Tag: 👨‍💻StartupTalkers

Anurag Acharya Success Story – The Man Behind Google Scholar

Anurag Acharya is the key inventor of Google Scholar. He is an Indian-American engineer. He held the title of Distinguished Engineer at Google. Anurag and his colleague Alex Verstak founded Google Scholar.

Google Scholar provides a simple approach to search for scholarly literature. It is a well-developed search engine for a wide variety of disciplines and sources: articles, books, theses, etc. Google Scholar was released in November 2004.

Anurag Acharya- Biography

Name	Anurag Acharya
Born	1966
Born Place	Bikaner
Age	54 (2020)
Nationality	Indian
Education	IIT Kharagpur, Carnegie Mellon University
Profession	Computer Scientist
Known for	Key inventor of Google Scholar
Books	Instant Microsoft SQL ServerAnalysis Services 2012 Dimensions and Cube

Anurag Acharya- Education
Anurag Acharya- Professional Life
Anurag Acharya- Journey to Google
Anurag Acharya- Awards
Anurag Acharya- Origin of Google Scholar
Anurag Acharya- Google Scholar
Google Scholar- User Base
Google Scholar- Extra Services

Anurag Acharya- Education

Anurag Acharya completed his Bachelors in Computer Science from the Indian Institue of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur in 1987. He later did a PhD in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University.

Anurag Acharya- Professional Life

Anurag Acharya was a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Maryland, College Park. He was an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the University of California, Saint Barbara. He successfully established his career as an Assistant Professor but he was partially satisfied. Anurag is currently positioned as a Distinguished Engineer at Google, USA and Key Founder of Google Scholar. Prior to that, he led the indexing group at Google.

Anurag Acharya- Journey to Google

Anurag joined Google in 2000, like a year off from his academic job at the University of California. He was then responsible to examine the technology of Google indexing. His job was to expand the index, significantly gathering all the contents and convincing web administrators as well as publishers, businesses, and government agencies to permit Google to crawl their data. He was subdued with a heavy-duty, which nearly burst him out. He has to keep the index fresh, a weighty job that involved coercing computer science to its limit.

Anurag Acharya- Awards

Anurag Acharya was awarded Distinguished Alumnus Award 2016 in the 62nd Convocation of IIT Kharagpur.

Anurag Acharya- Co-creator of Google Scholar

Anurag was at that point in time, where he would either quit or invent exceptional ideas to add more value to Google. He knew that he was unlikely to display a larger impact in academics than at Google. He gave up his job at academics and decided to continue his indexing job at Google. He further got permission to work with Alex Verstak, another computer engineer to create Google Scholar.

The idea of Google Scholar originated when both the engineers were streaming on ranking websites according to their contents. It was then, they decided to establish a search engine specialized in discovering and blogging literary posts. It was not easy the way they thought it to be. They both faced various challenges from ranking signals that provided the best knowledge to the researchers.

After a number of tests and tweaks, Anurag and Alex showed the prototype to the Co-founder, Larry Page. His instant reaction was “Why is this not live yet?” And the Scholar was live indeed from November 18, 2004.

Anurag Acharya- Google Scholar

Google Scholar Logo

Google Scholar is an accessible search engine for scholarly literature. Google indexes determine what data should be a part of Google Scholar. It basically helps users to discover the text of millions of academic papers, including those behind publishers’ paywalls. It allows the users to find digital or physical copies of articles which includes, journal articles, technical reports, theses, and other documents.

A survey reports that 60% of the scientists said that they use the service regularly. About 100 to 160 million literature queries have been estimated, thus the context is clearly large enough. Their work is basically, to help the users find well-researched articles across the web.

Google Scholar- User Base

It is a fact that Google Scholar does not make Google any money, this is because of the low user interface. However, Google does not pressurize Scholar to make money as most of the googlers are ex-academics themselves.

Google is not killing Scholar any sooner. Instead, the Google Scholar team is expanding and building new features such as personal libraries, advanced features in getting papers to find the scholar. There are various tools available on the internet regarding literature but none of them is as worthy and intellectual as Google Scholar.

Google Scholar- Extra Services

Google Scholar has introduced a series of extra services, including author profile pages and a recommendations engine. These services rose speculations that the search engine is getting transformed into a bibliometrics tool. While Anurag has clearly mentioned that the purpose of adding profiles is to help the users find articles that they need. It is generally a crucial method to find related articles of authors.

People usually learn the name of the authors and it becomes easier for them to find other related articles. An alternative way is to follow authors to access their blogs consistently. While the recommendations engine assists in suggesting topics to the authors.

FAQ

Who is the owner of Google Scholar?

Anurag Acharya, an Indian-American engineer created Google Scholar in 2004 with Alex Verstak.

Who is Alex Verstak?

Alex Verstak is a software engineer at Google who created Google Scholar with Anurag Acharya

What is the net worth of Anurag Acharya?

The net worth of Anurag Acharya is approximately $1 million.

February 15, 2022

How Social Impact is Evolving the Startup Ecosystem

A startup ecosystem is a creative environment to promote entrepreneurship and innovation. These days, startups are taking different approaches with a variety of innovative ideas and products to create Social Impact around the world. They are focussed towards creating social impacts on several sectors – Technology, Education, Health, and others.

Aspire Impact is a Delhi based Impact Rating & Certification initiative. The startup is focused on leadership and ecosystem development in social and environmental impact space.

StartupTalky interviewed Amit Bhatia, Founder & CEO of Aspire Impact to get insights on how he got the idea of building an Impact Rating Startup.

Here is an excerpt of Interview with Amit Bhatia, Founder & CEO- Aspire Impact

In 2020, after concluding my term (2017-2020) as Inaugural CEO of G7’s Global Steering Group for Impact Investment, I was convinced that we will not nudge the Impact Movement past its tipping point unless we get the world to agree on a common standards-based impact measurement system. Whereas there were couple of efforts underway around the world, as former Founding CEO of India’s Impact Investors Council, I believed I could deliver a breakthrough by making Impact empirical and comparable between companies. I believed that if a standardised impact measurement system, which subsumes ESG & Sustainability ratings is created, we will contribute solutions for the apparently intractable challenges like poverty and inequity and make corporations a partner in the solution. It was with this inspiration we created Aspire Impact, a start-up with an ambitious and audacious goal of creating world and India’s first Impact Rating venture.

The ESG, Sustainability & Impact Movement has already attracted $59 trillion worldwide, ~40% of global Assets Under Management (AUM) and is an unstoppable trend. Despite the pressing need to address social and environmental challenges, India has attracted only -1% or $51 billion of this global capital pool: $30 billion in Responsible or ESG Investments, $10.3 billion of sustainable or green investments, and, $10.8 billion of impact investments. The root cause is lack of corporate alignment with impact, as there is no mandatory Sustainability or Impact Reporting framework.

BRSR (Business Responsibility & Sustainability Reporting) for the top 1000 listed companies, India’s version of ESG, with >130 disclosures, requires much synthesis to be valuable. Moreover, the environment is opportune, and the need is clear, as a recent HBS publication of environment costs for top 250 Indian companies shows India Inc. is gravely uncompetitive in the global Impact economy:

Company (2018 or 2019 data)	Environment Cost ($mn)	Net Profit ($mn)	Company (2018 or 2019 data)	Environment Cost ($mn)	Net Profit ($mn)
Tata Power	126,389	365	TCS	4,101	118
Reliance Industries	7,503	4,797	Infosys	2,006	63
State Bank of India	145	99	Godrej Consumer	239	21

Indian corporations must therefore prepare for the era of Impact Accounting, beyond ESG and must adapt to the era of social impact assessment, ratings, and reporting.

