Anurag Bhatt

Great insights in simple words. Please read it like 100 times!

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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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“Indian companies don’t pay for software.” Yet, we’re doing 6-figure $$ in annual recurring revenue (ARR) from our 🇮🇳 Indian customers alone. While the vast majority of our customers at Clueso (YC W23) are SaaS companies in the US, many of our early adopters were companies in Bengaluru – the city where our engineering team is based. Spending a lot of time in India, we keep hearing the stereotype: “Indian companies don’t buy SaaS”. Over the last few months, we have been amazed by the organic interest from India and how quickly our customer base has grown in the country. Our experience has proved that if you’re building a product somebody truly needs, there’s no reason they won’t pay for it. To celebrate, we will be announcing a massive Clueso (YC W23) product update for all our customers from India on Independence Day 🇮🇳. Stay tuned! #independenceday #saas #startups

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Navi UPI has risen to claim the 5th spot in the UPI ecosystem, surpassing Amazon, marking a significant achievement! 🚀 Are you a fintech advertiser looking for the best ROI? We're building the Navi Ad platform tailored to meet your needs. If you specialize in co-branded credit cards, secured/unsecured lending, or other fintech solutions geared towards revenue growth, let's connect! Interested in accelerating your business growth? Feel free to reach out via DM or comments. Let's collaborate and drive your business to new heights together. 📈 #Advertising #Marketing #Collaboration #Traffic #MarketingOpportunities #Collaboration #AdTech #IndianFintech #AffiliateMarketing #DigitalMarketing #BusinessGrowth #PerformanceMarketing #AffiliateNetwork #MediaBuying #India

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Product-market fit unlocks repeatability and scalability — across demand generation, product development, customer satisfaction, and unit economics. It also entails well-designed pivots at the right time, here is a good framework that I came across. https://lnkd.in/emUurqta #productmarketfit #founders #raisingcapital #pivot #startups #entrepreneurship Krishnan S. Rosmon Sidhik Saurabh Radhakrishnan

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Kudos to Navan and Ankur’s perseverance and hardwork! Leaving high paying jobs to build one fintech model >> Realising the gaps in the first model early >> Taking the learnings from the first model and solving a much larger problem >> Not taking offers from mega fintech to build their solution under a boss >> Not accepting an offer undervaluing their solution (we all know how tough it is to reject the first offer till it remains the only offer on the table) >> Building a million dollar pre-seed round with strategic angels and funds. One hell of a rollercoaster over the last 12 months but off to a solid “start”. Super proud and excited to see CirclePe grow one milestone to the next! 🚀🚀🚀🚀 #venturecapital #earlystage #investing #fintech #funding #rentalfinancing Venture Catalysts++ | India's 1st Multi-Stage VC Dr. Apoorva Ranjan Sharma Anvit Baliga Miloni Yash Ashank Apurva Reshma https://lnkd.in/de8Fw2yQ

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This post from Vaibhav Domkundwar beautifully shows how surviving long enough can position a startup to take advantage of an eventual tailwind. When we invested in Yulu, no one had a clue that Quick Commerce will become the next commerce phenomenon in the country after payments. Because Yulu intelligently survived, kept improving the product and is capital-efficient enough to be agile to market needs, it’s now befitting from QC tailwinds. Reminds me of what the Rippling founder once said - as a startup, just survive 10 years and the odds are that you will end up succeeding.

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Buying gold / silver coins on the auspicious occasion of Akshaya Trithiya come under low frequency - low complexity purchase category. It is a seasonal product bought generally during specific occasions. Zepto Blinkit Swiggy lapped up this opportunity and started selling this with the benefit of quick delivery. No wonder the sales picked up quite well. I wonder how much would it have impacted the sales of larger eComm players. Sales trends from swiggy is already out. I am sure the trend will be similar for Zepto - Aadit Palicha and Blinkit - Albinder Dhindsa I detailed out this approach and more in my notes - https://lnkd.in/gBmvVKy2

