Priyanka Gill is a powerhouse in the world of entrepreneurship and investing, with a keen focus on supporting female founders. As co-founder of the Good Glamm Group, she’s made waves in the direct-to-consumer space, but her influence doesn’t stop there. Priyanka has also backed startups across various sectors and has taken on a new role as a venture partner where she’ll lead the CXXO initiative to empower women-led businesses. With her track record in advising and mentoring, Priyanka is a true advocate for emerging entrepreneurs.
In this StartupTalky feature, you’ll get an in-depth look at Priyanka Gill’s inspiring journey—her biography, her personal life, her career, the challenges she’s overcome, and the key moments that defined her path to success.
Priyanka Gill – Biography
Name
Priyanka Gill
Birthplace
Punjab, India
Born
2 June 1980
Nationality
British
Education
Columbia Business School and London Business School’s Global MBA Programme (2023)
Position
Indian entrepreneur and Angel Investor, Co-founder, Good Glamm Group , CEO, Good Media Co, Founder & CEO, POPxo – Plixxo
Priyanka Gill hails from a quaint village in Punjab, nestled in the northern part of India. Her educational journey started early, when at just six years old, she was enrolled in an all-girls boarding school—CJM Waverley. From there, she moved on to VDJS, Hisar, another prestigious boarding institution, to complete her schooling. Following these formative years, Priyanka pursued her passion for English Literature at Lady Shri Ram College, one of Delhi’s most esteemed colleges. Her path is marked by a rich blend of tradition and academic excellence, which laid the foundation for her future endeavors.
Priyanka Gill – Career
In 2001, life took a transformative turn for Priyanka Gill when she graduated, got married and moved to London. It was in this new city that her journey as a freelance writer began. Her twenties were an exhilarating time—hosting charity events, organizing art exhibitions, contributing to various publications, and investing in early-stage ventures and Modern Indian Art. This whirlwind phase unfolded against the backdrop of an active family and vibrant social life.
Her love for writing soon blossomed into entrepreneurship with the creation of eStylista, a blog that laid the foundation for what would eventually become POPxo. In 2014, Priyanka returned to India with a bold vision—to build a dynamic and supportive community for Indian women through POPxo, a platform where they could find inspiration, advice, and empowerment.
As POPxo grew, Priyanka partnered with hundreds of brands, realizing early on that Influencer Marketing was on the cusp of taking off in India. Seeing this as a golden opportunity, she began developing a tech-driven platform to harness this growing trend. By 2017, Plixxo was born—a trailblazing platform that supported India’s first generation of influencers, equipping them with the tools to thrive in the digital space.
In 2020, a major shift occurred when POPxo and Plixxo merged with MyGlamm, India’s leading beauty conglomerate. With this merger, Priyanka took on dual roles as Co-founder & President of MyGlamm while continuing as Founder & CEO of POPxo-Plixxo. Her focus is now on content creation, digital marketing, PR and brand development, all while nurturing strong, engaged communities around these brands.
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Priyanka Gill holds < 0.1% in The Good Glamm Group
Priyanka Gill, alongside her husband Raj Gill, a London-based independent trader, holds an impressive spot at number 33 in the Asian Power Couples Hot 100 by Red Hot Curry. But her influence extends far beyond rankings.
Over the years, she has played a pivotal role in driving several charitable efforts. Take, for example, the Pratham Gala, which she co-chaired in 2009 and 2010—raising a staggering GBP 3 million for the cause.
Then in 2011, alongside Michael Van Clarke, she helped pull together GBP 300,000 at the Hare Ball, supporting Great Ormond Street Hospital. By 2014, her philanthropic journey continued with the Akshaya Patra Gala, another initiative where she served as co-chair.
Her leadership in philanthropy didn’t stop there—Priyanka served on the advisory board for the Savitri Waney Trust from 2017 to 2019 and is also a patron of the British Asian Trust. If you’ve attended any of the exclusive fundraising events at Missoni or Fendi, chances are she was behind it, always using her influence for a greater cause.
And then there’s her love for modern Indian art—a passion that began with a collection featuring iconic artists like Tyeb Mehta, S.H. Raza, MF Husain and F.N. Souza. What started as an overlooked selection by mainstream collectors turned into something truly special. When Christie’s held its first auction in India, Priyanka’s collection found its moment, not only gaining recognition but also fetching a substantial profit. This speaks to her ability to spot potential where others may not—whether in art, business or charity.
Priyanka Gill – Good Glamm Group
In September 2021, Priyanka Gill took on the role of Co-founder with the formation of the Good Glamm Group, a digital-first powerhouse of beauty and personal care brands. The group’s vision is bold—to become the “Digital CPG Conglomerate of the Future.” Backed by a substantial USD 100 million investment, the Good Glamm Group is dedicated to scaling, acquiring and building innovative brands that millions of users can love and trust. For those interested in entrepreneurship, Priyanka launched Dream Build Scale, an exclusive podcast on Spotify. The podcast provides a candid, insider’s view into the challenges and triumphs of building brands, with each episode offering valuable insights and actionable advice through laid-back, friendly conversations.
Priyanka Gill – Coluxe
In February 2025, Priyanka Gill launched Coluxe, a lab-grown diamond and gemstone jewelry brand focused on sustainable luxury. The brand has raised angel funding, though the amount and investors are undisclosed. Coluxe will launch online in mid-2025, with plans for retail expansion. The collection includes solitaire rings, pendants, earrings, bracelets, and necklaces, with zodiac-themed and gifting options. The brand also integrates AI-powered virtual try-ons and customization options.
When exceptional creator brands unite, incredible things unfold. That’s exactly what happened when Plixxo, MissMalini, Winkl, and Vidooly came together to launch The Good Creator Co.—India’s largest creator ecosystem. This initiative is set to empower millions of creators, helping them scale their work and achieve financial independence. It also provides brands with the simplest solution to collaborate with creators on a larger scale. With seed investment from the Good Glamm Group, the Good Creator Co. has transformed Plixxo’s original vision into a comprehensive creator ecosystem, bringing us closer to the Good Glamm Group’s goal of integrating content and commerce seamlessly.
In addition, The Good Media Co. stands as one of India’s premier digital media companies, encompassing platforms like POPxo, ScoopWhoop, MissMalini, Tweak and BabyChakra. With an impressive 200 million monthly active users generating 4 billion impressions each month, the impact of this collective is undeniable. Priyanka Gill took on the role of CEO of Good Media Co. in September 2022, driving forward the company’s mission and vision.
Furthermore, Priyanka served as a founding board member of CXXO, backed by Kalaari Capital, alongside esteemed leaders like Vani Kola, Shradha Sharma, Lathika Pai, and Paroma Roy. In this role, she was dedicated to #LevelThePlayingField for female entrepreneurs, ensuring their voices and visions are heard and celebrated in the business landscape.
In February 2025, Priyanka Gill departed from her role as a venture partner at Kalaari Capital to launch her new venture, Coluxe.
Priyanka Gill – Investments
Some standout companies in Priyanka Gill’s investment portfolio include Yieldify, POPxo, and Raptor Supplies.
Date
Company
Sector
Round
Round Amount
Co-Investors
Nov 06, 2015
POPxo
Consumer
Series A
$2 million
Hussein Kanji, Namrata Bostrom and 10 more
Priyanka Gill – Awards and Recognitions
Priyanka Gill Receiving Young Business Woman Awards at the CNBC Young Turks Conclave 2018
Priyanka Gill has been awarded with various awards, some of them include:
2018: Young Business Woman Awards at the CNBC Young Turks Conclave
2018: Nominated for The Economic Times Startup Awards 2018
2018: Young Woman Entrepreneur of the Year at Conclave and Awards
2019: BW 40 Under 40, Businessworld
2020: 100 Technology Leaders, Impact
2023: Featured among The Most Influential Women in the Startup World
Priyanka Gill – Top Quotes
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Don’t let anyone tell you that you are not enough! Believe in yourself and keep marching forward. My natural tendency is to micro-manage. I am constantly fighting it.
