking of hotels, and processing visas. For a company that is based on the travel and tourism industry, the coronavirus pandemic was surely an uphill journey more than ever. However, according to the company, they have been frugal, curtailed a lot of things, went wise with several others, and aimed for the bigger goal to pull off such a feat!

EaseMyTrip Profit

How did EaseMyTrip manage to achieve this feat?

The growth that EaseMyTrip showed during the pandemic might seem unprecedented to most of us but it is simply a result of a lengthy effort for days, months, and years.

EaseMyTrip made a breakthrough in the market

EaseMyTrip, the brainchild of the Pitti brothers was started by the idea of helping people go about their travel bookings seamlessly and bringing parity to the whole booking process.

Back in those days people exceedingly relied on the booking agents to make their booking possible, and ultimately ended up paying more to them. In one such flight booking made by the father of the co-founders, the Pitti brothers discovered that their father paid more to the agent than the actual prices online. This incident led to the launch of EaseMyTrip in 2008.

The Delhi-based online travel agency initially aimed to ensure that the travel agents would receive the same prices and commissions as they did from the other similar booking websites.

Furthermore, they also ensured that the customers would also stay in this loop and would receive the same prices from the booking agents. Moreover, the team also wanted to build a software as a service program that would serve as an easy-to-use webapp that would make travel bookings hassle-free.

While the travel booking agents initially had to pump in some money with each airline to avail of the bookings, they received only around 3-4% commission. However, EaseMyTrip, on the other hand, came up with the idea of letting the travel agents book for any airlines against an initial deposit of Rs 50,000 and allowed a 5% commission on the same. This helped them effectively reduce their capital expenses and increase their profit margins.

Bootstrapping their way forward

As soon as EaseMyTrip was launched, the founders decided to raise money to start with their company, however, the market was found unfavorable soon after that. EaseMyTrip focused on a B2B market, which was something unique in the market that was already full of B2C companies like MakeMyTrip and Cleartrip. This well made EaseMyTrip a competitor to the already established online travel companies and also left bootstrapping as the only option left.

EaseMyTrip bootstrapped their business success as a B2B company, and soon entered the B2C market offering the facility to avail their services without any convenience fees.

Countering the Covid-19-induced adversities

Though EaseMyTrip was a running business well before the pandemic struck the markets, waddling through the pandemic was difficult for any business, and EaseMyTrip was not an exception. However, the company had to win over the situation anyhow, which they managed with the help of some laudable efforts from their end.

Rising up to the dizzying demands

As soon as the lockdown was announced, the government decided to resort to extreme restrictions on traveling, including a dead stop of both the railways and domestic and international air travel.

This resulted in multiplied call volumes. EaseMyTrip also had to abide by the work from home culture and resorted to WhatsApp messages to tackle the overflow of calls, which were then responded to by the executives one by one.

This not only boosted the goodwill of the company during these testing times but also helped in keeping things on a budget.

Early refunds policy

Deeming that the people are scared as well as scattered all across the country, EaseMyTrip decided to refund the money of their customers on a priority basis, even before the airlines refunded them their money.

This immediate refund policy was something really unique and positive responses came pouring in from all around the world in favor of EaseMyTrip all around the social media platforms, which further increased their reputation and added to their credibility.

Wise advertisement campaigns

As soon as EaseMyTrip absorbed the positive vibes, they thought it fit to come up with a unique advertisement campaign on social media, titled “Saath Laakh Crore ka Kharcha”.

The sole motive of the advertisement was to share the message that the Indians spent around Rs 7 lakh crores annually for their vacation. Therefore, they can easily avail of their bookings via EaseMyTrip, which is a 100% Indian company with huge benefits.

For this advertisement, EaseMyTrip had to reach out to 5-6 celebrities but the responses that the company received were overwhelming!

Discounts were curtailed

After the lockdown was lifted for the air travel, EaseMyTrip soon found out the pulse of the customers and discovered that they weren’t much concerned about the discounts and were only looking to make their trips possible. Therefore, the company reduced their discounts and managed to draw in the one percent commission that they received after negotiating heavily with the airline companies.

No pay cut policy

Payment deductions were on a rise with the COVID-19 and are always silent blemishes to a company. Therefore, EaseMyTrip ensured that they would not adopt such practices even if they had to shed some of their total strength. They reduced the total number of employees from 450 to 370 in the first wave of the coronavirus spread but they haven’t opted for any further reductions or pay cuts since then.

The Future Ahead for EaseMyTrip

“People travel for work, leisure, and to meet extended family. All this has stopped now, but it will restart”, going by the words of Sreedhar Prasad, Advisor, Analyst, ex-KPMG, and ex-Kalaari Capital.

Conclusion

The travel and tourism industry happens to be one of the worst affected industries post-Covid. However, the industry would soon rise and will be among the first set of booming industries.

FAQ

Who is the Founder of EaseMyTrip?

