redBus is India’s first organized bus ticket booking service and the biggest aggregator of bus tickets. It has been received very promptly by the Indians. India being the 5th largest contributor to the world’s GDP, aims to take the travel and tourism industry to $250 billion by 2030 and $1 trillion by 2047.
Companies like redBus put their immense contribution towards making the journey of travellers very convenient and safe. redBus’ contribution has taken the travel and tourism industry to great extent. Let’s look at the business model of redBus and understand its complete operations.
redBus is India’s largest online bus ticketing platform headquartered in Bangalore and owned by Goibibo. It provides a ticket booking facility through its website, iOS, and Android mobile apps and connects bus travellers with a network of over 2500 bus operators.
For better guidance, the company joined the TiE Entrepreneurship acceleration program where they got the guidance of great mentors.
redBus was the first of its kind and no doubt, it came out radiantly. Today, it sells more than 18,000-20,000 tickets per day. The company has two subsidiaries YourBus and Empresa Digital Peruana S.A.C.
Where Does redBus Operate?
Till now, redBus has served more than 18 million people across the world. Outside India, redBus also has a strong foothold in many countries :
Countries where redBus operates:
Colombia
India
Indonesia
Malaysia
Peru
Singapore
Key Services of redBus
redBus offers a secure and manageable experience for booking tickets online. Moreover, it offers complete choices to the customers such as choosing their destination with their preferred seating options. redBus not only works in the roadways domain but recently enters into the railway domain under the name of redRail.
List of services provided by redBus:
Bus Hire
Bus Tickets
rPool (Bikepool & Carpool)
rYde
redRail
Target Audience of redBus
redBus generally target audiences who want to book a bus ticket without going to the physical place to buy a ticket. This concept of redBus is made to acquire its consumers by providing customer support, discounts, and other perks which are impossible to get at the physical bus counter.
Business Model of redBus
The business model of redBus is very strong along with its digital marketing strategies. redBus’ business model is straightforward, as it charges a commission on every bus ticket booking. It also charges a commission from the bus operator on every ticket booked through its platform. The commission is approximately 10-20% based on the value of the ticket being sold.
redBus also provides hotel services along with ticket booking. It offers great deals on various occasions and also offers special discounts as well. But, the most advantageous factor that comes with RedBus is that it provides an opportunity for the customer to choose the most favourable route to their destination with the best seat in the best bus.
What Is Unique About The Business Model Of redBus?
Its business model is entirely based on its quality service to the customers. Its social media strategies are designed so well that it always finds great proposals for its audiences. It mostly keeps on promotion but that too, on customers’ demands and favours.
Some of the features that make it unique are:
Customers can track their buses.
Customers can book buses according to the ratings.
There are reserved seats for women.
Customers can give feedback on the services provided and their experiences after the trip.
How Does redBus Make Money?
redBus makes its money by charging some fee as commission from the bus operators on each booked ticket on redBus. The commission comes as 10-20% of the total ticket value.
In 2019, redBus received great success, it had annual revenue of $85 million. The company has a valuation of $710 million in 2020. Now, it has over 36 million users from all over the world with 3500 bus operators according to the data given on its website. And known as the largest online bus ticket company.
Conclusion
redBus has gone through lots of success and failure since its launch in 2006. There are tons of bus services available 24×7 to meet all the needs of travellers. Its business model is quite simple and strong but most importantly, redBus is widely famous and welcomed among the common people.
redBus eases the major issue of finding the correct bus for any destination. It’s one step closer to fulfilling every need of a traveller along with destination travel requirements. redBus is one of its kind and it’s a true inspiration for developing services for the betterment of common people.
FAQs
What is redBus?
redBus is an online bus ticket booking platform from Phanindra Sama, Charan Padmaraju, and Sudhakar Pasupunuri in 2006.
What are the subsidiaries of redBus?
redBus has two subsidiaries YourBus and Empresa Digital Peruana S.A.C.
How much commission does redBus take?
redBus charges a 10% to 20% commission on the value of the ticket.
Which company owns redBus?
The parent company of redBus is Goibibo.
Who is the founder of redBus?
Phanindra Sama, Charan Padmaraju, and Sudhakar Pasupunuri founded redBus in August 2006.
Did Ibibo Group acquire redBus?