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Believe in yourself and keep marching forward. One of the biggest learnings from my journey as an entrepreneur. A company is nothing without the amazing people who power it.
FAQs
Who is Priyanka Gill?
Priyanka Gill is the co-founder and CEO of POPxo, a digital community for millennial women, in 2014, which later merged with MyGlamm in 2020. She is now the co-founder of the Good Glamm Group and CEO of Good Media Co.
Which is POPxo Parent organization?
Good Glamm Group Good Media Co is the parent organization of POPxo.
What brands are owned by Good Glam Group?
Brands that are associated with Good Glamm Group include MyGlamm, POPxo, Plixxo, BabyChakra, The Moms Co, ScoopWhoop, St Botanica, MissMalini Entertainment, Vidooly, Winkl, and more.
Who is Priyanka Gill’s husband?
Priyanka Gill’s husband is Raj Gill, an independent trader based in London. Together, they have earned recognition, securing the 33rd spot in the Asian Power Couples Hot 100 by Red Hot Curry.
Rajan Anandan is an Angel Investor and businessman who currently serves as the Managing Director of Sequoia Capital India. He was born in 1966 in Sri Lanka. After schooling, Anandan went abroad for his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering and completed them at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University.
Rajan Anandan served as the top executive in big tech companies. Before Sequoia Capital Anandan was the Vice President at Google India and the SEA region, Managing Director at Microsoft India and Vice President at Dell India. He was also a partner at McKinsey for 11 years from 1992. His passion for technology and hard work have taken him to a higher position in globally acclaimed companies.
Besides being an executive and a businessman, Rajan Anandan is an active Angel Investor. In the last 13 years, he has made around 80 personal investments in multiple startups. This article covers the entire investment portfolio of Rajan Anandan over the years.
The following are the companies that have received funds from Rajan Anandan as an Angel Investor:
Smytten
Industry: Wellness and Beauty Care Investment Amount: $1.3 million (With Other Investors) Funding Round: Seed
Smytten – Rajan Anandan Funded Startups
Smytten is an online wellness and beauty care startup that offers some new and exhilarating shopping experiences for its customers. The company also offers a free trial of over 500 Indian and International brands along with some exciting benefits and discounts.
Smytten raised a funding of $15 million through a Series A round in May 2022. Earlier, Smytten received a Seed Fund of $1.3 million on April 11, 2016. Rajan Anandan along with a few other investors was a part of it.
InnovAccer
Industry: Healthcare Investment Amount: $2.5 million (With Other Investors) Funding Round: Seed
InnoAccer – Rajan Anandan Funded Startups
InnoAccer is a healthcare enterprise software company based in San Francisco. This platform curates and brings in all the information on healthcare and innovations in the industry and makes it accessible to everyone in need.
Through a Series E round held in December 2021, InnovAccer raised funding of $150 million from various investors. Rajan Anandan has also been one of the investors in InnovAccer during its Seed Round where it raised $2.5 million.
Indifi Technologies
Industry: Finance Lending Investment Amount: $18.8 million (With Other Investors) Funding Round: Venture Capital
Indifi Technologies – Rajan Anandan Funded Startups
A sum of $18.8 million was invested by the investors, including Rajan Anandan, in November 2021 through the Venture Capital round. Also, an undisclosed sum was invested by him in Indifi Technologies during the Seed Round.
WebEngage
Industry: Customer data and marketing automation Investment Amount: $100K (With Other Investors) Funding Round: Angel
WebEngage – Rajan Anandan Funded Startups
WebEngage is a B2C customer data and marketing automation platform that helps companies to boost their revenues. WebEngage assists companies to personalize their website & application and launching targeted campaigns.
This startup received debt funding of $930k from investors in October 2021. WebEngage also received an Angel Investmentof $100k from Rajan Anandan in October 2011
It is an online platform that offers store space for sellers to sell their products online. Instamojo integrates all the services like payments, marketing and shipping into its platform and offers simplified solutions. This company also offers online payment services for businesses.
Instamojo received an undisclosed amount through the Venture Capital round of funding held in June 2021. In May 2013 Instamojo managed to procure $500K as a Seed fund and an undisclosed amount during the Angel Round in July 2012. Anandan was a part of all the above investments.
Dunzo
Industry: E-Commerce Investment Amount: $3.7 million in 2020 and $650K in 2016 (With Other Investors) Funding Round: Series E and Seed
Dunzo – Rajan Anandan Funded Startups
Dunzo is an e-commerce platform that delivers groceries, food, meat, medicines, fruits and vegetables in big cities. It also offers pick-up and delivery services within cities.
Ranjan Anandan invested in Dunzo during its Series E funding in December 2020 and Seed funding in March 2016. The company received funding of $3.7 million and $650K in the respective rounds.
Omnify is an online platform that helps businesses with booking and scheduling solutions in their day-to-day operation. This cloud-based platform also supports businesses with CRM, billing, staff and payment management.
Omnify went through two rounds of Seed Funding in which Anandan has invested. The first round of funding took place in April 2017 and the amount secured was $150K. In October 2020 Omnify went through the second round of funding and the amount remains undisclosed.
Industry: Software Development and AI Investment Amount: $2 million (With Other Investors) Funding Round: Seed
NAYAN – Rajan Anandan Funded Startups
NAYAN is a visual search engine that uses AI-powered software to find details on visuals and images. This platform offers a real-time search facility that can be used to find anything in the public domain. This company received a Seed Fundingof $2 million in January 2020.
AskSid is an e-commerce site that uses AI to offer conversational solutions to customers and deliver a seamless shopping experience for them. This company was acquired by GupShup in April 2022. Rajan Anandan along with Krishnakumar Natarajan invested an undisclosed amount in AskSid during its Angel Round in October 2020.
PlusPin Healthcare partners with pharmacists, clinics, diagnostic centres and doctors to provide affordable healthcare services to people. It guides people with authentic and appropriate medical support in times of need.
Rajan Anandan invested $675K in PlusPin Healthcare along with a few other investors. The company raised this fund through Seed Round.
Freshtohome
Industry: E-Commerce Investment Amount: $11 million (With Other Investors) Funding Round: Series A
Freshtohome – Rajan Anandan Funded Startups
Freshtohome is an online platform that sells fresh fish, meat and chicken online and delivers it to customers’ doorstep at their convenient time. Freshtohome services are available in major cities. The company claims to sell only chemical-free and antibiotic-free fish and meat through its online store.
Freshtohome managed to procure $11 million in its Series A round of funding. Rajan Anandan has participated in Freshtohome’s Venture and Series A funding rounds.
StyleDotMe is an Augmented Reality fashion platform that enhances the jewellery shopping experience of users. This SaaS platform uses MirrAR software that helps users to view themselves in different jewellery and share them on social media.
On May 5, 2019, StyleDotMe received an undisclosed amount as Seed Fund from Rajan Anandan and other investors.
simsim
Industry: E-Commerce Investment Amount: $1.3 million (With Other Investors) Funding Round: Seed
simsim – Rajan Anandan Funded Startups
It is a platform that connects customers with local suppliers and sellers. simsim posts expert review videos on products and sellers. This helps the customers to know their quality. This startup also offers product recommendations in fashion, beauty, kitchen appliances and many more areas.
Rajan Anandan participated in the Seed Funding round of simsim where the startup raised $1.3 million. He later made an exit from the company.
Codejudge
Industry: Software Development Investment Amount: Undisclosed Funding Round: Pre-Seed
Codejudge – Rajan Anandan Funded Startups
Codejudge makes the process of hiring easy and valuable in the tech industry. It uses real-world projects to determine the skills of the developer. This platform simulates and automates the hiring process and helps identify the right person for the team.
Codejudge received an undisclosed amount from the Pre-Seed round of funding in January 2019.
Signzy
Industry: Software Investment Amount: $3.6 million (With Other Investors) Funding Round: Series A
Signzy – Rajan Anandan Funded Startups
Signzy is a software platform that provides AI-powered solutions to banks and other financial institutions. It helps the banks improve their speed and accuracy in dealing with customers and day-to-day operations.