Nishant Pitti is the founder and CEO of EaseMyTrip, the company commenced its operation in 2008.

Is EaseMyTrip profitable?

According to a Motilal Oswal, EaseMyTrip is the only OTA in India to have a good net profit margin over the last three years.

What is the Revenue of EaseMyTrip?

The annual revenue of EaseMyTrip is $18.8M.

June 12, 2021
How to grow a Bootstrapped Startup? | Everything about Bootstrapping Startup in 2020
Bootstrapping means to start and grow a startup from scratch without anyone’s financial help. Bootstrapping Startups promotes innovations. Bootstrapping has become necessity for some startups. A bootstrapped startup is responsible for its own survival. The growth of bootstrapped startup depends on the revenue obtained. When you bootstrap business, the focus is on ideas, innovation, and teamwork.

Bootstrapping Startups is a process in the business world by which a new business starts its operation without or little amount of external funding. Any bootstrapping entrepreneur must think of alternative ways to earn money to grow the business. It promotes proper utilization of time. Looking for investors might take a lot of time chasing them and its not a guarantee you will get funded by them. Money has to be spent wisely as the bootstrapping entrepreneur is the only one to control the business and resources are limited.

List of most successful bootstrapped companies
Advantages of Bootstrapping Startups
Disadvantages of Bootstrapping Startups
Advice for Bootstrapping Entrepreneurs
Tips for cost cutting and save funds for Bootstrapping Startup
Conclusion

List of some of the most successful bootstrapped companies
- MailChimp
- Github
- Shopify
- ShutterStock
- Zoho
- Wingify
Advantages of Bootstrapping Startups

Some of the advantages of bootstrapping your startup are:

Full control

The future of a bootstrapped business is determined by itself as it takes its full control. Owners are not answerable to any outsiders (investors) but themselves. Bootstrapped Business owners should have a clear direction of their own business. Their beliefs should guide them in the direction to take with their business. Sober decisions have to be made as this will determine if it will affect a business negatively or positively. Investors or any other money lenders come with their own vested interests and might give you different ideas from what you believe in. Bootstrapping startups works very well in such a scenario. There is freedom and you can run a business the way you wish. Bootstrapping removes unnecessary interruptions from outsiders and lets you focus on your goals.

Customer oriented and focused business

Bootstrapping Entrepreneurs need to treat their customers well because customers act as their bosses or investors. It is very easy for a bootstrapped business to die if the customers are not convinced to buy from that company anymore. If you are bootstrapped entrepreneur, think of your customer whenever you are making any move or decision with an aim to attract and convince them more and more.

Sustainable

Bootstrapping is considered a business model that is profitable. As business continues to grow, you gain more experience and sustainability. External funding cannot guarantee this. Startups that are externally funded might end up relinquishing in debts to a point of giving up. The business might end up not profitable to them.

Bootstrapping promotes efficient management of resources

Realistically, when you don’t have enough funds, you will be careful in spending any of them. This brings efficiency in terms of managing and spending the little cash you have into a meaningful sense.

Bootstrapping promotes creativity

Ideally, when you don’t have enough cash, you look for alternatives on how to sort out your problems. To make the ends meet, you will be required to identify the resources around you and make use of them. Bootstrapping makes you think of ways to get things done in a cheaper and affordable way, hence improve your creativity.

How to Bootstrap your SaaS Startup ?

The concept of bootstrapping a business is nothing new. The term originates fromthe concept of “pulling yourself up by your own”. In the business world, theterm generally refers to: “Financing and growing your business without the needfor external assistance in the form of capital investment.” In…

StartupTalkyRishabh Rathi

Disadvantages of Bootstrapping Startups

Everything has two different sides. So, here are some of the disadvantages of bootstrapping a startup:

No Shared Risk

Investing in any business alone may attract a lot of personal risks especially when the business closes. If the business doesn’t make any profit everything will be lost. And the only person who will bear that all will be the founders.

Minimal Networking

Any business needs a lot of partnership so you may network. Capitalists and other investors have huge list of networks. Linkage creates opportunities for new market and makes you visible. Investors usually offer advice and full support required for any business. You may miss their expertise to run the business.

Slow Business Growth

Basically, when you don’t have enough money for start everything up from scratch, business growth will always be slow because you are operating with very minimal and limited resources. While bootstrapping your startup, you can only pace up with the growth when your business start making good money.

Advice for Bootstrapping Entrepreneurs

The idea of starting a new startup is fascinating, but in reality, it’s a tough nut to crack. There are numerous elements that should be considered before launching a startup and it’s a fact that 50% of startups doesn’t survive a month. Launching startup needs a deep study of the product you are offering and deep market research is required.