On the basis of historical evidence: Financial Inclusion, Renewable Energy, Agriculture, Health, Technology and Education have received the most impact investments over the last decade. However, in the decade ahead- the fastest growth will be delivered by Tech for Good sectors where technology intersects with traditional impact sectors like EdTech, HealthTech and AgriTech.

We believe, India’s immediate goal should be growth with job creation and we have empirical evidence that Impact sectors create 10-14 x more jobs for each $1 mn invested. Therefore, India must focus on three areas:

Catalyse Tech for Good sectors – CleanTech, EdTech, HealthTech, AgriTech, FinTech & FemTech which promise steepest growth, from $65 bn to $177 bn market between 2020 to 2025;
Support specific investment themes. Our analysis of five sectors (Agriculture, BFSI, Education, Water/Waste & Disabilities) shows India can create ~50 million new jobs in 5 years in Dairy Farming (22 mn) Tech-enabled K-12 (3 mn); Digital Consumer Savings Products (1.3 mn) Supplemental & Extra-Curricular Education (1 mn); Student Housing Solutions (1 mn); Neo-Banking (0.6 mn); & Digital Lending (0.5 mn);
Promote Micro Entrepreneurship in rural India, i.e., job creators not job seekers as with small micro loans of INR 2-3 Lacs, a micro-entrepreneur can create self-sufficiency while creating 1-3 local jobs!

How are the key industry leaders supporting the concept of Aspire impact?

Indian leaders realise that to deepen and widen the Impact Movement in India, the leaders must do the following:

Enhance corporate alignment with impact, and in absence of regulatory Sustainability or Impact Reporting, voluntarily publish Impact Reports, to slowly but surely build an Impact DNA for an era of Impact Capitalism for risk management, brand building, fund-raising, future competitiveness and authentic citizenship;
Support research & knowledge, education & training, and, awareness & advocacy about the sector. Last year, 207 India Inc. leaders came together for co-authoring and publishing 8 Impact Future Project reports- a rare collaboration. This year, in 2022, another group will take the initiative forward; and,
Solve the missing piece of the Impact Economy jigsaw- i.e., a standards-based Impact Measurement framework. In 2022, along with partners like Capgemini & University of Chicago’s ESG Centre, 25+ CXOs will release a standards-based framework of Impact Measurement for India- another rare first!

February 12, 2022

Success Story of Vikash Jaiswal: Founder of Gametion & Creator of Ludo King

Vikash Jaiswal is the Founder and Director of Gametion Technologies Private Limited, the company which created the popular gaming app, Ludo King made for Android and IOS. Ludo King has now become one of the most popular game with 180+ million downloads. Also, it is ranked as #1 Top Free Games on Google Play and Apple App Store in India and other south-east countries. Since the lockdown, the app’s revenue has increased from three to four times. In the financial year 2020, Gametion earned a revenue of Rs.44.63 crore and profits upto Rs. 15.96 crore.

Vikash Jaiswal- Biography

Name	Vikash Jaiswal
Born	1980
Age	42 (2022)
Birthplace	Patna, Bihar
Nationality	Indian
Education	MIT Bulandshahar
Profession	Entrepreneur
Position	Founder & Director, Ludo King – Gametion Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
Net worth	$2 Million (2021)
Marital Status	Married
Spouse	Soni Jaiswal

Vikash Jaiswal – Personal Life
Vikash Jaiswal – Education
Vikash Jaiswal – Professional Life
Vikash Jaiswal – Gametion
Vikash Jaiswal – Ludo King
Vikash Jaiswal – Awards
FAQs

Vikas Jaiswal – Founder of Ludo King Developer, Gametion

Vikash Jaiswal – Personal Life

Vikash was born and brought up in Patna, Bihar, India. His father died when he was two years old and his family then survived on his father’s pension. During his early teens, he used to make hand-made greeting cards and gave them to the local shopkeepers to sell. He had a passion to play video games especially in the game parlors. Nintendo Mario games and Road Fighter were some of his favorites.

He is married to Soni Jaiswal. His wife is a business partner at Gametion. She serves as Managing Director of Gametion.

Vikash Jaiswal – Education

Vikash started pursuing Bachelor in Engineering specialized in computer science from Marathwada Institute of Technology (MIT), Bulandshahar in 1999. While studying, he had developed a video game, Eggy Boy in three months which is a seven level jump game similar to Mario. The game was named PCQuest magazine’s Game of the month for July 2003.

Moreover, he took up animation, graphic design, and 3D classes in Patna while continuing to pursue his bachelors at the same time. He completed his graduation in 2004 and thereafter, moved to Mumbai.

Vikash Jaiswal – Professional Life

Vikash Jaiswal started working with a video game publisher company, Indiagames. Ltd., as a tech lead after shifting to Mumbai in 2004. After three years, he left the job in 2008 and established mobile app developing venture, Gametion Technologies Private Limited.

The parent company Gametion launched the popular gaming app Ludo King in October 2015. Ludo King is available in more than 15 languages including English, Tamil, Malyalam, German, Spanish, Hindi, Gujarati, Telugu, Kannada, French, Arabic, Marathi, Italian, Bengali, and Bahasa Indonesia.

The success of Ludo King persuaded Vikash to work on newer titles. Gametion also launched two other board games Carrom King and Sudoku King, which is headed by his wife, Soni Jaiswal.

Vikash Jaiswal – Gametion

After quitting his job, Vikash started his venture Gametion in 2008 with an investment of Rs. 2.5 lakh and a team of seven. He worked at home for two years and officially launched Gametion Technologies in 2010, with a small office at Kharghar, Navi Mumbai.

Initially, the company made browser games and eventually shifted to make games for Android and iOS. The browser games were published on oneonlinegames.com. Vikash serves as the Founder and Director at Gametion Technologies Private Limited.

Gametion is a mobile app developer and publisher that dwells in making popular and trending games for multiple platforms. Moreover, Gametion participated in the IGDC 2019 event, which is one of the most noteworthy game conference in South Asia.

Vikash Jaiswal – Ludo King

The idea of developing an application software for Ludo propagated in his mind when he came across a Snake and Ladders game app in October 2015. Vikash serves as the Founder and Director of Ludo King. He has developed the Ludo King app with one programmer and one graphic designer.

Ludo King was officially launched in December 2016 and got listed in the top charts in May 2017. Eventually, it had over 120 million users worldwide, of which 100 were from India itself and the rest included users from Pakistan, Indonesia, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Brazil.

Ludo King ranks in the top 10 board games category in India. Moreover, the app became the first Indian mobile game to cross 100 million downloads. During the lockdown, it has recorded maximum daily users with around 51 million. The lockdown has cordially increased the audience base of Ludo King and it has become the most successful Indian game till date.

The sudden and huge amount of traffic which arose during the lockdown period was unexpected. The team has not initially planned and developed the application software for such a big base audiences. It took ten days to resolve the crashing problem of Ludo King that usually happened during the afternoon and the night.

Vikash Jaiswal – Awards

At the 19th FICCI FRAMES Best Animated Frames (BAF) Awards, Vikash received the Mobile & Tablet Game: Arcade/Casual International in Gaming for Ludo King.

He has also been recognized as “Icons of Navi Mumbai” by the Economic Times. Moreover, Gametion has been accorded with Bootstrap Champ award at the ET Startup Awards 2020.

FAQs

Who is Vikash Jaiswal?

Vikash Jaiswal is an Indian Entrepreneur who founded Gametion Technologies Pvt. Ltd.

Who is the CEO of Ludo king?

Ludo King is developed by Gametion Technologies. Vikash Jaiswal is the CEO of Ludo King.

Is Ludo king a Indian app?

Ludo King is an Indian mobile game application developed by Mumbai based Gametion Technologies Pvt. Ltd. Gametion is owned by Vikash Jaiswal.

What is the net worth of Vikash Jaiswal?

Vikash Jaiswal has net worth of $2 Million (2021).