Signzy obtained a $3.6 million fund on November 20, 2018, through a Series A funding round.
Trell
Industry: E-commerce Investment Amount: $1.3 Million (With Other Investors) Funding Round: Pre-Seed
Trell – Rajan Anandan Funded Startups
Trell is a social platform where users can create video reviews on various products and services in categories like fashion, technology, gadgets, movies, etc., This startup allows users to create reviews in 10 Indian languages.
GamingMonk is an eSports gaming platform that conducts online competitive games and events among the gaming community. The company offers its games both online and offline and they can be played either on mobile phones, PC or consoles.
GamingMonk collected $514K through Seed Round. After investing in a seed round, Rajan Anandan exited the company.
PregBuddy is a SaaS platform that serves as a connecting element between hospitals or doctors and expecting mothers. This AI-based software keeps track of mothers’ medical needs and assists them with required healthcare tips.
PregBuddy has been recognized by companies like Google and Apple. Anandan invested an undisclosed amount in the Seed Funding of PregBuddy in April 2018.
Buttercups was an online lingerie platform that used to sell its products exclusively on its online platforms. Unfortunately in 2019, its founder announced that she is closing her company for unsaid reasons.
Rajan Anandan funded Buttercups early in 2018 during its Venture Round. The amount of the investment remains undisclosed.
Industry: Cyber Security Investment Amount: $2.2 million (With Other Investors) Funding Round: Seed
Safe Security – Rajan Anandan Funded Startups
Safe Security is a cyber risk management company that offers assistance and evaluation on cybersecurity and digital business risks. The company claims it as the global leader in its field of operation and a pioneer in cyber risk quantification.
Rajan Anandan along with a few other investors offered $2.2 million to Safe Security during its Seed Round.
myUpchar is a wellness and healthcare platform that offers online medical support from experienced healthcare experts for a small fee. It offers expert solutions for all problems and doubts related to health.
myUpchar received $257K as a Seed Fund from various investors in September 2017.
Inclov is a SaaS platform that is involved in the business of match-making for differently-abled people. It is the world’s first online platform to offer such a service. The company was established in January 2016 in Mumbai.
Funding for the Seed Round took place in September 2017 when Inclov managed to secure $257K from investors.
EasyGov
Industry: Government Investment Amount: Undisclosed Funding Round: Angel
EasyGov – Rajan Anandan Funded Startups
EasyGov is an AI-powered startup that was established to develop an interface between the government and the citizens. The main goal of EasyGov is to take government plans and schemes more accessible and understandable to the people of our country.
The company received an undisclosed amount as an Angel Investment from various investors including Rajan Anandan. He later revoked his investment and exited from EasyGov.
With an aim of supporting farmers, Crofarm functions as a supply chain platform that procures fresh farm products at the right price from producers. These products are then sold to both online and offline retailers. Crofarm received $748K as Seed Fund on August 15, 2017, from various investors.
Monsoon Credit Tech – Rajan Anandan Funded Startups
Monsoon Credit Tech is a fintech startup that works with various banks and financial institutions to help them with money lending. This SaaS platform uses AI-powered software to analyze client data and approve lending options. This company through its Angel Investment round received an undisclosed amount in July 2017.
Karza Technologies – Rajan Anandan Funded Startups
Karza Technologies is another SaaS platform that works with banks to secure loans for its customers. It also helps to avoid loan fraud and data theft from such financial institutions.
Karza Technologies received a Seed Funding of $388K from investors. Later, Rajan Anadanan exited the company for some reasons.
Innov8 Coworking
Industry: Co-working Space Investment Amount: Undisclosed Funding Round: Pre-Seed
Innov8 – Rajan Anandan Funded Startups
Innov8 provides workspaces for business and professional people that enable them to work together with their community. The company’s beautiful workspaces are now available in around five cities.
Innov8 went through a Pre-Seed round of funding where it received an undisclosed amount from investors. Rajan Anandan exited the company after a few years.
Wishberry is a crowdfunding platform that was designed to help creators and artists in securing funds to empower their work. Its main aim is to inspire and encourage creative ideas and activities.
Rajan Anandan invested in Wishberry during its Seed Round in January 2017. The amount of this investment remains undisclosed. Whereas, the amount received through another Seed Round in October 2014 was $652.7K.
Tinychef
Industry: AI and Cooking Investment Amount: $352.6K (With Other Investors) Funding Round: Angel
Tinychef – Rajan Anandan Funded Startups
Tinychef is a culinary platform that offers curated recipes and content based on one’s taste and preference. It is an AI-powered voice recognition software that helps its users turn a home cook with some amazing and delicious food recipes.
Rajan Anandan made both personal and partnered investments in Tinychef. The personal investment was during its Angel Round when the company raised $352.6K. later in 2018, Anandan partnered with Swamy Kotagiri to invest $540.8K in the company.
Rapido started with an innovative idea of bike taxis in India. With their unique concept and adverse marketing strategy, Rapido became quite popular among people. Rapido operates in over 100 cities in the country.
Rapido on October 19, 2016, received an undisclosed amount as a fund from investors through a Seed Round.
Maya
Industry: Women Healthcare Investment Amount: Undisclosed Funding Round: Angel
Maya – Rajan Anandan Funded Startups
Maya is a health tracker app that keeps track of women’s menstrual cycles through a mobile app. This company was earlier known as Plackal Love Cycles.
Maya went through the Angel Round of funding and procured an undisclosed amount from Rajan Anandan and other investors. He later made an exit from the company.
Fulfil.IO helps online retailers with managing and automating their operations and focusing on customer experience and marketing. It helps the businesses in managing orders, finance, inventory, warehouse and many more
Fulfil.IO is another startup that has kept information on its Seed Round undisclosed hence, the amount of investment remains unknown. Anandan was a part of that particular round.
Leflair is an e-commerce platform that sells products on fashion, beauty and furnishings. This Vietnam-based company also sells products from over 2300 luxury brands. Leflair made $750K in its Seed Round held on May 31, 2016. Anandan later revoked his investment and left the company.
Unacademy has become a household name in India. It is an e-learning platform that offers numerous learning aids and lectures on diverse areas of education. It was started with the motto of giving a better learning experience for the students in the country.
HashLearn is another e-learning app that tutors students with content based on actions. It makes learning fun and interesting. This company was acquired by Byju’s in 2021.
HashLearn went through a Venture Round of funding and secured an undisclosed amount in March 2016. Anandan exited the company in its later stage.
Smartcooky
Industry: Media & Entertainment Investment Amount: Undisclosed Funding Round: Angel
Smartcooky – Rajan Anandan Funded Startups
Smartcooky is a venture of NDTV that was established to sell healthy foods and personal care products. It also publishes articles and information on food and health regularly. But NDTV shut the company in 2017 without giving any formal reasons for its closure.
During its Angel Round, Rajan Anandan invested an undisclosed amount in Smartcooky.
AppVirality is a referral marketing SaaS company that customizes, analyzes and automates customer referral activities. This helps the businesses to pitch their growth plan on the right path.
AppVirality received $500K as a Seed Fund from investors. This funding happened during the third quarter of 2015. This startup went through another round of Seed Funding in early 2015 when it collected $465K from Anandan and a few others.
Zenatix is a venture of Hero Electronix that was established in 2013. It is an asset management company based on IoT. Zenatix provides infrastructural solutions for construction that helps to minimize energy consumption and increase and maintain the structure’s life.
A Seed Fund of $200K was received by Zenatix from investors in 2015. However, Rajan Anandan exited the startup later.
Little Black Book
Industry: Events and Lifestyle Investment Amount: $150K (With Other Investors) Funding Round: Seed
Little Black Book – Rajan Anandan Funded Startups
Little Black Book is a site that helps to identify the best and most recommended products, places, local experiences, destinations and many more.
Little Black Book procured $150K from investors during its Seed Round of funding.
