StartupTalky

Tag: 📄Company Profiles

  • Quixy- Platform For Business Process Management and Workflow Automation

    Quixy is a cloud-based user-friendly business application platform that empowers business users with no coding skills to automate workflows & processes, and build enterprise-grade applications, using simple drag and drop design, ten times faster compared to the traditional approach.

    Quixy provides dozens of pre-built solutions for a variety of use cases such as CRM, Project Management, HRMS, Travel and Expense Management, Service Request and Incident Management, and much more.

    Within a year, since its inception, Quixy has been recognized as a Leader in No-Code Application Development based on the customer reviews on G2.

    Quixy – Company Highlights

    Startup Name Quixy
    Headquarter Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
    Sector SaaS
    Founders Gautam Nimmagadda
    Founded Oct 1, 2019
    Website quixy.com

    Quixy – About and How It Works
    Quixy – Founders and Team
    How was Quixy Founded?
    Quixy – Name, Logo, and Tagline
    Quixy – Products and Services
    Quixy – Target Market Size
    Quixy – Business and Revenue Model
    Quixy – Customers/ Clients
    Quixy approach to current Business Challenges
    Quixy – Opportunities
    Quixy – Tools
    Quixy – Competitors
    Quixy – Recognitions and Achievements
    Quixy – FAQs

    Top No-Code Development Platforms | Why No-Code? | Benefits of No-Code
    In this internet age, the world is innovating day-to-day. There are numbers ofsoftware developing day-by-day. In this tech world, many companies want todevelop their software to reduce the tension and manpower and to increase theefficiency of the business. If you are an employee of an IT company 

    StartupTalkyAvinash kumar mahato

    Quixy – About and How It Works

    Quixy is a cloud-based user-friendly no-code application development platform that empowers business users with no coding skills to automate processes and workflows to build enterprise-grade applications, using simple drag and drop design, ten times faster compared to the traditional approach consequently enhancing efficiency, transparency, and productivity of business operations. The platform includes an integrated cloud database, a visual application builder, enterprise-grade security, regulatory compliance, and scalable global infrastructure.

    Quixy is a completely visual, easy-to-use, a no-code platform that helps businesses automate processes across departments and build complex custom enterprise software faster, with higher quality and lower cost; all without writing a single line of code.

    Quixy is agile and flexible, resulting in improved efficiency in all processes and openness at all levels. By offering valuable data in real-time, Quixy facilitates monitoring of all areas and provides scope for improvement on an on-going basis. And so far, Quixy is Bootstrapped.

    Quixy – Founders and Team

    Quixy is founded by Gautam Nimmagadda.

    Quixy Founder - Gautam Nimmagadda
    Quixy Founder – Gautam Nimmagadda

    Technology enthusiast, Gautam is a motivated leader who is committed to delivering values to customers, partners, and associates alike. He has done his M.S. in Computer Science at the University of Iowa. He relishes working in challenging situations and loves solving complex problems.

    Vivek Goel is the Vice President – Marketing & Evangelism. He has 19+ years of leadership experience in IT companies of all sizes ranging from start-ups to large organizations in India and the USA. Expertise in strategy and operations across functions including Marketing and Business Development, HR, Process and Quality, Project Management, and Product Development. Mr. Goel has done his B.Tech in Electronics and Communications from BIT, Ranchi. Vivek also has volunteer experience as a Program Director at Solving Minds since 2010.

    Raveesh is Vice-President of Sales & Partnerships at Quixy. He has done his M.S. in Marketing with Specialism in Customer Management from the University of Strathclyde.

    Quixy is powered by a diverse team of passionate and exceptional talent, go-getters, and dreamers who are here to challenge the status quo and disrupt how things are done today. Their approach gives individuals greater ownership of work and input into decisions and makes for a more efficient and happier workplace. Their current team size is 40.

    How was Quixy Founded?

    Quixy’s founding team comes from an IT services background. A big chunk of the experience involved developing custom enterprise applications for various industries. Currently, whenever any business requires digitization of their processes, the available options are either procurement of a COTS product or custom development done by an external or internal team of developers.

    COTS products by default have limited customization options. Any additional customization is either not possible or attracts hefty customization cost and time.

    Also, procuring different COTS products for each requirement creates software clutter where each software works in a silo without talking to each other.

    Custom development, on the other hand, costs businesses time and money and is not always successful since business requirements are lost in translation as the business users are not involved throughout the development life cycle.

    Effectively, both alternatives cost business time and money without ensuring success hindering business growth and competitive edge in the market. As a result, every IT team has a huge backlog of software needs from the business that they are unable to attend.

    The team wanted to change that and found the answer in no-code application development.

    Quixy – Name, Logo, and Tagline

    Quixy stands For Quick and Easy!  Quixy is an ideal platform for application development that is based on business processes. The platform is Quick and Easy to learn, build, deploy, and use.

    Quixy Logo
    Quixy Logo

    Quixy- Vision, and Mission

    Quixy’s vision is to digitize every business in the world with the power of citizen developers. They want to achieve 1 million active users on the platform by Q4 2026.

    Quixy – Products and Services

    In the current no-code low-code space, on one end there are advanced low-code platforms that can only be used by certified developers to build applications. On the other end of the spectrum, they have basic no-code platforms that business users can use as an alternative to replace excel spreadsheets and improve team collaboration.

    Quixy is positioned in between the spectrum as an advanced no-code platform that allows business users to use the advanced features of their platform to build relatively complex enterprise-grade applications without writing any code.

    Quixy – Target Market Size

    The no-code, low-code development platform market is projected to grow from USD 13.2 billion in 2020 to USD 45.5 billion by 2025, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 28.1%.

    Quixy – Business and Revenue Model

    Quixy’s business model works on a paid SaaS Subscription model.

    Quixy – Customers/ Clients

    Quixy currently has customers in more than 10 countries in 5 continents across 10+ industry verticals.

    Refer to Case Studies to learn how organizations are using Quixy to automate processes and build applications without writing any code.

    Top 10 No Code Development Platforms for Database Management
    The digital world is one driven by data, and to say that our data managementsystems have been up to the task would be an understatement. Almost hundreds, ifnot thousands of databases are set up everyday, and when it comes to the rate ofdigitization of the otherwise analogue tasks, this number won

    StartupTalkyAnsh Mehrey

    Quixy approach to current Business Challenges

    Current options for meeting software needs:

    ● Off-the-shelf solutions have customization challenges and create silos.

    ● Traditional development is time taking, expensive, and requirements are lost in translation or change by the time delivery is done.

    Quixy provides the third alternative as an advanced no-code platform. The platform can be used to build applications and integrate them with other third-party applications without writing any code 10x faster thereby addressing the challenges associated with the traditional options.

    Quixy – Opportunities

    ● As per a recent Gartner research, by 2024, low-code no-code application development will be responsible for more than 65% of application development activity.

    ● A recent study by McKinsey, found organizations that empower citizen developers score 33% higher on measures of innovation than those who do not. 33%!

    Quixy – Tools

    Quixy uses these tools to run their startup:

    ● Quixy

    ● Microsoft Teams

    ● Zoom

    ● Hubspot

    Best No Code Web App Development Platforms for 2021
    Gone are the days when we needed to download and run a software on the desktop,and web apps and SaaS (Software as a Service) have almost taken over thisregime. While some users even today prefer downloaded applications owing to aninconsistent internet connection, web apps are clearly the preferre

    StartupTalkyAnsh Mehrey

    Quixy – Competitors

    Quixy’s competitors are other B2B low-code and no-code companies offering enterprise application development platforms. Some of their top-competitors are Nintex, Quickbase, Betty Blocks, Appian, Outsystems, Mendix, Kintone, etc.

    Quixy – Recognitions and Achievements

    – Rated Leader No-Code Application Development

    – High Performer in 4 other categories on G2

    • Business Process Management Software
    • Digital Process Automation (DPA) Software
    • Workplace Innovation Platforms
    •  Workflow Management Software

    – Also, ISO 27001 and Soc 2 Type 2 certified.

    Quixy – FAQs

    What is Quixy?

    Quixy is a cloud-based user-friendly no-code application development platform that empowers business users with no coding skills to automate processes and workflows to build enterprise-grade applications, using simple drag and drop design, ten times faster compared to the traditional approach consequently enhancing efficiency, transparency, and productivity of business operations.

    Who is the founder of Quixy?

    Gautam Nimmagadda is the Quixy founder.

    When was Quixy founded?

    Quixy was founded in 2019.

  • PortraitFlip – Redefining the Art of Handmade Paintings

    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 PortraitFlip.

    PortraitFlip helps creating a wonderful gifting experience for its customers. It understands the most complicated task of deciding on a perfect gift and therefore introduced a modern way to gifting. Founded by Sunny Choudhary in 2018, PortraitFlip makes handmade paintings from photos.

    StartupTalky interviewed Sunny Choudhary (founder of PortraitFlip) to know the Success Story of PortraitFlip and get a glance on the business model of PortraitFlip, its startup journey, founders, products offered, turnover & more…

    PortraitFlip – Company Highlights

    StartupName PortraitFlip
    Headquarters Pune
    Founders Sunny Choudhary
    Sector Handmade Art
    Founding Year 2018
    Turnover 6 crores (2020)
    Registered Name PortraitFlip E-Commerce Pvt. Ltd.

    PortraitFlip – About and Vision
    PortraitFlip – Market/Industry Details
    PortraitFlip – Founder and Team
    PortraitFlip – Startup journey and Ideation
    PortraitFlip – Product/Service Offered and USP
    PortraitFlip – Name, Tagline and Logo
    PortraitFlip – Business Model and Revenue Model
    PortraitFlip – Startup Launch and Customer Acquisition
    PortraitFlip – Startup Challenges Faced
    PortraitFlip – Growth and Turnover
    PortraitFlip – Advisors and Mentors
    PortraitFlip – Competitors
    Tools used by PortraitFlip to run business
    PortraitFlip – Recognition and Achievements
    PortraitFlip – Future Plans
    PortraitFlip – FAQs

    PortraitFlip – About and Vision

    PortraitFlip makes handmade paintings from photos. It’s that simple! Art is underrated, but customers hardly know how emotionally governing a handmade painting can be.

    With a short-term vision of providing an unquestionable 100% customer satisfaction with unforgettable brand awareness, PortraitFlip looks ahead to promote the implicit ninjas of the art world and create better living standards for the artist community.