January 20, 2022

Changpeng Zhao – Success Story of the Binance Founder

Changpeng Zhao is the founder of the world’s largest crypto exchange Binance. He has turned out to be a true inspiration to many since the company’s inception in 2017. In a span of a few months, Zhao turned the company into the largest exchange platform for the crypto trade. Changpeng Zhao, popularly known as CZ, was valued as the 11th richest person in the world. Recent estimates revealed that his net worth is around $96 billion.

From selling his apartment to buy cryptocurrencies to turning out to be one of the richest people in the world, the life of CZ is something inspiring and exciting to learn about. Let us see where and how Changpeng Zhao’s journey started, his early living and his life as the CEO of Binance.

Changpeng Zhao – Biography

Name	Changpeng Zhao
Born	1977
Birth Place	Jiangsu, China
Nationality	Canadian
Age	44 (2021)
Education	Computer Science, McGill University
Position	Founder and CEO, Binance
Net Worth	$96 billion

Changpeng Zhao – Personal Life
Changpeng Zhao – Initial Career
Changpeng Zhao – Professions in the Crypto World
Changpeng Zhao – Journey as Binance CEO
Changpeng Zhao – Challenges Faced
Conclusion
FAQs

Changpeng Zhao, Binance Founder

Changpeng Zhao – Personal Life

Changpeng Zhao is a Chinese-Canadian business person who was born in Jiangsu province of China on 10th September 1977. Both of his parents were teachers. Zhao’s father was working as a professor in a university and he was exiled after getting labeled as “pro-bourgeois intellect”. As a result, the family moved to Vancouver, Canada by the late 1980s. During his teenage years in Canada, Zaho started working part-time to support his family’s expenses. He used to work at McDonald’s and a few gas stations after his school.

Changpeng Zhao – Initial Career

Changpeng Zhao was a computer science graduate from McGill University, Montreal. After graduation, he started his career as an intern in Tokyo. He worked for a trader on Tokyo Stock Exchange, who asked Zhao to develop software for matching orders in the stock trade. After the initial experience, he joined the Bloomberg Tradebook LLC in 2001 and worked as the head of Futures Development sector for the next 4 years.

Later in 2005, Zhao co-founded a company called Fusion Systems. The company was involved in providing IT solutions and other business consultancy services. Changpeng Zhao remained as a partner in Fusion Systems until the end of 2013 and then entered the world of Crypto.

Changpeng Zhao – Professions in the Crypto World

Changpeng Zhao - Binance Founder — Changpeng Zhao – Binance Founder

By 2013, Changpeng Zhao joined as the head of the development team in Blockchain. Blockchain.com is a company that provides various cryptocurrency-related services. It created a cryptocurrency wallet that has dealt with almost 28% of the bitcoin transactions between 2011 and 2020. Zhao worked in this company for developing software related to crypto wallets.

After working in Blockchain for about a year, Zhao resigned from the company and joined as the Chief Technical Officer in a company named OKCoin. OKCoin, like Binance, was a Crypto Exchange company and is considered to be one of the largest in the world. But Zhao felt that the company doesn’t suit his vision on crypto exchange and he decided to quit his position.

Coming out of OKCoin, CZ founded a company named Bijie Tech. This company provided crypto exchange services to people in Shanghai. It kept serving people for two years from 2015 to 2017, until one day, all the platforms and websites of Bijie tech went dead. There was no information given or clarified from the management regarding the disappearance of the company. But with the death of Bijie Tech emerged a mighty company named Binance.

Changpeng Zhao – Journey as Binance CEO

Binance Logo

Changpeng Zhao’s interest in cryptocurrencies started as early as 2014 while he was playing a poker game with his friend. During that time he got to know about Bitcoin and started investing in it. He even sold his house to buy Bitcoins. Such was his interest in the crypto market. Zhao added experience to his interest by working in various companies.

Bijie Tech slowly disappeared only to bloom as Binance. All the top management and resources of the former company structured Binance. Changpeng Zhao has remained the CEO of the company since its formation in 2017. This cryptocurrency exchange platform is the largest exchange in terms of trading. Binance made Zhao a billionaire within just 180 days of its operation. He has grown to be the 11th richest person in the world with his net worth estimated at $96 billion.

Changpeng Zhao – Challenges Faced

Zhao faced myriad challenges during these 5 years in Binance. China’s stringent policies on crypto forced him to shift the headquarters from the Chinese land to Caymen Islands. The United States Department of Justice has put Binance under investigation for money laundering offenses. Similarly, many other countries like Germany and UK have also raised legal actions or warnings against the company. In fact, in 2019, there was a huge theft of bitcoins from Binance whose value stood around $40 million. Zhao faced all these challenges explicitly including the bitcoin theft. He made sure that the company makes up for all the losses and never let his customers down.

Conclusion

The story of Changpeng Zhao is truly inspiring. Everything we think as impossible was made possible by him. Cryptocurrencies and their market are just getting popular and most people are less knowledgeable or still unaware about it. In such a situation CZ created his own pathway and set a benchmark for aspiring leaders. Zhao created a belief that it is possible to start a business and make it the world’s largest in 5 years. He showed that becoming one of the richest in the world would take just a couple of years. He also proved that despite any hardships from the superpower countries, it is possible to flourish a business in every part of the world. A lot to grasp from such a stimulating personality.

FAQs

Who is Changpeng Zhao?

Changpeng Zhao is the founder of the world’s largest crypto exchange Binance.

When and where was Chengpeng Zhao born?

Zhao was born on 10th September 1977 in Jiangsu province of China.

What is the work of Binance?

Binance is the cryptocurrency exchange platform that helps people trade cryptos for assets.

Which is the largest crypto exchange platform?

Binance is the largest crypto exchange platform in the world.

January 11, 2022

Ankit Bhati: Co-founder at Ola | Biography

Ankit Bhati is the Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Ola Cabs. He founded Ola with his companion Bhavish Aggarwal in 2010. He is also the Co-founder of ANI Technologies. Speculations arose that Ankit Bhati distanced himself from the ridesharing company last year owing to some serious conflicts between him and the founder of the company, Bhavish Aggarwal. Nonetheless, his contribution to the company is way more than such conjectures. So, let us know more about him in the article ahead.

Ankit Bhati- Biography

Name	Ankit Bhati
Born	1987
Birth Place	Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
Age	34 (2021)
Nationality	Indian
Education	IIT, Bombay
Profession	Computer Programmer, Entrepreneur
Position	Co-Founder, Ola Cabs
Net Worth	Rs 1400 crores (2019)
Marital Status	Married

Ankit Bhati – Personal Life
Ankit Bhati – Education
Ankit Bhati – Professional Life
Ankit Bhati – Success Story
Ankit Bhati – ANI Technologies
Ankit Bhati – Ola
Ankit Bhati – Foodpanda Controversy
Ankit Bhati – A Fresh Start with Amnic
FAQs

Ankit Bhati – Personal Life

Ankit Bhati was born in the year 1987 in Jodhpur, India. He currently resides in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. He is considered an introvert who spends his time coding while sitting in a corner. He likes to spend his spare time playing video games with his friends. Ankit Bhati is active on social media platforms including Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

During his academic career, he was not interested in extracurricular activities rather he was more interested in computers. Ankit used to spend most of his time at the computer center. Bhati was less of a guy who would hop to the basketball court in his leisure but more of one who would sit in front of a computer. Ankit also became the administrator in the computer center he mostly used to hang out. Along with diving deep into video games, Ankit also loved to build websites and worked on freelance projects to make money during his college days.

Apart from computers, he has a great interest in cycling and adventure trips that he took where he also tagged his friends along. The idea of building a trip website (Olatrips.com) was initially out of his interest in adventure trips.