Yes, redBus was sold to Ibibo Group for $138 million.
I wonder if there’s any space left to be explored in the tech space in the 21st century, or is it just a bunch of first-world issues. With this thought in mind, I present to you a story of a startup that filled the gap of online shopping and retail store closures.
If you purchase food, clothing, or whatever, you are entitled to receive money back. You spend a fortune on shopping, so why not make some money while you’re there? This isn’t about clipping coupons or looking for refunds. I’m referring to Ibotta.
Bryan Leach, an entrepreneur quit law to create Ibotta, a Denver-based company with over 400 staff, 20 m installs, nearly $100 million in funding, and alliances with Target, Walmart, and 1500 other companies. Ibotta, among the most popular mobile shopping apps in the U. S., was built in Denver in 2012. Ibotta aims to persuade millennials to do online shopping, and at the same time halt the trend of retail outlet closures by helping these stores.
Ibotta is a free app that you may get for your smart device. You register an account and then they generate a set of products that you can get at a retail shop, a supermarket if you’re purchasing a bottle of wine or a six-pack of beer. It’ll come in handy when you’re out pet shopping.
Ibotta Homepage
It works everywhere in the physical retail sector, and you choose which things you want to buy, then snap a pic of your receipt with your mobile or pay with your loyalty card, and they offer you a payback incentive right away. It’s essentially a 21st-century version of coupons or rebates, with a quick cash prize that you can collect and use on a gift voucher or deposit into your bank using PayPal or Venmo.
You can now use it for all of your online orders, such as calling an Uber, ordering online, or booking a flight on booking.com, and it will connect you to other e-shopping experiences and offer you quick cashback as soon as it hits a buy-in another app.
How was Ibotta Founded?
Bryan Leach, founder of Ibotta was a Denver lawyer who was glad to resolve global contract issues in arbitration in cities like London and Singapore across the globe, but the most thrilling part of his job was growing his international arbitration practice. When it came to creating his firm and doing the research work, he didn’t find it as enticing as he had hoped, and he hoped to be a part of a group of people who were looking to create something new.
One time, he was a little antsy when he returned from a conference in Rio de Janeiro saw one taking pics of his business cards so he could keep track of who he had just met at the conference, and Bryan thought about the disruptive power of mobile tech and how you could take pics of your receipt from the store and have quick access to data you need.
It turned into a task for him to discover how to convey promos and vouchers and have a direct link between the brand itself and the final user so these shoppers don’t have to take these Lil chits into the shop, and he found that there was a lot of tension with the current methods and a large expense on poor tactics.
The regret of not giving it a shot outweighed the fear of failing at this venture. Although he lacked the necessary business and technical talent to make this app, he travelled to Silicon Valley in search of investors, and to his surprise, the backers were enthusiastic about the concept and were willing to become angel investors. So one step led to another, and he soon found himself with $3 million in initial funding, at which point he formed a team with the right skillsets and the ability to design this app.
Tagline and logo of Ibotta
Ibotta Logo
“Life Rewarded” is the tagline of the Ibotta app, and it couldn’t be more apt. It is a must-have app if you’re hoping to save at least a few dollars upon each purchase. Every moment in daily life, to be exact.
Business Model of Ibotta
Value propositions
It’s an app that links firms and customers. It assists customers by making their life easier. You get accessibility to unique refunds after performing tasks (reacting to polls, viewing films, etc), and cashback on daily purchases. There are real money benefits instead of credit scores.
Channels
The following are the channels used by them: Mobile app, Google Play store, Blog posts, Social networks, Media (Forbes and TechCrunch).
Customer relationships
They build customer relationships via Buying sprees, Couponing replaced by entertaining activities, Referrals, Cashback, brands exploration.
Customer segments
Their target audience is millennials and Retailers (Marketers, Walmart, Target, etc).
Key partners
Their key partners include – Top companies and merchants (FMCG, dining at diners, etc), PayPal and Venmo are two popular payment options, Investors, LiveRamp Alliance
Key activities
The activities performed by Ibotta are Cold calls, Auditing, Client Support Systems Engineering, Ecommerce, Data Analysis, Conflict Resolution, Promotion, Project Management, Content Creation, Research Strategies, Ads, Sales, PR, Staffing.