    “We are also driven by the commitment to generate decent employment and contribute to the economy. Nothing is a better asset to a company than a potential youth who has the urge to  learn and prove himself” – Says Sunny Choudhary, Founder, PortraitFlip.

    PortraitFlip Instagram

    PortraitFlip – Market/Industry Details

    PortraitFlip is a part of the gifting industry which has a market size of approximately $31.63 Billion. While it forms a very small part of this share, PortraitFlip is trying every chalk and cheese to make a decent contribution to the market share.

    The team is sure that the art of gifting is only going to get better in the next 5 years. There is going to be a growing demand for  handmade/personalized gifts now more than ever – that’s a brownie point for the gifting industry.

    The simple guide How To Start Own Painting Business – StartupTalky
    Many times you see fresh paint which can do wonders for a home on TV or anyvideo or any movie. Few people have patience and skill with a brush to do as ajob forever. Starting your own painting business can be a great opportunity tobe your boss and become an interior designer. It’s not as hard as 

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    PortraitFlip – Founder and Team

    Sunny Choudhary is the founder of PortraitFlip. However, he believes that an idea is just a thought if not backed by a team.

    Team PortraitFlip

    PortraitFlip has a team of ten players who have successfully maintained a highly enthusiastic and young working culture at the office. PortraitFlip is working with more than 190 artists across the world, promoting and supporting their living.

    Sunny Choudhary believes in only one Hiring Funda –

    “Hire an expert for a payroll of two average candidates – it makes all the difference. The second would be to treat your team as a family who is trying to help your ends meet”

    Etsy Success Story | Handmade Craft Products | Business Model | Revenue Model
    Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified informationon different startups and organizations. The content in this post has beenapproved by the organization it is based on. In the entire world, there are people who love vintage products, handmadethings, crafty goods etc

    StartupTalkyPurbalee Dutta

    PortraitFlip – Startup Journey and Ideation

    PortraitFlip came as a result of a sorry tale!

    One of Sunny’s friends wanted to gift his girlfriend a handmade painting from a photo but had a tough-luck finding it. There were very limited companies that provided this service and the ones that did, cost an arm and leg to deliver.

    Sunny Choudhary realized that there was a gap that needed to be filled and grasped this opportunity to make PortraitFlip. He started with reading and analyzing the competitors in the market. There wasn’t a validation required since he felt the deficit in the product.

    The launch of PortraitFlip went smooth. Everything was taken care of from the website to delivering partner. The website was ready and Sunny was on talking terms with the studios.

    The only thing that bothered him was – “It was the end of November and I hadn’t received a single real order”

    After thorough research, he decided to run GoogleAds and FacebookAds with the idea of receiving orders fast. But money stood his way. All of Sunny’s hostel mates decided to pull in whatever they could and funded PortraitFlip’s initial round of Ads, which was later returned with interest.

    “Most of my conversations happened with my hostel mates and best friends. They were of great support and motivation. It was them who gave me the strength to undertake something like that” adds Sunny.

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    PortraitFlip – Product/Service Offered and USP

    PortraitFlip has a dedicated website, that a handmade painting from photos.

    PortraitFlip Website

    “It might not sound like an actual problem but it is – the core of it is that the hidden maestros of the art world do not get the respect they deserve” says Sunny, founder, PortraitFlip.

    PortraitFlip is thriving towards making a better living standard for all those artists who end up compromising on their passion. Its product is and has always been handmade paintings and the team would love to stick to making big pictures for it.

    PortraitFlip Products

    PortraitFlip came pretty simply to the team. The teams flips photos into handmade paintings and that’s how the name was  born. To be on point and precise was the main intention here.

    PortraitFlip Logo

    Sunny Choudhary feels that handmade paintings are a graceful way of keeping unfinished, finished or most cherished memories intact – which showed him a way to the tagline – “Making your memories live forever.”  

    The logo of Portrait went through a lot of revisions over time. The one that the team finally landed with has a lot of hidden elements to it but yet seems uncomplicated which was the biggest challenge to be accomplished.

    To keep an artistic touch – the team decided to have a color palette in place of the “o” and the heart on the “I” to connote the emotions that the painting carries while red remains the universal color of love and grasp the user-attention.

    Craftsvilla Success Story – Ethnic Junction with Artistic Products of Top-Notch Quality!
    The Indian handicrafts sector provides livelihoods to millions of people aroundthe country, especially women. However, linking small-scale rural producers tourban and global markets has been a challenge. Efficiently connecting buyers andsellers in the handicrafts and handmade clothing market coul

    StartupTalkyRishabh Rathi

    PortraitFlip – Business Model and Revenue Model

    PortraitFlip have a B2C business model and its entire operation takes place over the website. The prices of PortraitFlip’s handmade painting start with $60 and go up to $675 depending upon the size, medium, and subject of the painting.

    PortraitFlip – Startup Launch and Customer Acquisition

    “I would say Google Ads and Facebook Ads are a blessing! While we kept a head-on with SEO practices, Email  Marketing, and other aspects of digital marketing, Ads boosted our sales within 4 months.” says Sunny.

    Since, PortraitFlip is an E-commerce site, most of its sales are bettered by practicing every aspect of organic SEO. The team tried to hit up the traffic by working on everything from Content Marketing to Email Marketing to Social Media Marketing. It gave wonderful results and it’s been almost a year, PortraitFlip haven’t invested anything in ADS. SEO is doing everything!

    SEO took time to show results but it worked miraculously for PortraitFlip when it did. The team improved its social media game by releasing reels and YouTube videos.

    PortraitFlip 

    Improvised customer services also helped PortraitFlip’s sales to be increased. it improved its website by making it more user-friendly, it made entire ordering process smooth enough with very low chances of people leaving without ordering. It’s not just about making a website. There was much more involved in the backend.

    “Customer satisfaction is very important. If your customer is content with your work and service, you automatically  buy yourself a few future sales. Word of mouth!” adds Sunny.

    Amar Canvas Success Story – Creating a Glorious Marketplace for Artisans!
    As we all know India is a place for Art and Culture, but if you look at thecurrent situation, most of the people here are losing their hobby or passion andyoung people are not getting the opportunity to make their hobby in theprofession. But there is a market place which is big enough to purchase

    StartupTalkyRishabh Rathi

    PortraitFlip – Startup Challenges Faced

    “Challenges are challenges if you look at them with that eye. It is just a part and parcel of the entire ball game  that we call a business. There will be hurdles all the time, but you have to keep fighting it and conquering all”  says Sunny.

    A minor carelessness from PortraitFlip’s side and it was removed from ETSY overnight! ETSY was a platform that was bringing the startup with major sales. Before the team could act upon it and damage control, PortraitFlip lost an entire customer base in the blinking of an eye.  

    But the team did not give up. Facebook came to its rescue, and even though things went a little haywire for a month, everything was taken care of.

    PortraitFlip – Growth and Turnover

    PortraitFlip has a decent turnover of 6 crores, in just 3 years from inception. Its target is to hit 10 crores in the year 2021.

    PortraitFlip is working with more than 190 artists across the world, promoting and supporting their living.

    Voonik Success Story – Founders | Funding | Business Model | Revenue
    Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified informationon different startups and organizations. The content in this post has beenapproved by the organization it is based on. There was a time when girls used to take their friends to go shopping just tohave a little help i

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    PortraitFlip – Advisors and Mentors

    “Entrepreneurs are advisors and mentors themselves. The idea is to experiment, fall, learn and experiment again” adds Sunny.

    In this case, Sunny Choudhary (Founder of PortraitFlip) keeps researching, reading, and coming with new ideas to advise and mentor his team. The team has been of massive support too. They make sure that they keep their homework ready and add maximum value to the company by educating and experimenting.

    PortraitFlip – Competitors

    PaintYourLife, MyDaVinci and InstaPainting are the top competitors of PortraitFlip.

    Indian Startups – Funding & Investors Data [February 2021 Updated]
    Ideas, creativity, and execution are essential for a startup to flourish. Butare they enough? A startup succeeds in the long run only if it can scale as andwhen required. Investors provide startups and other entrepreneurial ventureswith the capital—popularly known as “funding”—to think big, grow 

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    Tools used by PortraitFlip to run business

    PortraitFlip uses –

    Best On-Page SEO Tools for Beginners for Comprehensive SEO Analysis
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    PortraitFlip – Recognition and Achievements

    PortraitFlip was honored with an award for the Best Start-up from Vellore Institute of Technology, Chennai.  

    “Well, I can proudly say that my biggest achievement would be – my team of 10 renegades” exclaims Sunny.

    PortraitFlip – Future Plans

    The team has an aim to make PortraitFlip the go-to platform for handmade paintings across the world. However, apart from this, it is also planning to enter the Pet Market. The work has already begun with its sister website dogisworld (but still building a base for it)

    PortraitFlip – FAQs

    What is PortraitFlip?

    PortraitFlip E-Commerce Pvt. Ltd. is a startup that makes handmade paintings from photos.

    Who is the founder of PortraitFlip?

    Sunny Choudhary is the founder PortraitFlip.

    How much is the turnover of PortraitFlip?

    The turnover of PortraitFlip is 6Cr since inception and it has a target of 10Crs in 2021.

  • Sunday Mattresses—The Best Bed For Better Sleep

    Do you feel drowsy even after 6-8 hours of sleep at night? Are you suffering from back pain, weak immune system or obesity? Do you have fine lines or dark circles? If you are saying yes to any of these, then maybe it’s time to change your mattress. Good sleep depends a lot on the sleep environment and a good mattress is a very important part of the sleep environment. Sleeping on a comfy mattress leaves you rested, relaxed and rejuvenated when you wake up and helps you to be more productive at work.  

    To help you sleep better, Sunday Mattress, a Bangalore based startup has come up with scientifically designed mattresses which ensure that you enjoy your daily quota of rest.

    Startup Name Sunday Mattresses
    Headquarter Bangalore
    Founder Alphonse Reddy
    Sector Lifestyle
    Founded 2015

    Sunday Mattresses – About
    Sunday Mattresses – USP
    Mattresses Industry in India
    Sunday Mattresses – Founders & Team
    Sunday Mattresses – How It All Started?
    Sunday Mattresses – Name & Logo
    Sunday Mattresses – Revenue Model
    Sunday Mattresses – Funding and Investors
    Sunday Mattresses – Startup Challenges
    Sunday Mattresses – Future Plans
    Sunday Mattresses – FAQ’s
    Sunday Mattresses – Conclusion

    Sunday Mattresses – About

    Sunday Mattresses is a Bangalore based startup, founded in the year 2015. It is India’s first sleep-focused online startup.

