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 MedPlus.
There are millions of businesses in the world but not all of them carry equal importance. Some may be for entertainment, some for food, essentials, knowledge development, etc., but a basic requirement for running all the above businesses is our health. A place/business that helps us in taking good care of our health next to hospitals are the pharmacies. Carrying such importance, this industry has always seen growth. Now, by combining technology and healthcare needs, the pharmaceutical industry is enhancing itself to provide better and quick healthcare assistance to people.
MedPlus is one such pharmacy retailer offering multiple health services. They provide services like path labs, optical stores and physician consultation services, in addition to selling prescription medicines. MedPlus was established in 2006 by Madhukar Gangadi. Here, in this article, is the formation and growth of MedPlus along with its funding history, business and revenue models.
December 23, 2021 – Shares of MedPlus were listed on BSE and NSE on 23rd December. They were made available at a premium of 31 per cent. But the price ended at a gain of more than 40%, which is considered a big jump for MedPlus’s debut trade.
December 13, 2021 – The IPO subscription of MedPlus Healthcare Services opened on December 13. Though aggressive pricing has been followed by the company for its IPO, investors showed ample interest in the bidding. Almost 70% of the issue was subscribed on Day 1.
MedPlus Health Services IPO
MedPlus – About
MedPlus is an omnichannel pharmacy retailer offering healthcare services in India. The company sells medicines on prescriptions, FMCG products, nutritional supplements and many more. MedPlus also offers optical solutions and other medical consultation services in the country. It is based in Hyderabad and is the 2nd largest pharmacy chain in India, next to Apollo Pharmacy.
MedPlus, during its initial stages, operated under the name ‘Aushadi’. It was renamed ‘MedPlus’ after expanding its operation to over 48 retail stores. MedPlus Mart is the e-pharmacy store through which the company sells medicines online.
MedPlus – Industry
MedPlus belongs to the Pharmaceutical Industry. The pharmaceutical industry involves dealing with research, development, marketing and sales of medicines and drugs. They aim at preventing, protecting and curing the illness. The industry also deals with medical equipment and generic medications.
India’s pharma industry is huge. It is the largest supplier of generic medicines and ranks 3rd by overall production in the world. India meets the vaccine demand of the world by 50%, the generic medicine demand of the US by 40% and the UK by 25%.
MedPlus – Founders and Team
Madhukar Gangadi – MedPlus Founder
MedPlus was founded by Madhukar Gangadi in 2006 in Hyderabad. He has also served as the Chief Executive Officer of the company since its inception. Gangadi has an MBA degree from the Wharton School. He also earned a bachelor’s degree in medicine and surgery from the Sri Venkateshwara University. He used his experience in both healthcare and entrepreneurship to start MedPlus. The other core team members of MedPlus are:
Bhaskar Reddy Cherukupalli – COO (Retail stores)
Surendranath Mantena – COO (MedPlus Mart)
MedPlus – Mission and Vision
MedPlus Logo
MedPlus runs with a mission to turn itself as the customer’s first choice when it comes to medicines and healthcare. The company wants to understand the customer’s needs and exceed their expectations as much as possible. MedPlus has the vision to bring about a revolution in the healthcare industry in India.
MedPlus – Business and Revenue Model
MedPlus is an omnichannel platform that provides services through both retail stores and online platforms. The company increased its retail stores through franchises. MedPlus first chooses an area and studies its market, demographic needs and supply chain. Then it starts expanding its retail stores in and around the area by proper planning and implementation of strategies. Later, the company uses this growth and supply chain to expand its operations further.
MedPlus also operates its pharmacy business online through MedPlus Mart. This service was started in 2015 and was expanded across the country. MedPlus claims to be the first to start an omnichannel pharmacy in India. The company also entered the path labs and optical businesses in 2020. The revenue of MedPlus flows from the sale of medicines and other healthcare services offered by the company directly or through their franchisees across the country.
MedPlus – Challenges Faced
MedPlus faced severe challenges and criticisms at the time of establishing their online platform MedPlus Mart. The All India Organization of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) organized a nationwide strike against the company for starting e-pharmacies. They criticized that the chemists around the country will be severely affected by this MedPlus’s initiative. Then MedPlus made their sales policy explicit and clarified that they are complying with every aspect of the Drug Act.
MedPlus – Funding and Investors
MedPlus managed to raise a sum of $317.7 million through 7 rounds of funding. A total of 6 investors have invested in the company so far. Here is the company’s list of fundings:
Date
Round
Money
Investors
February 11, 2021
Private Equity Round
$13.5 million
Warburg Pincus, PremjiInvest
April 1, 2019
Series C
–
PremjiInvest
January 2, 2018
Debt Financing
$117.7 million
Goldman Sachs
December 15, 2017
Series C
$1.1 million
–
November 10, 2014
Series C
$89.9 million
Mount Kellett Capital Management
March 14, 2011
Private Equity Round
$90 million
TVS Capital Funds, Mount Kellett Capital Management
March 22, 2007
Private Equity Round
$3.1 million
Peepul Capital LLC
MedPlus – Growth
Starting its operations in 2006, MedPlus has seen enormous growth in about one and half decades. Today, the company has widened its business to over 2100 pharmacies across 7 Indian states. It also adapted to the technological advancements and established an online platform in 2015 to ease and widen its sales to customers. MedPlus has now issued its IPO thus aiming to enlarge its operations to every corner of the country in the future.
MedPlus also had consistent revenue growth over the years. The company’s CAGR growth is expected to grow 25% between the financial year 2020 and 2025. The market share of this omnichannel entity is 22% as of 2021. Similarly, the company reported an increase in revenue and profit for 2021, which was severely affected in 2020 due to the pandemic. At the end of the third quarter of 2021, MedPlus had revenue of ₹1890.9 crores and a profit of ₹66.36 crores.
MedPlus – Competitors
MedPlus has earned quite a good competition all through its operation span of over 16 years. Few of them, like Apollo, are omnichannel competitors. In fact, Apollo stands to be the largest pharmacy retail chain in India. In addition to it, few other companies, which show promising growth and worthy competition to MedPlus, have emerged. Here are some of them:
MedPlus launched its Initial Public Offering in the name of MedPlus Health Services by mid-December 2021. The company is expected to be valued high in the near future. It is also planning for potential financial growth in the long term. MedPlus has decided to use the proceeds from IPO for meeting the future working capital requirements of the company. The majority of the funds are expected to be used for developing Optival Health Solutions. MedPlus is strategically planning every step to bridge the gap with the competitor ahead. The CEO Madhukar Gangadi confidently said that the MedPlus will overtake Apollo within the next two and half years.
MedPlus – FAQs
What is MedPlus?
MedPlus is an omnichannel pharmacy retailer offering healthcare services in India.
Who is the founder of MedPlus?
Madhukar Gangadi founded MedPlus in 2006. He is the CEO of the company.
Who are the top competitors of MedPlus?
Some of the top competitors of MedPlus are:
PharmEasy
Apollo pharmacies
Netmeds
1mg
MedLife
How many retail stores does MedPlus have in India?
MedPlus has over 2100 stores in the country as of March 31, 2021.
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 Binance.
The advent of cryptocurrencies spawned a slew of crypto exchanges to make trading and purchasing cryptos easier. Because cryptocurrencies are digital assets, investors have a variety of problems exchanging them on current networks. One of the key reasons for the creation of many exchanges is this.
A small number of bitcoin exchanges have suddenly grown into multibillion-dollar businesses. The rise in popularity of bitcoin has transformed previously small-time platforms into powerhouses that generate millions of dollars in income every day.
The staggering profits are a slap in the face to stock and currency trading companies that have chosen to stay out of the digital asset industry. They must watch while start-ups with just four years on the market brag about huge profits. What remains to be seen is, how long the euphoria will persist.
Know more about the company profile, startup story, founder, business model, etc., of Binance by reading this article further.
Binance is a cryptocurrency exchange platform that mixes finance and digital technologies. Binance is a company that provides blockchain and cryptocurrency infrastructure. The company allows users to trade digital currency pairings on the market while retaining security and liquidity, allowing them to transact safely and efficiently with anybody, at any time and from any location.
Trading and finance, education, data and research, social good, investment and incubation, decentralization and infrastructure solutions, and other crypto products and services are all part of its portfolio.
In its whole journey, to date, Binance has introduced two cryptocurrencies that it created: Binance Coin (launched June 2017) and Binance Smart Chain (launched September 2020). The Binance Smart Chain uses “Proof of Staked Authority,” which is a hybrid of proof of stake and proof of authority. 21 validators have been approved. Binance Coin was the third-largest cryptocurrency by market value in 2021. Binance users may use Binance Coin to pay fees on the exchange.
Binance is a FinTech firm that provides clients in over 180 countries with a variety of crypto-related goods. The Binance exchange, which allows both retail and institutional investors to purchase, sell, and trade bitcoin, is the company’s main product. On the site, you may trade over 500 different currencies.
Binance is also distinguished from other exchanges by the large number of trading choices it provides. Stop limit or market orders, leverage trading, and peer-to-peer trading are some examples. Users can also contribute their current crypto assets to one of Binance’s organizations. The platform does not take a cut, and all revenues are donated to the user’s preferred charity.
Binance – Latest News
9th January 2022 – While probing a multi-million dollar scandal connected to fraudulent online investing mobile apps, Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency issued a warning to a major cryptocurrency exchange, Binance,
“An order of attendance has been issued to Hamza Khan, the general manager/growth analyst at Binance Pakistan, to explain his position on the company’s linkage to “fraudulent online investment mobile applications,” an FIA Cyber Wing (Sindh) press release said.
The inquiry was launched to investigate a series of online investment scams taking place in Pakistan under the pretext of Ponzi schemes, in which naive investors are promised large returns on their money if they bring in additional clients, according to the agency.
“A relevant questionnaire has also been sent to [the] Binance Headquarters [in] the Cayman Islands and Binance US to explain the same,” it said.
According to the company, Binance is the “biggest unregulated virtual currency exchange” in the world, with Pakistanis spending millions of dollars. The agency received multiple complaints from citizens around the country on December 20 last year, alleging that they had lost billions of rupees while using specific mobile applications.
According to the FIA, these apps convinced consumers to sign up for Binance Crypto Exchange (Binance Holdings Limited) and then move money from their Binance Wallet to the app’s account. At the same time, all members of the group were joined to Telegram groups where the anonymous owner of the program and moderators of the Telegram groups provided professional betting indications on the rise and fall of Bitcoin.
Once a substantial capital foundation had been formed, these applications failed, depriving users of millions of dollars through the “referral bonus mechanism.” According to the FIA’s preliminary results, each app had an average of 5,000 subscribers, with the HFC app boasting the highest client base of 30,000.
The agency has contacted Telegram to request information on the location of the administrators of fake applications.
“Legal letters are also being sent to social media influencers pushing these applications to clarify their point of contact with the apps,” according to the press release.
Binance – Industry
A cryptocurrency exchange, also known as digital currency exchange (DCE), is a company that lets consumers swap cryptocurrencies or digital currencies for other assets like fiat money or other digital currencies. Credit card payments, wire transfers, and other modes of payment may be accepted through exchanges in exchange for digital currencies or cryptocurrencies.
A cryptocurrency exchange may either be a market maker that charges a transaction commission based on the bid-ask spreads or a matching platform that simply collects costs.
COVID-19 has had an unprecedented and astounding worldwide impact, with cryptocurrencies experiencing a positive demand shock across all areas as a result of the epidemic. According to the research, the worldwide market will rise by 10% in 2020, compared to a 5% year-on-year increase from 2017 to 2019.
During the period 2021-2028, the market is expected to increase at a CAGR of 11.1 percent, from USD 910.3 million in 2021 to USD 1,902.5 million in 2028. This market’s demand and growth are responsible for the continuous increase in CAGR, which will revert to pre-pandemic levels after the pandemic is ended.