Mypoolin is an online payment application that helps users to send and receive money using UPI. The company was started with the main goal to provide simple and convenient solutions for payment-related activities.
Anandan left the company and took back his support for unsaid reasons. Before exiting Mypoolin he invested in the company’s Seed Round.
Dazo is a food startup that enables its customers to look for and order their food from the restaurants of their interest within seconds of opening its app. The company partnered with a few hotels to provide this service. But within a year of its inception, Dazo was forced to shut down due to a lack of funds.
Rajan Anandan invested in this startup during its Seed Round. Dazo managed to procure $236.6K from investors during its initial days.
Mapmygenome
Industry: Healthcare Investment Amount: $1.5 million (With Other Investors) Funding Round: Angel
Mapmygenome – Rajan Anandan Funded Startups
Mapmygenome is a diagnostic company that offers solutions to health issues based on genetic tests. It combines the genetic test results with the health history of the patient to arrive at a better solution for the problem.
Mapmygenome collected $1.5 million from our Angel Investor and others during its Seed Round.
InstaLively
Industry: Video Streaming Investment Amount: $120K (With Other Investors) Funding Round: Seed
InstaLively – Rajan Anandan Funded Startups
InstaLively is a platform to broadcast LIVE events with easy and simple procedures. This software also links the live stream to your Youtube channel directly. InstaLively was later acquired by Hike Messenger in 2017.
InstaLively made an amount of $120K in its Seed Round which was held on March 2, 2015.
ZipGo
Industry: Transportation Investment Amount: $3 Million (With Other Investors) Funding Round: Seed
ZipGo – Rajan Anandan Funded Startups
ZipGo is a commute service that is available only for members and reservors. Regular commuters can book a seat in this on-demand AC bus service using the ZipGo app. It offers its services between many cities and states.
The company attracted investors with its innovative ideas and received a sum of $3 million in the Seed Round itself.
GiftCardsIndia carries numerous ideas for gifts for all the occasions. It also offers gift cards and gift vouchers with fantastic designs and exciting prices. This startup is a one-stop shop for our gifting needs.
In the Venture Round of funding that was held on November 11, 2014, this startup received an undisclosed amount as an investment.
POPxo
Industry: Health & Lifestyle Investment Amount: $500K (With Other Investors) Funding Round: Angel
POPxo – Rajan Anandan Funded Startups
POPxo is a hangout space exclusively for women where they talk and share anything of their choice. It operates in a wide variety of categories like fashion, food, travel, lifestyle, fitness, etc., POPxo is now available in 6 languages. POPxo procured $500K from investors during the Angel Round.
Socialblood Inc
Industry: Healthcare, Social Media Investment Amount: $96.5K (With Other Investors) Funding Round: Seed
Socialblood – Rajan Anandan Funded Startups
Socialblood is an online platform that was designed to bring together blood donors and the people in need of blood. Facebook serves as its major operation base which makes it easier for the startup to bring in more donors.
Sociablood went through two rounds of Seed Funding and received $36.5K and $60K in them. Rajan Anandan invested in both rounds.
SocialCops
Industry: Information Technology Investment Amount: $320K (With Other Investors) Funding Round: Seed
SocialCops – Rajan Anandan Funded Startups
SocialCops is a data intelligence company that has partnered with various organizations and governments to collect and publish data. These data, in turn, are used to make crucial decisions and future assessments.
In the Seed Round held in July 2014, SocialCops managed to receive a fund of $320K from investors.
LetsVenture is a company that acts as a support system for startups. It helps the new ventures raise investors’ money by finding the right source with possible means. LetsVenture has grown to become a trusted source among investors.
Rajan Anandan participated in the Seed Round of LetsVenture and became a part of the total investment of $650K.
Ciafo is a software company that is involved in the creation of software based on customer needs. In simple terms, this startup is involved in the business of web-based consumer products. Ciafo was funded with $245K during its Angel Round.
Avaz
Industry: Software, Language Learning Investment Amount: $550K (With Other Investors) Funding Round: Seed
Avaz – Rajan Anandan Funded Startups
Avaz is a company that develops software named ‘Awaz’ to help people with speech disabilities. This tool gives voice to people with autism and helps them communicate their thoughts. A sum of $550K was invested in Avaz as a part of its Seed Round held in April 2014.
Frrole is a consumer intelligence platform that gathers and analyzes customer data to give business owners, sales persons, or hirers market insights. Similar to Ciafo, Frrole was given $245K from Anandan and other investors during the Angel Round.
Threadsol
Industry: Business Intelligence, Fashion Investment Amount: $200K (With Other Investors) Funding Round: Seed
Threadsol – Rajan Anandan Funded Startups
Threadsol is software that helps manufacturers in planning and buying fabrics for their production. It reduces time and makes the process seamless using its innovative technology. The company Coats acquired Threadsol in December 2018.
In the Seed Round that happened in 2014, Threadsol received an investment of $200K from investors. Rajan Anandan made no further investment in the company and also revoked his initial investment made during the Seed Round.
TravelKhana
Industry: Food Delivery Investment Amount: $2 million (With Other Investors) Funding Round: Seed
TravelKhana – Rajan Anandan Funded Startups
TravelKhana is a food delivery app but on a train. The food gets delivered to your seat on time when ordered. This app can track trains in real-time to make on-time food deliveries. A whopping sum of $2 million was pumped into TravelKhana by Rajana Anandan and other investors as a part of its Seed Round.
Airwoot is a customer support platform that offers real-time support to customers in need of assistance. Its intelligent customer experience software automatically identifies the customers in need and helps businesses conserve time. Airwoot received an undisclosed amount from investors during its Angel Round in August 2013. Anandan later left the company and took back his investment. The reason for his exit remains unknown.
Designed as the functional programming language, transforming data is the major purpose of Dataweave. It also helps to analyze public data in a uniform format on the web. On April 25, 2013, Dataweave received a Seed Fund of $270K from multiple investors for developing its business.
Lumos Design Technology – Rajan Anandan Funded Startups
Lumos Design Technology was established with a motto to make cycling and cyclists safer with the use of modern technologies. It manufactures backpacks, solar chargers and other consumer electronics that are used for traveling. A sum of $32K was offered to Lumos Design Technology by Anandan and others during the Angel Round.
Industry: Digital Marketing Investment Amount: $4 million (With Other Investors) Funding Round: Series A
Mobilewalla – Rajan Anandan Funded Startups
Mobilewalla is a consumer intelligence platform that provides solutions for companies, brands and agencies. It is a Singapore-based company founded in March 2011. It analyzes consumer data with AI to arrive at a perfect result.
Mobilewalla received a huge sum of $4 million from a Series A funding round that was held in February 2013.
Myshaadi.in is an online startup that offers wedding-related services. It helps people with profile personalization and finds the best wedding partner for their life. Myshaadi.in received an undisclosed amount from angel investors like Rajan Anandan and others during the Angel Round held in April 2012.
Aurality is a software developed by Aurality Technologies Pvt Ltd. This platform helps people convert texts from blogs, articles, and news sites into audio format quickly and easily. Aurality received $300K from investors as a Seed Fund.
Reach Accountant offers the best service that can replace the accountant in one’s office. It performs the daily and monthly accounting services that an office requires. The data are stored online, hence it becomes accessible anywhere anytime. The fund received by Reach Accountant from investors during its Angel Round was not revealed by the company.
MissMalini Entertainment
Industry: Media and Entertainment Investment Amount: Undisclosed Funding Round: Angel
MissMalini Entertainment – Rajan Anandan Funded Startups
Rajan Anandan exited the company after investing an undisclosed amount during its Angel Round of funding.
authorSTREAM.com
Industry: Software Investment Amount: $5 million (With Other Investors) Funding Round: Series A
authorSTREAM – Rajan Anandan Funded Startups
authorSTREAM is a web platform that allows users to upload and share PowerPoint presentations. The presentations can be shared through Youtube, blogs websites, etc., authorSTREAM received a whopping sum of $5 million from its Series A round held in December 2010.