“It always is about being able to simplify things,” says Ankit, which is what technology is credited with. Therefore, Bhati stayed confident with their idea of OLA cabs because that also was about simplifying the experience for the customers and the driver-partners.

Ankit Bhati – Education

In 2004, Ankit Bhati took admission to the Indian Institue of Technology, Bombay for a B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering. He knew that the only field where he can grow heights is computer programming and technology. He later got enrolled for M.Tech in CAD and automation and completed his Master’s in 2010. During his college days, he also worked on freelance projects in building websites to make money. After completing his higher studies in Mumbai, Ankit Bhati founded ANI Technologies in Bangalore, Karnataka. He is known to keep a low profile image as he is hardly seen on any event or product launches.

Ankit Bhati – Professional Life

Ankit Bhati started working on several freelance projects in 2009. Bhati contributed to the growth of several startups like Wilcom, Make sense, QED42, and more. It was only in April 2021 that Bhati as a Venture Catalyst has funded a Noida-based Edtech startup – Qin1.

He was highly motivated to start his own company and give up on his authoritative professional life. He further moved on with Ola Cabs journey in November 2010.

Ankit Bhati is a computer programmer and contributed to the Ground Transportation industry. He has 6,231 colleagues in 633 companies situated in 59 countries. Moreover, 1,722 executive movements have been recorded in the last year.

Ankit Bhati, Co-founder and former CTO of OLA, has launched a new startup, as per reports dated January 7, 2022. The startup that goes by the name Amnic is designed to operate as a SaaS startup, co-founded by Nimish Joshi and Satya Nagarajan. Both of the co-founders were Ola executives and held the posts of VP and Head of Strategy and Business Development, and VP and Head of Software Engineering and AI respectively. Amnic will be reportedly operating in the DevOps toolchain space.

Ankit Bhati – Success Story

Ankit Bhati struggled in his old apartment near IIT Bombay, inspecting his intellect to code the Ola website. He vividly recalled those days when he used to save money from his pocket to visit a cyber cafe. He used to spend his time in chat rooms to discover the world of the internet.

When Ankit joined IIT Bombay, he spent most of his time at the computer center. Technology has changed a lot today and he thrives to deal with the challenges on daily basis. His 10 long years of experience has led him to encounter many technical glitches, though he manages to strive the team on. He eventually got to know the importance of data that helped him combat the technical glitches and driver partners for Ola.

Ankit bhati biography | Bhavish Aggarwal Biography

Ankit Bhati – ANI Technologies

Ankit Bhati is the co-founder of ANI Technologies. He founded the company with his college senior Bhavish Agarwal in 2010. ANI Technologies Private Limited is an online transportation company. It offers cab booking, riding, and renting services. Ola Cabs is the portal of ANI Technologies and it serves customers worldwide.

Ankit Bhati – Ola

Ola was launched on 3 December 2010 by Bhavish Aggarwal and Ankit Bhati as the Founder and Co-founder of the ride-sharing company respectively. Initially, Ola was launched to offer holiday packages and weekend trips on Olatrips.com. The business merely changed to, what we today know as Ola Cabs.

Ankit Bhati was responsible to handle the technical facets of Ola Cabs to assure a swift, convenient and spontaneous experience for the customers and partners. Ankit Bhati had mentioned that his mornings in Ola used to start with understanding data. This ritualistically started every day with his gaining insights into the rides that OLA offered and which of them gained the most traction. Furthermore, he also looked into the needs of the customers, the ratings of the drivers, figuring out the quickest routes for drivers, calculating the time taken by drivers to reach a yonder point, whether a passenger would be willing to share rides, and for how long he would wait for the same and much more. Absorbed in all these complexities, Bhati decided to pave way for OLA.

Ola Cabs is one of the fastest-growing startups in India. The tech team of the company today holds over 1,000 people.

Ankit Bhati – Foodpanda Controversy

In 2017, Ola Cabs acquired food delivery start-up Foodpanda to rival Uber Eats. Some serious conflicts arose among Bhavish and Ankit when Ankit agreed to the contract of delivering food through Foodpanda via Ola Cabs. It has also been pointed out that Bhavish had issues regarding the food delivery matter through Ola Cabs.

Speculations arose again when Bhavish restricted Ankit in Ola Electric. Ankit was only a small part of it through ANI Technologies. Ola Electric is Bhavish’s project to build a network of electric charging stations across the country. Bhavish bought 92.5 % of the Ola Electric. This is when Ankit decided to distance himself from the company. However, the distancing and the split of the OLA co-founders, as far as the rumor goes, are nothing but baseless rumors, as announced by Bhavish Aggarwal in his latest statement. The OLA co-founder said, “It’s a shame that baseless rumour-mongering and speculation is being fanned,” while denying the Moneycontrol report.

Ankit Bhati currently holds 7,62,385 shares in Ola’s India operations, which sums to around 25% stakes in the company. Furthermore, Bhati also holds 1,66,185 shares, which amounts to 6% stakes in the US operations of OLA.

Ankit Bhati – A Fresh Start with Amnic

While looking at the professional front, Ankit Bhati had last been associated with Ola Play. However, Ankit had taken what seemed like quite an exit from the day-to-day operations of the firm since the end of 2017. No official statements nor any notice was out on Ankit Bhati’s exiting the company and as we have mentioned Bhati still holds a considerable amount of shares.

Ankit Bhati simply took a break and it is now clear what he was doing in the meanwhile. Yes, we are talking about the new startup Amnic that Ankit Bhati co-founded along with two other Ola execs – Nimish Joshi and Satya Nagarajan. Amnic Technologies will be focusing on the Saas segment in DevOps toolchain space, goes the reports published on 8th January 2022. Furthermore, the report also mentioned that Amnic would be raising $15 Mn- $20 Mn from Sequoia Capital as part of its seed round. Zauba Corp already has this company listed since June 3, 2021, which is “involved in other computer-related activities”, such as maintenance of other company’s websites and creating multimedia presentations. However, confirmation is still pending from the alleged co-founders of Amnic. Their social profiles also refrain from mentioning any updates of the same.

FAQs

Who is Ankit Bhati?

Ankit Bhati is Co-founder at Ola since September 2010.

Where was Ankit Bhati born?

Ankit Bhati was born in 1987 in Jodhpur, a city in Rajasthan, India.

What is Ankit Bhati education?

Ankit Bhati has done B.Tech in Mechanical engineering and M.Tech in CAD & Automation from IIT, Bombay.

What is Ankit Bhati net worth?

Ankit Bhati has a net worth of around INR 1400 crores, when last reported in September 2019.

January 8, 2022

Ankur Warikoo Success Story – From Dreaming to be the First Man on Mars to Founding the Brand ‘Warikoo’

Everyone who has achieved success in life has a story to tell. An event that forever altered their lives and shaped who they are today. An event or an incident that gave them the guts and motivation to fulfill their life ambitions and goals.

There are many motivators and gurus present on the internet today who share knowledge about investments, startups, businesses, financial planning, personal life, and whatnot. There is one such prominent person who is an angel investor as well as a well-renowned YouTuber, Ankur Warikoo. Understand more about this gentleman – Ankur Warikoo’s journey in this writeup.

Ankur Warikoo Biography

Name	Ankur Warikoo
Born	August 25, 1985
Occupation	Entrepreneur, Teacher, Content Creator, Author, Investor
Talks About	Ideas, money, startups, self-awareness, and personal growth
Founder	WariCrew, WebVeda
Co-founder	Nearbuy.com, Accentium Web, SecondShaadi.com, StudyNation.com, Taaza.com,SitaGita.com, Gaadi.com, and AdLift
Education	BSc in Physics from Hindu College, MS in Astronomy and Astrophysics from Michigan State University, MBA in Finance from ISB
Net Worth	$10 Million (Approx)

Who is Ankur Warikoo?
Ankur Warikooo Education
Ankur Warikoo – Personal Life
Ankur Warikoo – Career
Ankur Warikoo- An Author
Story Behind the Brand ‘Warikoo’

Who is Ankur Warikoo?