Key resources
It’s a framework for smartphone use. The face recognition feature allows you to claim your deals by scanning your receipt. Other key resources include Designers, Salesforce, records of suppliers, Product details from customers, Analytics, and Investment.
Cost structure
Their cost structure comprises Lead generation, Branding, Promotion, IT infrastructure and communications, Software design, Operations, and Client service.
Revenue streams
Ibotta generates revenue by making the app Free for users, by earning modest fees from brands and stores, Answer polls, and paid ads.
Ibotta has used an associate fees business approach to earn revenue since its inception in 2012. Ibotta makes money for each sale made via their application by working with over 1,500 designer labels. Ibotta earns any moment a client buys the product through Ibotta at a partnered label.
Ads
Ibotta also earns money by offering marketers ad spaces and displaying them straight to users. They have a total of 8 different ad formats, like banner ads, instant messages, emails, etc.
Account Upkeep Charges
On profiles that have been idle for at least 6 months, it imposes a fee. It earns by taking funds from idle customers’ Ibotta account “rewards” balances to pay for the cost.
Ibotta’s influencer program
Performance marketing is the most intriguing part of lead generation and the transition to the sale for them and their affiliates. They don’t charge for display ads, views, or hits; instead, they charge per piece sold performance, which is how their influencer program works.
They pay those who recommend a pal or post material that leads to someone utilizing their app. They split the profits based on the value of the user to them. They make it worthwhile for them to convey the narrative of how Ibotta saves folks time/money.
They found that the sector’s general trend is to become apt to draw the distinction that assigns that traffic to the location where you bought that ad and away from inaccessible algorithmic media, which has induced firms like P&G to put a complete halt on display ads unless there’s the best approach, and they portray one of those best methods.
How is Ibotta Helping some of the Biggest Brands?
They deal with over 1500 consumer packaged goods firms, the majority of which are attempting to tell their brand’s narrative. They also collaborate with merchants with distinct goals. When it comes to FMCG firms, they just want to expose you to a unique product type and explain what makes their brand unique, but drawing your focus is difficult.
In a nutshell, they’re a one-of-a-kind space where folks can explore a wider customer base eager to learn about what they’ve built. They understand that once customers test their brand, it’ll become a frequent purchase. So what they’ve done is the brand connection in the form of small bite-sized factoids, recipes, and clips that let brands reach out to clients and target people known who prefer rivals’ products, which is Ibotta’s major value.
Stores are losing a big chunk of their market to e-commerce, but the fact is that mobile-influenced sales account for about $4 trillion in the US economy, which is ten times greater than e-commerce.
So, how can the technology be utilized to encourage consumers to return to their retail outlet?
Ibotta is providing a reminder and a reward to attain desired targets. They’re expanding cart sizes and the number of visits to those shops while also making an effort to have the same chat about what sets their brand apart.
What is the Secret to Ibotta’s Success?
3 most important factors in making an app that’ll be on people’s device’s homepage throughout the globe are:
An explicit benefit offer, in this case getting cash rewards for daily transactions via a free app.
Using an app that works in every case where you’d like to buy something important, hence why, you now can book an uber and place orders on the app.
High rate of usage: they cover aspects where you can return to Ibotta and begin with Ibotta every time if it’s online shopping or binge-watching rather than solely focusing on key value and rare deals, as others do.
Therefore, they’ll escalate the range of situations in which you can use Ibotta. On your dashboard, they’ll make it a lot simpler to find highly relevant data. Their search is one of the greatest, allowing you to browse the catalogues of all places you would wish to buy something at once.
Future Expansions
The app will be expanded beyond the US. They’re one of the top 5 best e-commerce platforms in the US, and there’s still ample space for them to flourish. They’re quite thrilled about launching the app in the UK, Australia, Canada, and the East – Asian nations. They’re actively working on it.
I can’t believe I am now finding Ibotta, although it’s existed since 2012. Just for shopping, you’ll get your money back? Gladly accept my request. Because of Ibotta, our daily regimen has altered, but it is worth giving a shot.
FAQ
Who is the CEO of Ibotta?
Bryan Leach is the current CEO of Ibotta.
How does Ibotta give money?
Ibotta earns money from its commission partners, ads, and influencer program, and shares the profit with the users.