    The company’s aim is to offer internationally certified products such as mattresses and pillows that have been developed after extensive research. Sunday Mattress makes internationally certified sleep related products. The company manufactures mattresses, pillows, mattress topper and mattress cover.

    Currently, Sunday Mattress has three types of mattress-

    Sunday Latex Plus 4 Mattress.

    Its features are-

    1. Firmness score is 5/10
    2. Good Balance of firmness, support and comfort
    3. For people who weight up to 140 kilos
    4. Supports all sleeping postures  

    Sunday Ortho Plus 4 Mattress.

    Its features are-

    • Firmness score is 6/10
    • Middle ground with some plushness and limited sink
    • For people who weight up to 100 kilos
    • Supports all sleeping postures  

    Sunday Memory Plus 4 Mattress.

    Its features are-

    • Firmness score of 7/10
    • Best firmness for chronic back pain
    • For people who weight up to 80 kilos
    • Budget-friendly

    Sunday Mattresses – USP

    • It is made of 100% organic cotton top with no chemicals and finest certified foam from Belgium.
    • Raw materials used are certified by European agencies (Euro Latex, Oeko Tek 100).
    • Sunday mattresses are designed to isolate movements. So you don’t feel when your partner moves – and you don’t wake up.
    • Breathable material is used which keeps the mattress cool even during summers.
    • All mattresses come with washable cover for easy maintenance.
    • Sunday’s three-zone design is the perfect combination of comfort and therapeutic support. It is proven to reduce pain and stiffness.
    • Sunday Mattress provides free shipping and returns, 100 nights free trial, and comes with 10 years warranty.

    Having founded and run Fabmart- a dedicated sleep marketplace for 3 years, the Sunday mattress team realized that the current mattress-buying experience is broken for a consumer. They have to choose from a number of models minutely different from each other and with hi-tech buzzwords of little value, they are left being completely confused. Sunday mattress wanted to improve the whole mattress-buying experience for consumers.

    The Sunday Mattress team carried out extensive research to build its mattress as per customer requirement. They noticed that there is much confusion in the market about different types of materials used in mattresses. Essentially there are four types of raw materials: Latex Foam, Memory Foam, Spring and Coir. There are typically three layers to a mattress — Comfort Layer, Support Layer and Base Layer. If you do the math and make some obvious exclusions, you end up with about 30 different combinations. Sunday mattress built a modular bed where they could quickly create a prototype mattress from any of the 30 combinations.

    They tried these different combinations for 2 weeks each and made notes. Once they narrowed down to the best combinations, they engaged test customers in Hyderabad and Bangalore in the winter of 2014 and the summer of 2015 and tried these mattresses with different types of personalities: gender, weight, height, back conditions, pregnancy, etc.

    So basically, we ended up doing the hard work on behalf of the customer and built a great product that suits most people. The design aspect for us is not just about how the product looks but also how the product functions. For example, more rugged woven fabric is used on the side so that the wear and tear of the mattress is minimized.

    Hiroko Shiratori from Tokyo who is an acclaimed designer has won several awards across the globe including Australia and London has been instrumental in the design of Sunday Mattress.

    Mattresses Industry in India

    The mattress industry in India is expected to reach INR 14,000 crore by 2021. The online mattress market is expected to reach INR 290 crore by 2020.

    According to ‘India Mattress Market Overview, 2016-2022’ the mattress market is expected to become more organized in the coming years. The market share of unorganized players is expected to drop drastically. The reason for this shift is the increase in demand for good quality branded mattresses among Indian consumers.

    As said by Sunday Mattress founder Alphonse Reddy, the addressable market for Sunday Mattress is about $3.5 billion which is growing at a healthy rate of 20% y-o-y.

    This startup from Kolkata wants to Bring out the Garfield in You 😀
    Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified informationon different startups and organizations. The content in this post has beenapproved by SleepyCat. The history of sleeping solutions is as long as human history itself. Early-manused to sleep on the ground and graduall

    StartupTalkyChayanika Goswami

    Sunday Mattresses – Founders & Team

    Mr. Alphonse Reddy is the founder of Sunday Mattress.

    Alphonse Reddy | Founder, Sunday Mattresses

    Alphonse Reddy is an engineer from BITS, Pilani and an MBA from INSEAD France. He is also the founder and CEO of Fabmart, an online marketplace for sleep-related products.

    The Sunday Mattress team currently has 10 members.

    We are a lean company in every sense of the word. We are probably the only e-commerce company that doesn’t have a single technical professional on board. Within our team of 10, we are organized by critical functions. Most of the support functions have been outsourced to able partners. At work, we share mutual respect and empathy towards each other. During weekends and days off, we don’t disturb someone on their time off. When we have some free time, all the employees discuss our future plans on our office terrace.  

    Sunday Mattresses Team

    Sunday Mattresses – How It All Started?

    The Idea for starting Sunday Mattress was formed in 2011, due to some bitter experiences that Alphonse had to face while finding a good mattress.

    Sleep is one of the most important things in everyone’s life and my personal experience showed me the difference between a good mattress and a bad mattress. I faced great difficulty in finding the right mattress. I ended up changing three mattresses within a span of six months.  

    He noticed that there was not much information about mattresses in the market and they were exorbitantly priced. Even the post-sales experience was bad, without a returns policy. The idea of a sleep startup germinated in 2011. However, until 2014, Alphonse was running Fabmart, which is a sleep-related marketplace. In mid-2014, he started working on Sunday. The Sunday mattress team took more than 12 months of extensive research in developing the product range that it is currently offering.

    A nap on a relaxed Sunday afternoon, lead to the name ‘Sunday’.

    Sunday Mattresses Logo

    After deciding to build a mattress that was highly comfortable, safe and honestly priced, the Sunday team wanted to choose a name that best represented the product. They wanted a name that evokes curiosity, sounds cool and trendy and that had a great recall value.

    We commissioned an agency from London, who are known for their talent in the industry and credited for coming up with some familiar household names. However, the names suggested did not sound right and I felt it was a bit complicated and confusing. One fine afternoon in April, I fell asleep on the couch watching TV. I was sleep thinking. That’s when my eureka moment happened! Boom there it was, Sunday!

    Sunday is cool, easy to remember, it’s a day that stands for rest in most cultures and brings pleasant memories to mind. Alphonse ran a quick internet search to make certain it was not used to shop for mattresses online or other related products. The next morning, he bounced this name off my colleagues and existing investors and it was unanimously loved by all!

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    The Indian startup ecosystem is well known for its versatility, thereby home tosome of the best companies in the world across industries. Starting from OLA,which ruled the transportation sector, Zomato [https://startuptalky.com/tag/zomato/] whichensures that you don’t work with an empty tummy, to

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    Sunday Mattresses – Revenue Model

    Sunday mattress has a well-planned revenue model. They maintain a healthy margin by aggressively cutting wastage and middlemen. Maintaining fewer SKUs and economical shipping etc also helps Sunday Mattress to keep a good margin.

    The Sunday team wants to build customer confidence in its pricing strategy and offers products at reasonable rates. For example, A latex mattress (even an uncertified one) in the market costs about INR 75,000 to INR 80,000, whereas Sunday’s Latex plus mattress is priced at INR 40,000.

    Sunday Mattresses – Funding and Investors

    Sunday Mattresses raised a funding of $250K in seed round in November 2015 and is in the middle of raising a $1M pre-Series A round. Current shareholders of Sunday Mattresses comprise of the founder and a few investors. Sunday Mattresses’ has got major investment from Anand Morzaria and team, who recently sold their venture to WPP (Ogilvy & Mather).

    Funding Date Funding Stage Funding Amount Investors
    November 2015 Seed $250K Anand Morzaria

    We are following a slow and steady approach to fundraising. We will seek a bigger round of funding once we are confident of meaningfully deploying those funds. This would also protect our current and future investor interests. says Alphonse Reddy.

    Sunday Mattresses – Startup Challenges

    According To Alphonse, Sunday Mattress also went through the same journey as most startups do. It faced challenges with hiring, managing vendors, product development and marketing, etc. Surviving and competing with well-funded startups with limited capital is also a challenge for the startup.

    Luckily, we have a great team and made some smart decisions along the way that have helped us grow our business in a very competitive space.

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    Sunday Mattresses – Future Plans

    • Sunday Mattress wants to grow as a one-stop destination for all sleep-related products.
    • It aims to gain 10% of the $3.5 billion market until 2022.
    • Sunday Mattress currently has an experience center in Bangalore that supports its online sales. The company wants to start more such experience centers in different parts of the country.
    • It sees great potential in the rest of the Indian sub-continent, Middle East and Australia, and have plans to expand in those parts of the world.

    Sunday Mattresses – FAQ’s

    What is Sunday Mattresses?

    Sunday Mattress makes internationally certified sleep-related products. The company manufactures mattresses, pillows, mattress topper, and mattress cover.

    Who is the founder of Sunday Mattresses?

    Mr. Alphonse Reddy is the founder of Sunday Mattress.

    Is there a minimum period for the trial?

    When you purchase the Sunday mattress online or from one of our sleep lounges, you are eligible for the 100 Nights trial. You can return the mattress on the same day or return it after using it for 99 Nights.

    How does the 100 Nights Trial work?

    Physiologically speaking, the human spine takes about a month to get used to a new mattress. Unfortunately, the 10 minutes that one gets to try a mattress in retail showrooms is not at all sufficient to make an informed decision. So, one needs to try the mattress for about a month before knowing whether the mattress is the right fit or not.  

    What happens to returned mattresses?

    We only have a small percentage of returns. As a policy, we do not sell opened and used mattresses to customers. Instead, we use these mattresses as display in our Sunday Sleep Lounges or for customer demonstrations.  

    Sunday Mattresses – Conclusion

    Sunday Mattresses company has made a mission to design products that help us to sleep better. By using their mattresses and bedding we can be relaxed, mattresses that make our body feel like it’s resting more naturally. The company believes that good sleep is extremely important for people, especially those who are 30 years and above. A good mattress and pillows make a huge difference to someone’s sleep experience. The company wanted to be the new age sleep startup that combines transparency and product innovation to provide better sleep to Indians at an affordable price.

  • This Startup Lets You Schedule Posts for All Your Social Media 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 the organization it is based on.

    Success on social media can often feel like a secret science. Something that only the few can achieve. But creating a successful social media strategy is a skill that can be learned. Mastered, even. And you don’t need a flashy brand or a big budget. What you need is a deep understanding of what your audience cares about, and how to get your content in front of them in the right places at the right times.