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HSR Founders Club is doing an AI for GTM Fireside this Friday. Where? Most probably HSR :) If you're in a 5km radius and looking to do something before you step out, drop by. Look forward to meeting Rapti Gupta Piyush Agarwal and Akshay Hangloo. #GTM #AI

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Customer insights from this adoption 💡 🔸 Fin-Tech focused - Support teams are seeing AI as daily essential than 'good to have'. Helping them get full gist of tens of financial docs in less than a second. 🔸 AI for operations - Plan to use Twig not just for customer support but for daily financial operations like investment portfolio, planning. 🔸 Fine-tuned AI-models for different thesis and workflows. One source - multiple models. Twig is bringing faster response time to achieve better customer satisfaction. Go team Chandan Maruthi #customerexperience #fintech #zendesk

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While feature parity is a common concern in SaaS, the reality of true product commoditisation might be more complex than we think. Even in crowded markets where features can be easily replicated, there's always room for meaningful differentiation. In this clip, Ranudi Jayasinghe shares an interesting perspective using the analogy of strawberry sellers - how two seemingly identical products can still capture different market segments based on factors like convenience and values alignment. But this raises some interesting questions: 🤔 In a world where features can be replicated quickly, how sustainable is product differentiation? 🤔 Are we overlooking simple differentiators that matter more to buyers than we realize? 🤔 How many SaaS companies are actually investing in identifying and communicating their unique value propositions? What's your take on product differentiation in SaaS? Have you seen examples where seemingly minor differentiators made a major impact on buying decisions? You can find the full episode on YouTube and on popular podcast channels. #unsoldpodcast #saas #marketing #differentiation #b2bsaas #positioning

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The New Capitalism Just Created 500 Crorepatis And it's not what Marx or Adam Smith imagined... Swiggy turned 500+ employees into crorepatis overnight. But I think this is bigger than that. This is Capitalism 2.0 emerging: The Old Way: → Capital owned by few → Workers just earn wages → Wealth stays at the top The New Reality: → Employees become owners → Value flows to creators → Wealth spreads through merit Look at this transformation: • Zomato: $1B in ESOP pool at listing • Airbnb: 900+ millionaires • Amazon: Employee wealth exceeding nations Yes, I know - this isn't everyone's reality. Most companies aren't there yet. Many workers still struggle daily. But this is why it matters: It shows what's possible: When companies think long-term When value is shared fairly When merit drives wealth This isn't socialism. This isn't traditional capitalism. This is Participatory Capitalism: Where growth benefits everyone involved. The reality? We're in transition: → Some companies lead → Many will follow → Others will resist But every economic revolution started somewhere. And this one's already showing results.

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Breadth Vs. Depth in Pre-PMF Product === In the pre-PMF stages, do you focus on adding more features (breadth) or perfecting existing features (depth) while building your product? From my 10+ years of building products, I have realized there is no exact solution that fits all situations, but there are a  few nuances one needs to understand to arrive at a solution. 1. Channels of Feature Requests In the early days, the product team often faces a barrage of feature requests from three primary sources. A. Sales teams - features/integration to close more deals. B. CS teams - Build this feature, or else risk churning customers. C. Market - Otherwise, you will lose the edge or stop innovating. (Hi Gen AI!) Managing these requests can be challenging, but it's crucial to setting realistic expectations and maintaining a balanced approach to product development. 2. Constrained Resources Initially, you may find yourself with a small engineering team with 3-5 members max and hardly any time. This issue of constrained res adds additional pressure on delivering on all fronts. 3. Objective: Depending on your stage, you are looking for Iteration, growth, retention, or Obsession. Iteration - Identify which features are essential and which are not. Growth - leads to more new revenue. Retention - sustainable revenue. Obsession - Leads to word of mouth or virality. Create your Solution -- Once you have grasped these nuances and understood your situation, you can start crafting your solution. And yes, there is no perfect solution; you can only aim simultaneously for some of the four. One approach I often try is to prioritize each in cycles of a week (or whatever suits your business) and progressively increase the time period as your business and the team grow. This way, you keep a tab on each of the four every month and find your balance. #startup #product #features