How much do people earn with Ibotta?
An average Ibotta user earns between $10 to $20 a month.
With all the portals online that provide effortless shopping experience online, it becomes difficult for the consumers to determine the best prices of their desired products. To make this task handy and simpler, Sulakshan Kumar and Sitakanta Ray founded MySmartPrice in 2011.
Read this article to know more about MySmartPrice, how it works, founders, business model, revenue model, challenges, competitors, funding, wiki, and growth.
MySmartPrice is an online engine that compares the prices of mobiles, books, electronics, cameras, and appliances thereby helping consumers make the best decisions.
MySmartPrice mainly helps users solve two basic problems: what to buy, and where to buy. So this platform facilitates the online shopping experience by providing product comparison. Also for categories like footwear and fashion, MySmartPrice has a range of filters like best discounts that help the platform to come up with a consolidated bestseller list with the popular products and their specifications. So all in all, the idea is to provide the users with the best deals but also provide information about all the deals.
So basically, what MySmartPrice does is that it lists the prices of all the products across top eCommerce sites. Because of the dynamic pricing models of the e-commerce portals, these prices are periodically refreshed by MySmartPrice to improve the accuracy of the product pricing. In the cases of extremely popular products, the prices are refreshed every 15 minutes.
This portal makes sure that all possible discounts are informed to the user with embedded coupons so that the user can make wiser purchases. The co-founders had initially started the portal with books and then they gradually moved to mobile phones, comparing prices of various stores. Soon the mobiles category picked up, this portal attracted over 1 Million users a month. The co-founders in the long run also plan to list every single product that is sold in the Indian online space, on the MySmartPrice website.
“If it is sold online in India, it is available on MySmartPrice”, says Sulakshan.
MySmartPrice is all about letting the consumers make a smart and informed decision about their shopping aesthetics. Hence it’s USP is the portal that lets them compare the product prices across all the major platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, ShopClues to name a few.
MySmartPrice – How It Was Started?
MySmartPrice Logo
“We had been planning an entrepreneurial journey for almost eight years but could not muster enough courage. Finally, we felt it was now or never,” said Sitakanta Ray.
Sulakshan Kumar and Sitakanta Ray met in 1998 when they joined NIT Rourkela. After taking their degrees, both the co-founders joined Oracle in Hyderabad. From there they parted ways when Ray joined IIM Bangalore and Kumar joined Infosys.
“Odd as it may seem, I spent time studying management but handled engineering and marketing, while Sulakshan pursued engineering but is today involved in management,” added Sitakanta Ray.
What unites the co-founders is their zeal to take on their entrepreneurial journey. For both of them, their chance at the entrepreneurial journeys looked perfect with the price comparison/shopping research platform for the Indian market ideally because it involved the expertise of both product development and technology. And that’s how Sulakshan Kumar and Sitakanta Ray decided to launch their venture – MySmartPrice.
Sulakshan Kumar and Sitakanta Ray are the founders of MySmartPrice.
Sulakshan Kumar & Sitakanta Ray | Co-Founders, MySmartPrice.
Sulakshan has a Bachelors’ in Mechanical engineering. He is an alumnus of NIT Rourkela, and also has worked with Sitakanta at Oracle. Before launching MySmartPrice, Sulakshan had also worked at Infosys.
Sitakanta is an alumnus of the prestigious IIM Bangalore, with around seven years of working experience with big names Oracle and ICICI Bank.
MySmartPrice – Business & Revenue Model
MySmartPrice as a website allows users to take a detailed look into the best products ranging from mobiles, electronics, computers, fashion and lifestyle, cameras, books, appliances, and personal care. As we know that the price comparison engine on the portal enables users to find the best price, deals, and offers from major e-commerce stores.
So directly or indirectly, it allows users to access over 10 million products from more than 100 online and offline stores. MySmartPrice also provides exciting things like coupons, offers, gifts without hiding information. MySmartPrice gets revenue as a service paid for each successful transaction done through the portal.
This portal has partnered with a lot many online and offline stores and there it charges a commission for lead generation. With conversion rates going up, revenues also rise. More than 80% of the revenue for MySmartPrice comes from the affiliate income i.e., a commission from promoting affiliate products on the site, and close to 18% of the revenue is generated from advertising and online directory services.
