Abhijeet Prahlad

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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AstroTalk is redefining the spiritual-tech landscape with incredible growth in FY24. The Noida-based platform reported a 2.3x increase in revenue, reaching ₹651 crore, while profits surged nearly 12x to ₹99.99 crore. This exponential rise showcases AstroTalk’s ability to scale rapidly while maintaining strong profitability. What’s Driving This #Transformation? Expanding Market Reach: AstroTalk’s revenue in India doubled to ₹529 crore, while international revenue jumped 4.2x to ₹121 crore. The demand for digital astrology services has gone global, breaking cultural barriers and tapping into a new wave of spirituality seekers. #AI-Powered User Experience: The integration of AI has been pivotal in delivering personalized, accurate astrology consultations. By analyzing user behavior, AI helps tailor predictions, improving satisfaction and increasing user retention. This shift to data-driven insights is fueling industry growth, making astrology more accessible and reliable than ever. Mobile App Convenience: AstroTalk’s mobile app is a game-changer, providing users with a seamless and intuitive experience. The app’s features, like instant chat consultations and 24/7 availability, have transformed how people access spiritual guidance. It’s not just about convenience—it’s about creating a platform that meets the evolving expectations of today’s digital users. Strategic Investments and Scalability: AstroTalk’s significant spending on advertising (₹162 crore, up 116%) and professional services (₹319 crore, 60% of total costs) shows a strategic push for brand visibility and operational efficiency. With a Return on Capital Employed (ROCE) of 40.16% and an EBITDA margin of 19.42%, the platform scales efficiently, spending just ₹0.82 to earn ₹1 of revenue. Shifting Consumer Trends: The increasing demand for instant, personalized guidance reflects a broader shift in consumer behavior. Today’s users seek quick answers and digital-first solutions, and AstroTalk is perfectly positioned to meet these needs. This trend is adding more fuel to the spiritual-tech industry, driving innovation and attracting new players. Changing the Landscape of Spiritual-Tech AstroTalk isn’t just riding the wave—it’s shaping it. By combining traditional astrology with advanced AI and mobile-first strategies, it’s setting a new standard for the industry. This blend of tech and tradition is creating a sustainable model for growth, proving that spiritual services can thrive in the digital age. Investors are taking note, and with the broader spiritual-tech space already attracting over $60 million in funding, it’s clear that this is just the beginning. AstroTalk’s journey is a testament to the power of innovation in transforming industries. It’s time to watch this space closely—because the future of spirituality is digital. #AstrologyTech #SpiritualTech #AIInnovation #MobileApps #GrowthStory #AstroTalk #IndustryTrends #ScalingUp

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Working backward accelerates execution. That’s the reason why most top-tech companies religiously follow this process. Thanks to Anuj Rathi, Chief Product & Marketing Officer at Jupiter Money for summarising it perfectly! 🌟 #productmanagement #execution

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#IndustryNews Koo app shuts down after failed merger talks. Founder Aprameya Radhakrishna cites high costs and funding issues. Read more at www.socialavenue.in. #ConnectAndEngage #SocialMediaUpdate #TechNews #KooApp #StartupNews

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Shutdown of Koo, India's own microblogging platform, is a significant blow to our startup ecosystem. This event highlights 2 crucial points that needs to addressed: 1. A setback for our movement towards digital sovereignty: In an era where digital sovereignty is paramount, Koo represented a step towards self-reliance. Losing such platforms makes us more dependent on foreign entities for our digital communication needs. 2. Lack of support for Tech-First startups: The closure underscores the challenges faced by tech-first Indian startups, from funding issues to scaling obstacles. I truly believe Koo's shutdown is a setback for Indian startup scene. Kudos to founders and employees for all the efforts they've put in. #Startups #Innovation #DigitalIndia #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #ProductManagement #IndiaStartups #SupportLocal #DigitalSovereignty #koo #kooshutdown

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*Unlock the Future of Work* We're revolutionizing the way you grow and succeed in career! At Aspire India, we believe that growth should be decentralized, tangible, and accessible to all, A pioneering new approach to workplace growth. Our innovative habit formation programs help Individuals and teams build habits that drive meaningful success. Meet the Founder Krishna Prasaad makes growth decentralized, breaking down barriers and creating a more inclusive and equitable work environment. Join the movement and start building the habits that will transform workplace and career. #FutureOfWork #GrowthMindset #HabitFormation #WorkplaceInnovation #CareerGrowth #SuccessMindset #DecentralizedGrowth #AccessibleGrowth #TangibleGrowth #EmployeeWellbeing #Futurism #EmployeeDevelopment #Productivity #OrganizationalDevelopment

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🚨 Unacademy sees another top-level exit as SVP of design Hardik Pandya departs Edtech unicorn Unacademy sees another top-level exit as Hardik Pandya, Senior Vice President of Design and Product, departs after a four-year tenure. Hardik, who joined in 2020, was instrumental in shaping Unacademy’s design strategy and collaborating with CEO Gaurav Munjal. Hardik, who previously worked at Google and Ola, announced he’s taking a break to spend time with family but hasn’t disclosed his next steps. His exit follows several other leadership changes, including Arooshi Singh’s promotion to Head of HR and new hires in finance and operations. Despite the management shifts, Unacademy continues its growth trajectory, reporting flat revenues of Rs 988 crore for FY24 and narrowing its losses by 62%. Read more👇🏼 https://lnkd.in/gBitD5yG By Ishan P. #Unacademy #Edtech #LeadershipChanges

