Rajesh Pentakota

CLSA published a detailed research report on India quick commerce. Recommended reading. Who will be the first to create a $50-100Bn company in India internet? #Zepto #Zomato #IndiaInternet

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Like to order deliveries from the comfort of your own home? Zepto's recent $665 million funding will now allow the company to set up even more store across India to serve you better. Read all about it only in my new article at Entrepreneur India. . . . Follow and connect for more industry news and updates . . . #News #Update #Zepto #Funding #Investment #EntrepreneurIndia #AdityaPranMahanta https://lnkd.in/gYvATrUE

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Finsire has recently started its learning series - Ideally by chatting with the best folks in the Industry. Here, with Siddharth Shetty, Co-founder and CTO of Account Aggregator (AA) from DigiSahamati Foundation, we speak about the data exchange's inception, growth, and future in India. - We use AA for various reasons, including pushing boundaries in India's data exchange layer with various use cases. - It's been about three years since it went live, and over 70 million cumulative Indian accounts are linked. - One-of-a-kind data sharing network from India that is not seen anywhere across the globe, baring Singapore with https://lnkd.in/gyrCQtVQ - Different approach to protect consumers as compared to the previous models that existed to attain consumer data by various methods used by Plaid or Salt Edge Onemoney Finvu (Cookiejar Technologies) Protean eGov Technologies Anumati by Perfios AA NADL - Account Aggregator Computer Age Management Services Limited KFin Technologies Ltd. Enjoy - Please click on the link below and watch the video!

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If you doubted the rise of India as a powerhouse, Pine Labs, a significant fintech player, is now relocating its headquarters from Singapore to India following approval from a Singapore court. This strategic shift mirrors other successful Indian startups like PhonePe, Razorpay, and Groww, embracing the trend of ‘reverse flipping’. The move signifies growing confidence in the Indian market and its potential. Key factors enabling this move include: - Favorable economic policies - Growing domestic market - Increasing investor confidence - Greater certainty of an exit at a higher valuation - Ease of accessing capital - Regulatory changes - Maturing capital markets - Cost-effective listing process All great signs for India! #India #Fintech #PineLabs #Startups #BusinessGrowth

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Are you on the hunt for product/market fit? If so, you might enjoy my discussion with Fareed Mosavat on how today's product builders find it. In this discussion, we cover: 😥 Shortcomings of the Lean Startup methodology 👂 Better customer discovery techniques to quickly validate your riskiest hypotheses 💡 The concept of exploring the idea maze & why it's so important 📈 How to rigorously measure product/market fit If you are looking for a modern approach to reaching product/market fit, I'd encourage you to check this out

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Abhiraj Singh Bhal, dropped a couple of interesting insights during Z47's "the consumer unicorn blueprint" chat a day before: 1/ While marketplaces can offer you distribution, you don't end up owning the consumer. and till the time you don't own your consumer, you won't be able to create businesses with healthy margins. Period. Any brand with a Q-commerce only or market place+Q commerce only strategy will find it increasingly difficult to create sound businesses. He offers a way out but with a caveat: 2/ To create a fundamentally sound business, with good margins- one has to go the d2c way. He talked about the challenges of creating his own D2C brand "native" in the water purifier and allied category. The biggest challenge he talked about is why should an end consumer trust you and buy directly from you? When he has the option to buy from an Amazon or a Flipkart with easy returns and complete trust in the process if anything goes wrong? That he says is the biggest roadblock which makes it 100X difficult to scale as a D2C brand. But that's also the only way to create a profitable business. Everytime i hear such inputs from industry veterans, it just reaffirms the mission we are onto at Simpl. Our 1-tap checkout is not about giving credit but rather about bridging that missing trust in a d2c brand dot com. It's about giving that feeling of safety while purchasing anything online, the same nostalgic "bharosa" feeling we have from buying from our neighborhood khata store :)

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Given the changing paradigms in technology and media, we know that the next 10 years will look nothing like the last 10 years. Thanks to The Economic Times for capturing our interactive media thesis for the years ahead. As we crystal ball gaze into the future, there has been no better time to invest in India. In the last few years, we have seen the market mature across key vectors - propensity to pay, quality of talent, capital inflows, and exits. This represents meaningful upside for founders and investors in this space over the coming decade. With the incredible shifts in tech, media and gaming, there are some exciting times ahead! 🚀 https://lnkd.in/gTfYa3Kw