One of the major challenges MySmartPrice faced was when they started in 2010. This challenge was a limited budget. So to reach their target audience, it stuck to its core value of creating a robust product and focusing on Search Engine Optimization to get the first few customers onboard. This tactic really helped the company in developing a strong product range and retaining a large customer base.
There was one other challenge that the company faced in its initial days of inception. It was the very hurdle of attracting the right talent in the organization. However, MySmartPrice as a company never compromised on the kind of human resources it was looking for to build a team. To date, acquiring the right people continues to remain a big challenge, but the problem today is to choose the right talent rather than attracting more candidates.
MySmartPrice – Competitors
MySmartPrice has quite a few competitors in the market. For instance, Smartprix is perceived to be one of the biggest rivals of the company. Other competitors include companies Buyt, PriceRaja, Junglee, PriceDekho, MagicPrix, to name a few.
MySmartPrice has received total funding of around $12 million till now.
Date
Stage
Amount
Investors
2012
Seed Round
$370K
Helion Venture Partners, Accel Partners
January 2014
Series A
$1 Million
Helion Venture Partners, Accel Partners
MySmartPrice is funded by 2 investors – Helion Venture Partners and Accel Partners.
MySmartPrice – Growth
Initially, the company had ventured into just offline listing. Soon it went on to online and offline listings in cities like Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Delhi MySmartPrice claims to have offline partners generating business worth $2-3M every month. More than 4 million users across the country make use of the service every month.
MySmartPrice – FAQ’s
What is MySmartPrice?
MySmartPrice is an online engine that compares the prices of mobiles, books, electronics, cameras, and appliances thereby helping consumers make the best decisions.
Who is the founder of MySmartPrice?
Sulakshan Kumar and Sitakanta Ray are the founders of MySmartPrice.
What services does MySmartPrice provide?
MySmartPrice mainly helps users solve two basic problems: what to buy, and where to buy. So this platform facilitates the online shopping experience by providing product comparison.
Who are the investors of MySmartPrice?
MySmartPrice is funded by 2 investors – Helion Venture Partners and Accel Partners.
Who are the competitors of MySmartPrice?
Smartprix is perceived to be one of the biggest rivals of the company. Other competitors include companies Buyt, PriceRaja, Junglee, PriceDekho, MagicPrix, to name a few.
MySmartPrice – Conclusion
MySmartPrice is a high-growth venture-backed startup that runs the largest comparison shopping site in India with over 20 Million user visits per month. They help people easily find ‘what to buy’ and ‘where to buy from’ and help them make better and wiser purchases. The company is present across multiple categories including Mobiles, Electronics, Computers, Books, Apparel and Shoes, Fashion accessories, Home décor etc. MySmartPrice aims to provide users with the best price of products both among online stores as well as the local retailers near them.
Degrees in hand, but are India’s graduates job-ready? Not really, a huge percentage of students who pass out from higher educational institutions every year are “not employable”. In a quick overview, Foxmula is an EdTech company, with headquarters in Bangalore, providing Training, Certifications & Internships for the most in-demand domains like Data Science, Machine Learning, Asset Management, etc. Both Online & Offline. All the programs are industry-oriented, keeping beginners and intermediates in mind. Everything starts from scratch.
Read this article to know more about Foxmula, how it works, products, founders, tagline, business model, revenue model, future plans, wiki, and achievements.
Foxmula offers industry-oriented skills, global certifications, job placement courses, and exposure via industrial internships through its self-paced e-learning programs. The company aims to address the skill gap existing among undergraduate students that often leads to decreasing their employment chances once they hit the competitive world.
In the short term, the startup wants to create an ecosystem of job-ready students by promoting practical exposure and curriculum based on international standards of professionalism. Its short term goal is to refine services so that students can understand if they are willing to pursue a certain subject and make it their top career choice.
“Although we offer the most in-demand and growing domains of the industry, we do not want our students to commit a long time and effort without realizing whether they are strongly inclined to pursue a career option in that domain. Hence, our interesting mix of certifications and internships over 2-3 months is ideal to get the optimal window to make a career decision”, says Ayush Bansal, CEO of Foxmula.
You can use discount coupon code “FOX15” and get 15% discount for Foxmula’s essential program.