    Hootsuite is a social media management platform, created by Ryan Holmes in 2008. The system’s user interface takes the form of a dashboard, and supports social network integrations for Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube. Know more about its company profile here, in this article.

    Hootsuite – Company Highlights

    Startup Name Hootsuite
    Headquarters 5 East 8th Avenue Vancouver, V5T 1R6, Canada
    Industry Social Media Management
    Founded 2008
    Founders Ryan Holmes, Dario Meli, David Tedman
    CEO Tom Keiser
    Area Served Worldwide
    Website www.hootsuite.com

    Hootsuite – About and How it Works?
    Hootsuite – Recent News
    Hootsuite – Logo and Its Meaning
    Hootsuite – Founder and History
    Hootsuite – Mission
    Hootsuite – Business Model
    Hootsuite – Revenue and Growth
    Hootsuite – Funding And Investors
    Hootsuite – Acquisitions
    Hootsuite – Competitors
    Hootsuite – Criticism
    Hootsuite – Challenges Faced
    Hootsuite – Future Plans
    Hootsuite – FAQs
    Hootsuite – Conclusion

    Hootsuite – About and How it Works?

    Hootsuite is a platform for managing social media. Hootsuite is a provider of a social media management system designed to make connecting with customers faster, smarter and safer. The company’s platform executes campaigns across multiple social networks from one secure, web-based dashboard as well as offers tools to manage all social profiles and helps in finding and scheduling effective social content, enabling clients to spot trends and have an insight on relevant data.

    More than 15 million users, including 800+ of the Fortune 1000 companies, trust Hootsuite to manage their social media programs across multiple social networks from one integrated dashboard. The company was founded in 2008 and is based in Vancouver, Canada.

    Hootsuite Media Inc. provides social web marketing services. The Company offers social media dashboards that allows updates to social networks through web, desktop, and mobile platforms and track campaign results and industry trends.

    Hootsuite – Recent News

    As of January 2021, Hootsuite acquired a leading SaaS provider enabling the future of digital customer engagement through 1:1 conversational messaging channels including Instagram, Facebook Messenger, Twitter, WhatsApp, WeChat, SMS, and Chat, sparkcentral.

    Hootsuite – Logo and Its Meaning

    Hootsuite’s Company Logo

    The winning idea for logo was Hootsuite, a moniker submitted by a user named Matt Nathan and based upon “Owly”, the dashboard’s owl logo, as a word play on the French expression “tout de suite”, meaning “right now”.

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    Hootsuite – Founder and History

    Hootsuite was founded by Ryan Holmes, Dario Meli and David Tedman.

    Ryan Holmes, Dario Meli & David Tedman. | Co-Founders, Hootsuite 

    In 2008, Holmes needed a tool to manage multiple social media networks at his digital services agency, Invoke Media. Finding that there was no product in the market offering all the features he sought, Holmes, along with Dario Meli, David Tedman, and the Invoke team, chose instead to develop a platform of their own that would be able to organize their many social media accounts and networks. The first iteration of this social media management system launched on November 28, 2008 in the form of a Twitter dashboard called BrightKit.

    In February 2009, Holmes offered a $500 prize for renaming the platform, and used crowdsourced suggestions from the dashboard’s 100,000+ users as contest submissions. The winning idea was Hootsuite, a moniker submitted by a user named Matt Nathan and based upon “Owly”, the dashboard’s owl logo, as a word play on the French expression “tout de suite”, meaning “right now”.

    In November 2009, the Hootsuite dashboard expanded its offering to support Facebook and LinkedIn, and the capability to use Twitter Lists.

    In December 2009, Hootsuite spun off from Invoke Media and launched officially as an independent company, Hootsuite Media, Inc. That same month, Hootsuite received $1.9 million in funding from Hearst Interactive Media, Blumberg Capital, and prominent angel investors Leo Group LLC and Geoff Entress.

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    Hootsuite – Mission

    Hootsuite’s mission statement is,

    “We created Hootsuite to help people connect on social media and do amazing things together. We connect people with the communities they live in.”

    Hootsuite – Business Model

    Hootsuite uses a freemium model, hooking in users with a free plan, who then become paying customers. Social media represents a holy grail for brands and businesses.

    So, to keep track of all of their social network channels, many brands have turned to Hootsuite, a social media management system for businesses, allowing them to collaboratively execute campaigns across multiple social networks from a single, Web-based dashboard.

    The first plan is free, and is recommended for personal use. It comes with the ability to monitor up to three social profiles, schedule one post to go up at a specific time, three basic analytics reports, access to monitor free apps, and the ability to create Facebook ads.

    Hootsuite – Revenue and Growth

    • Hootsuite’s estimated annual revenue is currently $409.5M per year.
    • Hootsuite received $5.0M in venture funding in April 2017.
    • Hootsuite’s estimated revenue per employee is $250,000
    • Hootsuite’s pricing is $228 per year.

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    Hootsuite – Funding And Investors

    Hootsuite has raised a total of $299.9M in funding over 6 rounds. Their latest funding was raised on Mar 15, 2018 from a Debt Financing round. Hootsuite is funded by 12 investors. CIBC and Insight Partners are the most recent investors.

    Year Round Amount Lead Investors
    Mar 15, 2018 Debt Financing $50M CIBC
    Sep 25, 2014 Series C $60M Fidelity
    Aug 1, 2013 Series B $165M Insight Partners
    Mar 29, 2012 Secomdary market $20M OMERS Ventures
    Sep 15, 2011 Debt Financing $3M –
    Jan 8, 2010 Series A $1.9M Blumberg Capital, Hearst Ventures

    Hootsuite – Acquisitions

    Hootsuite has acquired 13 organizations. Their most recent acquisition was Sparkcentral on Jan 6, 2021.

    Acquiree Name Date Amount About Acquiree
    Sparkcentral Jan 6, 2021 – Sparkcentral is a customer engagement tool that enables one-on-one messaging via social channels.
    LiftMetrix Feb 22, 2017 – LiftMetrix instantly creates a customized social media marketing plan to drive key business objectives
    AdEspresso Feb 7, 2017 – AdEspresso offers services for advertisers and media agencies to create, analyze, and optimize their Facebook advertisements.
    Sales Prodigy Mar 29, 2016 – Sales Prodigy is a social media power tool for sales executives.
    Zeetl Sep 25, 2014 – Zeetl enhances brand’s social media customer support by combining of social network interaction and a phone call.
    Brightkit Sep 4, 2014 – Brightkit is a social marketing platform that helps brands and agencies launch web-based social marketing campaigns.
    uberVU Jan 22, 2014 – UberVU offers an insights-driven dashboard for customers to observe key conversations, connect with customers, and report their success.
    Seesmic Sep 5, 2012 – Seesmic provides social media management and collaboration tools that enable businesses to build and manage their brands online.
    Geotoko Oct 10, 2011 – Geotoko is a web-based dashboard for businesses and brands to create, manage and measure location-based marketing campaigns in real time.
    What the Trend Sep 27, 2011 – WhatTheTrend.com (WTT) provides context and meaning to social trending topics.

    Hootsuite – Competitors

    Top competitors of Hootsuite are Buffer, Zoho Social, Sprout Social, Meltwater, and Sprinklr Modern Engagement.

    Hootsuite – Criticism

    • Expensive Analytics Reports & the Point System.
    • Forced to Use Owly Short Links.
    • Expensive Custom URL Shorteners.
    • Facebook Image Problem.
    • No Data in Facebook Insights.
    • Lower Facebook Reach & Engagement.
    • Expensive for Teams.

    Hootsuite – Challenges Faced

    In 2008, Ryan Holmes started building the idea for Hootsuite with a small team at his agency. According to Ryan everything seemed almost impossible in the beginning. Growth came fast, with Hootsuite soon being the center of how everyone—from small businesses to Fortune 500s—built winning brands with social.

    Fast forward to today and Hootsuite is the global leader in social media management, trusted by more than 18 million customers and employees at over 80% of the Fortune 1000.

    Hootsuite – Future Plans

    Stereotypes, ageism, and a years long habit of chasing newness over effectiveness have left marketers underestimating an increasingly digitally savvy and lucrative demographic: baby boomers. By using smart segmentation and thoughtful representation, marketers that include baby boomers in their digital strategies can leapfrog those still stuck in stereotypes.

    For years, linking social media engagement to customer identity has proved an elusive goal for Hootsuite. But with renewed momentum and executive attention on social media’s ability to retain critical connections with customers, now is the time to take steps—big or small—to bridging the critical gap between engagement and customer identity.

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    Hootsuite – FAQs

    What does Hootsuite do?

    Hootsuite is a provider of a social media management system designed to make connecting with customers faster, smarter and safer.

    Who founded Hootsuite?

    Hootsuite was founded by Ryan Holmes, Dario Meli and David Tedman.

    Which companies do Hootsuite compete with?

    Top competitors of Hootsuite are Buffer, Zoho Social, Sprout Social, Meltwater, and Sprinklr Modern Engagement.

    How does Hootsuite make money?

    Hootsuite uses a freemium model, hooking in users with a free plan, who then become paying customers.

    Can you use Hootsuite for free?

    One of the best things about Hootsuite is that it has a free plan. That gives a single user a social media dashboard for three social accounts. Plus, you can set up a social media posting schedule, with up to 30 messages scheduled in advance.

    Is Hootsuite trustworthy?

    Hootsuite is a reliable social media management platform. As a tool in monitoring mentions of your brand, Hootsuite helps you gather all public remarks from the general public.

    Hootsuite – Conclusion

    Hootsuite believes in the power of human connection to help people connect on social media and do amazing things together. Their platform lets people connect with the communities they live in, the teams they work with, the brands they love, the customers who believe in them, and the leaders and visionaries who show them the way forward.

    Irrespective of your team size or if you’re managing a small team or making a bold leap forward to completely transform your social enterprise. Hootsuite helps users to unlock the power of human connection and make great things happen while using their social media accounts. Hootsuite provides a platform to let users manage all of their social media accounts from one place for free.

  • This Startup is Enhancing Employability Skills of Students

    Degrees in hand, but are India’s graduates job-ready? Not really, a huge percentage of students who pass out from higher educational institutions every year are “not employable”. In a quick overview, Foxmula is an EdTech company, with headquarters in Bangalore, providing Training, Certifications & Internships for the most in-demand domains like Data Science, Machine Learning, Asset Management, etc. Both Online & Offline. All the programs are industry-oriented, keeping beginners and intermediates in mind. Everything starts from scratch.