Binance – Name, Logo, and Tagline
The designers intended to use two squares in the company logo to reflect the bids and requests on the exchange while also repeating the “binary” term in the logo (Binance = Binary Finance).
Binance Logo
The term “Binance” comes from the words “bitcoin” and “financial.”
Binance’s company tagline says, “Revolutionary Trading With Half the Fees & Your Dividends Paid.”
Binance – Founders
Changpeng Zhao founded Binance crypto-exchange in 2017.
Founder of Binance – Changpeng Zhao
Chanpeng Zhao
Changpeng Zhao is a Chinese-Canadian business executive who goes by the moniker “CZ.” Zhao is the founder and CEO of Binance, which, as of April 2018, was the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume. Zhao was a part of the Blockchain.info development team and also served as the chief technical officer of OKCoin.
Zhao founded Binance, a cryptocurrency exchange, in 2017, after leaving OKCoin. After obtaining $15 million in an initial coin offering, the firm was launched in July 2017.
As of April 2018, Zhao had grown Binance into the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume in less than eight months. He was ranked third on Forbes Magazine’s list of “The Richest People in Cryptocurrency” in February 2018. His net worth is expected to be $96 billion in 2022.
Forbes Richest People in Cryptocurrency
Binance – Startup Story
Zhao’s life would be forever changed by a single night in August of 2013. He was playing poker in Shanghai with two of his pals, Bobby Lee, the creator of the BTCC Bitcoin exchange, and Ron Cao, a partner at Lightspeed Ventures at the time. Cao continued saying something that sounded like “Bit Coin,” but pronounced it as two syllables. It was Zhao’s first time hearing about it.
He overheard Cao suggesting that he should launch a startup on Bit Coin or blockchain. Then Lee suggested that he should invest 10% of his net worth in it. If it reaches zero, he would lose 10% of his investment. There was a good probability that it would go 10X and he would double his money.
His pals weren’t kidding when they said the same. Zhao was enthralled. He eventually raised him: a few months later, he sold his house for $1 million and placed everything on Bitcoin. BTC was trading for $600 per coin at the time. Despite Bitcoin’s price plunging as low as $200 at times, Zhao told Decrypt he hasn’t touched it. The value of the savings account has risen to $17 million.
The man has never shied away from taking chances since then. Changpeng Zhao, a developer who had previously designed high-frequency trading software, launched Binance. Binance was founded in China but moved its headquarters out of the country after the Chinese government tightened its grip on cryptocurrencies.
Fusion Solutions, founded by CEO Changpeng Zhao in Shanghai in 2005, specializes in high-frequency trading systems for stockbrokers. In 2013, he became the third member of the team at Blockchain.info, a bitcoin wallet. He also spent less than a year as the CTO of OKCoin, a platform for spot trading between fiat and digital assets.
With a market value of $1.3 billion in January 2018, Binance was the largest cryptocurrency exchange, a record it maintained until April 2021, despite competition from Coinbase and others.
Binance has introduced two cryptocurrencies that it built itself throughout its history: Binance Coin (BNB) in June 2017 and Binance Smart Chain (BSC) in September 2020.
Binance’s vision statement says, “Our vision is to increase the freedom of money globally. We believe that by spreading this freedom, we can significantly improve lives around the world”
Binance’s mission statement says, “Our mission is to be the infrastructure services provider for the blockchain ecosystem.”
Binance – Employees
Changpeng Zhao – CEO & Founder
Teck Chia – Partner
Yi He – Co-founder and CMO
Jarred Winn – Senior Vice President
Gleb Kostarev – CIS and Eastern Europe, Russia
David An – Director BD | NFT
Mai Lu – Vice President of Asia Pacific
Binance – Business Model, and Revenue Model
Trading fees, interest on loans, fees from its broker program, spreads, cloud products, interchange fees, mining services, and investment earnings are all sources of revenue for Binance. The site used to make money by charging listing fees when new cryptocurrencies were launched.
Binance is also distinguished from other exchanges by the large number of trading choices it provides. Stop limit or market orders, leverage trading, and peer-to-peer trading are some examples. Users can also contribute their current crypto assets to one of Binance’s organizations. The platform does not take a cut, and all revenues are donated to the user’s preferred charity.
Binance does not provide free cryptocurrency trading. Binance charges a range of fees for the various trading items it provides. On Binance, both retail and institutional investors can trade in a variety of ways, including on margin, through future contracts, and by acquiring synthetic stock tokens.
When it comes to cryptocurrencies, Binance charges a fee every time a customer buys or sells a digital asset. Binance charges a 0.1 percent commission on all trades. Those costs will be reduced if traders utilize BNB, Binance’s currency. In addition, when a trader wishes to cash out his or her profits, Binance imposes a withdrawal fee.
Binance has raised a total of $35 million in ten rounds of fundraising.
Date
Round
Amount
Lead Investors
Dec 1, 2020
Initial Coin Offering
–
–
Oct 23, 2018
Venture Round
–
Vertex Ventures
Nov 1, 2017
Initial Coin Offering
–
–
Nov 1, 2017
Initial Coin Offering
–
–
Sep 1, 2017
Series A
$10M
–
Sep 1, 2017
Series A
$10M
Black Hole Capital, Funcity Capital
Jul 21, 2017
Initial Coin Offering
–
–
Jul 1, 2017
Initial Coin Offering
$15M
–
Jul 1, 2017
Initial Coin Offering
–
–
Jan 1, 2017
Initial Coin Offering
–
–
Binance – Investments
Binance has invested in 56 different companies.
Date
Organization Name
Round
Amount
Nov 23, 2021
Avocado Guild
Series A
$18M
Nov 4, 2021
Mythical Games
Series C
$150M
Nov 2, 2021
SecondLive
Seed Round
–
Nov 1, 2021
StarSharks
Seed Round
–
Oct 22, 2021
Melos Studio
Venture Round
–
Sep 16, 2021
LayerZero Labs
Series A
$6.3M
Apr 13, 2021
MOUND
Seed Round
$1.6M
Apr 1, 2021
Mask Network
Venture Round
–
Mar 30, 2021
PureStake
Series A
$6M
Mar 29, 2021
EPNS
Seed Round
$660K
Binance – Acquisitions
Binance has acquired seven businesses.
Acquiree Name
About Acquiree
Date
Amount
Swipe.io
Swipe.io offers a multi-currency crypto wallet app as well as a crypto-to-fiat funded Visa debit card.
Jun 30, 2020
–
CoinMarketCap
CoinMarketCap provides transparent data to the cryptocurrency community, enabling users to form conclusions and interpretations.
Apr 1, 2020
$400M
BxB
BxB is building KRWb, a stable bridge from Korea to anywhere. It’s a globally accessible, 1:1 stable coin backed by the Korean Won.
Mar 31, 2020
–
DappReview
DappReview is a DApp ranking evaluation platform
Dec 3, 2019
–
WazirX
India’s leading bitcoin exchange
Nov 21, 2019
–
JEX Customer Care Number
JEX is a crypto futures and options exchange.
Sep 3, 2019
–
Trust Wallet
Trust Wallet is a mobile wallet company for Ethereum and ERC20/ERC223 tokens.
Jul 31, 2018
–
Binance – Growth
In 2020, already-vulnerable economies and countries witnessed unprecedented volatility and instability in global markets. With global economic uncertainty, inflation, and traditional assets all suffering as a result of the pandemic’s macroeconomic shock, individuals all around the world are rapidly turning to bitcoin and cryptocurrency as alternative assets. As a result, the cryptocurrency industry has exploded, allowing mainstream audiences to embrace cryptocurrency adoption for the first time.
Binance, a crypto version of the London, New York, and Hong Kong stock markets, was founded just four years ago and already towers over the digital currency industry. According to data source CryptoCompare, Binance conducts more deals for cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and ether each day, totalling $76 billion, than its four top competitors combined.
Binance, a prominent cryptocurrency exchange, has been chased by financial regulators all around the globe. Some have prohibited the site from engaging in specific operations, while others have alerted users that it is operating without a license. Because Binance does not provide financial information, it’s difficult to assess whether the company has suffered a setback.
Despite the regulatory pressure, the exchange has taken several important movements. Zhao, the CEO of Binance, stated that he wanted to repair his relationship with authorities. Their consent would be sought, and regional headquarters would be established.
Binance has also scaled back certain of its cryptocurrency goods that may be subject to regulatory oversight. It announced in 2021 that it will cease its European futures and derivatives business, with users in Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands among the first to be affected.
It has also limited Hong Kong customers’ ability to trade derivatives, citing the decision as “in keeping with our commitment to compliance.” Binance likewise ceased trading digital tokens connected to stocks in July 2021 after authorities slammed its “stock token.” It also announced that it will no longer allow crypto margin trading in the Australian dollar, euro, or pound sterling.
Binance hit an all-time high of $15 billion in 24-hour spot trading volume in 2021, while the average daily spot trading volume climbed by 36% to $3.88 billion. In addition, consumers looking for hedging and liquidity went to the crypto futures market. Binance Futures has risen to become the world’s leading crypto futures contract, with the highest trading volumes for Bitcoin and numerous other cryptocurrencies.
The company’s objective is to continue complying with local norms and regulations so that it can safeguard and give the finest services to its consumers while also increasing adoption.
In addition to the numerous RegTech solutions it invests in and compliance partner organizations with whom it collaborates, the company continues to collaborate closely with regulators, complying in the places where it operates as a global decentralized organization and assisting in the positive influence of regulations that will benefit our industry. According to the creator, the firm aims to collaborate with more local governments and officials in the coming years and encourages them to do so.
Binance – FAQs
Is Binance bigger than Coinbase?
Yes, Binance is the largest cryptocurrency exchange by volume.
How much does Binance make in a day?
Binance makes approximately $76 Billion a Day.
Which countries cannot use Binance?
The people in the UK cannot use Binance, as the crypto exchange is banned in the country.
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 Zivame.
With male employees wandering around, confused salesgirls, and an air of shame surrounding the process, buying bras in India appears indeed agonizing for women. Zivame was started in 2011 to allow women to shop for intimate apparel without fear of being judged.
When Richa Kar, the creator of the online lingerie store Zivame, launched her firm in 2011, she set out to alter all of that. We observed the impact of this concept and how it helped women shatter stereotypes along the road. Kar’s site has 5,000 designs, 50 brands, and 100 sizes to choose from, but more notably, it provides shoppers with dignity and privacy.
Know more about the startup story, founder, business model, funding and investors, etc. of Zivame by reading this article further.
Zivame is an online retailer that sells women’s clothing and intimate wear. Women’s lingerie, swimwear, loungewear, nightwear, and associated categories are sold by the firm, which also offers consultancy to assist women to choose economical and branded items, allowing them to get all of their clothing requirements met in one spot, which is, the company’s online portal.
In August 2011, Zivame, an online lingerie retailer with hundreds of designs for the Indian woman, launched its website. Customers may shop by category, brand, colour, size, and even specify what they wish to wear their lingerie under! Zivame simulates the offline shopping experience by providing extensive product pages, low-cost rapid shipping, and a hassle-free return policy.
Whether you’re an Indian lady or a male, Zivame is dedicated to providing an online shopping experience that allows people to purchase at their leisure and in the comfort of their own homes. Zivame challenges expectations in the lingerie and e-commerce market by going above and beyond what customers have experienced in traditional lingerie businesses.
Zivame – Latest News
November 24th, 2021 – According to the latest regulatory filings to the Registrar of Companies, Actoserba Active Wholesale, which owns the online lingerie store popularly known as Zivame and is now a part of Reliance Retail, reported a 31% drop in sales to Rs 147 crore for 2020-21, while its net loss also decreased by 11% to Rs 42 crore.
Covid-19 affected Actoserba Active Wholesale’s business and revenue. The firm sells clothes, swimwear, lingerie, nightwear, sportswear, innerwear, accessories, textiles, fabric, ready-made dresses, and other forms of dress materials wholesale, including through e-commerce.