Ankur Warikoo is a business owner, motivational speaker, mentor, and angel investor by profession. Secondshaadi.com, Gaadi.com now Cardekho.com, and Nearbuy.com are some of the few startups that he co-founded.

Ankur Warikoo was one of the first employees hired by Groupon to launch and oversee its India operations in 2011 as it was its inception time. Deal-hunting was the most popular online activity at that time.

Ankur Warikooo Education

He completed his schooling at Don Bosco School in the capital city, New Delhi. Then he enrolled in Hindu College for a B.Sc. in Physics (B.Sc Physics). After that, he enrolled for Ph.D. in Physics (MS, Astrophysics) from Michigan State University, which he left after finishing his MS. He then went on to complete his MBA (Masters of Business Administration) at the Indian School of Business after returning from the United States.

Ankur Warikoo – Personal Life

Ankur Warikoo is a Kashmiri Pandit who was never born into a wealthy family. But he had a clear idea of what he wanted to achieve with his life, which turned out to be nothing like what he is doing now.

Despite his desire to work for NASA and travel to Mars, life had other plans for him. He dropped out of his Ph.D. program because he was unhappy with his work. Something was always lacking for him. He buried his emotions for years before seeing that this was not the road for him.

Ruchi Budhiraja Warikoo is the wife of Ankur Warikoo. She was Ankur’s love in high school. She met her when he was a student at the Hindu college and she was a resident of Miranda House. They met on the bus on their way to college, where Ruchi and her friends used to perform silly charades virtually every day.

Ruchi is the only one who truly understands and supports Ankur in whatever he does. Uzma and Vidur, are their two children.

Ankur enjoys public speaking and is frequently seen giving talks at corporations, universities, schools, and conferences on topics such as motivation, leadership, consumer internet, and entrepreneurial attitude.

**Ankur Warikoo at TEDxSBSC- Entrepreneurship As A State Of Mind**

Ankur Warikoo – Career

After completing his studies, Ankur landed a position at AT Kearney, a consulting firm. Warikoo worked in the real estate industry and media and entertainment sectors in Dubai, New York, and India while working at Kearney. After getting his MBA, he worked at Kearney for three years until deciding to establish his own business in 2010.

While Ankur was at ISB, along with his batch mates he started his first venture, secondshaadi.com. In those few years after quitting his job, he joined in building various websites across industries like automobiles, education, and finance. One of the biggest hits was Gaadi.com which was eventually sold to goibibo.com.

Soon after these two startups, Ankur joined hands with Groupon as the founding CEO in India. Along with that he also managed businesses in Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia for Groupon. He led Groupon’s business in India for around four years until 2015. That year he took a major step and bought a major shareholding of India business from Groupon with Sequoia Capital and transformed it into a whole new independent startup, Nearbuy.com.

He started Nearbuy, a lifestyle company, in 2015 which provided interesting deals on restaurants, spas, beverages, and other local businesses. This startup was funded by Sequoia capital. He left his position as CEO in 2019 to pursue a career as a content creator. The other two co-founders still run the business of Nearbuy.

Ankur Warikoo was named to Fortune India’s 40 Under 40 list, was the Social Media Entrepreneur of the Year held by CMO Asia in 2017, and was also featured in the LinkedIn spotlight in 2019.

Ankur Warikoo- An Author

Ankur Warikoo's authored books- Do Epic Shit & Get Epic Shit Done — **Ankur Warikoo’s authored books- Do Epic Shit & Get Epic Shit Done**

Ankur Warikoo as a content creator always shared productivity and life skills on different platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

In 2021, He published all his posts compendium titled “DO EPIC SHIT” (National Bestseller), in which he talks about success and failure, habits, awareness, entrepreneurship, money, and relationships.

Again in 2022, he published another book on actionable hacks titled “GET EPIC SHIT DONE“, in which he intricacies of management of life like mindset, focus, meditations, etc.

Story Behind the Brand ‘Warikoo’

When Ankur was the CEO of nearbuy.com in 2016, he created the brand Warikoo. The brand was created with the goal of owning the stories and building a brand for future talent. Ankur volunteered for the job since he enjoys public speaking, and one lovely Wednesday, he filmed a video with the headline “If you don’t ask, the answer is always no!”

It was named “Warikoo Wednesdays” by him.

Since then, the brand has expanded by leaps and bounds, and it can now be found on nearly every major social media platform. The brand continues to expand mostly through video content, which assists consumers in making decisions based on awareness rather than ignorance.

Conclusion

Ankur Warikoo encourages young people in their twenties and thirties to explore new things, make errors, and learn from their failures. Spending time with individuals who aren’t like us was one of the three factors that let him live a life without a plan. “It is so easy for us to take our failures seriously and consider them the end of the road,” he writes on his website ankurwarikoo.com in a PDF document titled My Failure Resume. I am the best proof that self-doubt exists, as well as the finest proof that it can be conquered — it’s simply a never-ending struggle.”

FAQs

What is the net worth of Ankur Warikoo?

The net worth of Ankur Warikoo is approximately $10 Million.

What is the education qualification of Ankur Warikoo?

Ankur Warikoo did BSc in Physics from Hindu College, dropped out from MS in Astronomy and Astrophysics from Michigan State University, and MBA in Finance from ISB.

What does Ankur Warikoo do?

Ankur Warikoo is a content creator, public speaker, and entrepreneur.

December 20, 2021

David Back – How he co-founded Zoomcar with Greg Moran

Zoomcar is the first self-drive car rental firm in India. ZoomCar operates on a strategy in which it borrows money from banks to acquire 75% of the cars in its network, with the other 25% leased from major firms like Avis Budget Group.

Zoomcar was founded by Greg Moran and David Back in April 2012. In this article, you will find some intriguing information about the life of David Back.

About David Back
David Back’s Journey with Zoomcar
David’s Exit from Zoomcar
FAQ

About David Back

David Back is one of the two co-founders of Zoomcar which is India’s first car rental company specialising in “western-style” self-drive rentals. With seven cars, Zoomcar commenced operations in Bangalore in February 2013. It had expanded to roughly 1,500 automobiles in six locations by the time Back departed day-to-day administration at the end of May 2015.

The company is still expanding, with over 9,000 automobiles in over 45 Indian cities. Zoom is assisting India’s cities in becoming smarter and more sustainable by providing a variety of transportation solutions to meet a variety of demands. Today Zoomcar is having its existence in five countries and 100+ places.

The idea to India was unique and Zoomcar did not have to initially struggle for investments. Their advisors include Former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai, British politician and entrepreneur Lady Barbary Judge, Former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, and academics from Wharton, Harvard Law School, and Cambridge University’s Judge School of Business.

David Back graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania and cum laude from Harvard Law School, where he held teaching fellowships on the history and prospects of globalisation under Niall Ferguson and Larry Summers. He was given a full scholarship to study for an MBA at Cambridge University’s Judge School of Business. But fortunately and unfortunately he quit out after one term to start Zoomcar in India.

David Back with Greg Moran

David Back has worked in various organizations. Some of them include a consultant for McKinsey & Co., an investment manager for Goldman Sachs, and a research analyst for the Kauffman Foundation’s General Counsel too. He also has worked and contributed to The Hydrogen Expedition. This was a campaign to raise awareness about alternative fuels by circumnavigating the world on a hydrogen fuel cell-powered boat. David is exceptional with his career and serves on the boards of advisers for a number of start-ups in the US, India, and the UK.

David Back also edited, 365 Of The Wittiest, Most Cutting Insults From History. It is a page-a-day desk calendar sold to Barnes & Noble Publishing. It features, among other things, critiques from Winston Churchill, Mark Twain, Voltaire, and Mahatma Gandhi too.