    Read this article to know more about Foxmula, how it works, products, founders, tagline, business model, revenue model, future plans, wiki, and achievements.

    Foxmula – Company Highlights

    Startup Name Foxmula
    Headquarter Bengaluru, India
    Sector EdTech
    Founders Ayush Bansal, Shubham Sharda
    Founded 2018
    Parent Organization Inversion Consultancy LLP
    Website foxmula.com

    Foxmula – About and How it Works
    Foxmula – Target Market Size
    How was Foxmula Started?
    Foxmula – Products/Services
    Foxmula – Founders and Team
    Foxmula – Name, Tagline and Logo
    Foxmula – Business Model and Revenue Model
    Foxmula – Funding
    Foxmula – Startup Launch
    Foxmula – User Acquisition and Growth
    Foxmula – Startup Challenges
    Foxmula – Future Plans
    Foxmula – Recognition and Achievements
    Foxmula – FAQs
    Foxmula – Conclusion

    Foxmula – About and How it Works

    Foxmula offers industry-oriented skills, global certifications, job placement courses, and exposure via industrial internships through its self-paced e-learning programs. The company aims to address the skill gap existing among undergraduate students that often leads to decreasing their employment chances once they hit the competitive world.

    In the short term, the startup wants to create an ecosystem of job-ready students by promoting practical exposure and curriculum based on international standards of professionalism. Its short term goal is to refine services so that students can understand if they are willing to pursue a certain subject and make it their top career choice.

    “Although we offer the most in-demand and growing domains of the industry, we do not want our students to commit a long time and effort without realizing whether they are strongly inclined to pursue a career option in that domain. Hence, our interesting mix of certifications and internships over 2-3 months is ideal to get the optimal window to make a career decision”, says Ayush Bansal, CEO of Foxmula.

    You can use discount coupon code “FOX15” and get 15% discount for Foxmula’s essential program.

    Foxmula – Target Market Size

    Though the Indian EdTech landscape is still at a nascent stage as compared to its global counterparts, yet most students and their parents have come of age to realize that one size does not fit all. Even EdTech companies have transitioned from being a collator of study materials to an interactive platform providing students with career-shaping tools.

    Foxmula targets students in the higher education segment who are interested in choosing a career in ever-expanding technology space. Its curriculum is built in a way that students can use the platform to not just hone their skills but also take a litmus test to find their own calling. Even the recent public health scare has given a positive thrust to the EdTech companies as most learning schools are opting for digital platforms to continue imparting education.

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    How was Foxmula Started?

    The inspiration came from the founders’ lived experience. Before founding Foxmula, Ayush and Shubham operated another start-up called Inversion Consultancy that worked as a service provider to help micro, small, and medium enterprises with their IT, PR, and HR needs. It was here that they noticed the skill-gap between the theoretical education that was imparted at college and the practical knowledge needed to survive in a work environment.

    Even during their formative years, Ayush and Shubham, co-founders of Foxmula, got heavily influenced by mentors who attended to special learning needs and addressed their curiosity. Their love for certain subjects was more than others solely because of the teacher and his unique teaching methods. That made all the difference.

    “The inspiration for Foxmula came from our understanding of the need to create measurable differences in students’ engagement and performance. Our intention is not just to reduce gaps in the delivery of education but also to give a new dimension to the education space”, recalls Ayush Bansal and Shubham Sharda.

    Hence, this unique learning platform brings top-notch subject matter experts who impart their knowledge on complex fundamentals of machine learning, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, data science while clearing learners’ queries.

    Foxmula – Products/Services

    At present, Foxmula’s offerings are divided into two programs – Foxmula X and Foxmula Y.

    Foxmula X

    Under Foxmula X, it offers an intensive Bootcamp focused to solve the issue of underemployment. The program comprises online technology courses that are structured to train students and make them ready to hit the job market armed with advanced skills and confidence. The program involves industry-standard tests and exams, expert coaching from industry leaders and domain experts, resume building and mock interview preparations, accent neutralization, and personality development modules, and guaranteed job placement of 4 LPA at no upfront fee.

    Foxmula X

    Foxmula Y

    Foxmula Y equips students to learn and earn global certifications from eminent tech giants such as Microsoft, SAP, AWS, IBM, and MSMEs to name a few, that are recognized by multiple MNCs. Learners then get further opportunities to apply their knowledge on industry-led offline or online tech internships. This program is targeted at those who want to be proficient at cutting edge tech domains and have a fulfilling career in emerging technologies.

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    Foxmula – Founders and Team

    Ayush Bansal (CEO) and Shubham Sharda (COO) are founders of Foxmula.

    Ayush Bansal & Shubham Sharda | Co-Founders, Foxmula

    Shubham Sharda and Ayush Bansal are batch mates from the Ramaiah Institute of Technology (MSRIT). They both completed their engineering in information technology and came up with the idea of Foxmula when they were in the third year of college. They came up with the idea together and looked after every small factor to build the right platform.

    The current company size is ~45 people. The company has department leads to handle all operational challenges, manage respective teams, and implement key business processes for the smooth functioning of the organization.

    Shubham spent sleepless nights coming up with a unique yet catchy name for the product so that it resonates well with young graduate learners, the company’s key target group, and brings to life the brand voice as well.

    Foxmula Logo

    Those who take up science courses for higher education revolve their lives around formulas since it is the fundamental element to solve most questions. Foxmula too is striving to solve a persistent pain point in the existing education system by incorporating smart and clever techniques to impart education. Hence, the name Foxmula.

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    Foxmula – Business Model and Revenue Model

    Foxmula works on a commission-based business model. It charges 17% of a student’s salary on or above 4 LPA after they get placed post-completion Foxmula X program. For Foxmula Y, the program is priced in a very affordable bracket of INR 20,000 to INR 35,000 depending on the course material covered. Foxmula, bootstrapped with an initial investment of INR 50,000, has clocked more than INR 1 crore in revenue, in less than one year.

    The startup’s revenue model is structured on the two programs that it is currently offering on the digital platform. Since it offers guaranteed placement under the Foxmula X program, it charges 17% of a student’s salary for two years once he receives a job offer of 4 LPA or above.

    Now, for Foxmula Y that involves 80-90 hours of intensive live sessions and training from expert industry mentors, the startup charges a fee in the bracket of INR 20,000 to INR 35, 000. This program also comprises internships from global firms. They have also tied-up with five international universities to impart subject knowledge to students opting for the Foxmula Y program.

    Foxmula is also expanding this program to train resources from the B2B segment since reskilling them has become imperative for resource optimization of B2B companies. The revenue is divided into two segments. 60% of the profit is spent on trainer and employee salaries while the remaining 40% is saved for research and development and business development initiatives.

    Foxmula – Funding

    It is currently Bootstrapped, with an initial investment of INR 50,000.

    Foxmula – Startup Launch

    The founders were lucky to be supported by well-wishers and friends who helped them build the products from the development stage, followed by editing learning videos, acquiring leads through word of mouth publicity. These set of friends acted as the core brand ambassadors and helped the company sail through during the days of inception.

    “I remember we were eight of us including Shubham and me. We didn’t follow any specific strategy to ‘crack’ the first 100 users who saw value in our learning platform. It was an uphill task no doubt, but a very rewarding one”, recalls Ayush about the startup launch.

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    Foxmula – User Acquisition and Growth

    Foxmula’s primary focus was on enhancing the quality of its programs in terms of user experience, content, and support system. Then it expanded its ambassador network to almost every premium college in the country and sourced leads from there.

    They did not resort to traditional online and offline marketing as they needed to reduce customer acquisition costs (CAC). The startup partnered with AWS, Certiport, SAP, and became a Microsoft Authorized Education Partner. It spent less on marketing efforts and relied on organic growth for sales conversions.

    Foxmula – Startup Challenges

    One of the key hurdles that the founding team faced was to earn the trust of target customers, that is, graduate students in the tech space. Since there is a recent boom in the EdTech landscape, students too are often confused to put their money as they are unsure of the return on their investments. What worked best for Ayush and Shubham was that they, as founders, belonged to the same demography as that of the target customers.

    “We knew the challenges of these graduates better than anybody else and could address them first hand. Of course, we undertook in-depth research to develop the quality of our products and with persistence could deliver a superlative experience to our enthusiastic career-focused learners. All this cumulatively played its own significant role in overcoming the initial hurdles and developing a differentiated product”, says Ayush and Shubham.

    AttainU success story – Offers online software development courses
    The education sector is the most significant sector for any country, especiallyfor a developing country like India. In India, however, there has been a growinggap between the industry needs and the skills of the students. A study byemployability assessment company ‘Aspiring Minds’, carried out in

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    Foxmula – Future Plans

    The startup will soon launch Foxmula Z where it will onboard product-based companies and upskill their employee base and recalibrate their roles. Its objective is to teach and develop existing employee strength so that they are prepared for progressive job roles and are equipped with new-age skills to address the needs of such technological evolution.

    In the near future, it also has plans to launch a unique teaching technique that will reduce the need for rote learning that is present in India’s education system. This will be an exclusive, one-of-a-kind product and once it is developed, Foxmula will soon apply for a patent grant as well.

    Foxmula – Recognition and Achievements

    The startup is recognized as one of the top 100 startups by Startup Turkey and one of the top 9 EdTech startups by TecLabs organized by Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico.

    Foxmula – FAQs

    What is Foxmula?

    Foxmula offers industry-oriented skills, global certifications, job placement courses, and exposure via industrial internships through its self-paced e-learning programs.

    How does Foxmula make money?

    The startup’s revenue model is structured on the two programs. Since it offers guaranteed placement under the Foxmula X program, it charges 17% of a student’s salary for two years once he receives a job offer of 4 LPA or above. For Foxmula Y that involves 80-90 hours of intensive live sessions and training from expert industry mentors, the startup charges a fee in the bracket of INR 20,000 to INR 35, 000.

    Who are the Founders of Foxmula?

    Ayush Bansal (CEO) and Shubham Sharda (COO) are founders of Foxmula.

    What internships are offered by Foxmula?

    The internship is under Foxmula and it’s network/sister-concern companies like Inversion Consultancy (under the partner network of Microsoft, SAP, AWS, IBM, and more). The internship is Industrial. You’re given with options of industrial projects, to choose one from, all requiring your freshly earned skills. You’re supposed to work on it and submit when done on our Laboratory (instructions for which will be provided). Doing that industrial project is the Internship for which you receive an Internship Completion letter with details and recommendations.