Foxmula – Target Market Size
Though the Indian EdTech landscape is still at a nascent stage as compared to its global counterparts, yet most students and their parents have come of age to realize that one size does not fit all. Even EdTech companies have transitioned from being a collator of study materials to an interactive platform providing students with career-shaping tools.
Foxmula targets students in the higher education segment who are interested in choosing a career in ever-expanding technology space. Its curriculum is built in a way that students can use the platform to not just hone their skills but also take a litmus test to find their own calling. Even the recent public health scare has given a positive thrust to the EdTech companies as most learning schools are opting for digital platforms to continue imparting education.
The inspiration came from the founders’ lived experience. Before founding Foxmula, Ayush and Shubham operated another start-up called Inversion Consultancy that worked as a service provider to help micro, small, and medium enterprises with their IT, PR, and HR needs. It was here that they noticed the skill-gap between the theoretical education that was imparted at college and the practical knowledge needed to survive in a work environment.
Even during their formative years, Ayush and Shubham, co-founders of Foxmula, got heavily influenced by mentors who attended to special learning needs and addressed their curiosity. Their love for certain subjects was more than others solely because of the teacher and his unique teaching methods. That made all the difference.
“The inspiration for Foxmula came from our understanding of the need to create measurable differences in students’ engagement and performance. Our intention is not just to reduce gaps in the delivery of education but also to give a new dimension to the education space”, recalls Ayush Bansal and Shubham Sharda.
Hence, this unique learning platform brings top-notch subject matter experts who impart their knowledge on complex fundamentals of machine learning, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, data science while clearing learners’ queries.
Foxmula – Products/Services
At present, Foxmula’s offerings are divided into two programs – Foxmula X and Foxmula Y.
Foxmula X
Under Foxmula X, it offers an intensive Bootcamp focused to solve the issue of underemployment. The program comprises online technology courses that are structured to train students and make them ready to hit the job market armed with advanced skills and confidence. The program involves industry-standard tests and exams, expert coaching from industry leaders and domain experts, resume building and mock interview preparations, accent neutralization, and personality development modules, and guaranteed job placement of 4 LPA at no upfront fee.
Foxmula X
Foxmula Y
Foxmula Y equips students to learn and earn global certifications from eminent tech giants such as Microsoft, SAP, AWS, IBM, and MSMEs to name a few, that are recognized by multiple MNCs. Learners then get further opportunities to apply their knowledge on industry-led offline or online tech internships. This program is targeted at those who want to be proficient at cutting edge tech domains and have a fulfilling career in emerging technologies.
Shubham Sharda and Ayush Bansal are batch mates from the Ramaiah Institute of Technology (MSRIT). They both completed their engineering in information technology and came up with the idea of Foxmula when they were in the third year of college. They came up with the idea together and looked after every small factor to build the right platform.
The current company size is ~45 people. The company has department leads to handle all operational challenges, manage respective teams, and implement key business processes for the smooth functioning of the organization.
Foxmula – Name, Tagline and Logo
Shubham spent sleepless nights coming up with a unique yet catchy name for the product so that it resonates well with young graduate learners, the company’s key target group, and brings to life the brand voice as well.
Foxmula Logo
Those who take up science courses for higher education revolve their lives around formulas since it is the fundamental element to solve most questions. Foxmula too is striving to solve a persistent pain point in the existing education system by incorporating smart and clever techniques to impart education. Hence, the name Foxmula.
Foxmula works on a commission-based business model. It charges 17% of a student’s salary on or above 4 LPA after they get placed post-completion Foxmula X program. For Foxmula Y, the program is priced in a very affordable bracket of INR 20,000 to INR 35,000 depending on the course material covered. Foxmula, bootstrapped with an initial investment of INR 50,000, has clocked more than INR 1 crore in revenue, in less than one year.
The startup’s revenue model is structured on the two programs that it is currently offering on the digital platform. Since it offers guaranteed placement under the Foxmula X program, it charges 17% of a student’s salary for two years once he receives a job offer of 4 LPA or above.
Now, for Foxmula Y that involves 80-90 hours of intensive live sessions and training from expert industry mentors, the startup charges a fee in the bracket of INR 20,000 to INR 35, 000. This program also comprises internships from global firms. They have also tied-up with five international universities to impart subject knowledge to students opting for the Foxmula Y program.