Every startup needs a different kind of approach, but the general advice that a bootstrapping entrepreneur needs to enter the market are:

First sale, then production

The first and the important step to start a new bootstrapped business is to identify the market where you want to sell your product or service. It’s advised for Bootstrapped startup founders that first the market should be created before launching the startup. The demand for the product or service which you wish to sell should be examined and the product and strategy should be designed according to it. The 90% of the startups fail because they never assessed their market. The product that you are offering should be according to the preference of customers, not of your own choice. The customer is a king, so you need to sell what he wants to buy and not what you want to sell. This is a mantra for every startups.

Think hundred times before spending

It’s the harsh reality that startups have tight budgets. Bootstrapped startup founder should critically examine before making any purchase and try to avoid any unwanted expenses. The future of the startup is uncertain, so it’s best to save as much as you can for the future.

Go Virtual

The Internet is the biggest tool for the startups. Build your virtual office and save yourself from unwanted expenses on office rent. The different portals are available where startup owners can promote themselves and sell their products directly to the right audiences. The Bootstrapped startup founder can hire employees virtually to save the cost and pay according to the work. It’s a win-win situation for the bootstrapped companies and freelancers.

Select the right medium of advertisement

There are various mediums available where one can promote their product or service. But most of them are waste of time and money, as only one right medium of advertisement should be used according to the targeted customers. For example, if you offer services to the new business ventures then there is no need to advertise it on TV or radio. You need to visit business seminars and meetings to get the business venture opportunities. So it’s very important to select the right method to sell your services and product via the right advertisement medium.

Make books and follow regulations

The new startup owners should make themselves familiar with prevailing rules and regulations of the industry. The books of the accounts should be kept according to the law and it should be regularly evaluated by experts. This way, the entrepreneur can save money by not hiring consultants for everything.

Hire a business coach

Experience matters and to bootstrap your startup, seek the help of an experienced business coach, who can guide you at the time of crisis and provides all the technical knowledge. So ripe the experience of expert and learn something productive from them.

Tips for cost cutting and save funds for Bootstrapping Startup

Offering Discounts

Discounts should be small. You should focus more on starting and surviving rather than just acquiring customers. Offer the discounts only for a limited period and to selected people via competition or lottery. The people will be glad to get chosen for the discount opportunity and may promote your product among other people to show their own achievement. In this way, the money gets rotated and it can be saved for the further purpose.

Investing

For a bootstrapped company, the initial investment for the business should be savings. It should be the primary source of bootstrapped funding rather than taking money from family and friends. Entrepreneurs should estimate investment for the future. Higher Investments for the product or sales without assuming the demand may damage the economy. Depending on the supply of the product you should not estimate the funds required. The demand of the product should be considered more to decide the amount of investment.

Exact Planning

Avoid business planning for a vast reach of your company at the starting stage in order to save the money for the future development. The start should be local so that it costs less and make more profits. Once, you have your reach in your own area or city, then save enough funds and again bootstrap to start your service in other cities.

Estimations of buying products

You should estimate the assets you will need to start the business. If you overestimate, you will end up with useless resources and lose your money. If you estimate less resources, then you will have to waste your time to go and buy more assets. Estimations should be appropriate.

Spending money

While spending the money, the flow should be slow and steady. It should be maintained in the correct order that it should not affect the future economy of your bootstrapped company. The purchase of the goods or production should be kept limited in order to control finances.

Partnership

You can partner with another person so that he/she can help you with their expertise and share their savings with you. This way, you will share the risk with someone and both the parties will have lesser risk. However, getting a partner in a bootstrapped startup need trust. When you bootstrap, you put your everything in that company. And the partner have equal access to everything and can cheat you anytime. So, instead of asking random people online to become your business partner, find a trusted person from your friends and family.

Hiring

Hiring the staff in a bootstrapped startup is a very crucial activity. You don’t have enough funds to pay the employees, neither the surety of success. So, hire only the enough amount of employees. Moreover, you should also avoid renting the unnecessary office space.

Suggestions

Don’t avoid others’ suggestion of other people. They can help you take better decision. You can attend business events and talk about your bootstrapped startup to know their views about it.

Marketing

Marketing is the best investment for any business. Instead of going for expensive paid marketing campaigns, you can create content related to your company which can go viral. For an instance, Dollar Shave Club became famous after their viral video ad titled “Our blades are ******* great”. Social media is a great place to get heard.

4 Hidden Business Growth Strategies | Dirty Business Growth Strategies

Nowadays business [https://startuptalky.com/tag/business-2/] owner applieshidden methods for business growth strategies to warm their pockets. The usageof secret methods for the business growth and earn more profit, is not a newphenomenon, as malpractice in business industry is a very old trick. …

StartupTalkyShubham Kumar

Conclusion

Many Bootstrapping Startups become very successful. Their founders are careful and wise in spending funds and accountable for their decisions. They get business experience at every stage of their business growth. They also develop their own strategies on how to execute the business. They establish a customer base hence increase the sales. To start, bootstrapped startup founder requires an optimum level of dedication and hard work. So it’s advised to you all young ambitious entrepreneurs to make a leap and start your journey with a positive attitude.
July 15, 2020