    Foxmula – Conclusion

    Foxmula aims to emerge as the topmost learning platform for students who desire to make a mark in the domain of technology. They want the student fraternity to choose them over other tech platforms as the most credible name to upskill themselves in cutting-edge technology and implement those skills in the professional world. The company has plans to expand its processes and services in Dubai that also faces a similar demand-supply gap in the job market.

  • Zapier—The Efficient Way To Automate Your Work

    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 the organization it is based on.

    Software as a service (SaaS) is a software distribution model in which a third-party provider hosts applications and makes them available to customers over the Internet. SaaS is one of three main categories of cloud computing, alongside infrastructure as a service and platform as a service (IaaS and PaaS).

    Zapier is a software development company. Zapier is an online automation tool that connects your favorite apps, such as Gmail, Slack, Mailchimp, and more. It offers a SaaS-tool that connects applications and automates workflows. Zapier’s product allows users to move data and automate tasks. Know more about Zapier’s company profile here in this article.

    Zapier – Company Highlights

    Startup Name Zapier
    Developer Zapier Inc.
    Headquarters San Francisco
    Industry SaaS, Software
    Founded 2011
    Founders Wade Foster, Bryan Helmig, Mike Knoop
    CEO Wade Foster
    Area Served Worldwide
    Website www.zapier.com

    Zapier – About and How it Works?
    Zapier – Recent News
    Zapier – Logo and its Meaning
    Zapier – Founder and History
    Zapier – Mission
    Zapier – Business Model
    Zapier – Revenue and Growth
    Zapier – Funding and Investors
    Zapier – Competitors
    Zapier – Challenges Faced
    Zapier – Future Plans
    Zapier – FAQs
    Zapier – Conclusion

    Zapier – About and How it Works?

    Zapier is a developer of an online platform designed to link web-based applications. The company’s online platform connects and automates the applications used by the people and helps them to synchronize data between web applications, enabling users to make the work easier and integrate web applications at a single click of the mouse.

    Zapier is a web application that allows the user to move data and automate the tasks. Its a team of 250+ people living and working remotely in 24+ countries.

    We’re working hard to build a diverse and collaborative team that can empathize with each other to solve hard problems and build a product we can be proud of.

    Zapier – Recent News

    As of October 2020, Zapier announced its availability in Microsoft Teams.

    We’re excited to announce that we’ve launched an app for Microsoft Teams. You can now view, create, and edit Zaps right within Teams.

    Zapier – Logo and its Meaning

    Company Logo of Zapier

    The Zapier logo is made of two parts: the logo (Zapier and the asterisk) and the logomark (just the asterisk). But the Zapier brand is more than just these two visual elements. It is a symbol for making automation easy for busy people.

    Zapier – Founder and History

    Zapier was started in Columbia, Missouri by co-founders Wade Foster, Bryan Helmig, and Mike Knoop as part of the first Startup Weekend Columbia in 2011.

    Wade Foster, Bryan Helmig & Mike Knoop | Co-Founders, Zapier

    After initially submitting an application for the Winter 2012 funding cycle and being rejected, they then built their initial prototype with 25 apps, and were accepted to Y Combinator startup seed accelerator in the Summer 2012 funding cycle. As a result of the acceptance, the company was relocated to Mountain View, California in Spring 2012. In October of the same year, Zapier received a $1.3 million seed funding round led by global venture investment firm Bessemer Venture Partners. Zapier reached profitability in 2014.

    In March 2017, the company offered a “de-location package”, consisting of $10,000 in moving reimbursement to employees who desired to move away from the San Francisco Bay Area. After the announcement, job applications increased by 50%.

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    Zapier – Mission

    Zapier’s mission statement says,

    “We’re just some humans who think computers should do more work.”

    The spirit of this mission is whimsical and humble, but there’s a bold message behind it. We’re given only one life to live, and it would be a cruel fate to spend much of it doing menial tasks — paper work, importing and exporting information between apps, copying and pasting text. Computers are better at these tasks, and Zapier believes removing them from your workflow empowers you to focus on the work that really matters and that only you can do.

    Zapier – Business Model

    Zapier’s unorthodox approach to finding users wasn’t the only thing unorthodox about their beta. They didn’t just get people to give their unfinished product a try. They got people to pay for the privilege. For a tech beta, most companies just say “sign up, it’s free, all you have to do is give us advice
 we’ll take anyone’s advice.” They just beg for customers.

    We made people pay a one-time fee to get into our beta. For the first few people, we charged $100 for access to the beta for as long as the beta lasts. And that number moved around; we charged as little as $1, and eventually it settled in around $5 or $10 to get into the beta towards the end.

    It’s not that we wanted to make money off of the beta, it’s that we wanted people who really thought this was important enough to pay for and spend some time with us for. The last thing we wanted was a bunch of tire kickers who are just trying it out for fun but had no plans to use it on an ongoing basis.

    So that little hurdle of just paying a little bit of money got them some really high quality early users who went above and beyond in terms of providing feedback to us on the things that mattered.

    Quixy: No-Code App Development | Company Profile, Founders & Challenges
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    Zapier – Revenue and Growth

    Zapier’s automation service is growing faster than ever with 3 million registered users, up from 2 million in January and one million in May 2016. Annual recurring revenue has also grown by nearly 50% since January 2020, from $35 million to $50 million. Zapier’s estimated annual revenue is currently $54.4M per year. Zapier’s total funding is $2.6M. Zapier’s pricing is $239 per year.

    Zapier – Funding and Investors

    Zapier has raised a total of $1.4M in funding over 2 rounds. Their latest funding was raised on Jan 14, 2021 from a Secondary Market round. Zapier is funded by 6 investors. Sequoia Capital and Bessemer Venture Partners are the most recent investors.

    Year Round Amount Lead Investors
    Jan 14, 2021 Secondary Market – Sequoia Capital
    Oct 31, 2012 Seed Round Oct 31, 2012 –

    Zapier – Competitors

    Top competitors of Zapier are Integromat, Automate, Microsoft Flow, Workato and IFTTT.

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    Zapier – Challenges Faced

    Zapier – which, rhymes with “happier,” in case you were wondering – wasn’t an overnight success. First, Wade Foster and Bryan had to recruit Bryan’s friend Mike Knoop to the team, who would go on to become Zapier’s third co-founder and CPO. Together, they built a “demo-able” version of their app in a few weeks and presented it at Columbia, Missouri’s first-ever startup competition in October 2011.

    The pair’s complementary skill sets helped them work well together as a duo, and they began taking on projects together. Then, one day, in September of 2011, Bryan messaged Wade with an idea. The rest, as they say, is history.

    The app, which Bryan had dubbed “API Mixer,” took first place in the competition – and that’s when Zapier’s co-founders began to treat their creation as more than just a side project. They changed the name, applied to the accelerator program Y Combinator, got rejected, then applied again and got accepted. Zapier officially launched in June of 2012, offering integrations with 34 apps.

    Today, Zapier has integrations with over 2,000 apps, adding 600 partners in 2019 alone (with Microsoft Teams, Google Ads, and DocuSign being a few notable mentions).

    Zapier – Future Plans

    Just two years after launching – with only one round of Series A funding totaling $1.3 million – Zapier pulled off a feat that takes many companies years to achieve: profitability. And when you look at the company’s annual recurring revenue (the revenue they earn from product subscriptions in a given calendar year) it’s easy to see how that was possible. Between 2016 and 2018, Zapier’s ARR grew from approximately $10 million to more than $50 million.

    Zapier is continuing to prove itself as a tech powerhouse. This year, the company placed 24th on Forbes’ annual Cloud 100 list, which ranks the world’s top private cloud computing companies. And while Zapier’s customer-centricity, transparency, and work ethic, have helped propel the company to where it is today, their actual product offering – automation – has them poised for longevity.

    Businesses are doubling-down on digital transformation and recognizing the power of automation. In fact, McKinsey estimates that automation could increase global productivity growth by up to 1.4% annually.

    “Automation is one of the most pivotal topics of the next decade. People and businesses are proactively seeking smarter, better ways to drive tangible results in less time
we’re able to give businesses of all sizes valuable time back in their day so they can focus on their most important goals,” said Wade.

    Zapier – FAQs

    What is Zapier?

    Zapier is an online automation tool that connects your favorite apps, such as Gmail, Slack, Mailchimp, and more.

    How does Zapier work?

    You can connect two or more apps to automate repetitive tasks without coding or relying on developers to build the integration. Or you can have Zapier automate this for you, saving you time and effort.

    What apps work with Zapier?

    You can integrate with apps such as Facebook Lead Ads, Slack, Quickbooks, Google Sheets, Google Docs, Gmail, Google Calendar & many more!

    Who founded Zapier?

    Zapier was started in Columbia, Missouri by co-founders Wade Foster, Bryan Helmig, and Mike Knoop as part of the first Startup Weekend Columbia in 2011.

    Which companies does Zapier compete with?

    Top competitors of Zapier are Integromat, Automate, Microsoft Flow, Workato and IFTTT.

    Is Zapier for free?

    Zapier offers a free level of service, albeit with some limitations. With this account, you can perform up to 100 tasks per month, but you can only have five Zaps active at any given time. To clarify, a task is a completed action within a Zap.

    Is Zapier safe to use?

    Zapier takes the security of your data seriously. Credentials that you use to connect your accounts to Zapier are protected with bank-level encryption. The only action that Zapier takes on your accounts is those necessary to run the Zaps you create.

    Zapier – Conclusion

    Zapier is an online automation tool that connects your apps and services. You can connect two or more apps to automate repetitive tasks without coding or relying on developers to build the integration. This guide walks you through key concepts to help you get started with Zapier. We’re just some humans who think computers should do more work for you! Zapier lets you connect the apps you use to complete routine tasks automatically. Free up time to focus on what’s important to you and Zap away your busywork.

  • Upwards Success Story – One Stop Solution for all Credit Needs

    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 Upwards.

    Get quick loans worth up to INR 2.5 lakhs sanctioned within 24 hours, via Upwards! Yes, it is that simple. Founded by Nimesh Verma and Abhishek Soni, Upwards is intended to be a one-stop solution for all credit-wellness needs, especially for the lower-income, underserved segment of the population who are unable to avail credit from formal financing institutions. Upwards has a wider geographical reach due to its entirely digital loan application and approval process.

    As Upwards is growing at a rapid pace of 20-30% month-on-month growth, StartupTalky exclusively interviewed Nimesh Verma (Co-founder & CTO) of Upwards to know its Growth Story, Upwards business and revenue model, funding, how it started, marketing campaigns & more. Know more in the post ahead!