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Highperformr.ai, a marketing SaaS startup floated by former Freshworks executives Ramesh Ravishankar and Srivatsan Venkatesan, has raised $3.5 Mn (INR 29.2 Cr) in a seed funding round 👇 The startup’s first product, Highperformr for Teams, leverages generative AI and LLMs to help B2B businesses maximise their return on investment (ROI) on social media campaigns. The fresh capital will be deployed to further the startup's research and development activity, build the platform's native AI capabilities, and expand its distribution network. To read more in detail, click here: https://lnkd.in/gV8tqWyU #startups #fundraising #growth #saas

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Every organization involving tech goes through changes across Frameworks, Languages, and Models to find the best fit. In this ScalerPod episode, Santhosh Kumar, CTPO at Curefit - house of cult, has explained why only one Tech Language was considered at their organization and the benefits of it. #SCALER #ScalerPod #Java #NodeJS

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The seeds of adoption are set during onboarding, but they are actually planted even earlier—almost during the sale. - Clay Telfer Have you checked out this insightful episode of the Scale Tale podcast? Mausmi Ambastha (COO & Co-founder, ZapScale) dives deep with the customer success expert Clay Telfer on two essential topics: 🎯 Helping customers define their definition of success. 🎯 Tailoring the onboarding experience to meet their needs. Tune in now 👉🏻 https://lnkd.in/gPD3JnKh #CustomerSuccess #CustomerOnboarding #SaaS

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"Building a social media company is nothing but an interplay of content, capital, and compute." - Ankush Sachdeva, CEO & Co-founder of ShareChat. In this insightful interview, Ankush discusses the journey of scaling ShareChat, the importance of balancing user-generated content with AI-driven recommendations, and the challenges of building a robust monetization model in the Indian market.  He also sheds light on the role of capital and technological innovation in shaping the future of digital platforms. Don't miss out on this must-read article! Read more:  https://lnkd.in/dyNJ6aUB #ShortFormVideos #Sharechat #Moj #DigitalRevolution #ContentCreation #ETBrandEquity

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Week 34 of #TechNewsWithARA - Weekly news dump on Sundays, this week on Monday again as Sunday became a really long day on the road with cycling to Nandi Hills. The idea is to keep the top news relating to #ProductManagement and general #Technology. 1. Zomato 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲𝘅 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗲𝘅! Zomato becomes the first new age tech company to become a part of the most important index of the Indian stock market. Big news, as this gives a path forward to Indian companies to success with a public offering in their own country! 2. Myntra 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲. Myntra pilots "M-Now" in Bangalore for quick deliveries of fashion products between 30 mins and 2 hours. With Nykaa having done this for beauty products and smaller companies like NEWME already doing it for clothes, it was only about time before the biggest player joins the frey. Expecting AJIO.com and TATA CLIQ to follow suit soon. 3. Google 𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹 #GoogleChrome 𝘄𝗲𝗯 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝘆 U.S. Department of Justice. The DOJ’s latest filing suggests that Google’s ownership of Android and Chrome pose “a significant challenge” to apply remedies for making the search market competitive. Google was officially announced as having a monopoly in the online search space, and now the next few months should see a lot of "solutions" being thrown around it, like breaking up the company into multiple sub-companies. As a user, I don't we will see a major impact in how we use the products. 4. WhatsApp 𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝘀. With the new feature, voice messages can be transcribed into text to help you keep up with conversations when you’re unable (or perhaps unwilling) to listen to a voice message. WhatsApp claims its transcripts are generated on your device and no one else can read them. Very neat feature and something one would imagine should have already existed. But with the advancement in voice recognition and how even for an Indian accent the voice typing has gotten better and how much Voice notes have become common place, the timing probably just works out. 5. Spotify 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼𝘀? Spotify is adding a feature for authors or publishers to submit a short 30 seconds video for their audiobooks. The videos may feature anything from a segment of an interview to behind-the-scenes footage from the audio recording process, or even a message from the author. Well, Spotfiy has been expanding into the video format for a while now with podcasts like #JoeRoganExperience supporting videos for a couple of years now, but I don't think having a short video as an introduction of a book is the best of ideas. Having a small snip of the audio book as an introduction whereas is a very good idea.

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CHANNELIAM FUNDING TRACKER RECENT UPDATES 1.    Chosen® Raises USD 1.2 Mn in Seed Round 2.    Clodura.AI Raises USD 2 Mn from Bharat Innovation Fund 3.    Digital marketing automation #startup Maino.ai raises $1.8 Mn 4.    #Healthtech startup DocPlix raises Rs 1.2 Cr in bridge round 5.    Speciality chemicals startup Scimplify to raise $5 Mn 6.    Robinhood acquires Bitstamp in $200M deal to expand #crypto presence globally #funding #startups #businessnews #channeliam

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Another interesting conversation on ad:tech's #LeadershipLens with Siddharth Shenoy, Country Manager, Appnext India (an Affle company) on market strategy for 2024 and Appnext's role in the ecosystem. Catch the conversation here - https://lnkd.in/gpQUNwbb #adtech #martech #attribution #marketing #appmarketing #programmatic

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What’s shaping India’s startup ecosystem, and how can entrepreneurs thrive in today’s competitive market? In the second episode of Leadership Unplugged, T-Hub Founder and Managing Partner at Biome, Srinivas Kollipara, in conversation with Prof. Raj Shankar talks about key startup trends, challenges for VCs, and why Hyderabad is emerging as a top destination for innovation. Stay tuned for the full episode! #thub #startups #startupsinindia #venturecapital #investing #startupidea #leadershipunplugged

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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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Meesho launches India's first GenAI voicebots - Supports Hindi & English - Real-time conversations with very low latency - Handling 60,000 calls per day - Costs about 1/4 of the Human agent cost (expected to reduce further as it scales up) Sanjeev Barnwal

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