Conclusion
The above are the startups that received funds from Rajan Anandan. Instead of focusing on the startup’s sector, Anandan gave importance to the founder’s vision, passion and clarity towards their business. He never failed to support a team with the said qualities. The number of investments he made shows his passion and love for startups and budding entrepreneurs.
FAQs
Who is Rajan Anandan?
Rajan Anandan is an Angel Investor and businessman who is the MD of Sequoia Capital India.
Which are the top startups funded by Rajan Anandan?
Some successful startups funded by Rajan Anandan are:
POPxo
Dunzo
Unacademy
GamingMonk
Trell
Rapido
Appknox
MissMalini Entertainment
LetsVenture
Smytten
InnovAccer
Indifi Technologies
What is the net worth of Rajan Anandan?
Rajan Anandan’s net worth is expected to be over $1 million.
In this fast-paced world, where the speed of women is always compared with that of men, long gone has the time when women lagged. The exponential growth of women in all possible areas of interest has proven how unstoppable feminine energy has become. One of the many fields where women are leaving a significant mark is the startup industry. With every passing year, there is a notable amount of growth in the unicorns led by women. The entrepreneurial venture is welcomed more warmly than ever with every passing quarter.
MyGlamm’s Valuation: $1.2+ Billion Year Founded: 2014 Unicorn Status: 2021
MyGlamm – Women-Led Startups That Turned Unicorns
Founder and CEO of POPxo, Priyanka Gill is now a successful entrepreneur, journalist, and angel investor. She started her journey by starting a digital community platform for women- POPxo. It was started in 2014 to engage millennial women with content related to Personal care, beauty, and Fashion. In no time POPxo emerged as the largest digital platform with roaring popularity. Later in 2021, Gill joined Darpan Sanghvi (MyGlamm) and Naiyya Saggi (BabyChakra) to establish “The Good Glamm Group” to form a house of brands. They further strengthen each other’s position in the beauty and personal care market to rule the Digital FMCG industry.
Naiyya Saggi – BabyChakra, MyGlamm (The Good Glamm Group)
The Good Glamm Group Valuation: $1.2+ Billion
Year Founded: 2021 Unicorn Status: 2021
Naiyya Saggi – Founder, The Good Glamm Group – Women-led Unicorn Startups of India
Also known as the founder of BabyChakra, who is also the Co-founder and the President of MyGlamm, and the Co-founder of The Good Glamm Group along with Priyanka Gill, Naiyya Saggi is counted as one of the most successful young woman entrepreneurs in India. She completed her MBA from Harvard Business School, where she was a Fulbright and J.N.Tata scholar, after obtaining a BALLB (Hons). Saggi served as a Business Analyst at McKinsey & Company, and eventually, after completing her MBA, she founded BabyChakra, then became the Co-founder and President at MyGlamm, and eventually became the Co-Founder of The Good Glamm Group, when Darpan Sanghvi, Priyanka Gill, and Naiyya Saggi from came together to establish The Good Glamm Group in September 2021.
Falguni Nayar – Nykaa
Nykaa’s Valuation: $12.86+ Billion Year Founded: 2012 Unicorn Status: 2020
Nykaa’s name stands with one of the very few female-led profitable unicorns. Falguni Nayar, an IIM Ahemdabad alumni quit her job at the age of 49 in 2012 to finally set a rolling pin for her entrepreneurial journey that was sitting in her head for a long time. Nykaa gained instant popularity among Indian women due to its wide range of beauty segments. The Falguni Nayar-led company turned unicorn in 2020 and is hailed as the first women-led unicorn startup in India. After the Nykaa IPO, which was oversubscribed 81.78 times, the company managed to catapult its valuation to more than $12 bn, and Falguni Nayyar, who owns more than 53% stakes in the company, turned to be the richest self-made female Indian billionaire.
Upasana Taku is the founder of MobiKwik, one of the most prominent Indian payment service providers that offer mobile phone-based payment systems and digital wallet services. Bipin Preet Singh and his wife, Upasana Taku, founded MobiKwik in 2009, the valuation of which reached $1 bn in October 2021.
Upasana Taku is a Stanford University graduate who completed her MS in Management Science and Engineering from the same university. Starting as a Business Analyst, Product Management at HSBC, Upasana founded MobiKwik, where she is still serving the role of the Chairperson, Cofounder and COO. Taku was also the Senior Product Manager at PayPal, Consultant at multiple companies and the Co-founder of ZaakPay.
Divya Gokulnath – Byju’s
Byju’s Valuation: $18+ Billion Year Founded: 2011 Unicorn Status: 2018
Divya Gokulnath, a businesswoman and a teacher, happens to be the co-founder and the Director of Byju’s. Byju’s is an Indian educational technology (EdTech) online tutoring firm. It was founded in 2011 by the power duo – Byju Raveendran and Divya Gokulnath. Over the years the tutoring app has evolved and grown into one of India’s most valuable unicorns with a current valuation of $18 billion. Divya Gokulnath has played a key role right from the beginning by offering the expertise she had as a former teacher.
Ghazal Alagh – Mamaearth
Mamaearth’s Valuation: $1.2+ Billion Year Founded: 2016 Unicorn Status: 2022
Founder of Mamaearth, Ghazal Alagh, and her story has caught the eyes of many Indians after starring as an investor in the reality show called shark tank. Her brand, “Mamaearth” offers a wide range of skincare, and beauty products and is very popular among Indian households. Mamaearth was founded by Ghazal and her husband Varun Alagh in the year 2016. Her goal is to make the beauty industry chemical toxicity free.
Rajoshi Ghosh – Hasura
Hasura’s Valuation: $1+ Billion Year Founded: 2017 Unicorn Status: 2022
Rajoshi Ghosh happens to be a National University of Singapore and Stanford Ignite alumni. Hasura went from being a home-cooked food delivery company to a Software-as-a-service company. It was founded by Rajoshi Ghosh and Tanmai Gopal in the year 2017. In 2022, it entered the unicorn club soon after raising $100 million in series C funding.
Gazal Kalra – Rivigo
Rivigo’s Valuation: $1.07+ Billion Year Founded: 2014 Unicorn Status: 2019
Gazal Kalra along with Deepak Garg visioned revolutionizing truck driving in India by establishing Rivigo Services. It was founded in 2014. It is a tech-enabled Cargo service offered in India. In the year 2019, the company turned into a unicorn. Gazal quit the company’s board in 2018. She is currently working on her new startup, which is in stealth mode.
Dr. Garima Sawhney is a Gynecologist by profession. She, along with Harsimarbir Singh and Vaibhav Kapoor founded Pristyn Care in the year 2018. Pristyn Care focuses on availing surgeries and treatment with ease to the masses. The company has a widespread partnership with over 500 hospitals spreading out in the major cities of India. The healthcare-tech startup entered the $1 billion club when it raised around $100 mn in funds via its series E round in December 2021.
Ofbusiness’ Valuation: $1+ Billion Year Founded: 2016 Unicorn Status: 2022
39-year-old Ruchi Kalra has been into the startup game for quite a long time. Ofbusiness was founded by Ruchi and her husband Ashish Mahapatra in the year 2016. The company is one of the best raw materials supplying startups in India, which is known for offering a wide range of products at the lowest prices. Ofbusiness turned unicorn in July 2021 and is currently valued at $1.5 bn. The financial services arm of Ofbusiness, Oxyzo is also a unicorn that achieved the unicorn valuation in March 2022. Kalra recently made a statement that her company is all set for its Initial Public Offering.
Smita Deorah – LEAD
LEAD Valuation: $1.1+ Billion Year Founded: 2012 Unicorn Status: 2022
Smita Deorah – Co-CEO and Co-Founder of LEAD
Smita Deorah is the Co-Founder & Co-CEO of LEAD. It was founded in 2012 by Sumeet Mehta and Smita Deorah. LEAD is a technology-based school Ed-tech company that focuses on transforming the education system in India, ensuring high-quality education for children. LEAD is also a unicorn, and now under the guidance of Smita Deorah, it is giving some of the major players like Unacademy, Byju’s, UpGrad, Vedantu, and Eruditus a cut-throat competition.