David Back’s Journey with Zoomcar

By late 2012, the two founders Greg Moran and David back had collected a significant amount of money, and David and Greg had quit their professions in the United States and relocated to Bangalore, India.

They intended to establish Zoomcar as an hourly rental platform at first. However, it now functions not just on a short-term rental basis, but also on a long-term subscription basis.

Zoomcar is the market leader in India’s self-drive sector, with approximately 10,000 automobiles in its fleet. The company’s golden era began in 2018, when its income topped Rs 155 crore, before skyrocketing to Rs 259 crore the following year. That isn’t to say it didn’t hit some roadblocks along the way. Challenges were unavoidable when launching a whole new company model, from forming a partnership with a fleet vehicle owner to obtaining licence plates for the fleet of automobiles.

David’s Exit from Zoomcar

David Back, the co-founder of Zoomcar, resigned from the self-drive car rental startup in 2015 and returned to the United States for personal reasons. According to paperwork submitted with the Registrar of Companies, Back left ZoomCar India Pvt. Ltd on May 12, 2015.

“It’s been a smooth move for David,” said Greg Moran, co-founder and CEO of Zoomcar. Back’s departure, according to Moran, was prompted by both personal and professional factors. “David has always prioritised early-stage prospects and will do so in the future.”

“I’ve been the company’s CEO since the inception, and his departure will have no influence on the company’s growth trajectory,” he continued. Back will retain his stake and board seat in Zoomcar Inc., the parent company of Zoomcar India, according to Moran. But David never returned to Zoomcar again.

Phanindra Sama Success Story – Education, Investments, Personal Life and more,

Phanindra Sharma is the founder and former CEO of RedBus. Here’s how he founded and exited RedBus. His investments as an angel investor and more.

StartupTalkyManav Makhija

Conclusion

Today, David says that “I was a co-founder of India’s first automobile rental firm. I’m now based in Denver. I am the Chairman of Tattered Cover, the greatest bookstore in the Western Hemisphere.” People like David create a revolution. Zoomcar is one such revolution for our country. There is no denying that India has a market for automobile rentals. However, it has a long way to go before it reaches the maturity of a European or American market. Nonetheless, David continues to grow his life in different spheres and will continue the same ahead in future.

FAQ

Who is David Back?

David Back is the co-founder of Zoomcar, who is now a chairman of Tattered Cover Book Store.

Why did David Back resign from Zoomcar?

David Back exited Zoomcar in 2015 and returned to the United States for personal reasons.

December 17, 2021

Nusli Wadia Success Story: Chairman of the Oldest Indian Conglomerate – The Wadia Group

India has given rise to many billionaires who now hold a major number of positions on the list of the world’s wealthiest people. India, behind the United States and China, has the third-highest number of billionaires in the world, according to Forbes magazine.

India has surpassed Germany (136 billionaires) to take third place in the list of countries with the most billionaires in 2021, according to Forbes. Well, there is one such infamous wealthy family in India, who isn’t much talked about, but plays a significant role in the Indian business sector. They are the Wadia Group.

Mr Nusli Wadia, the chairman of Wadia Group and principal owner of Bombay Dyeing, a large Indian textile company, is regarded as one of the most astute business people in the industry. If you want to know more about this great businessman read this article.

Biography:

Name	Nusli Wadia
Qualification	PhD in Chemical Engineering
College	University of Florida, U.S.A
Profession	Entrepreneur
Father	Neville Wadia
Mother	Dina Jinnah
Spouse	Maureen Wadia
Birthplace	Mumbai, Maharashtra
Born	15 October, 1994
Position	Chairman of Wadia Group

About Nusli Wadia
How Nusli Wadia Kept Bombay Dyeing Afloat
Nusli Wadia’s Dream of Acquiring Britannia
How Nusli Wadia and Ratan Tata went from Friends to Foes
FAQ

About Nusli Wadia

Bombay Dyeing, a well-known Indian textile company, is led by Mr Nusli Wadia, who is also the majority stakeholder. The Indian Parsi businessman is the son of Neville and Dina Wadia and the grandson of Pakistan’s founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah. The Wadia Group, which has significant real estate holdings across Mumbai, is valued at $4.1 billion and possesses one of the city’s largest land banks.

Wadia, although being connected to Jinnah, had a complicated past. He was born a Christian but subsequently converted to Zoroastrianism to dwell among Mumbai’s industrially prosperous Parsi community. He has completed his PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Florida in the United States. Nusli was sent to a public school in England (Rugby) for his schooling, where he was a bit of a failure by all accounts.

Nusli Wadia’s Sons

Nusli’s sons are Ness and Jehangir Wadia. Ness Wadia oversees the IPL team Kings XI Punjab.

Jeh Wadia founded GoAir (now GoFirst) in 2005, at a time when the market was dominated by Air India, Air Asia, SpiceJet, Kingfisher, and other major airlines.

Jehangir Wadia - GoAir — **Jehangir Wadia**

Nonetheless, GoAir’s joint management team of Nusli and Jeh Wadia was able to establish a brand for the airline through low rates, effective operations, and smart development.

How Nusli Wadia Kept Bombay Dyeing Afloat?

When Neville Wadia tried to sell Bombay Dyeing to the Goenkas from Kolkata in 1971, Nusli stood in his way. To derail the purchase, he persuaded employees to acquire stock in the firm and keep it afloat. The textile behemoth was kept as a result of this action, and Nusli Wadia was able to demonstrate his commercial acumen by increasing the worth of the company. As a result, he became Chairman of Bombay Dyeing, succeeding his father.

Mr Wadia has been Chairman of the Bombay Dyeing since 1977. He has been Chairman of the Board of Bombay Burmah Trading Corp. Ltd. since July 27, 1982, and a Director since October 28, 1980.

He was a member of the Prime Minister’s Council on Trade and Industry in 1998, 1999, and 2000. He was the Convener of the Special Group Task Force on Food and Agro Industries Management Policy in September 1998. He was a member of the Special Subject Group on Disinvestment and the Special Subject Group on Reviewing Regulations and Procedures to Unbind Indian Industry.

The Wadias are one of India’s most prominent business dynasties. They have always prided themselves on doing business honestly, never paying bribes, and never dealing in black money.

In the late 1970s, Bombay Dyeing was still India’s largest and best textile company. That wasn’t the one, though, that everyone was talking about. The ‘Polyester War,’ as the battle between Wadia and Ambani was dubbed, became part of corporate lore. It was a fight that included not only the two of them but also several politicians, including then-Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and his Finance Minister V P Singh, as well as two news organizations, the Indian Express and the Observer.

For two years, Wadia was held in the courts. His passport was taken, and a deportation order was issued. Wadia was found not guilty after 42 court hearings and 2,500 pages of interrogation.

For Mr Wadia, the 1990s were a pivotal decade. He was no longer a major source of concern for the Ambanis; they had simply outgrown him. Wadia needed to show that he knew how to operate a business.

Nusli Wadia’s Long Awaited Dream of Taking Over Britannia

Nusli had a long desire to engage in the biscuit sector and had agreed to take over Britannia in India with Huntley and Palmer. While Nusli met with Nabisco officials through his friend (and cashew firm partner), Rajan Pillai, and looked to have secured an agreement in which he would still be allowed to purchase Britannia, the Americans eventually changed their minds. Rajan Pillai was named chairman, and Britannia was maintained.

Pillai teamed up with Danone, a French business, but the two swiftly fell out, with Danone accusing Pillai of being dishonest. Nusli came in as Danone’s new Indian partner to fill the vacancy.