    Upwards – Company Highlights

    Startup Name Upwards
    Founders Nimesh Verma (CTO), Abhishek Soni (CEO)
    Headquarters Mumbai
    Sector Fintech
    Total Funding USD 5 Million
    Website upwards.in

    Upwards – About and Vision
    Upwards – Industry/Market Details
    Upwards – Founders, Team & Hiring Approach
    Upwards – Ideation Journey
    Upwards – Product USP
    Upwards – Name, Tagline and Logo
    Upwards – Business Model and Revenue Model
    Upwards – Startup Launch
    Upwards – Customer Retention Strategies
    Upwards – Startup Challenges Faced
    Upwards – Marketing Strategies
    Upwards – Growth Plans
    Upwards – Funding and Investors
    Upwards – Advisors/Mentors
    Upwards – Top Competitors
    Few tools used by Upwards
    Upwards – Achievements
    Upwards – Future Plans

    Upwards – About and Vision

    Upwards is intended to be a one-stop solution for all credit-wellness needs, especially for the lower-income, underserved segment of the population who are unable to avail credit from formal financing institutions. Since Upwards is in the lending segment, the product is essentially cash. At the PAN India level, access to credit continues to be a major challenge, especially amongst the lower-income segment of the population which constitutes at least 60% of the population.

    Upwards addresses the problem of lack of access to credit to the underserved population of the country by offering quick loans worth up to INR 2.5 lakhs sanctioned within 24 hours to salaried individuals across the country. As an RBI-registered NBFC, Upwards has a wider geographical reach due to its entirely digital loan application and approval process.

    In the short term, Upwards is targeting a month-on-month growth rate of 20-30%. On a year-on-year basis, it is aiming for 3x-5x growth. Upwards is also planning to raise funding later this year (2021) and scale its business further, to penetrate the underserved population of the country and enable easier access to credit.

    Upwards – Industry/Market Details

    At a broader level, a large chunk of India remains unpenetrated when it comes to credit access as most formal institutions cater to the crĂšme de la crĂšme of the society which is either the upper middle class or the rich. This leaves the lower-income segment, the salaried individuals turning to informal sources of credit such as money lenders who charge unreasonably high rates of interest, resulting in the borrowers being stuck in a debt trap.

    The lending industry is a rapidly growing one with quick loan option available at reasonable interest rates for a long tenure. Upwards target market comprises of nearly 60% of the population that belongs to the lower-income segment. Over the next five years, the lending sector is bound to witness rapid growth. With respect to Upwards, it is aiming for a 3x-5x growth year-on-year.

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    Upwards – Founders, Team & Hiring Approach

    Nimesh Verma and Abhishek Soni are the founders of Upwards.

    Nimesh Verma (CTO), Abhishek Soni (CEO) – Founder, Upwards

    It was initially Abhishek who presented Nimesh with a few ideas for potential business models. He initially didn’t have a finance background but his stint with a leading fintech organization helped him learn more about the domain. As Upwards started and began to grow, the founders gained a strong understanding of the lending segment, target market, etc. Both Abhishek and Nimesh are IIT, Delhi graduates.

    Abhishek Soni (Co-founder & CEO, Upwards)

    Abhishek holds a dual degree in Chemical Engineering and is a CFA Level-2 candidate specializing in Finance. He has worked with distinguished organizations including PwC, The Parthenon Group, and Indifi. At present, he is the CEO and Co-Founder of Upwards.

    Nimesh Verma (Co-founder & CTO, Upwards)

    Nimesh holds an integrated M.Tech in Mathematics and Computing. He has always been a core techie and have previously been associated with LinkedIn, Housing.com, and Crafstvilla. During his college days, Nimesh began 2 ventures and those marked the start of his entrepreneurial journey.

    Role and Responsibilities

    Being a CEO, Abhishek is in a way responsible for every person who is a part of the Upwards team and the business as a whole. In the umbrella of the organization, he comes at the top level as he is to an extent responsible for Nimesh’s end as well.

    Nimesh’s responsibilities lie in looking after the tech-based products and data. They also divide certain common responsibilities such as HR activities, sales, etc., among them.

    At present Upwards has 60-70 people who work from various cities across the country.

    Upwards – Hiring and Work Culture

    With respect to hiring, Nimesh & Abhishek tend to take time and avoid rushing into hiring potential candidates as they look for highly driven, passionate people who can contribute to the company’s growth. The approach to hiring also changes with each team as every team has varying requirements.

    “For instance, when we hire someone for the underwriting team, the requirements are different, and they would need to have at least a few years of experience in the finance domain. When we hire for tech-based roles, we consider different criteria as the job demands a different set of skills and knowledge base” says Nimesh.

    Upwards work culture is overall quite flexible, and employees can work according to their convenience as long as they are meeting the requirements and deadlines.

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    Upwards – Ideation Journey

    “During college, I began a couple of ventures, those ideas were primarily the ones that had engagement but the revenue models weren’t strong with merely engagement and traction aren’t enough to sustain a business” says Nimesh, Co-founder, Upwards

    Hence, Nimesh was determined that his next venture would be in the fintech domain, as the business and revenue model had to be strong. Then he met his co-founder Abhishek. They pondered over several ideas and finally, decided to start Upwards. Since Abhishek has had a previous stint with a distinguished organization in the fintech domain, he suggested a few concepts and ideas. Nimesh and Abhishek landed on the same page and that’s how the Upwards journey began!

    “With a business like Upwards, you also tend to know beforehand a fair estimate of your revenue, profit, and other such things needed to keep the company growing” Nimesh added

    Upwards – Product USP

    Upwards is intended to be a one-stop solution for all credit-wellness needs, especially for the lower-income, underserved segment of the population who are unable to avail credit from formal financing institutions. It offers quick loans worth up to INR 2.5 lakhs that are sanctioned within 24 hours and have a long tenure of repayment, that eases pressure and burden on the borrowers.

    Since the loan application and approval process is entirely digital, Upwards has a wider geographical reach and is able to penetrate regions of the country that were previously inaccessible for other institutions due to a compulsion of physical visits.

    “With every journey, there are several learnings, and these make you modify and improvise your concepts and ideas to grow further and improve your products and services. This is precisely what happened with Upwards” says Nimesh.

    While Upwards has been in the lending segment since the ideating level, its services have evolved over the years. Upwards team continuously worked on refining it, digitizing the end-to-end process, method to onboard customers, and even the roles of the employees. There have also been other minor pivots in which it understands how to gather data, etc. Upwards hasn’t majorly pivoted from its core business, but its has realigned the approach and strategy now & then to develop the business and improve services.

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    Upwards offers credit for customers at the right time which can progressively transform their lives and takes them upwards. That was the basic idea when the founders came up with the name and the logo.

    Upwards Logo

    Upwards tagline is ‘Quick personal loans online’ which is quite a simple and straightforward one as it is self-explanatory with regards to what Upwards does – enhancing lifestyles through easy access to credit in times of need.

    Upwards – Business Model and Revenue Model

    Upwards has a standard revenue model where it earns via interest which is as conventional as businesses in the lending segment have always earned.

    Upwards business model is also a straightforward one that offers quick personal loans to the lower-income segment and salaried individuals across the country. Since the entire process is done digitally, they are able to gain a wider reach across the country.

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    Upwards – Startup Launch

    “On day one, as with any business, there would be no users. Initially, we did enterprise sales where we approached wholesalers and blue-collar platforms and that’s how we completed our first 50 lakhs of loan disbursal which was for approximately the first 300 customers”  Nimesh added.

    Alongside this, the team also launched Upwards app on the Google Play store and that began to gain some organic traction. Combined, these helped Upwards build and improvise its services, app, and tech segments further, and Upwards grew.

    Upwards – Customer Retention Strategies

    As per Nimesh (Co-founder & CTO, Upwards)  – There is no single answer to attracting and retaining customers. It is a constant journey where one has to try and optimize everything right from the core product and services to the unit economics, sales efforts and then begin scaling the company. It is then that you are able to recover your fined costs and increase revenue while offering best-in-class service to customers. This ongoing process plays a major role in attracting and retaining customers.

    Upwards – Startup Challenges Faced

    No venture comes without its fair share of challenges as they come in different magnitudes every day. They are a part and parcel of any entrepreneurial journey. Since both the founders hail from non-finance backgrounds, gaining an in-depth understanding of how the lending sector works at an operational level required extensive research and work accompanied by day-to-day learnings.

    “Also, initially, we faced a significant amount of delinquencies. We were focusing on building a diverse portfolio which helped us tackle delinquencies but for a particular period of around 6 months, the delinquencies spiked” says Nimesh

    The team then revisited the strategy and approach at the grassroots level and learned that they had to be more aggressive in its approach to erase bad books. “As long as we can overcome these challenges and navigate its way through them, it helps us learn faster and progress in the longer run” Nimesh added.

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    Upwards – Marketing Strategies

    “From our observations and experience, when it comes to lending, it is never about one single channel. You always need to diversify the channels you adopt for marketing strategies and be present in multiple channels to connect with customers” Nimesh Stated

    For Upwards, Facebook has been a significant channel and has worked well. Social media marketing and word of mouth are deemed to be excellent marketing tools that can really give a boost to sales as per the founders of Upwards. The team at Upwards used Facebook right from inception to date apart from other online and offline partners who contribute to its sales. At the moment, it is involved in enterprise sales and planning to collaborate with corporates.

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    Upwards – Growth Plans

    At present, Upwards is growing at a rapid pace, with a 20-30% month-on-month growth. Later in 2021, Upwards is planning to raise a round of funding. For the next couple of years, it will be focusing on expansion, enhancing its services, and growing 3x-5x year-on-year.

    Upwards – Funding and Investors

    Upwards commenced as a bootstrapped company and closed its seed funding at the idea level post, and raised the Series A round in late 2018. Upwards is fortunate to be funded by marquee investors such as Shunwei Capital, India Quotient, and Mayfield Fund. So far, it has raised a total of USD 5 million and will be raising another round of funding later this year (2021)

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    Upwards – Advisors/Mentors

    Upwards Investors – India Quotient, Mayfield & Shunwei provide valuable inputs from time to time.

    Upwards – Top Competitors

    Given that fintech and the lending spaces are becoming crowded markets, there are quite a lot of competitors. Amongst these, Upwards consider Money View, Early Salary, and CASHe, to be its main competitors.