Ambiga Subramanian – Mu Sigma
Mu Sigma’s Valuation: $1.5+ Billion (2018) Year Founded: 2004 Unicorn Status: 2016
Dhiraj Rajaram, Ambiga Subramanian’s ex-husband, launched Mu Sigma in 2004. After their divorce, Dhiraj took over as CEO, in addition to being the former CEO of a data analytics service provider with offices in Bangalore (Karnataka) and Illinois (Chicago). Ambiga is also India’s very first youngest rich woman who is self-made. With her devotion and expertise, she turned the company into a high-profit-making machine, establishing herself as one of the first self-made women to turn a company into a unicorn in no time. Mu Sigma has last been valued at $1.5 billion, in 2018. The former founder CEO, COO, Head of Innovation, and Head of Talent.
Conclusion
In the Indian startup ecosystem, women have broken the glass ceiling of prejudice and have proved themselves as able leaders, guiding their companies to unicorn valuations and letting them achieve many feats. It is crystal clear that over the recent years, this number kept growing several folds. From Ghazal Alagh’s “Mamaearth” to Priyanka Gill’s “The Good Glamm Group” and Falguni Nayyar’s “Nykaa”, the women entrepreneurs of India have left no stone unturned to bring the companies they’re leading to greater heights. Indian female entrepreneurs have surpassed the limits of age, qualification, and many other stereotypes and climbed the ladders of great opportunities fearlessly. According to surveys, with women leaders sitting at the top, the culture of the companies also has improved significantly over time.
FAQs
Who are the top female entrepreneurs in India?
A list of the Top Female Entrepreneurs in India are:
Falguni Nayar
Naiyya Saggi
Priyanka Gill
Ghazal Alagh
Upasana Taku
Kiran Mazumdar Shaw
Vandana Luthra
Indra Nooyi
Vani Kola
Radhika Ghai Aggarwal
Supriya Paul
Malini Agarwal
Which are the top startups led by women?
Top women-led startups that turned into unicorns are:
MyGlamm (The Good Glamm group)
Nykaa
Byju’s
MobiKwik
Mamaearth
MobiKwik
Hasura
Rivigo
Pristyn Care
Ofbusiness
LEAD
Mu Sigma
Who are the women who lead billion-dollar startups in India?
Some of the most prominent billion-dollar startups led by women in India are:
Priyanka Gill – MyGlamm (The Good Glamm Group)
Naiyya Saggi – The Good Glamm Group
Falguni Nayar – Nykaa
Upasana Taku – MobiKwik
Divya Gokulnath – Byju’s
Ghazal Alagh – Mamaearth
Rajoshi Ghosh – Hasura
Gazal Kalra – Rivigo
Dr. Garima Sawhney – Pristyn Care
Ruchi Kalra – Ofbusiness
Smita Deorah – LEAD
Ambiga Subramanian – Mu Sigma
How many unicorns does India have now?
India has over 100 unicorn startups, as of May 2022.
Which are the women-led highest-valued startups in India?
Nykaa is the highest valued startup in India led by Falguni Nayar with a valuation of $12.86 Billion.
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 POPxo.
POPxo is India’s largest online community for millennial women to read, watch, purchase, and hang out, which was founded in 2015. POPxo brings a welcoming and empowering environment that encourages women to live their best lives.
POPxo is aimed to merge content and commerce, which started as content and eventually had its own private label brand. POPxo’s articles, videos, and social networking material are in six languages – English, Hindi, Marathi, Bangla, Tamil, and Telugu – which has attracted over 39 million monthly users who spend over 3 million hours across all of the company’s platforms.
POPxo also partners with the leading companies to increase its reach and engage its audience. The whole platform runs on the basis of content that fascinates young girls. Furthermore, it also features on its website, Bollywood news, life hacks, retail listicles and more.
POPxo was acquired by MyGlamm’s parent, The Good Glamm Group on August 7, 2020. The six-year-old company’s investors – Chiratae Ventures, Kalaari Capital, and Neoplux Venture Capital have joined the board of MyGlamm soon after the acquisition. Furthermore, Priyanka Gill, the founder of POPxo also joined MyGlamm as a cofounder. Here’s all about POPxo, its Founders and Team, Business Model, Revenue Model, Services, Funding, FAQs, and more.
POPxo – Company Highlights
Startup Name
POPxo
Legal Name
Luxeva Limited
Headquarters
Gurgaon, Haryana
Sector
Beauty, Health & Lifestyle
Founded
March 2014
Founders
Priyanka Gill and Namrata Bostrom
Parent Company
The Good Glamm Group
Operating Revenue
$1.61M in FY19
Funding
$12.4 mn (2021)
Number of Employees
251 to 500
Website
www.popxo.com
Popxo – Latest News
January 24, 2022 – Popxo parent, The Good Glamm Group acquires Organic Harvest, a beauty and personal care D2C startup led by Rahul Agarwal.
October 1, 2021 – Popxo enters the Indian cosmetic industry with a Makeup Collection from Myglamm.
POPxo has been founded in 2014 as India’s largest online community for women that offers discussions, content, and products across a wide range of domains including fashion, beauty, lifestyle, work, and more. Founded by Priyanka Gill and Namrata Bostrom, PopXo offers millennial women an excellent platform where they can read, watch, shop, and hang out. Along with exclusive products across brands, PopXo also offers text and video content in a manner that is accessible via social media on mobile and PCs across the web. PopXo has last reported having crossed the 9 million mark in terms of user acquisitions every month and has boasted of witnessing over 102 million monthly engaged content views.
Popxo was acquired by MyGlamm in August 2020 and has since served as a subsidiary of MyGlamm, which eventually turned into The Good Glamm Group in September 2021. The Popxo parent, MyGlamm includes The Moms Co, St Botanica and Sirona, along with other content platforms – POPxo, Scoopwhoop, and BabyChakra, as per January 2022’s reports, and has already turned unicorn in November 2021, thereby being hailed as the first beauty commerce unicorn company of India.
Popxo – Industry
The Indian industry comprised of online personal care and beauty brands and products are estimated to reach $4.4 billion by 2025. There is also likely to be a 4X increase witnessed in the number of shoppers of beauty and personal care products online, which was last reported to be 25 million in FY20 and would be going up to 110 million in FY25.
Popxo – Startup Story
The Popxo is founded by two dynamic women – Priyanka Gill and Namrata Bostrom. During 2012-13 there was no content platform at scale in English for women. So, this was the point when they thought of creating a useful platform for women and began Popxo in March 2013. Priyanka Gill first started Estylista in September 2013 in London for the NRI women, which is popularly known as the base of PopXo. For the first few years, the company started working out of London and raised its first institutional round of funding.
Initially, Popxo created content that enthused women who love to delve into fashion, beauty, lifestyle, wedding, relationships, work, fitness et cetera. The most popular things that attracted women to the Popxo website are hair and skin protection, and other products.
The greatness of the website lies in the production of 1500+ articles in six languages that the Popxo website was last recorded to be publishing every month. The team understood the audience well and presented articles in the same way, which lead to content creation to adding relevant videos. Today, the platform produces 60-70 videos a month and generates 100-150 million views a month. The duration of videos is between 3-7 minutes. Furthermore, they even produce web series.
Priyanka is the Co-Founder and President of MyGlamm and the Founder and CEO of POPxo and Plixxo. She lives in London with her husband and two children as a digital media entrepreneur and storyteller. She enjoys working with creative and entrepreneurial people, particularly women, and considers it a privilege to be in their company. She is now enrolled in a joint London Business School and Columbia Business School EMBA – Global program, said her Linkedin profile post dated May 24, 2021.