Zivame – Industry
Lingerie purchasing in India has gone a long way, from small crowded stores operated by confused sellers to sophisticated online portals staffed by fitting professionals. While the stigma around lingerie still exists, women have been more comfortable experimenting with and purchasing ‘intimate’ clothing in recent years. To a large measure, if not entirely, this tendency may be attributed to online lingerie businesses.
Buying intimate wear online allows customers to keep their purchases private and have them delivered surreptitiously; this is one of the primary advantages that online lingerie businesses have over physical stores. Discounts, availability of foreign brands, a wide range of designs, and different size options (from slender to plus size) have all contributed to the growth of the lingerie retail business.
Richa Kar earned her bachelor’s degree in engineering from BITS Pilani and her master’s degree in business from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies in 2007. After graduating from NMIMS, she worked for Spencers and SAP retail consultancy.
Spencer’s hired her as a Brand Communications Manager after she completed her MBA. She was quickly promoted and stayed there until 2011 when she was hired as a consultant by SAP. She had the opportunity to work with Limited Brand, the company that owns Victoria’s Secret, during her tenure at SAP. Her meeting with the client was the catalyst for the creation of Zivame.
Zivame – Startup Story
Richa discovered that while shopping for lingerie from sellers of the opposite sex, ladies are hesitant to discuss their wants and desires. As a result of this, women have difficulty determining what size and style to wear because no one is there to assist and educate them. She found the solution to the problem while keeping the problem in mind. She created an e-commerce site for women with many categories that would not only bring lingerie to the buyer’s home but also educate them on how to find the best style and fit.
The company sells more than just lingerie; it also sells women’s clothes, fitness wear, and sleepwear. The company is also recognized for providing exceptional customer service.
Richa has always maintained a laser-like concentration, approaching product mix decisions as if she were a buyer. Price, quality, immediate and unambiguous feedback on the goods, cash-on-delivery service, and a simple return/exchange policy have all helped purchasers grasp the brand and gain confidence.
Richa started up her office in 2011 and received her first order 5 hours later. She currently has 2.5 million monthly clients and sells two things in under a minute. Richa Kar’s Zivame journey influenced the entrepreneurial system since her proposal was not unique but also controversial.
Zivame – Vision and Mission Statement
Zivame’s vision statement says, “To Offer Every Woman the Confidence, Comfort & Choice She Deserves. Confidence is sexy and we want to help women find it, wear it, and be it every day.”
Zivame – Employees
Amisha Jain – CEO
Yash Dayal – Chief Technology Officer
Jayesh Nair – Head of Facilities Management
Arun Kumar – Associate Director Business Development & Projects
Chetna Bhaskar – Creative Director
Manab Hembram – Creative Director – Design & Product Development
Sirisha Tadepalli – Marketing Director
Sourav Kejriwal – Director Finance
Aditya Mulay – Regional Sales Manager
Astha Sahay – Business Manager – Partner Business Ecom
Zivame – Business Model, and Revenue Model
The firm suffered management reshuffles in the early years, and since 2017, it has concentrated on developing sustainably by combining online and physical techniques. As part of its omnichannel marketing approach, Zivame has opened several brick-and-mortar storefronts known as “Fit Studios” around the nation.
Zivame Store
A completely integrated shopping experience from the physical store to the virtual store, including mobile applications and the entire range of options given by the offline and online worlds, is what an omnichannel marketing strategy entails. The goal is to provide a seamless purchasing experience for them.
Individuals are more affected by images than by text. Zivame used a lot of attractive photos of their product range, which made it difficult for their target demographic to navigate. All of the bargains are linked on the Facebook page and advertisements, directing people to the website. Visitors’ inquiries were promptly answered.
Individuals were able to develop a bond with the brand as a result of this. What appears to have worked particularly well for Zivame was its approach to its product range, which allowed clients to select the best match.
Zivame – Funding, and Investors
Throughout eight rounds of financing, Zivame has generated a total of $69 million. Their most recent fundraising came through a Secondary Market round on July 28, 2020.
Date
Round
Amount
Lead Investors
Jul 28, 2020
Secondary Market
–
Reliance
Sep 17, 2019
Venture Round
$2.7M
Avendus Capital, Zodius Capital
Apr 9, 2019
Debt Financing
₹600M
Trifecta Capital Advisors
Mar 30, 2019
Series C
₹600M
The Allana Group, Zodius Capital
May 28, 2018
Venture Round
–
Zodius Capital
Sep 3, 2015
Series C
$40M
Khazanah Nasional, Zodius Capital
Dec 10, 2013
Series B
$6M
Ronnie Screwvala
Mar 14, 2012
Series A
$3M
Chiratae Ventures
Zivame – Growth
The firm suffered management reshuffles in the early years, and since 2017, it has focused on developing sustainably by combining online and physical techniques. As a consequence, Zivame’s losses in FY19 decreased by roughly 39%, to INR 19.56 Cr from INR 32.11 Cr in FY18. In the fiscal year 2018-19, the firm recorded total revenue of INR 141.89 Cr and total costs of INR 160.01 Cr, according to the company’s filings.
In terms of revenue, Zivame’s main source of income is product sales, which totalled INR 137.42 Cr in FY19, up 59.49 per cent from INR 86.16 Cr in 2018. The pace of growth is comparable to what we witnessed last year when the firm reported a 56 per cent increase in sales. In addition, the company’s service sales remained unchanged at INR 48 lakh, while other revenue fell to INR 3.98 crore.
According to Zivame CEO Jain, the company’s annual run rate for FY20 has reached INR 340 crore. Jain further stated that revenues via Zivame’s mobile application had climbed from 50% of total sales in FY18 to 65 per cent in FY19.
“Challenges lay at every point- First with the category itself – There is a lot of discomfort surrounding the lingerie as a category in India. The hushed or the suppressed nature of the category, has led to various myths and misconceptions getting attached to it,” said Kar.
She went on to say that she was confident that Zivame had the answer to tens of thousands of Indian women’s lingerie issues. However, there was an uneasy ten-second quiet when she informed someone about it. The next stage was to incorporate the business, obtain a payment gateway, and lease office space. Each of these processes was difficult due to the nature of the industry in which the company works.
In 2015-16, the corporation experienced one of its most significant problems. In the financial year 2016, the company’s overall net loss increased by 84 per cent, amounting to almost 54 crores.
“To our astonishment, offline sales have returned to pre-Covid levels a few months ago,” said Amisha Jain, Zivame’s CEO. Reliance Brands is one of the owners of the digital-first retailer, which has opened roughly 24 new outlets in the previous four months and wants to treble the number in 2021.
“By the end of next year you will see us with about 150 stores and we are going to be expanding through other formats as well,” added Jain.
According to Zivame CEO, Amisha Jain, the firm is poised for exponential growth in the next years because of technology, analytics, and innovation.
Zivame CEO – Amisha Jain
She predicted that the firm will increase by more than 75% in the following several years. The firm is focusing on four areas to fuel development, according to Jain: ongoing product innovation, exceptional user experience, omnichannel presence, and its new brand identity.
Zivame – FAQs
Is Zivame an Indian brand?
Yes, Zivame is an Indian online lingerie retailer founded by Richa Kar in 2011.
Who is the owner of Zivame?
Richa Kar is the founder of Zivame.
Is Zivame owned by Reliance?
Reliance Brands acquired a 15% stake in Zivame and is eyeing to buy a 100% stake in this online lingerie retail brand.
Which companies do Zivame compete with?
Top Competitors of Zivame are Shyaway, Clovia, Boux Avenue, Andra Group, ThirdLove, Adore Me, Figleaves, and Change.
This article is contributed by Snehal Gersappa, Founder, Zlen.
Social media has become so intertwined with our lives that it is difficult to imagine a day without it. Be it for connecting with our favorite people, or consuming the latest gossip from the world, social media is where the majority of us spend a good chunk of our daily time.
With nowhere else to turn to, there’s a sense of inevitability amongst people that you cannot have a fun social media experience without sacrificing your privacy.
Well…not really. From the city that never sleeps – Mumbai, there is now a perfect solution to your problems – ‘Zlen’. Zlen gives its users a space to create their private circle & have a fun and engaging social media experience without compromising their privacy. Let’s be clear, Zlen is not for everyone and neither is it to have the whole wide social circle on it. Zlen is for your close and trusted circle only, a place where you can be yourself without having to worry about people judging you, disturbing you, or taking your personal space for granted.
How Does The Magic Happen On Zlen?
The Zlen Code
Once you have successfully signed up to the Zlen app, the first thing is that you will get your very own unique alphanumeric Zlen Code. This is an entry barrier that will help you keep all your own space, well.. your own.
Unlike other social media platforms, no one will be able to search for you with your name, phone number, or email ID. The only way someone can send you a connection request is if you share your Zlen Code with them. That ensures that you can keep all the unwanted people out because on Zlen there is NO DISCOVERABILITY. Even if you google your Zlen Code, nothing will show up.
You can add your closest friends by sharing the code or add them via their Zlen Code or just scan the QR code that is again unique to each user. Once you add your friend, they become part of your Zlen Club, and you can get the party started, away from the prying eyes of the public.
Zlen Feeds
This is the place where you see everything that your Zlen Club shares. You can share media, create polls, and share announcements that your Zlen Club will be able to see on their respective Feeds. Only those who are part of your Zlen Club can see what you post and share. In fact, you can create polls for specific people. If you’re planning a night out with only 4 of your friends from your Zlen Club, you can send a poll asking where to head only to these 4 people.
Zlen Messaging
Like we said Zlen gives you the complete social experience and the app has an intuitive chat interface that lets you chat individually and create groups too.
Disappearing Messages Now no need to wait for a week for your messages to disappear. Zlen believes in keeping the social media space clutter-free and with a minimal digital footprint. On Zlen you can enable the disappearing messages/media option. You can set the duration for which you want the messages to be visible. This can be anywhere between 5 seconds onwards. And once your friend has read the message, after the stipulated time, your messages get erased forever.
One of the dreaded things right now is being added to groups on any social media because half the time you’re in it with random other people you don’t even know. And in these cases, your profile and your number are visible to these people and there’s really nothing you can do about it. However, if you are in a group on Zlen, you will only be able to see the details of people whom you have specifically added with your Zlen code. Say your best friend added you to a group and they have some other people who are part of their club on it. You and the mutuals will not be able to see any details of each other, except the messages you send.Instead of your display name, it will only say ‘Someone On Zlen’. So now you really don’t have to worry about your details going to people you don’t know, even if you’re added to a group. The same is for the others you see who has commented on a post… It works the same way when you like and comments on a friend’s photo. To a person who is not connected with you on Zlen, you again show up as ‘Someone On Zlen’.
Digital Detox
This unique feature allows you to mute all notifications on the app and take a break to unwind. You simply need to click on ‘Start Detox’ under your profile and decide the time you want to detox for. Others in your Zlen club will be able to see that you are on detox and will not be able to message you during that time. Who knows maybe you might inspire them to take a break too.
This is a separate tab on the Zlen app, where you will exclusively see updates from the members in your Zlen Club when they change their profile photos, status, or even their display name!
Zlen Display Name & Status
‘Username is already taken’. How many times have you seen this on social media? It’s a shame when someone has already taken @ThomasShelbyFan. With Zlen, you can change your display name as many times as you want, no strings attached. And through your status, you can keep your Zlen Club updated with what the rest of the world doesn’t know (which they don’t need to also).
Zlen Team
What’s in it for Zlen Users?
Apart from the mashup of social media & private messenger features, complete privacy features, and the exclusive social community that Zlen provides, the platform has many exciting things in the pipeline for users. In the near future, there will be special offers exclusively for Zlen users with brands across fitness, F&B, sports, lifestyle, travel, etc.