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There's lots of hype around AI, but how can we really derive ROI in real world use cases today? Goda Ramkumar, who leads data science at Swiggy will be helping us answer that question. We'll start with a deep dive into Swiggy's AI practice, recent innovations and future roadmap. Following that, Rakesh M. from Google Cloud will give a demo of real-time personalization with AI: Showing how we can create personalized cart abandonment campaigns seconds after the user leaves. We'll wrap up with drinks on the Alpha Wave terrace in Indiranagar. When: Wednesday September 25th 5:30PM Who: CTO / CPO / Data and Engineering leadership / Tech Founders Where: Alpha Wave India HQ, Indiranagar, Bangalore Register: https://lu.ma/u7c5s83t (limited to first 40, so signup quick!) Rahul Jain Kunal Mathuria Rakesh M. Alpha Wave Global Google

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𝗟𝗲𝘁 𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆! 😊   It’s a tale of 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 (𝗼𝗿 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗼!) 𝙨𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙬 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙧 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙙𝙪𝙘𝙩. Read on and take your own “to be or not to be” clues.  𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁 A few days back, my home water filter started acting up. So, I decided to explore new options and stumbled upon Livpure Smart. Their brand promise sounded tempting: ₹0 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘵, 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘵 – all at affordable plans. I decided to go for it.  But my primary concern was installation speed. With my existing filter barely working, 𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘺. Here’s how the story unfolded: 𝟭. 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿 When I called their sales number, I told the agent I had already researched their plans. My only question: 𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚?   He checked my address and assured me: - Delivery today ✅   - Installation tomorrow ✅  To back it up, he confidently mentioned their office is in Gurgaon, my city, so it would all be done promptly. Trusting this, I made the payment. 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮: It took additional 𝟮 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀, countless calls, and negotiating with installers to get the job done. 𝟮. 𝗘𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 Promise ₹𝟬 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙨𝙩. But the installer 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆, refusing to proceed otherwise.  When I tried calling customer care, I discovered another irony:   Their "𝟮𝟰/𝟳 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁" 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲 only operates 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝟭𝟬 𝗔𝗠–𝟳 𝗣𝗠 𝗜𝗦𝗧. Since it was off-hours, I begrudgingly paid the installer to get drinking water at home. 𝟯. 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘆 Livpure operates in an essential category—𝗱𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿. But their process showed 𝙯𝙚𝙧𝙤 𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙮 for customers' needs.  From sales to support, no one seemed to understand the urgency of having drinking water at home. Responses like “𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 24–48 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴” 𝘰𝘳 “𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘵” felt robotic & detached. 𝟰. 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀 Livpure’s operations showed a lack of planning for 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲. Their installers are local contractors who:   - Don’t share the brand’s values or commitments. - Are motivated purely by money (e.g., charging me despite their "free installation" promise). 𝟱. 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗺𝗯𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗱𝗼𝗿 Livpure did one thing 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹—they chose Sachin Tendulkar 𝘗𝘢𝘢𝘫𝘪 as their brand ambassador. 𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘸𝘪𝘯?   - Sachin is an icon of trust, loved by millions.   - His personal values align with the brand’s mission: clean drinking water at affordable costs. 𝗕𝘂𝘁… A great ambassador can only do so much. I trust Sachin Tendulkar for life but not the brand Livpure Smart anymore :(

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'GenAI is easier to say in the boardroom and difficult to get right for many SaaS companies'. When speaking to multiple technology providers, we have observed this as well. I will go further to suggest that many existing players will find it difficult to move to agentic workflows meaningfully. Beyond document summarization, and basic AI uses. The real problem is not technology. It is the company's DNA and processes, and a large installed base of customers. Going from building deterministic systems to building non-deterministic systems with high accuracy is a different skill set and hard to pivot to quickly. #aiagents #genai

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In India, most startups I know of are primarily focusing on generative AI use cases for optimizing existing systems and reducing costs, or on enabling quick commerce across categories—addressing present-day problems. In contrast, the startups I know of in the USA and Singapore are designing products with a long-term vision, looking 15 years ahead. They aim to tap into the trajectory of human emotions and anticipate future needs. Generative AI is a part of their big picture and not the heart of it. Economies on different growth trajectories think differently. #LongTermVision #GenerativeAI #TechTrends #IndiaStartups #USStartups

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India’s Oyo, once valued at $10 billion, is finalizing new funding at a $2.5 billion valuation. This marks a steep decline from its $10 billion valuation in 2019. The startup, which has raised over $3 billion from backers like SoftBank, Peak XV Ventures, Lightspeed, Airbnb, and Microsoft, has struggled to attract institutional investors. In recent months, it has aggressively pitched to high-net-worth individuals after withdrawing its IPO application twice in the past four years. Once a red-hot Indian startup active in markets including the U.S. and Europe, Oyo has now scaled back its international presence. #venture #downround https://lnkd.in/gE2GjYnM