Her passion for writing merged with entrepreneurship when she started her own site, Estylista, which is now known as POPxo. She returned to India in 2014 to create POPxo, envisioning her company as a safe and engaging community that helps Indian women lead their lives. Influencer marketing seems to be on the verge of breaking out in India. As a result, she began developing a tech-enabled platform to take advantage of this enormous opportunity. Plixxo was released in 2017 and is powered by PopXo. It was here that India’s first generation of influencers grew up. Priyanka Gill has experience serving as a freelance writer and editor and an investor and board member for several companies. She eventually served as an advisor at PolkaRare and a seed investor of Kalamint, a role that she is still continuing with. She co-founded The Good Glamm Group on Darpan Sanghvi and Naiyya Saggi in September 2021 initially with the merger of MyGlamm, PopXo, and BabyChakra.
POPxo’s Plixxo also joined MyGlamm, India’s premier beauty conglomerate, in 2020, marking a watershed moment and a watershed year. Three powerful brands merged to form one incredible enterprise that goes by the name The Good Glamm, the parent company of MyGlamm in August 2020 and since then, Gill has been appointed as the Cofounder of the latter.
Namrata Bostrom was the co-founder of PopXo, who has also been the CEO of the company as well from the initial phase of the company and stepped down from the role in March 2017. Bostrom is an Economics student who has The University of Oxford and London Business School as her alma mater. Bostrom earlier served as a Consultant at The Boston Consulting Group, and as a Sales and Product Strategist at EDITED before co-founding PopXo. After leaving the role at PopXo, Namrata joined Facebook, the company that she is still aligned to as the Product Management Lead.
PopXo initially had a team of 15 people working together, which eventually grew to include more than 200 employees strong.
POPxo Founder and CEO – Priyanka Gill talks about POPxo
PopXo’s vision has always been “to build a content-community-commerce platform for women.”
The mission of the company was to help the users find their inner natural glow. Now, as a part of The Good Glamm Group, PopXo’s mission is aligned with the mission of its parent, which aims to build the global Digital FMCG Conglomerate of the Future.
Popxo – Name, Tagline and Logo
PopXo Logo
PopXo’s tagline has said, ‘Take it up a POP!’ – and we live and breathe it with everything we do.
Popxo – Business Model
Popxo targets millennial women aged between 18-35 with a range of products across diverse industries including fashion, beauty, lifestyle, wedding, wellness, and entertainment. The company has recently forayed into the cosmetics industry. The social community platform for women has entered the cosmetics industry, which is currently valued at $20 billion with a Makeup Collection by MyGlamm. MyGlamm has acquired Popxo towards the end of last year, and this development has come almost a year after that.
This new makeup collection is termed POPxo Makeup Collection by MyGlamm and will include nail kits, face kits, eye kits, and lip kits in order to cater to all makeup needs. The entire range is reported to be priced under Rs 499 per product in an effort to stay within the affordable limits for younger women. The Popxo Makeup Collection powered by MyGlamm will be sold on the MyGlaam app and website along with being available at popular company stores and kiosks across the country.
Popxo – Revenue Model
Sponsored content is the initial source of revenue. The company approaches brands and claim to have a large audience. Popxo knows what people want and can assist you in selling. The company made content for them, including social media and video content. That comes first while influencer marketing comes in second. Ads come in third, and e-commerce comes in fourth.
Popxo’s money comes from sponsored material, which accounts for half of our total. Influencer marketing accounts for 40% of income. They started selling online in the fourth quarter of the previous fiscal year.
Fashion– POPxo allows you to stay up to speed on the latest fashion trends by reading fashion articles and watching videos. Thefashion experts of the company provide the users with everything they need to stay on-trend, from styling advice to shopping hotspots and must-have items. The platform also offers the latest news on fashion in both western and Indian. It also provides the best tips and fashion hacks that suit you. This platform also offers the latest updates on celebrity attires (both Bollywood and Hollywood).
Beauty– The team of beauty specialists is committed to providing the users with the best services available in the industry. The beauty section has it all, from unbiased product reviews to makeup hacks to skin and hair care advice. The users get updates on skincare, makeup, hair, bath & body, nails, hair products, beauty products and DIYs.
Lifestyle– POPxo also offers related content from a wide range of topics. It provides the consumers with popular articles across all categories, from travel and education to sex and relationships.
Wedding– Wedding planning can be as stressful as you imagine, which is why Popxo is also there to assist. The wedding area keeps young brides-to-be up to date on the latest trends. POPxo has all you need to know about weddings, from bridal makeup to honeymoon ideas.
Wellness– Overall wellness, according to POPxo, is at the heart of a healthy lifestyle. So, if the consumers want to live a healthier life, check out Popxo’s wellness section which has articles on managing stress and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Entertainment– Popxo will make sure the users get the best of everything from the comfort of their homes on laptops or mobile phones, from movie recommendations to what’s going on in the lives of their favorite celebrity.
Popxo is home to all feminine things. POPxo’s online store, which includes items such as home decor, beauty, clothes, face masks, mobile accessories, stationery, rakhi presents, and more, is an attempt to make online shopping for women in India more enjoyable!
POPxo has raised a total funding of $12.4M in over 7 rounds of funding. POPxo is funded by 21 investors. Neoplux, IDG Ventures, Summit Media, Oppo, Kalaari Capital, STRIVE, Chiratae Ventures are the lead investors of POPxo.
Date
Round
Amount
Lead Investors
Apr 25, 2018
Series C
$5M
Neoplux, Oppo
Mar 1, 2018
Series B
$750K
–
Mar 16, 2017
Series B
$3.3M
Chiratae Ventures, STRIVE
Nov 5, 2015
Series A
$2M
500 Startups, Chiratae Ventures, Kalaari Capital
Nov 1, 2014
Angel Round
$500K
—
Jul 1, 2013
Seed Round
$300K
—
Popxo – Growth
PopXo grew considerably with a well-knit team of 33 people in its textual content team. Let’s look at some of the prominent milestones that PopXo managed to attain throughout the years:
It has drawn over 39 million users per month
PopXo has delivered content in over 6 languages
The startup has seen over 10.18 mn visiting its content across the mobile app in a month
PopXo claims to have 1.6 bn monthly social media impressions
Popxo – Startup Challenges
Founded by Priyanka Gill and Namrata Bostrom, ideating, founding, and growing PopXo was difficult for two independent women entrepreneurs, which both of them managed really well, earning themselves quite a name in the industry. The first challenge for PopXo was to expand the content it produced and the kind of content produced by the website. The challenge that followed was the creation of an app. Even here PopXo absolutely nailed it. The website witnessed an overwhelming 500K initial downloads!
Popxo – Competitors
Though Popxo, when it was launched, was the sole platform focused on confident and educated women, which speak to them directly without taking down to them, PopXo has been a lot of companies competing with it once it started achieving milestones. Some of the PopXo competitors can be noted as:
ScoopWhoop
Polka Cafe
BuzzFeed
The Business of Fashion
nippon.com
Luxe Radio
The Canberra Times
Popxo – Future Plans
Popxo forayed into the beauty segment with POPxo Makeup Collection by MyGlamm, where both MyGlamm and PopXo are a part of The Good Glamm Group in October 2021 and is currently targeting a revenue run rate of Rs 100 crore in the upcoming 12 months.
Popxo – FAQs
What is POPxo?
POPxo is an Indian online platform specially for women to read, watch, shop and hangout. POPxo covers content related to beauty, weddings, health and lifestyle.
Who started POPxo?
Priyanka Gill has founded POPxo in 2015.
Who is the owner of MyGlamm?
Darpan Sanghvi owns MyGlamm.
Does POPxo creates videos along with content?
Yes, POPxo is able to create over 2000 pieces of content along with 150 videos, 800 stories and a large number of social media graphics.
When it comes to women’s requirements and products, POPxo has proven to have matchless potential. Dubbed as India’s largest digital community for women, POPxo was built as a platform for women to read, contemplate, hang out and shop.
POPxo is famous for creating content based on women’s interests and requirements. The brand mainly focuses on four subject verticals: Fashion, Wedding, Lifestyle, and Beauty. POPxo has built a robust image in the eyes of its customers which has resulted in 39 million active users every month.