Zlen plans to create a close-knit community among the users, and it will have unique Zlen experiences such as travel getaways, screenings, access to exclusive events, etc. for the community
Zlen endeavors to keep up with the changing trends and requirements of the user. It is in the process of developing audio and video chat rooms, live video streaming, and even podcast sharing and creation. The app plans to go global in 2022!
There it is, Zlen is all you need to have if you want to bring back the healthy experience of social media. Just because of the negativity, there should not be a compromise in how we connect with our closest people and how we express ourselves, Zlen is not about how many friends you add and the number of followers you have. It is all about healthy, happy conversations and making your life visible to the people who truly appreciate it.
Also down the line when Zlen reaches a milestone of downloads, the app will become a paid service for new users joining. So, this is your chance to claim your private social space.
We’ve all gone through the effort of looking for universities to apply to after completing our 12th grade. Before taking a decision, as a learner, you should have a fundamental understanding of the uni. These facets are the standard of teaching provided, prices, the opinions of former and present alums, and the institute’s rank.
However, gathering these essential details about universities is a tricky job. The notion of having all this data about institutes and tests from all over India and overseas in one spot appealed to the youth. It was created to fill this disparity, letting learners, parents, and professors find all the data they need about colleges on one page. Let’s look at its startup story and know more about it.
Collegedunia fills the disparity between institutions and learners. A learner or parent can study and gather data about multiple courses and colleges in India via its vast search tool. A user can get data on a range of topics, including college, ratings, stream, curriculum, placements, facility, costs, admissions, and extracurriculars, to make more effective career choices. All this data is provided to the learners at no fee.
Startup Name
Collegedunia
IPO Status
Private
Operating Status
Active
Company Type
For-Profit
Sector
Digital Marketing, IT, Education
Headquarters
Delhi, India
Founder
Sahil Chalana
Founded
May 8, 2010
Total Funding
$605.8k
Collegedunia – Mission and Vision
Mission
The most important option in a person’s life, the option to choose a college, shouldn’t be taken lightly. We want to be the best educational sites, with more dynamic UX and most verified data, and to facilitate learning in every way possible in making their wise choices.
Vision
CollegeDunia was founded with the goal of arming learners’ information so that they may make better decisions about their profession and alma mater.
Collegedunia – Tagline and Logo
Tagline – Transforming India by Transforming Education
Collegedunia Logo
Collegedunia – Features
The web design was recently updated, with a focus on the part of the test. The firm has witnessed a significant spike in traffic since then. The test part comprises comprehensive information on all key national and state-level admission tests. The UI is easy to use. Take a peek at the JEE Advanced 2016 page, for instance.
The organization has a one-of-a-kind 25-member consulting staff that participates in phone chats with learners to assist them in making the best educational wise choices. It also offers a feedback section with over 50,000 opinions from alumni who are presently studying or have graduated from various universities.
They added a detailed evaluation form through which people can submit their thoughts on institutes or programs. They edit, analyze, and sort these reviews periodically to identify that people receive accurate data. Rank and cut-off forecasts, as well as virtual counselling, will be included in the official app in the near term.
Collegedunia – Startup Story
Sahil Chalana, a BITS Pilani alumnus, created Collegedunia.com. The firm started operating as a specialized firm in 2014. According to him, there is a significant disparity between the facts and the accuracy of services that students search for during the pre-admission period.
As a result, he came into the concept of Collegedunia.com and assembled a group of young and ambitious people. It’s a community of over 250 young folks, with an approximate age of 25, who wish to bring value to society.
Limited knowledge can be harmful to the profession and college choices, which is where it will help. Its vast alumni network assists in providing relevant information to learners.
The amount of material on the site is fairly comprehensive. You’ll find everything here, from renowned majors like medicine and law to practical and overseas study data.
The goal of providing learners with the information they need to make better decisions about their job and alma mater set the ground for its creation. Both for guardians and learners, it serves as an effective collection of college/university data as well as professional material such as tests. Learners might look for institutions based on what alumni have said about them.
Since the beginning, it has assisted thousands of kids across India (and beyond) in making informed selections about their careers and educational institutions. It has evolved from a handful of institutes and programs to be the nation’s market leader. Currently, the platform is the nation’s top institution rating site.
Collegedunia – Business Model
The entire basis of their revenue is paid advertising, which allows universities to promote themselves on the site, boosting the exposure of their listings across the web.
Other than that, they use a Cost Per Lead (CPL) approach. They provide student data with the institution and earn money based on CPL. Learners can also enrol in those institutes, and they will obtain a CPL from the university officials for each admission to that campus.
The firm says that its dataset, handpicked content, and periodic data updates are among the features that set it apart from the intense rivalry.
Collegedunia – Funding and Expansion
Founded in July 2014 with only a few institutions and tests, it now contains comprehensive data on over 15,000 institutes and tests such as the CAT, GMAT, and others. They strive to enhance their outreach to 30,000 universities and include all national exams by the end of this year, owing to foreign funds provided by Gaadi.com CEO Umang Kumar.
The firm now receives over a lakh page views, which is lower than their rivals, but roughly 40% of their traffic is direct, which they believe is better than the rivals.
Throughout two financing rounds, it has generated a net of $605.8K. Their most recent revenue comes from a Seed round on January 18, 2016.
Date
Acquired by
Amount
Transaction Name
Nov 3, 2014
$163.8k
Angel Round
Jan 18, 2016
Umang Kumar
$443k
Seed Round
Collegedunia – Competitors
Careers360
Collegedunia’s main competitor is Careers360. In 2009, Careers360 was created in Gurugram, Haryana. It works in the education software area. It makes $3.7 million less income than Collegedunia.
Shiksha.com
Shiksha.com is Collegedunia’s 2nd main competitor. It was created in 2008 and is headquartered in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. Shiksha.com, like Collegedunia, competes in the education software space. Shiksha.com accounts for 72% of Collegedunia’s earnings.
CollegeDekho
CollegeDekho is the third-largest rival to Collegedunia. It was formed in Gurgaon, Haryana, in 2015. CollegeDekho, like Collegedunia, is in the Educational Software business. It brings in $2.7 million less than Collegedunia.
Collegedunia – Current and Future Plans
Currently, the site provides data on approximately 15,200 colleges, 16,000 programs, and 330 tests. On the site, one may obtain all the detailed info about universities, including rating, region, and opinions. It has also developed an app-based UI, taking into account the simplicity of use of mobile apps. Its mobile app lets learners quickly and conveniently obtain all this data.
It also works with campus fests, where learners can come up to the website and leave feedback on their universities. It intends to take its concept to another level soon, with an ever-growing knowledge base and notoriety. The firm’s goal is to provide end-to-end service for students’ entrance requirements. The aim is to engage the student tribe with the site in this way.
Collegedunia Rewards for Reviews
With its reward-based structure, it has indeed begun student collaboration. Learners that contribute valuable insights about their colleges/universities might win significant cash awards through the site. So, in the long term, Collegedunia.com will provide more institutes and mentorship.
India’s education sector is booming, and the country’s higher education system is unlikely to stagnate anytime soon. In the same way, the majority of kids seeking higher education is increasing. As a result, both students and faculty have a wide range of possibilities. It’s safe to assume that the industry is brimming with possibilities. However, India’s ed-tech industry is just beginning.
Until now, Collegedunia has taken the appropriate moves toward securing this niche but vital sector. Only time will tell whether it can play its cards correctly and fulfil its commitments.
Collegedunia – FAQ
When was Collegedunia started?
Collegedunia was started in 2014 by Sahil Chalana.
What is Collegedunia’s business model?
Collegedunia earns its revenue from paid advertising, which allows universities to promote themselves on the site. It also uses a Cost Per Lead (CPL) approach where they will obtain a CPL from the university officials for each admission to that campus.
Who started Collegedunia?
Sahil Chalana, a BITS Pilani Alumnus founded Collegedunia.
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 PVR Cinemas.
Do you love watching movies in theatres? This question seems absurd, right? Because who doesn’t love to? A big screen, cozy seat, cheerful audience, booming speakers, luscious snacks and a lot more to be delighted with. Even a non-cinema lover would cherish a theatrical experience. That darkroom has a powerful ambiance to light our moods up.
The Indian Film Industry is one of the largest in the world. This huge sector has around 6,300 single screens and 3,200 multiplexes (as of 2019) across the country to display their creations. There has been a decline in their growth in recent years. But through their innovative techniques and advanced technological implementations, theatres continue to attract people towards them.
PVR Cinemas is one such premium multiplex chain of theatres operating in India and Sri Lanka. They are known for their quality in terms of the viewing experience. PVR Cinemas was established in 1997 by Ajay Bijli. The company also has a separate wing called PVR Pictures that deals with movie production and distribution. Here is the inspiring success story of PVR Cinemas and its founder Ajay Bijli. The article also contains the growth, startup story, funding and challenges faced by the company over the years.
July 29, 2021 – The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has affected the film industry and its associated business heavily. As a result, PVR reported a net loss of ₹220 crores in the 1st quarter of 2021.
April 17, 2021 – The Non-Convertible Debentures (NCD) and long-term Bank facility ratings of PVR ltd. were reduced to AA-minus negative by Crisil. This happened as a result of the industry’s weakening operating performances during the pandemic.
PVR Cinemas – About
PVR Cinemas is one of the largest movie theatre chains operating in India. It was formally established in June 1997 in Gurgaon. PVR Cinemas is known for its picture and sound quality and offers a premium experience to its users. They were the first to introduce multiplex cinemas in India, which was instigated with the launch of PVR Anupam in Delhi.
The company turns out to be the leader in terms of the number of screens. There are around 846 screens under the PVR group in the country. They are offering some astounding movie experiences to people. PVR Cinemas is operating in 71 cities of India and Sri Lankawith an overall seating capacity of around 1.82 lakh seats.
PVR Cinemas – Founders
Ajay Bijli – The founder of PVR Cinemas
Ajay Bijli is the founder of PVR Cinemas. He is also the chairman and managing director of the company. He graduated B.Com from Hindu College and started looking after the family business. Then by 1995, he established PVR Cinemas as a joint venture with an Australian company. The full-fledged operations of PVR Cinemas commenced in 1997. Sanjeev Kumar Bijli, brother of Ajay Bijli, is the joint managing director of the company.
PVR Cinemas – Startup Story
The origin of PVR dates back to the late 1970s. Ajay Bijli’s (founder of PVR Cinemas) father owned a theatre named Priya Cinemas since 1978 along with his transportation company. Later, when Ajay Bijli took up the family business in 1988, he rebuilt the business and made it profitable. But a major fire broke out in the transport business in 1994, which shook them financially. He was forced to choose between revamping the transport business or developing the Priya Cinemas, for which he chose the latter.
In 1995, he established a joint venture between his Priya Cinemas and an Australian company named Village Roadshow, thus creating Priya Village Roadshow (PVR) Cinemas. They were the first to introduce the idea of a multiplex in India with their PVR Anupam in Delhi. The company was officially instigated in June 1997.
PVR Cinemas – Mission and Vision
PVR Cinemas has a mission to give the best movie experience to people. They wanted to make themselves accessible to audiences everywhere and every time. The company’s vision is to remain the most preferable and premium entertainment company in India. PVR aims to provide top-quality cinema experiences to its customers.
PVR Cinemas – Name and Logo
PVR Cinemas Logo
The name PVR is derived from Ajay Bijli’s family theatre business named Priya Cinemas and the Australian company named Village Roadshow. The name originated after they joined hands to establish a multiplex entertainment company. The logo consists of the alphabets ‘PVR’ written in yellow on a black background. The main logo consists of the word ‘Cinemas’ at the bottom whereas, the production company’s logo contains the word ‘Pictures’ instead.
PVR Cinemas – Business Model
PVR Cinemas is involved in the movie screening business which is their primary activity. In addition to it, they are involved in the production and distribution of films in India. PVR’s other businesses include ads in theatres, the sale of foods and beverages and ticket bookings.