After a protracted judicial and public battle, Pillai was removed, and Wadia finally got his heart’s desire: The Control of Britannia. Mr Wadia has been named Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of Britannia Industries Limited. He joined Britannia Industries Limited’s board of directors on September 5, 1993, and has been Chairman since.

How Nusli Wadia and Ratan Tata went from friends to foes

Ratan Tata and Nusli Wadia have a personal connection that goes beyond business. Nusli served as a mentor for Ratan Tata in addition to being childhood pals. As a result, people were taken aback when they learned that Nusli had brought a defamation suit against the Tata Group and Ratan Tata.

All of this began when Wadia chose Mistry over Tata for the position of Tata Group chairman. As a result, he was sacked as a Tata Motors independent director.

He subsequently dropped the case, but only after receiving notification from India’s Supreme Court. He also gave up the Rs. 3000 crore he would have gotten if he had won by settling.

Conclusion

The epitome of a workaholic Mr Wadia is a firm believer in living a simple life. He is believed to do a lot of his cooking, and despite spending a lot of time in London, he enjoys vacationing in Goa. Cricket is his main interest, and he rarely remarks, either literally or symbolically.

FAQ

What is the net worth of Nusli Wadia?

The net worth of Nusli Wadia is 370 crores USD.

What companies does Wadia Group own?

Wadia Group owns, Go First Britannia Industries, Bombay Dyeing, Bombay Realty, Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation, National Peroxide, and Wadia Techno-Engineering.

What is the business of Ness Wadia?

Ness Wadia is the Managing Director of Bombay Burmah Trading Company Limited and Chairman of National Peroxide Limited.

December 17, 2021

Harshil Mathur Success Story- How he Founded Razorpay

As India’s digital environment grows and develops, so does market rivalry, with a growing number of entrepreneurs prepared to take a chance on something off the usual path. The emergence of technology, with all of its benefits, has opened up a world of possibilities and chances for a wide range of industries, providing the foundation for the contemporary world’s advancement. The internet payment business is one such industry.

We’ve come a long way from the days when sending money was a complicated and time-consuming operation. Because of the plethora of platforms that have been seeking to set up simple and secure online money transfer services, the operation may now be completed with a single sweep of our fingertips.

One of the first names that come to mind when we think of such platforms is Razorpay, a payment gateway platform that provides a safe and secure payment system to all customers in India. And the amazing young man behind this unicorn startup is less recognized but has huge contributions to the sector. He is Harshil Mathur. Know more about the co-founder of Razorpay.

Name	Harshil Mathur
Occupation	Entrepreneur
Founded	Razorpay
Education	Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech.) from IIT Roorkee
Occupation	CEO of Razorpay
Known for	Co-founder of Razorpay

About Harshil Mathur
Harshil Mathur – Education
Harshil Mathur – Startup Journey
Harshil Mathur – Idea behind Razorpay
Harshil Mathur – Thriving during Covid-19
Harshil Mathur – Investments
Harshil Mathur – FAQ

About Harshil Mathur

Harshil Mathur, the CEO of Razorpay, is an Indian businessman, author, and entrepreneur. In the fintech field, he has brought his company to the peak of success. Mathur offers advice to people who want to succeed in business and want to understand his methods. He doesn’t keep things hidden; instead, he freely discloses his method for reaching business objectives. That’s the spirit he works with.

Harshil considers a 9-to-6 corporate job to be his Achilles heel. Every day is a new struggle for him. It may seem like an entrepreneur’s cliché, but the urge to be pushed, to be on his toes every day addressing a new problem, is what keeps him going and that is also why he decided to go out on his own in the first place.

Mathur had over 100 rejections from investors before finding a corporation prepared to take a chance on his business concepts. He believed he had a great concept for a full-stack integrated payments solution firm that would change the industry, but he needed venture financing to get it off the ground. He didn’t give up, and after more than 100 rejections, he was able to secure the funding he needed to establish his new business.

Harshil Mathur – Education

From 1997 through 2009, Mathur attended Seedling Public School. He earned his bachelor’s degree with a prime focus on mathematics in 2009. He took part in Exnora Academics when he was there. He enrolled at the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee’s Technology department in 2009. He majored in software engineering. He was associated with SDSLabs, the Hobbies Club, and ASME while he was completing his graduation.

In 2013, he received his BTech degree from his college after completing his studies. In 2015, he was a part of the YCombinator W15 Batch, where he was mentored by Paul Buchheit and Dalton Caldwell.

Harshil Mathur – Startup Journey

In June of 2014, he began working for Schlumberger as a Wireline Field Engineer. He worked in Mumbai for nine months before departing in February 2014. He resigned after less than a year on the job to seek other business opportunities.

He started working on Razorpay right away and created the company, which consumed all of his time and attention. He teamed up with Shashank Kumar, his college friend, to create a payment gateway for small companies having trouble processing internet purchases.

Their fintech business, Razorpay, now processes more than a third of all online payments in India and accepts payments from more than 50 banks and credit card providers.

Even while the epidemic raged, Razorpay earned unicorn status in October when it secured $100 million in a funding round sponsored by Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC, valuing the company at $1 billion. GIC co-led another round for $160 million in mid-April, when India was dealing with the second wave of Covid-19 infections, bringing Razorpay’s worth to $3 billion.

Harshil Mathur – Idea behind Razorpay

According to Harshil, it was critical to discover a market that is underserved, understand the issues that this market encounters, and strive to create a comprehensive solution that is easy to implement. This is what Razorpay performed in a congested payments industry. The firm saw that the incumbent players were mainly interested in digitised transactions and payments for larger vendors.

The role of the smaller merchants was undervalued. Harshil and his partner decided to create something that would allow this large audience to take payments online as quickly and easily as feasible. They then identified the obstacles in completing this task and attempted to create a system that would remove these impediments.

They added many other features throughout time, but the idea of growth remained the same. This is shown in their success, as existing customers continue to use Razorpay and new customers sign up because they appreciate what Razorpay offers.

Harshil Mathur – Thriving during Covid-19

“Our development is dependent on the businesses we serve—if they expand, we grow,” Mathur Said. As a result, we turned our attention to industries with less physical contact that were predicted to thrive as a result of the Covid-19-induced lockdown.”

Razorpay centred its focus on client acquisition on e-commerce, gaming, B2B firms that assist enterprises to digitise, and online education. Small businesses, such as grocery stores, schools, and offline merchants, who had never utilised internet payments before and wanted to digitise transactions, were also seen as a big commercial opportunity by the corporation.

“Not only did this help us obtain a huge number of customers, but it also helped us develop alongside these industries after the lockdown limitations were lifted,” Mathur added.

Harshil Mathur – Investments

Date	Organization Name	Funding Round	Money Raised	Lead Investor
Nov 16, 2021	Toplyne	Seed Round	$2.5M	–
Jul 14, 2021	OneCode	Seed Round	$5M	–
Feb 8, 2021	Newton School	Series A	$5M	–
Feb 8, 2021	GlobalFair	Seed Round	$2M	–
Jan 19, 2021	Volopay	Seed Round	$2.1M	–
Dec 15, 2020	Hashnode	Seed Round	$2.1M	–
Jan 14, 2020	Farmley	Seed Round	$2M	–

Mathur has made a number of significant investments outside of Razorpay. He has given a substantial quantity of money to help other business owners. All that could be identified is that he has invested an unknown sum in a seed round to Farmley in 2020.

Following that, $2.1 million was invested in Hashnode’s seed round, $2.1 million was invested in Volopay in January 2021, $2 million was invested in GlobalFair in February 2021, and $5 million was invested in Newton School in February 2021 for a round of Series A funding.

He understands how tough securing the initial round of seed capital can be, and he assists other fledgling businesses in getting off the ground.

Conclusion

Mathur and his partner have won many awards for their Razorpay startup’s incredible success despite the odds. Fintech, he says, is the strongest sector in India right now. Hence he knows that his startup is on the right path and will continue to grow in many ways.