Foxmula is also expanding this program to train resources from the B2B segment since reskilling them has become imperative for resource optimization of B2B companies. The revenue is divided into two segments. 60% of the profit is spent on trainer and employee salaries while the remaining 40% is saved for research and development and business development initiatives.
Foxmula – Funding
It is currently Bootstrapped, with an initial investment of INR 50,000.
Foxmula – Startup Launch
The founders were lucky to be supported by well-wishers and friends who helped them build the products from the development stage, followed by editing learning videos, acquiring leads through word of mouth publicity. These set of friends acted as the core brand ambassadors and helped the company sail through during the days of inception.
“I remember we were eight of us including Shubham and me. We didn’t follow any specific strategy to ‘crack’ the first 100 users who saw value in our learning platform. It was an uphill task no doubt, but a very rewarding one”, recalls Ayush about the startup launch.
Foxmula’s primary focus was on enhancing the quality of its programs in terms of user experience, content, and support system. Then it expanded its ambassador network to almost every premium college in the country and sourced leads from there.
They did not resort to traditional online and offline marketing as they needed to reduce customer acquisition costs (CAC). The startup partnered with AWS, Certiport, SAP, and became a Microsoft Authorized Education Partner. It spent less on marketing efforts and relied on organic growth for sales conversions.
Foxmula – Startup Challenges
One of the key hurdles that the founding team faced was to earn the trust of target customers, that is, graduate students in the tech space. Since there is a recent boom in the EdTech landscape, students too are often confused to put their money as they are unsure of the return on their investments. What worked best for Ayush and Shubham was that they, as founders, belonged to the same demography as that of the target customers.
“We knew the challenges of these graduates better than anybody else and could address them first hand. Of course, we undertook in-depth research to develop the quality of our products and with persistence could deliver a superlative experience to our enthusiastic career-focused learners. All this cumulatively played its own significant role in overcoming the initial hurdles and developing a differentiated product”, says Ayush and Shubham.
The startup will soon launch Foxmula Z where it will onboard product-based companies and upskill their employee base and recalibrate their roles. Its objective is to teach and develop existing employee strength so that they are prepared for progressive job roles and are equipped with new-age skills to address the needs of such technological evolution.
In the near future, it also has plans to launch a unique teaching technique that will reduce the need for rote learning that is present in India’s education system. This will be an exclusive, one-of-a-kind product and once it is developed, Foxmula will soon apply for a patent grant as well.
Foxmula – Recognition and Achievements
The startup is recognized as one of the top 100 startups by Startup Turkey and one of the top 9 EdTech startups by TecLabs organized by Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico.
Foxmula – FAQs
What is Foxmula?
Foxmula offers industry-oriented skills, global certifications, job placement courses, and exposure via industrial internships through its self-paced e-learning programs.
How does Foxmula make money?
The startup’s revenue model is structured on the two programs. Since it offers guaranteed placement under the Foxmula X program, it charges 17% of a student’s salary for two years once he receives a job offer of 4 LPA or above. For Foxmula Y that involves 80-90 hours of intensive live sessions and training from expert industry mentors, the startup charges a fee in the bracket of INR 20,000 to INR 35, 000.
Who are the Founders of Foxmula?
Ayush Bansal (CEO) and Shubham Sharda (COO) are founders of Foxmula.
What internships are offered by Foxmula?
The internship is under Foxmula and it’s network/sister-concern companies like Inversion Consultancy (under the partner network of Microsoft, SAP, AWS, IBM, and more). The internship is Industrial. You’re given with options of industrial projects, to choose one from, all requiring your freshly earned skills. You’re supposed to work on it and submit when done on our Laboratory (instructions for which will be provided). Doing that industrial project is the Internship for which you receive an Internship Completion letter with details and recommendations.
Foxmula – Conclusion
Foxmula aims to emerge as the topmost learning platform for students who desire to make a mark in the domain of technology. They want the student fraternity to choose them over other tech platforms as the most credible name to upskill themselves in cutting-edge technology and implement those skills in the professional world. The company has plans to expand its processes and services in Dubai that also faces a similar demand-supply gap in the job market.
Vidhi Punamiya