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#Day45 Redefining Good Sales in the New Age: Part 1—Understanding the Customer’s Perspective In today’s digital era (AI era), customers have unprecedented access to information. With just a few clicks, they can research products, compare options, and educate themselves without ever speaking to a salesperson. A seasoned professional recently shared insights on this change: “Now, customers can get all the information from the internet. Before, salespeople were resources; we knew more than the engineers. But today, engineers and customers know the products quite well. They don’t really need to bother with anybody.” So, in a world where customers are well-informed and overwhelmed with sales approaches, what does good sales look like from the customer’s perspective? 1. Be a Trusted Advisor like a Consultant, Not Just a Salesperson Customers no longer need basic product information—they need insights. Good salespeople differentiate themselves by offering expert advice tailored to the customer’s unique situation. “How do I stand out? First, by how knowledgeable or how powerful the company is. Second, what is their go-to-market strategy.” Key Takeaway: Focus on providing value beyond what’s readily available online. Share industry trends, offer strategic advice, and become a partner in solving their problems. 2. Build Genuine Relationships Through Local Knowledge Local distributors and representatives hold strong relationships with customers. They understand regional nuances and can provide personalized service. From the conversation: “The value of the distributor right now is holding those strong relationships for the last 30–40 years. The actual interaction between the distributor and the user is vital.” Key Takeaway: Leverage local insights and foster genuine connections. Personal relationships still matter greatly in the digital age.

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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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Yesterday, a tech SaaS founder approached me with a dilemma. “Should we create new features and upsell to customers who are not renewing their subscription?”, he asked. This strategy was suggested by his angel investor (a prominent name in the industry) who was concerned about the potential dip in revenues from non-renewals. My advice was in the opposite direction. Focus on the core product. New features should be a response to a clear demand. Not a hopeful shot in the dark. They should be developed when multiple customers voice a need for them and show a willingness to pay. The goal should be to build a robust pipeline. Attract more new customers than those who leave. This approach is designed to organically boost revenues. After all, if the core product isn’t compelling enough to sell on its own, what’s the benefit of adding more bells and whistles? The core product is your business’s True North. What’s your strategy for growth? Do you believe in expanding features to retain customers or do you agree that strengthening the core offering is key? #businessstrategy #customerretention #productdevelopment #startupgrowth #saas #technology

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Do you play pickleball? I now play the sport 3-4 times a week and I am hooked. No surprise that pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the US for the last 3 years. As per a report - - # of players who played the sport jumped from 5 mil in 2021 to 36.5 mil in 2023. - 8.5 mil players played the game 8 times or more in a year. - China is projected to have 10,000 courts and 100 mil players in the next 5 years - Australia and a few countries outside the US have launched leagues. There is talk of a couple of leagues starting in India as well. - I book my courts in Bandra 4 weeks in advance. The demand in unreal. India is projected to have 5-10 mil players in the next 5-7 years, and infra development (new courts, facilities) will happen in parallel. An easier learning curve, close games, access to a community + social nature of the sport (usually 4 players playing doubles), easier on the body so great for 35+ players -- all of these make the sport extremely popular. There is already rapid growth in infra, tournaments, coaching clinics across tier 1 and 2 cities. I feel, we will witness a sporting revolution and the sport will explode in the coming decade. There will also be opportunities to build large businesses around the sport. Personally, as a high school/college athlete, I am truly in my pickleball era and thrilled to be competing again in tournaments.

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Very insightful Vaibhav Domkundwar! More wisdom packed in those 10 lines than many business books I know.

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Struggling to measure and define Product-Market Fit (PMF) for your product? Watch this: https://lnkd.in/ge9UmkZV In this insightful video featuring Brijesh Bharadwaj, Ex-Director of Product at Dunzo, he dives deep into effective PMF measurement strategies. HelloMeets - Upskilling platform for PMs. #PMF #ProductManagement #HelloMeets

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