The company is involved in the manufacture and sale of gourmet popcorn, a popular snack from PVR that is available in their cine halls, several airlines and even Indian railways. This gourmet popcorn can also be ordered online from several e-commerce platforms. V Pristine is an initiative by PVR that offers cleaning services for homes.
Most of the revenue for PVR Cinemas comes from the sale of movie tickets. They make around 46% of the revenue from box office collections. The next biggest revenue for the company flows from food and beverage sales which contribute around 29% of the profits. The rest 15% of the income comes from advertising, movies distribution and other miscellaneous activities.
PVR Cinemas – Challenges Faced
A major challenge faced by PVR Cinemas is during this Covid pandemic. The resultant lockdown and further restrictions stalled its operations. This rigorously impacted their growth financially. The next major challenge that is affecting not only PVR Cinemas, but the entire industry is the OTT Platforms. These platforms used the lockdown as an opportunity to enter people’s homes and started replacing the theatres. Even after the lockdown and theatres functioning normally, many movies are still released in OTTs. This could be a threat to the future of theatres and multiplex cinema halls.
PVR Ltd. has raised a fund of ₹800 crores through Qualified Institutional Placements (QIP) in early 2021. The board further approved to raise a sum of not more than ₹500 crores through the issue of NCDs. Excluding this, PVR Ltd. bagged an amount of ₹14.72 billion through 5 rounds of funding.
Date
Round
Money
Investors
August 12, 2020
Post-IPO Equity
₹3 billion
–
January 17, 2017
Post-IPO Secondary
₹9.02 billion
Warburg Pincus
June 12, 2015
Post-IPO Equity
–
Multiples Alternate Asset Management Pvt Ltd.
June 5, 2008
Post-IPO Equity
₹1.2 billion
ICICI Venture, JP Morgan
March 27, 2003
Venture Round
₹380 million
ICICI Venture
PVR Cinemas – Acquisitions
PVR Ltd. has made some huge acquisitions so far. They have acquired 5 organizations and the recent one was made on August 13, 2008.
Company Name
Date of Acquisition
Amount
SPI Cinemas Pvt Ltd.
August 13, 2018
₹6.3 billion
Zea Maize
August 20, 2015
₹50 million
DT Cinemas
June 9, 2015
₹5 billion
Cinemax India
January 8, 2013
₹4 billion
Leisure World
April 13, 2010
–
PVR Cinemas – Growth
Starting the business with a single theatre named Priya Cinema in Vasant Vihar, the growth of PVR Cinemas in the past two decades is astonishing. This single screen has grown into 846 screens in 176 cinemas across the country. The company has always kept innovating ideas and technologies to keep them uphill. PVR’s box office revenue shows a steady rise from 2015 to 2020. It has increased from ₹8.24 billion to ₹17.31 billion in 5 years. But the pandemic has severely affected their revenue in the current year. PVR’s Food and Beverage (F&B) business has seen consistent growth over the years. They have made ₹960 crores by selling F&B in FY 2020.
As the company progressed, they also kept introducing new brands that kept pulling people towards their cinemas. Here is the list of brands under PVR Ltd.
PVR Director’s Cut
PVR Pictures
PVR IMAX
PVR 4DX
Playhouse
PVR GOLD
PVR LUXE
PVR P[XL]
PVR ONYX
PVR DIT
PVR Nest
4700BC Popcorn
V Pristine
PVR Cinemas – Competitors
PVR Cinemas Competitors – INOX
Though PVR has a large market share in the theatre business, it has a major competitor INOX Leisure Ltd. INOX is closely trailing PVR in all aspects of the business. It is a multiplex theatre chain with around 667 screens in India. PVR challenges INOX in terms of quality whereas INOX competes with a price. They both have a lot of similarities in which PVR is just a step ahead in the competition.
PVR Cinemas – Awards and Recognition
PVR Ltd. has received many recognitions over the years. Here are some of the awards received by the company for its advanced technical implementations and marketing strategies:
VC Circle Awards – Media and Entertainment Category
CNBC’s Emerging India Awards, 2013
Retailer of the Year – Images Retail Forum 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 & 2017
India’s Most Trusted Cinema Display Brand, 2014 & 2015
Fortune India’s Next 500 Biggest and Best Midsize Companies, 2016
Top Multiplex Chain of the year, 2016, 2017, 2018 & 2019 – Big Cine Expo
International Exhibitor of the year, 2017 – Cine Asia, Hong Kong
Master’s of Modern Marketing Awards and Conference, 2019 – mCube Awards
Most Innovative Mid-Sized Company, 2019 – ET Innovation Awards
PVR Cinemas – FAQs
What is PVR Cinemas?
PVR Cinemas is one of the largest movie theatre chains operating in India.
Who is the founder of PVR Cinemas?
Ajay Bijli is the founder of PVR Cinemas. He is serving as CEO of PVR Cinemas since 1997.
Who is the top competitor of PVR Cinemas?
INOX Leisure is the major competitor of PVR Cinemas.
How many screens does PVR Cinemas have?
PVR has 846 screens in India and Sri Lanka and is the largest operator in the country.
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 Google Pay.
Do you want a single platform for managing UPI money transfer, phone recharge, QR code payments, bill payments, and other cashless transactions? Your search ends with Google Pay. A robust platform that enables you to go cashless, Google Pay has established itself as one of the top names in the digital payments segment. Bank transfers, sending and receiving money, online shopping, and several other services have become as easy as cracking an egg with Google Pay.
Millions of Indians now rely on this Google offering for all their payment-related needs. And the number continues to increase with each passing day. StartupTalky covers the Google Pay success story in this post. So, dive into it below:
September 11, 2015, and then renewed on January 8, 2018
Website
pay.google.com
Google Pay – Latest News
December 21, 2021 – Google Pay and Mastercard ties up to enable the GPay users to transact with their Mastercards via token, without having to use their debit card details.
Google Pay, often referred as G Pay is founded on May 26, 2011. Starting initially as Google Wallet, the digital payments platform has changed its name to Android Pay later on September 11, 2015. The app was then launched as Tez before finally settling on the name Google Pay on August 28, 2018.
Google Pay serves as a digital wallet-cum-online payment system developed by Google. The Google-powered digital payments platform enables the users to make contactless payments and purchases online via android phones, watches and tablets. iOS is another platform that supports G Pay for the users of India and the United States but with some restrictions. Google Pay works with Android Lollipop 5.0 and above.
The second most popular UPI platform in India helps the users to pay other merchants and individual users via the Tez mode, using QR codes, and through phone numbers.
The app is currently available for the users of 42 countries, as of 2021.
Google Pay was originally developed as Android Pay and was first released at Google I/O in 2015. This application was primarily modeled on Google Wallet that was released back in 2011. The technology of Android Pay was influenced by Softcard’s technology. Google then launched the payments app, Tez on September 18, 2017, pivoting the UPI system. Tez was later rebranded to Google Pay on August 28, 2018.
According to Sujith Narayanan, the Co-founder of Google Pay, it was while working on Google Tez (another offering by Google), he and his team realized that a consumer’s financial journey extends beyond digital payments. Moreover, there was a need to concentrate on the millennials in India and give them a new, fast and efficient way to handle their finances.
The founding duo finally decided on a product called ‘Google Pay’, which would redefine financial services for the millennials. Google Tez, a mobile payment service by Google that targeted users in India, laid the framework for Google Pay. Think of Google Pay as a superior version of Google Tez coupled with a plethora of offerings.
Google Pay – Founders And Team
Sujith Narayanan and Sumit Gwalani are the brains behind Google Pay.
Sumit Gwalani (left) and Sujith Narayanan (right)
Sujith Narayanan
Sujith Narayanan is the co-creator of Google Tez along with Sumit. Sujith is a veteran payments executive and has an enviable experience in the domain of financial services. He is also known as the co-founder of the neo-banking startup EpiFi. Sujith is an alumnus of the University of Calibut and Mahatma Gandhi University. Starting his career with Standard Chartered Bank, Sujith eventually resigned after 7 years as a National Sales Manager of the organization. He then joined Religare Macquarie Private Wealth as the Vice-President – Marketing and Channel Development before moving on to join Google.
Sumit Gwalani
Along with co-founding G Pay, Sumit Gwalani played an instrumental role alongside Sujith in starting EpiFi. He handled Google Tez’s operations in India. Sumit spent 12+ years at Google where he donned multiple hats. Sumit was a Research Assistant at the University of Columbia, Santa Barbara, before joining Trlokom as a Software Architect and eventually joining Google. Gwalani was a Computer Engineering student at the University of Mumbai from where he completed his Btech degree before pursuing a Masters in Computer Science from the University of Santa Barbara.
Google Pay – Name, Tagline And Logo
Google Pay is styled as G Pay. The logo of G Pay is cleverly crafted with the Google logo on one side and “Pay” on the other.
Google Pay’s tagline is “Money made simple”. A meaningful and interesting tagline, isn’t it? With Google Pay, handling money has become easier than ever.
Google Pay Logo
Google Pay – Business and Revenue Model
Google Pay does not charge its users for their access to Google Wallet. GPay allows its users to send money to bank accounts directly and for free. Previously, the company had an agenda of adding a 2.9% fee upon topping up wallets via debit card, which has been taken off.
Being a digital payments platform, Google Pay mainly collects its revenues via transaction-based fees that it collects from the online and in-app payments of the banks and merchants. Advertisements and product offers within the Google Pay app are some other revenue streams of the company. It also earns considerably by using the users’ data that it collects.
In 2017 Google Pay had earlier witnessed a growth of its monthly active users, which was recorded at 67 million. The same has presently estimated at 150 million, as of 2021.
The app has enabled more than 2.5 billion transactions and currently has got a running rate of US $110+ billion in transaction value. Moreover, it is also important to note that now Google Pay also gives the users the privilege of paying over 200,000 stores that are based in more than 3500 cities and towns, and to 2700+ online merchants.
Google Pay – Challenges Faced
With the backing from Google, one of the largest organizations in the world, Google Pay wasn’t subjected to the problems that small-scale businesses and startups face while starting out. Neither was there any dearth of resources. Though not exactly a challenge, a technical glitch on Google Pay’s app in 2020 did become a trending topic for some time.
Several users reported the app saying that their bank accounts were removed from Google Pay without any notice. Complaints on the matter were frequently posted on social media platforms. However, the issue did not bring about any serious consequences. The Google Pay team suggested that it might have been an unintentional action on the users’ part that delinked the app and bank accounts. A fix was implemented by the team and the situation was restored to normalcy. Google India issued a statement when it was asked by NDTV Gadgets 360 regarding the glitch.
Ambarish Kenghe, the Director of Product Management at Google Pay said, “We are aware that some users faced difficulties with linking their bank accounts on Google Pay today. The issue, impacting a small number of users, was identified earlier today and our teams have worked to resolve it and have implemented a fix within the hour. The issue stands resolved and users will now be able to use the app normally. Users facing any issue should reach out to Google Pay support through our app. We regret the inconvenience caused and are committed to providing our users a seamless payments experience.”
Google Pay – Growth
In the year 2018-19, there was a lot of traction with the payment products. The team launched a few new features successfully and also revamped the payment products globally. Google Pay specially focused on partnerships, ecosystem approaches as it forged deep relationships with central bank and government to build innovative products collectively. This made the products work together within the ecosystem.