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New Report Alert: Decoding the Online Ticket Business in India & Zomato - Paytm Deal! (Zomato to buy Paytm's entertainment ticketing business for Rs 2,048 crore The acquisition of Paytm Insider, approved by Zomato's board, will allow the food delivery giant to foray into the entertainment ticketing sector, complementing its existing dining and food delivery services.) I'm excited to share that I've recently completed a comprehensive report on the dynamics of the online ticketing industry in India, with a particular focus on the strategic acquisition deal between Zomato and Paytm for Paytm's ticketing business. This report dives deep into the evolving landscape of online ticketing, highlighting the key factors driving growth and the challenges faced by industry players. I also explored the strategic implications of Zomato's acquisition of Paytm's ticketing arm, examining how this move aligns with Zomato's broader business objectives. To provide a well-rounded perspective, I included detailed financial analysis of both Zomato and Paytm, shedding light on the financial rationale behind the deal and its potential impact on both companies. If you're interested in understanding more about this significant development in the Indian tech ecosystem, feel free to reach out! Zomato Paytm Parth Verma The Valuation School #OnlineTicketing #Zomato #Paytm #MergersAndAcquisitions #IndiaTech #FinancialAnalysis

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Zomato's Q1FY25 Earnings Soar: Revenue Up by 74% to Rs 4,206 Crore, Profit Skyrockets to Rs 253 Crore https://lnkd.in/d4YNQHFi Great to see regular profits from startup darlings of India. way to go 🎉🥳 #zomato #startup #india #indiastartup

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"Startup Leadership Shift: Dunzo's CEO Kabeer Biswas Steps Down 🚚 In a significant move for India's delivery ecosystem, Kabeer Biswas is exiting Dunzo, the Reliance-backed startup he co-founded. This transition comes amid challenging financial circumstances for the delivery platform, signaling potential strategic restructuring. The startup world is constantly evolving, and leadership changes often mark critical turning points for innovative companies. Biswas's departure highlights the intense pressures facing tech-enabled delivery services in a competitive market. Intrigued by the latest startup dynamics? Dive deeper into the full story and industry insights! #StartupEcosystem #IndianStartups #TechInnovation" Call to Action: Read the full analysis → https://lnkd.in/gbyJHu7w

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With a large chunk of India's per capita boost coming in from Tier 2 and Tier 3 non-urban clusters, the need to unblock affordability is more acute now than ever. Fit in the fact that the per capita income would still continue to stay below 5L per annum well upto 2030 and #emi as a lucrative growth lever becomes even more clear. The average online shopper would continue to be price and affordability sensitive. This is also reflected at how Amazon continues to leverage #emi as a dominant feature on it's PDP and checkout pages both. Sometimes the price callout itself being the EMI offered! This is where we at Snapmint step in. ✔️ Approval rates that enable true affordability ✔️ Credit penetration at thin credit zones ✔️ Increase AOV and overall GMV ✔️ Superlative EMI checkout experience ✔️ Reassuring post purchase support for your shoppers Click to know more: www.snapmint.com Abhineet Sawa Ram Prasad #d2c #ecommerce #upi #gmv #aov

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Zepto Founder Relocates HQ to Dynamic Bangalore for Future Growth Introduction Zepto founder who leading a tech company, is planning to relocate its headquarters from Mumbai to Bengaluru, India’s Silicon Valley. This strategic move aims to reduce operational costs and leverage the burgeoning tech ecosystem in Bengaluru. Relocation from Mumbai to Bengaluru Zepto is set to move its headquarters from the expensive city of Mumbai, specifically from Powai, to the posh area of Sarjapur in Bengaluru. The shift to Bengaluru is driven by the significantly lower costs compared to Mumbai, allowing the company to save substantial amounts of money. WeWork Leasing Complications One of the key reasons for this move is the leasing complications Zepto faces with WeWork. WeWork is vacating the Chromium property in Powai, where Zepto’s office is currently located. This has prompted Zepto to consider relocating to Bengaluru, where the new office space is larger than the current Powai office. For more updates on the latest tech news, visit TecEntr. Stay tuned for more insights and developments from the tech world. #zepto #zeptofounder #grocery #grocerydelivery #10minutedelivery #ecomerce #startup #entrepreneur #tech #technologynews #business #entrepreneurship

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This time, every year, I sense a certain kind of intensity building up within GreyOrange. It's a strange mix of anxiety, excitement and anticipation as we oversee the latest robotics technologies from across the Globe tested at their absolute peak capacities across some of the largest retailers of the world. All orchestrated by the same software platform: GreyMatter. Handling live operations for these giants, who've literally handed over the keys to us, through the critical peak season can be absolutely nerve-racking. And yet, year after year, these are the moments that give us some of our most cherishable memories. A sneak peak below from what happened last year, which already feels 'ancient' given the pace at which the technology has evolved over the last 12 months! #GreyOrange #PeakSeason

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