    Few tools used by Upwards

    A few tools used by Upwards to run the company –

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    Upwards – Achievements

    “Abhishek and I are some of the youngest founders in the lending segment in the country today. We haven’t received any awards per se” says Nimesh

    Regarding achievements, the team believes that the growth and the validation it received from its investors and customers along with receiving the NBFC license – are some significant milestones. In terms of volume and reach to customers, Upwards has had an impressive uptake in a short period.

    Upwards – Future Plans

    Upwards looks at expansion as a part of its business growth. The plan is to grow 3x-5x on a year-on-year basis while continuing to retain its focus on the product and services that Upwards offer. The team is also aiming for better penetration in the semi-urban and rural areas of the country to reach the underserved segments and offer them easy, quick access to credit in the upcoming months/years.

  • SAP – Delivering Technology Innovations

    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 SAP.

    SAP SE is a German multinational software corporation based in Walldorf, Baden-WĂŒrttemberg, that develops enterprise software to manage business operations and customer relations.

    Their machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced analytics technologies help turn customers’ businesses into intelligent enterprises. Their end-to-end suite of applications and services enables the customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and make a difference. Know more about the company profile of SAP SE here in this article.

    SAP – Company Highlights

    Startup Name SAP SE
    Headquarters Walldorf, Baden-WĂŒrttemberg, Germany
    Industry Software
    Founded 1972
    Founders Dietmar Hopp, Hasso Plattner, Claus Wellenreuther, Klaus Tschira, and Hans-Werner Hector
    CEO Christian Klein
    Area Served Worldwide
    Website www.sap.com

    SAP – About and How it Works?
    SAP – Recent News
    SAP – Founder and History
    SAP – Logo and its Meaning
    SAP – Mission
    SAP – Business Model
    SAP – Revenue and Growth
    SAP – Funding and Investors
    SAP – Investments
    SAP – Acquisitions
    SAP – Partnerships
    SAP – Competitors
    SAP – Future Plans
    SAP – FAQs

    SAP – About and How it Works?

    SAP stands for Systems, Applications, and Products in Data Processing (Anwendungen und Produkte in der Datenverarbeitung in German). SAP was founded in 1972 in Walldorf, Germany and now has offices around the world.

    Originally known for leadership in enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, SAP has evolved to become a market leader in end-to-end enterprise application software, database, analytics, intelligent technologies, and experience management. A top cloud company with 200 million users worldwide, SAP helps businesses of all sizes and in all industries to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and achieve their purpose.

    • The company’s official name became SAP AG (a public limited company) after the 2005 annual general meeting. On 21 May 2014, SAP AG announced during the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders held on the same day, 99% of the shareholder votes approved the conversion of legal form to a European stock corporation (Societas Europaea, SE) and at the same time, elected the first Supervisory Board of SAP SE. The conversion of the company’s legal form would take place upon entry in the commercial register, expected to be in July 2014.
    • On 7 July 2014, SAP announced it had changed its legal form to a European Company (Societas Europaea, SE). As a result, its German subsidiary was renamed to SAP Deutschland SE & Co. KG.the conversion cost the company approximately €4 million.

    SAP – Recent News

    As of January 2021, SAP SE Extends Executive Board: Julia White Joins as Chief Marketing and Solutions Officer, Scott Russell Takes Over Customer Success.

    SAP – Founder and History

    On April 1, 1972, five former IBM employees –Dietmar Hopp, Hasso Plattner, Claus Wellenreuther, Klaus Tschira, and Hans-Werner Hector –started the company SystemAnalyse Programmentwicklung(System Analysis and Program Development), with a vision of creating a standard application software for real-time business processing. SAP stands for Systems Applications and Products in Data Processing.

    Their idea was to create standard enterprise software that integrated all business processes and enabled data processing in real time. SAP’s founders and employees worked closely with customers –often sitting side-by-side with employees in customers’ offices to learn their business needs and processes. By 1975, they had built applications for financial accounting (RF), invoice verification, and inventory management (RM). Some of their early customers were the nylon factory belonging to ICI in Östringen, Germany, Knoll, Burda, Linde, and Schott.

    The blend of real-time data processing, standardization, and integration were the basis for SAP’s transformation from a small German company into a global leader in business software.

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    SAP – Logo and its Meaning

    SAP decided to run simpler by mastering complexity so their customers can run at their best. The new logo which was explored was supposed to represent this transformation in a warm and friendly way which it does.

    SAP's Company Logo
    SAP’s Company Logo

    SAP – Mission

    SAP’s mission is to help every customer become a best-run business. They do this by delivering technology innovations that address the challenges of today and tomorrow without disrupting their customers’ business operations.

    SAP – Business Model

    SAP has a mass market business model, with little differentiation between customers. Its customers are any enterprises that wants software for the purpose of managing operations and employees. The SAP business model entails designing and developing new software products.

    SAP has a value-driven structure, that aims to provide a premium proposition by adding its products with training and consulting services. Its biggest cost driver is sales/marketing expenses, a fixed cost.

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    SAP – Revenue and Growth

    The SAP revenue streams are as follows:

    • Cloud subscription sales
    • Software licensing fees
    • Service (training and consulting) fees

    SAP – Funding and Investors

    SAP has raised a total of $1.3B in funding over 2 rounds. Their latest funding was raised on Apr 24, 2019 from a Post-IPO Equity round. SAP is funded by 2 investors. Elliott Management Corp. and EASME – EU Executive Agency for SMEs are the most recent investors.

    Date Round Amount Lead Investors
    Apr 24, 2019 Post IPO Equity $1.3B Elliot Management Corp.
    Jun 1, 2015 Grant €1.3M –

    SAP – Investments

    SAP has made 26 investments. Their most recent investment was on Aug 4, 2020.

    Date Organization Name Round Amount
    Aug 4, 2020 Vistex Corporate Round –
    Feb 3, 2020 PlainID Corporate Round –
    Apr 25, 2019 Ruum Corporate Round €10M
    Dec 1, 2018 Inversation Corporate Round –
    Aug 26, 2016 Vivanda Funding Round –
    Dec 1, 2015 ThreatConnect Series B $16M
    Jan 20, 2015 Alchemist Accelerator Venture Round $2.1M
    Sep 3, 2014 BlackDuck Series F $20M
    Sep 10, 2013 Virtustream Series D $40M
    Oct 12, 2011 BlackDuck Series E $12M

    SAP – Acquisitions

    SAP has acquired 46 organizations. Their most recent acquisition was Emarsys on Oct 1, 2020.

    Acquiree Name Date Amount About Acquiree
    Emarsys Oct 1, 2020 – Emarsys enables brands around the world to deliver truly personal customer interactions across email, mobile, social, and web – at scale.
    Contextor Nov 19, 2018 – Contextor is an independant software vendor, pioneer in robotic process automation & robotic desktop automation.
    Qualtrics Nov 10, 2018 $8B Qualtrics is a single system of record for all experience data, managing customer, product, employee, and brand experiences on one platform.
    Coresystems Jun 5, 2018 – Coresystems builds mobile and cloud-based field service management solutions to give customers the ultimate real-time service experience.
    CallidusCloud Jan 29, 2018 $2.4B Callidus Software Inc provides sales effectiveness software and services.
    Recast.AI Jan 22, 2018 – Recast.AI offers a chatbot development platform.
    Gigya Sep 24, 2017 $350M Gigya offers a Customer Identity Management Platform that businesses can use to identify customers, aggregate data & personalize campaigns.
    Abakus Dec 14, 2016 – Abakus provides online and offline media marketing software solutions for advertisers and consumers.
    PLAT.ONE Sep 28, 2016 – PLAT.ONE is the First Enterprise-Grade IoT Application Platform
    Altiscale Aug 25, 2016 $125M Altiscale is a Big Data platform that operates through the cloud service.

    SAP – Partnerships

    SAP partners include Global Services Partners with cross-industry multinational consulting capabilities, Global Software Partners providing integrated products that complement SAP Business Suite solutions, and Global Technology Partners providing user companies with a wide range of products to support SAP technology, including vendors of hardware, database, storage systems, networks, and mobile computing technology.

    Extensions partners are companies which provide functionality that complements SAP product capabilities. Their products are certified, sold, and supported by SAP. These partner companies include Adobe, CA Technologies, GK Software, Tricentis, Hewlett-Packard, IDS Scheer, Mendix, OpenText, Knoa Software, and BackOffice Associates.

    SAP has also partnered with Apple to work on the mobile experience for SAP enterprise customers. As part of the partnership, a new SAP HANA Cloud Platform SDK would be delivered exclusively for iOS. As a result, developers can build applications based on the SAP HANA Cloud Platform for the iPhone and iPad devices. The partnership was announced in May 2016.

    In 2019, SAP announced a three-year partnership “Embrace” with Microsoft that should allow its clients to move their business process into the cloud. SAP teams up on cloud sales with Microsoft

    In 2020 SAP announced that together with Wipro it will co-develop and market “solutions for the retail and fashion industry.”

    SAP – Competitors

    The top 10 competitors in SAP’s competitive set are Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, Salesforce, Adobe, VMware, Workday, ServiceNow, Symantec and Tableau.

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    SAP – Future Plans

    SAP knows that to fulfill the expectations of new customers, its required to have the flexible IT systems. It also comes along with changing the business models, which need to be adopted in a very quick manner to stay on top of the market.

    • From a techie-perspective, SAP is engaging in a highly integrated but modular approach to provide an integrated, intelligent suite for customers, for sure based on cloud-native technologies. And here, this will help them to deliver continuous innovations and services to customers.
    • From a business process perspective, ERP is becoming a process as a service, and we will offer the business capabilities that will help companies to run at their best which means SAP enables new business models like consumption-based billing, subscription-based businesses, etc.

    SAP – FAQs

    What does SAP do?

    Originally known for leadership in enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, SAP has evolved to become a market leader in end-to-end enterprise application software, database, analytics, intelligent technologies, and experience management.

    Who founded SAP?

    On April 1, 1972, five former IBM employees –Dietmar Hopp, Hasso Plattner, Claus Wellenreuther, Klaus Tschira, and Hans-Werner Hector –started the company SystemAnalyse Programmentwicklung(System Analysis and Program Development).

    What companies do SAP compete with?

    The top 10 competitors in SAP’s competitive set are Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, Salesforce, Adobe, VMware, Workday, ServiceNow, Symantec and Tableau.

    How does SAP make money?

    SAP has a mass market business model, with little differentiation between customers. Its customers are any enterprises that wants software for the purpose of managing operations and employees.