GooglePay currently retains 35% market share in terms of volume and 38% of the shares in terms of values, as of October 2021. The payments gateway has last recorded 129 crore transactions, which amounted to Rs 2.50 lakh crore. Some growth highlights of Google Pay are as follows:
Google’s digital payment platform Google Pay hit 67 million monthly active users in just 2 years since it made its debut in India
Google Pay had contributed 59% in digital transactions in 2019
Google Pay is the second most popular UPI platform after PhonePe
Google Pay has partnered with numerous organizations around the world to date. Here are some of the most prominent partnerships seen by G Pay:
GPay has announced of its collaboration with SBI General Insurance, which would help the GooglePay users to purchase SBI’s Genearl Insurance plan directly via the app on October 29, 2021
The digital payments giant has partnered with Visa on September 21, 2020 to help the Visa card users to tap-to-pay, thereby securing all the transactions made via the app
G Pay partnered with 90 banking institutions from 9 nations on September 20, 2021
Google Pay is firmly partnered with India’s financial ecosystem, said the internet major on September 3, 2021
G Pay partnered with Leumi, an Israel-based bank to enable the bank’s users to use the Google pay digital wallet on September 2, 2021
Amazon Pay is a platform for digital transactions. It is similar to Google Pay in terms of functionality and features
PhonePe is popularly known as India’s leading payments app. It allows people to use BHIM, UPI, credit card, and debit cards to recharge phones and make payments
Paytm is an Indian e-commerce payment system. Paytm offers multiple services through its ecosystem; some of them are e-wallets, bill payments, phone recharges, and an online shopping store (in the form of Paytm Mall). It is headquartered in Noida, India.
Google Pay is always planning something new and unique for its users. The company has announced that it would be transforming its app into a personal finance hub for the users. This would further simplify the payment of funds to friends and family.
Google Pay – FAQs
Is Google Pay an Indian app?
Google Pay is based out of the Google headquarters in California, US. However, the payments app of Google is available for the Indian users and those who resides in Singapore and the US. Google India Digital Services Private Limited, headquartered in New Delhi, makes G Pay accessible for the Indian users.
Who is the owner of Google Pay?
Google Pay is owned by Google Inc.
Can I transfer funds directly to bank accounts via Google Pay?
Yes, Google Pay allows its users to link their bank accounts and transfer funds directly to others’ bank accounts.
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 Toch.
We are witnessing a tsunami of video content that is growing every minute. As per the Global Video AI Market data, the growth is measured at supersonic speeds. Statistics show that the market for short-form video content is expected to be at $169.4bn by the year 2025. In the hypersonic world that we live in, the venerated IoT solutions are the only coping mechanism. Toch AI is a SaaS company with cloud-agnostic AI solutions. It offers professional services by taking noisy, large data sets and transforming them into engrossing and compelling hyper-global videos.
Founded by Vinayak S, Saket Dandotia, and Alok Patil in 2016, the startup intends to disrupt video technology by automating workflow using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning algorithms, thereby reducing the go-to-market time and costs and increasing ROI for clients.
StartupTalky interviewed Mr. Vinayak Shrivastav (Co-founder & CEO, Toch) to get insights on the startup story and roadmap ahead of the organization. In this article, you’ll discover how Toch was started, its revenue model, marketing strategies, and more.
December 23, 2021 – Toch.ai partners with USA cricket with an aim to provide video highlights and clips for the Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube channels for USA cricket.
In the hypersonic world that we live in, the venerated IoT solutions are the only coping mechanism. Toch AI is a SaaS company with cloud-agnostic AI solutions. It offers professional services by taking noisy, large data sets and transforming them into engrossing and compelling hyper-global videos. Its modernistic technological solutions converge in ways that act as a huge revenue and time management tool. Toch AI creates a coherent video editing platform with engagement analytics and real-time production capabilities. With its futuristic deep AI technologies, the team renders new assets from the existing data with a deft auto- share option across 30+ social media platforms or any destination website/app.
The startup’s vision is to build tech that empowers creators and enriches content in the dynamic video-centric world. It is at the tip of an undiscovered iceberg when it comes to what AI is capable of. Revolutionizing itself every day while creating cutting-edge technology is a tangible goal. The team doesn’t see themselves selling a general algorithm that fits all. With the expansion of business avenues, small and big enterprises alike, each patron expands and challenges their amenability to mold the technology to their needs. While they have marked themselves today in the field of entertainment, news, and sports, the team at Toch aspires to allocate their AI and ML technologies towards safety and security, healthcare, and education in the future.
“Disrupt video technology by automating workflow using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning algorithms thereby reducing go-to-market time and costs and increasing ROI for clients” has been Toch’s mission, which is both possible and plausible with its team of innovators.
The startup also sees itself building an immutable community that drives a profitable economy while creating newer standards for the tech environment.
We are sitting on a tsunami of video content that is growing every minute. As per Global Video AI Market data, the growth is taking place at supersonic speed. Statistics show that the market for short-form video content is expected to be at $169.4bn by the year 2025, and $223.98bn by 2028 (Grand View Research, Inc) with an anticipated CAGR of 21% from 2021 to 2028. As flag bearers of the industry, Toch has the vantage to predict industry demands and possesses the evolutionary AI tools that can deliver groundbreaking and trendsetting solutions at the same time. Analytically in the coming years, the startup would be able to sell across 4 different continents with its repertoire and sizable market shares. Toch functions worldwide with a focus on India, North America, the United Kingdom, Europe, and Australia.
Toch – Idea & Inspiration
In the year 2016, the founders were sitting at the brink of an undiscovered potential industry that had seen a mighty rise in video content. With human attention span and patience shrinking, there was a dire need to address the video trajectory in respect to real-time. To bridge that gaping hole between unaddressed content and commerce, the potential was immense. It was almost like the ‘light bulb’ moment when Vinayak S, Saket Dandotia, and Alok Patil formed a SaaS company deploying AI and ML technology that deliberated on an easy-to-use and accessible to all, a cloud-agnostic platform to deliver customized video content in real-time, thereby birthing TOCH AI.
While the founders and other enthusiasts were gung-ho with the projected idea, the main challenge was to integrate a team that would help them to discover the iceberg. Their enthusiastic team helped in molding the idea into a product that disrupted the video content industry. The response was overwhelming and helped the founding team forge ahead, setting a benchmark in the market.
Toch’s product is conceptualized to create epic content that leaves an impact using ingenuity and precision. Toch delivers well-crafted content through AI and ML algorithms in real-time. Creating personalized content has been a brainbox that has greatly appealed to the sport, entertainment, and news industry. Grafting content from raw footage into bite-sized videos in the form of key highlights that hyperbolize the pivotal moments across 30+ social platforms.
Its video editing options, retool and optimize videos in real-time; saving time, labor, negating human error whilst increasing productivity. It is an easy-to-use technology with illimitable resizing of videos that have diverse displays, customizable with client logos, bumpers, and sponsors messages on the dashboard. It renders multiple video formatting, scheduling feeds, innumerable web storage options that offer API and platform models, and multiple publishing renditions.
USP of Toch AI
Toch’s USP is its premium video editing feature that facilitates the patrons with automatic dynamic engagements and insertions to create their own bespoke videos. The team at Toch AI understands one standard solution does not fit all, hence it is imperative to go beyond conventional. Thinking ahead of time and ascertaining a client’s needs, thereby amplifying it with a cutting-edge solution defines vertical innovation.
Idea Pivot
At the genesis of anything, challenges are but obvious. Toch was no different, the founders faced practical challenges that just helped them address and reinvent their own technology. Since they focussed on state-of-the-art technology, it was an intricate process of evolving while remaining grounded to the core product. In their case, “our asset was our team”, which helped them with the critical process.
Toch’s final product was by itself a marketing and branding tool. When presented on different platforms, Toch was received as a welcome change. Employing cutting-edge technology such as Face and Image Recognition, Vision models, Optical Character Recognition, and Audio Detection, saved immense manual labor, erased the scope of error and time consumption phenomenally with a latency of only 10 seconds or less in real-time without altering the resolution of the feed.
Change is essential for growth, so is adaptability. Every person is a potential patron and what may work for one may not satiate the other. Hence malleability and personalization to fit each line of business are vital.
Toch – Founders and Team
Vinayak S, Saket Dandotia, and Alok Patil are the founders of Toch.
Toch Founding Team – Vinayak S, Saket Dandotia, and Alok Patil
Vinayak Shrivastav | Co-founder & CEO, Toch
He has a background in engineering and an MBA from London Business School. Vinayak directs Toch towards unique identity, growth plans, strategies, and execution. With Toch.AI, he envisions revolutionizing sports viewership by leveraging AI and ML technology to create real-time personalized content. He firmly believes that “everyone has stories to tell’ – stories that will not only engage, inform, surprise, delight, and impact their audience, but will also deliver on measurable business goals. In his personal time, Vinayak is an avid sports fan and can often be found cheering and rooting for his favorite team.
Alok Patil | Co-founder & CTO, Toch
He is the ‘Torvalds’ of Toch. He is industrious and loves challenges. Accredited with an MCA, his vision is to resolve humongous problems faced by humanity through technology. To quote him, “the world needs more technology-enabled solutions focussed at modernizing human efforts”. He believes that there is never an end to learning and motivates the team to experiment with new ideas. Alok is a vehement advocate of short-form content and a web series buff.
Saket Dandotia | Co-founder & COO, Toch
He is the operational brain behind the technology. His data-first approach ensures Toch is at the top of the game. With skills he picked from the IIM Indore, Saket is the bridge between technology and the market. His grit is focused on harnessing AI-powered disruption in the media space. Exploring the scope of AI in the future is his favorite pastime. Mentoring in Hong Kong Technical University, IIT Indore, and IIM Indore, he seeks to inspire Gen Next.
Toch Team
Since its inception in 2016, Toch has been growing exponentially with a manpower of 60+ personnel across countries. Its team is task-oriented through liberal leadership. As cliche as it sounds, but the founders believe in team building and bonding. Empathy and motivation are synonymous with that idea. At Toch, people understand diversity at its best and use it as a force for synchronous output.
Toch – Name and Logo
The name was thought of from the point of view of “touching” as many lives by cutting through the clutter and personalizing content. This evolved into TOCH only due to the availability of domain names. The logo was created in unison with the brand name.
Toch Logo
Toch – Business Model & Revenue Model
Toch is a SaaS platform and offers different subscription options for its clients. Its business model includes API integration and easy-to-use dashboard services.
Toch’s product has proved its mettle, it has been its own brand ambassador of viability and productivity. The numbers give a fair picture of its joyous sustenance (as of Oct’21) –
12.9M+ videos scanned
1.2B+ hours of video processing time saved
72% increase in viewer time spent on videos
8.3X increase in viewer engagement rate
The startup’s marketing strategy is split into brand marketing and event focussed marketing. With a global b2b target market, social media and digital marketing play a crucial role. Its campaigns focus on thought leadership through podcasts, webinars, and fire-side chats along with event campaigns focussed on the actual benefits of AI technology in the media industry.
Toch – Funding
On October 13, 2021, Toch announced an $11.75 million Series A funding by Moneta Ventures, Baring Private Equity India, Binny Bansal, Ventureast, 9 Unicorns, Anthill Ventures, Cathexis Ventures, SOSV, Artesian, and Innoven Capital (backed by Temasek and United overseas bank).
The funding will be used to scale up technology infrastructure and venture expansion into global markets with a specific focus on foreign markets.
Arul Mehra, Partner at Baring Private Equity India, said, “We believe that AI can make a lot of difference to how content is generated and consumed. Toch.ai is equipped with top notch technology & team which is greatly contributing to the revolution seen in the video sector. Thus we see this as a huge opportunity to be a part of this change as we partner with Vinayak & the team as they chart out the journey towards becoming leaders in the video-tech space.”
The company has raised around $13.3 mn in funding over 7 funding rounds.
Date
Name of the transaction
Transaction amount
Lead investors
Oct 7, 2021
Series A
$11.8 mn
Moneta Ventures, Baring Private Equity India, Binny Bansal
Toch.ai has announced a partnership with USA cricket on December 23, 2021. This partnership aims to bring all the action from the field so that the fans don’t regret missing out on the best moments from the Dafabet USA vs. Ireland Men’s International Series 2021 that began on December 22, 2021, in Florida
Toch has been the official partner of the Indian Premier League that was truncated due to the ongoing pandemic.