Harshil Mathur – FAQ

Who is Harshil Mathur?

Harshil Mathur is an Indian entreprenur, author and the co-founder and the CEO of Razorpay.

What is the education qualification of Harshil Mathur?

He studied Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech.) from IIT Roorkee from 2009 to 2013.

When did Harshil Mathur founded Razorpay?

Harshil Mathur co-founded Razorpay in 2014.

December 16, 2021

Phanindra Sama Success Story – The Journey of RedBus

Travelling is a basic necessity for all of us today. Everyone, from children to the elderly, travel places every day. The objective is distinct from the desire for fulfilment. There are a variety of types of transportation available, including planes and vehicles. However, for many people, the bus is still the most common mode of transportation.

Booking tickets provides passengers with a unique experience because it is a simple and effective way to purchase a ticket. Bus ticket bookings have increased in tandem with railway and aircraft ticket purchases. There are already a lot of companies that offer online bus ticket booking.

RedBus, on the other hand, was the first and is currently one of the most popular bus ticket purchasing platforms. Redbus was founded by Phanindra Sama, Chandran Padmarauju, and Sudhakar Pasupunuri. These engineers were from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science. In this article, learn more about Phanindra Sama.

Phanindra Sama Biography

Name	Phanindra Sama
Date of Birth	15th August 1980
Hometown State	Andhra Pradesh
Occupation	Entrepreneur, Angel Investor, Advisor
Founded	RedBus.in, Pilani Soft Labs Pvt Ltd.

About Phanindra Sama
Phanindra Sama – Education
Phanindra Sama – The RedBus Journey
Phanindra Sama – Personal Life
Phanindra Sama – Investments
Phanindra Sama – FAQ

About Phanindra Sama

Phanindra Sama is a famous name that wasn’t well-known but is recognised in South India as a young Web entrepreneur. Every kid should be inspired by his journey. His experience as a web entrepreneur is unparalleled. He was an average employee ten years ago, but an idea born out of difficulty has set him apart from the group.

Phanindra Samma was born in the small village Tadapaikal of Nizamabad district in India. He lost his dad at an age where he could not understand why things were happening. This is the major incident in Phanindra that shook his childhood.

Phanindra Sama – Education

For his 10th and +2 years, Phanindra relocated to his Uncle’s residence in Hyderabad. He was an exceptional student in his academics. He received an average of 80% in SSC and 97 percent in Intermediate. He was accepted into BITS PILNI in the Electronics Engineering track based on his Intermediate grades.

In BITS, he has had to deal with a lot of problems. He exhibited leadership characteristics, and as a result, he was named team leader of the photography club at BITS University. At the time, his classmates and fellow students were awestruck by his extraordinary leadership abilities.

He has attended Stanford University for the Field Of Study Economics, Social Psychology in 2016 in Kings College London. He also went to the Swedish Institute for Field Of Study Responsible Leadership and Sustainable Business Practices. He got a Chevening Standard Chartered Financial Services Fellowship from King’s College London.

Phanindra Sama – The RedBus Journey

In 2005-06, Phanindra Sama used to travel by bus very frequently. He wanted to travel to his family but He was late for a bus one day when the idea for RedBus came to him. He discovered a solution to the problem, and as a consequence, Redbus was formed.

Phanindra Sama considers himself an entrepreneur by chance. He began his career as a Design Engineer at ST Microelectronics, and two years later, he transferred to Texas Instruments as a Senior Design Engineer.

From his unfortunate experience of missing a bus one day while working at Texas Instruments, he saw the need for an online bus ticket-buying platform. Soon after, he began putting his plans into action, founding India’s most popular and extensive online bus ticket-buying platform, RedBus, and working as the Chief Executing Officer of his own firm (CEO).

Phanindra Sama founded RedBus with his two friends Charan Padmaraju and Sudhakar Pasupunur in 2006. They failed to raise any funds at the start but later Venture capitalists started approaching them. They received their first seed funding from the ‘Seed Fund’ and built the company and scaled it to huge heights. The company was at the peak of its success when the Ibibo group acquired Redbus.

Following that, Phanindra Sama left the firm. He was employed as Chief Innovation Officer with the Government of Telangana. Sama is now an advisor at West Bridge Capital. He is also an angel investor, investing in tiny businesses that he believes in.

Phanindra Sama’s net worth is estimated to be over $12 million, according to reports.

Phanindra Sama – Investments

Date	Organization Name	Funding Round	Money Raised
Oct 27, 2021	Stoa School	Seed Round	₹110M
Jul 19, 2021	Eka Care	Seed Round	$4.5M
Nov 27, 2020	Kagaaz Scanner	Seed Round	575k
Oct 13, 2020	Tread	Pre-Seed Round	$1.1M
Oct 1, 2020	QuestBook	Pre-Seed Round	$625k
Mar 8, 2020	AirMeet	Seed Round	$3M
Jan 8, 2020	RheoTV	Seed Round	$2M
Jul 15, 2019	Jiny.io	Seed Round	$725k
Mar 21, 2018	OpenTalk	Seed Round	–
Feb 13, 2017	Flyle	Seed Round	$400k

Phanindra Sama – Personal Life

Having a love life while attempting to create a business, Phanindra Sama confesses, is quite challenging. When Phanindra Sama was busy aggregating bus services all the time, he didn’t have time for dating. Phanindra Sama’s interactions were mostly limited to his stakeholders, and he didn’t have a girlfriend.

Phanindra Sama did an arranged marriage. The date of Phanindra Sama’s wedding was determined by his parents, and the identity of Phanindra Sama’s wife has not been revealed to the public.

The wife of Phanindra Sama is a very quiet woman who very occasionally attends events with his husband. She is kind of a life at home mother who is concerned for her children and their growth. Phanindra Sama stated unequivocally that he sold his firm for a variety of reasons, one of which was to give his daughter and his wife more time.

Conclusion

Phanindra Sama built a thriving business and transformed the bus ticket booking system in our country. Phanindra Sama has now continued to fund new startups, as an angel investor. The nicest part about his newly created site is that he did not start it as a business. He merely intended to find a solution and assist everyone who was experiencing the same difficulties he had.

For a few years, Phanindra and his wonderful pals worked really hard because their efforts were not recognised by others who had worked in the tourism sector for many years. Nothing, however, could persuade Phanindra to abandon his plan, and this is what contributed to his triumph.

Phanindra Sama – FAQ

Who is Phanindra Sama?

Phanindra Sama is an entrepreneur and the founder and former CEO of RedBus.in & Pilani Soft Labs Pvt Ltd.

What is the net worth of Phanindra Sama?

Phanindra Sama’s net worth is estimated to be over $12 million, according to reports.

December 16, 2021

Tag: 👨‍💻StartupTalkers

Anurag Acharya- Biography

Anurag Acharya- Education

Anurag Acharya- Professional Life

Anurag Acharya- Journey to Google

Anurag Acharya- Awards

Anurag Acharya- Co-creator of Google Scholar

Anurag Acharya- Google Scholar

Google Scholar- User Base

Google Scholar- Extra Services

FAQ

Who is the owner of Google Scholar?

Who is Alex Verstak?

What is the net worth of Anurag Acharya?

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Vikash Jaiswal – Education

Vikash Jaiswal – Professional Life

Vikash Jaiswal – Gametion

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Ankit Bhati – Success Story

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Ankur Warikoo Biography

Who is Ankur Warikoo?

Ankur Warikooo Education

Ankur Warikoo – Personal Life

Ankur Warikoo – Career

Ankur Warikoo- An Author

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About David Back

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David’s Exit from Zoomcar

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Biography:

About Nusli Wadia

Nusli Wadia’s Sons

How Nusli Wadia Kept Bombay Dyeing Afloat?