The platform provides remarkable and promising product deals and customer services. And the most incredible part is, its application isn’t limited to a few pieces of software. It is available on all kinds of software including Android, iOS, desktop, Google Chrome, and other mobile webs.
POPxo has a very engaging presence in the market as well as on social media platforms. Around 80% of its users are women who spend over 3 million hours on POPxo, every month.
Moreover, POPxo’s digital content gets more than 200 million engagements every month. With such remarkable popularity, POPxo has partnered with over 250 brands for developing and promoting sponsored content with POPxo audiences. POPxo content verticals are available in six distinct languages – Bangla, Hindi, English, Marathi, Tamil, and Telugu. This is expected to bring more customer presence throughout India. In this article, we will be discussing the marketing and business model of POPxo briefly. Let’s get started!
POPxo is one of its kind when it comes to its beauty brands. POPxo was founded in 2015 by Priyanka Gill who is also the CEO of the company. This digital platform is a place for women’s needs and their issues.
POPxo aims for becoming one of the leading renowned digital platforms by the women, for the women, and to the women. The company is very successful with around 39 million customers. POPxo also supports empowering women and brings out the issues women are facing.
POPxo has earned an immense popularity mostly through social media platforms. Recently, the company has modified its ideas and planning and shifted towards a unique style and marketing strategies.
POPxo is divided into many categories of products and content verticals such as Fashion and beauty. It prioritizes women’s needs and provides content and products based on them.
Where does POPxo operate?
As being a digital community platform, POPxo operates on a vast level. Its services are meant for everyone across the country. However, its headquarter is established in New Delhi, India.
Key Products and Services offered by POPxo
POPxo store
POPxo offers tons of products, especially for millennial women in all feasible categories. Its products are exclusive and entirely natural, from non-toxic ingredients, organic and cruelty-free. POPxo provides the best collection of beauty and skincare products.
With its exclusive beauty products, the company focuses on community content.
POPxo mainly targets women between the age group of 18-35. The millennial women are the best and the most beneficial customer group for the company. It connects women through fashion, relationships, lifestyle, and entertainment.
Business Model of POPxo
The business model of POPxo is incredibly strong and beneficial. The marketing plans and strategies are progressive and rationalize its digital values. POPxo concentrates on the social media platforms that bring in the most customer engagement and audience for the company.
POPxo puts out itself in a very effective and innovative manner in the market. It hires influencers and experts to promote the company’s services and products through video content. These digital influencers look for ways to outline the company’s presence effectively in the minds of the audiences. POPxo always looks for more creative as well as distinct ways of marketing.
Recently, POPxo has launched its collection of Beauty boxes in partnership with My Envy Box as a new subscription package deal for the company.
POPxo Beauty Box
Alongside, as the company has put forward its magazine plans, now the company has officially launched its POPxo digital magazine.
POPxo Magazine
The content related to any brand brings the most revenue to the company. POPxo works with more than 250 brands across the country and promotes and distributes its products through its immense popularity and customers base. Moreover, the company has launched its first-ever store where it sells fancy and adorable bags, stationeries, clocks, and accessories.
Conclusion
POPxo is considered the largest digital platform in India with over 39 million active users. POPxo is a brand that holds a very bold and distinct presence in the market and on other browsing platforms. Its contents are available in many languages to provide the convenience of reading and understanding for the customers.
The business strategies of POPxo are absolutely remarkable and expanded through a vast network. Its strategies are based on mentioning the audience for their support on every step of POPxo’s journey. Through this, the company gets more personalized strengths and customer engagement.
FAQ
Who is the founder of POPxo?
Priyanka Gill is the founder and CEO of POPxo.
How does POPxo make money?
POPxo earns from its magazine as well as from its branded content.
What is the revenue of POPxo?
The operating revenue of POPxo was Rs 12.08 crore in FY19.
India has become the world’s 3rd-largest start-up base, with 3,100 start-ups provisionally rising 2.2 times from here. This exponential rise in startups has allowed startup media to appear. These sites now cover all start-ups, whether it be startup stories or news about recent startups, their founders and so on. Some media startups in India that cover these segments are:
POPxo is the largest online community in India for women to read, watch and shop. It’s a safe place for women to lead their best lives- “Take it a POP.” POPxo is designed for the convergence of advertising and commerce from content to private label brand. POPxo posts content in six languages—English, Hindi, Marathi, Bangladesh, Tamil and Telugu—that attracts more than 39 million visitors per month, spending over 3 million hours on all its platforms. Leading brands focus on this key audience with POPxo. All this is enabled by data-driven insights into young women’s lives and hearts in India.
Wittyfeed
Modern day platform blogging for everyone
Indeed, WittyFeed, the article and listicle website, is the largest Indian content company today and the second biggest traffic number company in the world. In the short time since the launch of WittyFeed in 2014, they have been a pioneer, excluding worldwide Buzzfeed. The two founders, Singhal and Vaishnav, have had big success on Facebook as well with 4.2 million followers on the page. “We realized that it was time to monetize the public with this figure. We have also come to the conclusion, with our research and experience, that there is a boggling mind for the number of people in the virtual world, but there is an immense gap in the quality and volume of the content on the offer.”
Pocket Aces
Original Material for the millennium
Pocket Aces from Mumbai produces and distributes original material to the audience of the millennium. In July Netflix collaborated with the Content Studio of Pocket Aces, Dice Media, to produce worldwide scripted shows beginning with the new Little Things season. As more and more people get access to the internet via their phones, their taste is evolving. Right now, there are so many creators who are doing sexist, disability content…its old school, cheap humor. So all focus is on fresh content for the new generation.
Arre
It offers content in film, audio, text, and doodles, spanning diverse genres
Arre is open OTT, which was launched in October 2015, and provides original content both on its own website (arre.co.in & Arre apps & social channels), as well as on 20 platforms. It offers content in film, audio, text and doodles, spanning diverse genres such as fiction, factual entertainment, documentary, social exploration and much more.
Vokal
Where India shares knowledge
For Indian non-English Internet users, Vokal is a peer-to-peer information and opinion-sharing site. Currently, the Bengaluru-based company offers Hindi content and plans to start in several languages. Vokal also has a live video streaming feature and reports that its platform contains more than 300K questions. There are more than a thousand questions on specific subjects every day.
ShareChat
Sharechat is an Indian social media and social networking service, based in Bangalore, India.
Sharechat, a social channel of regional language, saw its valuation shoot seven times last year (2018) in the fundraising round of $100 million (InR 720 cr). Daily active users have increased from five minutes in April-May to eight minutes in September in the Bengaluru business. Sharechat would like to go deeper into micro-markets, including north-east India, before it starts focusing on the monetization of its service through ads, marketing and in-app purchases next year.
Play Simple
Gaming Platform for Indian mobile games market
A few years after raising $3.8 million from the most significant venture capital funds, SAIF partners and Chiratae Ventures, mobile game platform PlaySimple looks forward to making most of 2019. (formerly known as IDG Ventures India). Siddharth Jain and his Zynga, colleagues Suraj Nalin and Preeti Reddy and Siddhanth Jain software engineer, created the Bengaluru-based startup. Estimates indicate that the Indian mobile games market is expected to amount to $1.1 billion by 2020, and there will be 628 million users at that time.
Conclusion
These startup’s are paving the way for all the emerging startups entering in the Indian Market. Start-ups emerged as this country’s growth engine, funded by risk entrepreneurs who spent resources on India in recent years and founders who spent money recruiting employees in crowds. In order to capitalize on the demographic gain, India needs to generate 10 million jobs per year. For the country’s future growth, entrepreneurs are important. It will be a mission-critical endeavor, in order to deliver the promised troika for food, clothing and shelters, to foster the spirit of creativity and to build the skills that support entrepreneurship among our young population.
FAQs
What is a media startup?
A startup that acts as a media for startups is known as a media startup. These sites cover all start-ups, whether it be startup stories or news about recent startups, their founders and so on.
Chaitra S
Nitin Konde