The Mumbai-based interactive video shopping platform has also earlier been the official partner of the Australian Open. Furthermore, Toch.ai also frequently collaborates with numerous OTT platforms.
Toch – Recognition & Achievements
Recognized as Best AI startup 2021 by Franchise India and Entrepreneur Media.
Recognized as Nasscom AI Game Changers for the category ‘Computer Vision Award’ for accelerating India with innovation in 2021.
Co-founder and CEO, Vinayak Shrivastav recognized as 30 UNDER 30 Disruptor by BW Businessworld 2021
Co-founder and CEO, Vinayak Shrivastav was recognized as The Most Promising Entrepreneur by ‘The Economic Times Promising Entrepreneurs of India’ 2021.
Co-founder and COO, Saket Dandotia was recognized as the winner of Exchange4Media’s Digital 40 under 40 awards 2021 (public announcement pending).
Toch – Current Growth and Future Plans
Toch has grown from strength to strength over the past couple of years and added many of the big banner broadcasters and OTTs to its portfolio. Although success is relative, partnering for the Indian Premier League, Champions League, and Australian Open events with top OTT broadcasters has defined its learning and experience curve.
Toch is levitating towards extensive engagements and making its mark with AI and ML-based technology in video editing. The applications for this technology can be used in the future for better healthcare services, safety, and security solutions, and education. Its future plans involve a deep dive into the entertainment and news industries and the application of AI-led technologies to create personalized content for its clients.
Toch – FAQs
What is Toch AI?
Toch AI is a SaaS company with cloud-agnostic AI solutions. It offers professional services by taking noisy, large data sets and transforming them into engrossing and compelling hyper-global videos.
Who are the founders of Toch?
Vinayak S, Saket Dandotia, and Alok Patil founded Toch in 2016.
Is Toch an Indian Company?
Yes. Toch is an Indian company headquartered in Mumbai, India. However, Toch functions worldwide with a focus on India, North America, United Kingdom, Europe, and Australia.
How does Toch make money?
Toch is a SaaS platform and offers different subscription options for its clients.
What is Toch’s USP?
The USP of Toch is its premium video editing feature that facilitates the patrons with automatic dynamic engagements and insertions to create their own bespoke videos.
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 Kimaya Himalayan Beverages.
Kimaya Himalayan Beverages is harvesting a community of beer drinkers in India by sourcing premium ingredients and keeping up with the innovative styles of brewing methods that constantly push boundaries. One of its top-selling products is BeeYoung,India’s first strong craft beer that celebrates the story of youth. This bootstrapped brand witnessed a solid 287% growth rate in just 2 years with to date turnover being around INR 128 Cr.
StartupTalky interviewed Mr. Abhinav Jindal (Founder & CEO, Kimaya Himalayan Beverages) to get insights into the startup story and roadmap of the organization.
BeeYoung (story of youth): India’s first strong craft beer – The story of Bee Young is the story of youth. It started with an idea to create a brew that could deliver a crisp and clean yet punchy sip, every time, no matter the social setting. The idea was to find the choicest of ingredients and merge them into a brew that would find instant appeal with the drinker, be it a seasoned imbiber or a first-timer. The product evokes a sense of adventure and curiosity in the drinker, promoting the idea of trying something new, something that is different and yet remains familiar.
BeeYoung Starts with a crisp attack delivering a perfect malty taste. Then it translates to ripe fruitiness on the midpalate, while the invigorating flavors & taste make each sip EVENTFUL.
BeeYoung is Kimaya’s star product and bestseller across markets.
Vision: To create beverages that set benchmarks and define categories ahead of the curve.
Mission: To create honest drinks, crafted & enjoyed with passion
Kimaya Himalayan – Industry Details
The beer industry in India is in its growth stage, evolved from manufacturing standard beers such as strong and lager beer to flavored and variety, housing more than 140 beer brands in the country.
The total beer market in India as per volume was 2,047.8 m liters in 2019, with a dip of – 2.4% in CAGR in the period 2015-2019. The strongest growth for Beer in India was witnessed in 2015 with a rate of 4.1%.
It is forecasted for the beer industry to reach 2,025.9 m liters in 2024 representing a volume CAGR of 0.8% since 2020.
(Data Source: Mintel Beer Report for India 2020)
The strong beer category (alcohol content between 6% to 8%) holds the 82% market share vis a vis Standard/Light/Low/Extra Strong/ No Alcohol Category.
India is following in China’s footsteps where consumption has grown from 2 liters to 36 liters over the last 25 years. Also, high growth has been witnessed in the Craft beer industry in India and internationally, with a CAGR of 304% (2014-18) in India.
Beer Industry has a lot of growth potential in India, however being hit twice in a row with a pandemic at its peak during the main beer season, certainly will hamper the growth vis a vis as projected before.
“Being a beer enthusiast, I (Abhinav) love to try newer variants and styles of beer from across the globe. And being from the Alco-Bev industry for over a decade now I’ve closely observed the beer landscape and consumption patterns in India”
While observing the market he analyzed the gap in the beer industry, there were not many players manufacturing quality products especially in the strong beer segment, something that would appeal to all sorts of customers cutting across preferences. Hence, he created a product that is crafted and artisanal, considering that the strong beer segment makes up for the largest percentage of the market share yet underserved in terms of quality products. Abhinav spoke to a few company heads and stakeholders, the suggestion was unilateral – to stay out of the space due to the masses being acquired by two giants of the industry.
Small businesses being bought over by larger companies, margin, and cost are under pressure all the time given that it is the lowest margin product in the world, everyone persuaded him to not foray into this space and take up this challenge. They suggested that he should rather try creating something for the IMFL segment as it demands lesser investment, it’s easier, and much better margins gameplay.
Yet he and the team decided to stick to the plan and create more talk points around the same. With extensive research of more than a year at hand, they started their journey in 2019. Despite the phases of lockdowns, they were able to build a market and name for the brand and lead the way ahead. Kimaya has more variants coming up very soon, experimenting with different ingredients and flavors to provide the best likable offerings. Patrons have poured in an immense amount of love and support, regardless of the lockdown situation. The brand has been communicating with people through various marketing strategies as it was the only key to remaining relevant in such situations and keeping the audiences hooked.
Having traveled to a few different parts of the world, Abhinav also witnessed that beer is not just alcohol but a culture, a kick-starter for celebrations, adventure, and leisure, and that is how he feels. The beer consumption was perceived wrongly which he wanted to change by educating people about the right pack size and temperature.
Kimaya is a team of passionate individuals trying to provide international standard brews at the right price, that can be consumed in any social setting.
Kimaya Team
Kimaya Himalayan – Products and USP
Kimaya Himalayan beverages offer BeeYoung in 500ml sizes (can and bottles), which is an adequate quantity to share and consume at the right temperature. The brand aims to make the beer drinkers aware of the right pack size and temperature to enjoy a beer at. Moreover, at the same time, the Kimaya Himalayan Beverages team is also focused on premiumizing the craft brew space with an aim to make beer drinking an experience and more than a means of intoxication. They are experimenting with different flavors and ingredients to provide the offerings with a distinctive taste to cherish and enjoy. The brand is also dedicated to curating conceptual synergies between other alcohol, food products, and entertainment promoted through various influencers.
Along with the 500ml packaging, it also released a 650ml packaging edition due to great consumer response and increasing demand for the same.
Key Highlights of the brand:
Unique packaging: 500ml bottles: Team Kimaya has moved against the grain and has embraced a unique size to showcase their most interesting creation in the beer segment. An optimized size that bridges the gap between 330ml and 650ml offers the perfect pint size to enjoy the beer at the right temperature till the last sip and is adequate for sharing.
Emphasis on Provenance: The ingredients are sourced from their provenance. The beers exhibit graceful flavors of carefully selected international malt with the inclusion of premium Basmati rice to provide smoothness on the palate. Noble hop Saaz is carefully chosen and infused with Himalayan source water.
As aforementioned, the team associates BeeYoung with a story of youth that’s vibrant, buzzy, and adventurous, excitement, and celebration. From the buzzy aspect of the product that gives you a light buzz and excitement when consumed as it is a strong craft beer, the logo Bee came into inception. They wanted to create a product that is an expression of excitement and adventure for the youth, the vibe of being young in older people; relate the product with fun and energy and hence the name.
Kimaya’s business and revenue model is mostly retail and through trade. Generally, when an alcohol startup launches and begins sampling/selling, they take the on-premise route, this brand’s approach was distinct from other craft brew brands. It took the off-premise route and also engaged with customers through various events and festivals which played well for the business.
Kimaya Himalayan – Launch and Marketing Strategies
Initially, Kimaya launched through on-ground samplings and word-of-mouth branding through stakeholders and promoters.
Abhinav started the retail business with minimal and controlled sampling to gain feedback. With planned marketing outreach, the tea, got the opportunity to participate in events such as Food for Thought, Horn OK Please, Eat Love Party, and Toast -Wine & Beer Festival which enabled them to sample the product to a wider audience. More and more sampling to the target audience was the initial focus before the brand gained momentum on the sales in cities where it has its distribution.
The perfect taste and buzz of the product are what kept the audience hooked. Moreover, the high voltage campaigns that Kimaya is consistently running on its social media platforms have helped it to promote the brand narrative, populate collaborations with industry faces/influencers. These collaborations (engaging reels/ fun videos with product integration) have helped garner traction, build brand identity and consumer loyalty. The cocktail mixing by experts, comic, dance and festive reels have performed considerably well and was well accepted by the audiences.
Kimaya’s social media campaign and physical collaboration have helped it to establish a name in the market and stand amongst the competition. The brand’s social media channels are interactive, heavy on engagement and entertainment. Being an alcohol brand, Kimaya did not restrict itself to associate with different brands and genres. From music to fashion to comedy, which connotes the story of youth/vibrancy is something that it can cross collaborate. Along with the product the team also wants people to associate with the vibe of the brand and relate, and Kimaya should be their first choice when it comes to drinking beer. The brand has also experimented with the taste notes and texture to be smooth and light on the palate, being a strong brew.
“The contests that we run and the collaborations with key industry leaders and influencers have helped us position ourselves as a brand that is consumer-centric and values them” – Abhinav added.
A few major collaborations that had worked really well for Kimaya are the comic reels with content creators like Arun Singh, Dance collaboration with faculties of Big Dance Center, Delhi, and most importantly with travel groups, trips to Zanskar valley with BeeYoung. These campaigns drove enormous engagements on the page. Participation in major events like Horn Ok Please by So Delhi, Toast Beer & Wine Festival at DLF Avenue and Eat Play and Party at DLF Promenade have helped it garner visibility, brand loyalty, and more partnerships.
The brand is affable, with honest prices, quality & packaging benchmarks. This has eventually created a word of mouth for the brand. Moreover, BeeYoung is distributed widely in Delhi, Uttarakhand, UP, and some areas of Punjab which makes it more approachable in terms of availability.
Kimaya’s Yavira packaging (not available in Delhi right now) states that it is a lager brew yet produced at 6.2% ABV. Kimaya’s team learned that people are unaware of the distinction between lager, a strong beer, and light beer. Lager being the umbrella categorization, telling people that Yavira is a lager didn’t work out well. The team tagged it as pilsner instead to perfectly categorize it. The brand’s approach of associating with larger events and festivals worked out really well to promote the brand. People like the vibe and the story of the brand.
The startup onboarded their brewer to create different styles in the strong and pilsner categories. It did it across 3 microbreweries over a period of one month or so. After numerous tastings, Kimaya got what it wanted to offer. The team wanted to source ingredients from their provenance. The search for authentic ingredients led the team to Uttarakhand hills’ Basmati rice. The infusion intrigued them as to what it does to the brew, making for the smooth texture of the product. No one else in this space had experimented with the same. It worked for the brand to make a distinct brew for the discerning.
Kimaya Himalayan – Growth and Revenue
Financial Year
Turnover
2019-20
INR 22 Cr
2020-21
INR 64 cr
2021-22
INR 42 Cr (as on Nov 15th, 2021)
Total Revenue To Date
INR 128 Cr
Kimaya Himalayan Beverages is currently available in 4 states, which are – Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Punjab. It had plans of expanding in 2020 but, due to the pandemic, it has been delayed. Having said that, the brand is vigorously trying to expand the territorial boundaries in 2021, as it has a large number of customers all over the country who have been quite vocal about demanding availability. Therefore, physical presence would definitely help the team in re-energizing the brand and bringing them into customer focus.
Kimaya has dispatched over 9,00,000 cases to date. In comparison to 2020, the brand is experiencing a growth of 72% YTD. From 2019-20 to 2020-21 it has had 287% growth.
Kimaya Himalayan – Funding
Kimaya Himalayan Beverages is currently bootstrapped.
The team at Kimaya envisions creating beverages that set benchmarks and define categories ahead of the curve.
They are fabricating an expansion plan in terms of new variants, products, and usage of unique ingredients to further enhance the taste. The brand is onto expansion in newer territories and cities, which would start with a stronger foothold in Northern India and then further extension to major markets in the west, south, and east of the country as well.
Kimaya’s focus is always on the final consumer. The strong beer segment has been so largely unserved forever that it was aching for an overhaul. A well-made beer with a strong sense of provenance, in the long run, will always find takers and over time, this translates into brand loyalty. It’s a slow but organic and sure-shot way to grow and stay ahead.
Kimaya Himalayan – FAQs
What is Kimaya Himalayan Beverages?
Kimaya Himalayan beverages offer BeeYoung in 500ml sizes (can and bottles), which is an adequate quantity to share and consume at the right temperature. The brand aims to make the beer drinkers aware of the right pack size and temperature to enjoy a beer at.
Who founded BeeYoung?
Abhinav Jindal founded Kimaya Himalayan Beverages in 2019. BeeYoung is Kimaya’s star product and bestseller across markets.
Is Kimaya Himalayan an Indian brand?
Yes. It is an Indian brand headquartered in New Delhi.
Who are the competitors of Kimaya Himalayan Beverages?
Kimaya’s competitors in Alco Bev Space include Bira91, Medusa, Kati Patang, Tuborg, Carlsberg, Kingfisher Premium, among others.
Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verifiedinformation ondifferent startups and organizations. The content in this post has been approved by Faasos.
Have you ever fancied yourself as a restaurant owner at some time in your life? Don’t you think how complicated would it be to start and run a restaurant chain? Right from the choice of cuisine to the business model, and the ultimate presentation, how difficult it can be to run your chain when already hundreds of well-established brands are there in the market. When the whole world out there is having a good time, have you ever thought about how struggling it can be to establish you and your brand? Well, the answer to all these and many other questions, Faasos emerged. Founded back in 2004, Faasos was incorporated in 2011, as an Indian “food on demand” service company by Jaydeep Barman and Kallol Banerjee.
Faasos is a brand owned by the online restaurant unicorn Rebel Foods. The company currently operates ghost kitchens distributed across 35+ Indian cities. If you are looking to discover more about Faasos Startup Story, Founders and Team, Funding and investors, Business and Revenue Model, Competitors, Revenue, and more, then check them all out here in this article:
So what is Faasos? The Faasos company is an Indian online food delivery company that was incorporated in the year 2011. Faasos launched its mobile app in 2014 and since then the company has been catering to the customers of India as food on-demand service.
Headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra Faasos currently operates 160+ kitchens that provide meals from 4 different brands. Faasos India is the only company that works on all the three stages of food on-demand business which are ordering, distribution, and order fulfillment in the sector of online food ordering business in India.
Faasos is an Indian Online Food Delivery Company and a nationwide chain of food outlets. Faasos origin started out by selling only Calcutta rolls in Pune, but now Faasos menu includes wraps, rolls, Frankies, and Indian food items, which are delightful alternatives to the McDonalds, Subways, and Dominos. Faasos website takes online orders, prepares food for its customers, and delivers the same at their doorstep. Besides, you can also search for the website or Faasos outlets in India by simply searching “Faasos near me”.
The Faasos apps’ wide range of food items includes classic wraps, party wraps, rice bowls, desserts, meals, snacks, etc. According to the Faasos reviews, it also accepts online party orders. Since its inception, Faasos aimed to create a kitchen from where the customers can order all their favorite dishes and get them delivered in no time. Besides, Faasos branches across the country are based on the Faasos cloud kitchen model, through which people can order food.
Faasos – Founders and Team
Jaydeep Barman (CEO) and Kallol Banerjee are the Faasos founders.
Jaydeep Barman and Kallol Banerjee – Faasos, Founders
Jaydeep Barman
Jaydeep Barman completed his MBA from INSEAD and is the current Faasos CEO. This Faasos founder worked for McKinsey & Company, London, where Jaydeep was an associate principal.
Kallol Banerjee
Kallol Banerjee has completed his MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow, and has further studied at INSEAD after completing his graduation in Mechanical Engineering from Jadavpur University. Kallol has previously worked in Singapore at Bosche before they started their venture.
Soumyadeep Barman
Soumyadeep Barman is known as the Chief Product Officer and Co-founder of Faasos. Barman was earlier the Chief Technology Officer of the company since he joined and stepped down from the same in April 2020 when he started as a Chief Product Officer.
Faasos currently has somewhere between 500-1000 employees.
Rebel Foods is the Faasos owner and the Faasos parent company. Rebel Foods is an Indian online restaurant company that operates several cloud kitchen brands. It was founded by Faasos founders Jaydeep Barman and Kallol Banerjee in 2011.
Rebel Foods Brands
Faasos – Startup Story | How was Faasos Started?
In 2004, Faasos’s startup story began as a Calcutta Roll store chain in the city of Pune. To provide end-to-end delivery, fresh food, and doorstep delivery, it took around 7 years for Jaydeep and Kallol, which helped them establish Faasos India with full commitment. The Faasos history was started with an idea over rum and cola at an apartment that was shared by the two in Pune.
Jaydeep had no background experience in the food business sector and all his decisions were intuitive, which has served him well so far. He was just tired of the burger and pizza chains and wanted something Indian to pop up in the online sector and that’s how the Faasos story began. From 2011 to 2013, Faasos revenue grew and the founders opened over 70 Faasos franchises in the major cities of India.
The main aim/vision of Faasos is to become the best-in-class ‘Food on Demand’ business in the country. Faasos believes to stand as the best company to answer the customers’ queries of “what’s for dinner today?” and deliver them right at their doorsteps.
Faasos – Name, Tagline, and Logo
The Faasos name was taken from Burkina Faso, which is a French colony and it means ‘Land of Incorruptible People’. Although it does not symbolize anything nor is related to the food industry but the founders thought that it might be interesting to keep this name.
The Faasos tagline – We Got Your Food! Faasos logo is written in cursive font in blue. The Faasos company aims to become the leading ‘Food on Demand’ business in our country.
Faasos business model is developed around the idea of running ahyperlocal, cloud kitchen-based model, wherein the parent company Rebel Foods offers numerous in-house brands on its platforms like Oven Story, Kettle&Eggs, Behrouz, Firangi Bake. The Faasos cloud kitchen model was introduced after the other Faasos brands were added in the year 2015.
The Faasos food delivery process is designed in a way that turns out to be an easy and effective process for the customers to order Faasos food. In this way, the Rebel foods business model helps the company multi-task using the same kitchen, with common ingredients and the same staff to fulfill all their orders from varied brands. Today, Faasos operates more than 160 Faasos franchises that offer meals from four different brands.
Faasos has deeply followed the business model of Domino’s, which requires them to keep close to the neighborhoods of the customers, stay abreast of the customers’ orders and guarantee food delivery within 30 minutes.
Faasos earns from the commissions from the food order deliveries. Furthermore, it also earns from the delivery charges it levies on the food orders. The company further earns from the advertisements and features of food brands that it introduces on its app.
Faasos – Revenue
Faasos recorded a revenue of $75.24 million (Rs 572 crore) in FY20, thereby growing around 84% year-on-year (YoY) from ₹305.1 crores, which Faasos managed to pick up in FY19. The company’s revenues were recorded at only ₹147 crores in FY18, which has significantly grown.
The company’s net loss has also ballooned at INR 431 Cr from the past fiscal when it was only INR 131 Cr. Thus, Faasos’ losses increased by around 229%.
Faasos funding has raised over $111 million to date. Faasos’ first round of funding was held in January 2011 wherein the famous investor Sequoia Capital funded Faasos with $8 million.
The details of Faasos funding are as follows:
Date
Amount
Stage
Investors
January 2011
$8 Million
Series A
Sequoia Capital
2015
$16 Million
Series B
Sequoia Capital and Others
$30 Million
Series C
Sequoia Capital, RB Investments, Lightbox
INR 414 Million
Series C
Sequoia Capital, RB Investments, Lightbox
January 2019
$4.2 Million
Venture Debt
Alteria Capital
March 2019
$15.8 Million
Series D
Sequoia Capital India, Lightbox Ventures, Evolvence India Fund
February 2020
$4.9 Million
Series E1
Alteria Capital
July 2020
$26.5Million
Series E2
Coatue Management
Faasos – Startup Challenges
One of the most important aspects of any business is accounting and finance and that was an early challenge for Faasos to manage as it was using the legacy Point of Sales system for store sales and inventory management whereas, for the accounting and financing, Faasos was dependent on the ubiquitous Tally software.
Afterward, the company switched to Sage, which helped it overcome the problems of finance and accounting. According to the Faasos founders, one of the big earliest loopholes of the Faasos India business was tied to the location that they decided upon and the cost needed to repair the mistake. However, these challenges made them realize that they need to have multiple food brands rather than a brand extension.
Faasos is a chain that has direct competition with giant food aggregators like Zomato and Swiggy and the other Faasos competitors like FoodPanda and so on. In India, the food delivery market is valued at 15 billion dollars and is exponentially growing day by day. The online food delivery market has also become extensively competitive. Although Faasos app has a niche business model and works differently than the others, the company still faces stiff market competition. To compete in this competitive market and to be better than its competitors, Faasos focuses on the pricing and the range of food items that it offers to its customers.
Faasos – Growth
The Co-founder and CEO of Faasos, Jaydeep firmly believes that Faasos has no limit. It has expanded much in terms of the restaurant partners it collaborates with and also diversified its range of food items. Faasos outlets in India will keep increasing as the company has the power and ability to make strong brands in the food industry and the cost structure of lean manufacturing and distribution. In the long run, Faasos has the potential to offer products at low costs in the future as well and also expand to run it at a global level. Over the years Faasos has become one of the top food delivering companies in India. Besides, the company has also:
Built 1000 restaurants in just 24 months.
Increased its revenues by 5x in a really short time.
Raised itself to serve more 30,000 meals in a single day.
Faasos is expanding at an impressive pace. The company is further looking to capture more of the market shares in the times upcoming. Faasos is aiming to expand beyond the borders of India and partner with more restaurants to provide delicious foods to its world of customers. In terms of revenues, Faasos is currently targeting the $100 million mark. The Rebel Foods-owned brand is looking forward to building 10,000 restaurants across Indian in the next 5 years.
Faasos – FAQs
Who is the CEO of Faasos?
Jaydeep Barman is the Co-Founder and CEO of Faasos.
How much is the revenue of Faasos?
In FY20, Faasos has generated operating revenueof ₹572 crores, from ₹305.1 crores in FY19.
Who are the Top Competitors of Faasos?
Faasos is a chain that has direct competition with giant food aggregators like Zomato and Swiggy whereas there are other competitors like FoodPanda and so on
Who is the Owner of Faasos?
Rebel Foods Pvt Ltd., is the Owner/Parent Organisation of Faasos. It was founded by Jaydeep Barman (CEO) and Kallol Banerjee in 2011.
