Vishal Pathik Gupta

🚀 Key Takeaways from the Elevation Kickstarter on B2C Monetization🚀 I recently attended the "Elevation Kickstarter: New Era of Consumer Monetization" by Elevation Capital, and it was an incredibly insightful experience! The event highlighted how the monetization playbook for consumer apps in India is being completely rewritten. Founders and experts shared their first-hand experiences of building capital-efficient businesses by monetizing early, a strategy that is becoming a game-changer in India’s digital economy. Key Highlights: 🔑The New Playbook for Consumer Apps: 1️⃣Moving away from "chase users first, monetize later" to early monetization models. 2️⃣With direct monetization growing faster than digital ads and now a $3B market, Indian users are proving they are willing to pay for value. 🔥Lessons from ShareChat’s Journey: 1️⃣Ankush Sachdeva (Founder, ShareChat) shared insights into how ShareChat is leveraging microtransactions like virtual gifts to scale sustainably and effectively. 2️⃣The fireside chat emphasized the importance of tailoring monetization strategies to user preferences. 💡Panel Discussion: ‘Choose Your Model: Monetization Strategies That Work’: Prashant Sachan (AppsForBharat) discussed monetizing virtual religious services, bridging tradition with technology. Rohit Choudhary (Seekho) highlighted the power of subscriptions for education, skill-building, and regional content. Sanidhya Narain (Dashtoon) showcased how AI-driven storytelling and micropayments can open global markets. 📊Monetization Models in Action: 1️⃣Micropayment: Accessible, low-cost transactions that drive user engagement and revenue. 2️⃣Subscriptions: Predictable revenue streams that build long-term loyalty. 3️⃣Performance-Based Advertising: A trust-driven model gaining traction in the Indian ecosystem. 🚀Future Trends: 1️⃣AI Integration: Revolutionizing content creation, personalization, and cost-efficiency, making scaling more achievable. 2️⃣Digital Payments: Pivotal for fragmented markets like India, enabling smooth monetization at scale. This event was a deep dive into how early monetization and capital efficiency are transforming the Indian consumer app ecosystem. A huge shoutout to Elevation Capital and the stellar panelists for sharing their journeys and lessons. 💡 What’s your take on these trends? Which monetization model resonates most with you? Let’s discuss in the comments! 🚀 #Monetization #ConsumerApps #IndiaStartups #AI #DigitalEconomy #ElevationKickstarter #CapitalEfficiency

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Foodtech giant Swiggy has launched an Incognito Mode feature to allow users to place orders privately across food and quick commerce. The Incognito Mode feature will allow users to place orders for food and groceries without the purchases appearing in their order history or having to manually delete them. The feature, which is currently available to 10% of Swiggy users, will be rolled out to all users in the coming days. The feature can be used by activating it via a toggle in the user’s cart. After delivery, the order will remain trackable for three hours, for users to manage any post-delivery concerns, following which it will be discreetly hidden from the order history. Read at 👇 https://lnkd.in/gjhkJnsQ by Abha Warrier | #Swiggy #SwiggyInstamart #IncognitoMode

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Buffet or A La Carte? Subscription vs One-Time Sales. If you create the most successful game in the world, such as Call of Duty, and generate 30 Billion USD revenues (2.4 LAC Crores) (from 2003), you will keep what's worked for you. At least you and me. But life and business are ALWAYS about disruption. Microsoft - the new owner of the Call of Duty (COD) game, is fixing what isn't broken. They are offering the new COD release as a SUBSCRIPTION and an individual sale. What's the big deal? Microsoft's Xbox service, Game Pass, costs $9.99 to $16.99 a month and provides access to hundreds of games from Microsoft and dozens of other companies. Call of Duty has released new editions annually for around $70 each in recent years. (25 million copies sold per edition) What's the Big Fuss? Microsoft could lose (25 million * $45 = 1 BILLION ) revenue if everyone bought subscriptions. But Microsoft doesn't care. It has adopted this model to grow its subscription base instead of bothering with one-time sales. Who gets affected? STAND ALONE independent studios that release Big Hits now have to compete in a market where the biggest game in the world is available as a subscription. This isn't helping them financially. What's the lesson? Big Tech WILL eat the Software trade for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and High Tea. If you are a standalone sandwich, vada pao, or samosa, you should become part of the Big Tech Buffet instead of trying to sell your little savoury. (message- sell to them and retire). Mota Moti - Traditional Niche Business models have no meaning when large corporations enter those businesses. They think long-long-long term vs medium or short term. Your takeaway? #Dhandhekibaat Link to WSJ article in comment.

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What if I told you Minimalist achieved 1500% growth in 4 years—while staying profitable the entire time 🤯 Here's the timeline of Minimalist's meteoric rise: FY21: ₹22 crore in revenue (its inception year - what a launch year) FY22: ₹108.1 crore, 5x growth FY23: ₹184 crore, 8x growth from FY21 and almost 2x of FY 22 FY24: ₹350 crore, 2x growth from FY23 ₹22 crore to ₹350 crore ~ humongous 1500% growth 😵 Minimalist, with no big-celebrity endorsements, has been profitable since day one—an impressive feat at this growth rate. Meanwhile, celebrity-led brands like Deepika Padukone's 82°E are still finding their footing ( reported a ₹25.1 crore loss in the first nine months of FY24 ) Moral : Product is king, everything else is just noise. Gone are the days of buying just because a celebrity endorsed. Now, results matter #growth #business

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Matchmaking or dating events companies looking to hire devs or building a CRM solution ... . . . In this week, I've read posts from three different matchmaking / dating event companies in India seeking developers or expressing that they are building a CRM solution. With 15 years of experience working with startups and scaleups and over a decade as an Engineering Leader, I've led projects ranging from small 5-member teams to large-scale F&B delivery platforms similar to Swiggy and Zomato in Saudi Arabia. I understand the challenges founders face in getting the right product developed, especially when outsourcing or lacking tech expertise. Since engaging with companies in the relationship space, I've encountered multiple stories of failed app development attempts, resulting in significant loss of time and money. I'm passionate about making a meaningful impact in the relationship space, driven by personal experiences, and I'm eager to put my tech expertise to good use. I'm exploring collaboration opportunities with anyone looking to build tech-based solutions in this domain. Here’s how I can help: - Acting as a CTO / Fractional CTO: I can hire, mentor, and groom a tech team, delivering the right solution tailored to your needs. - Bespoke Solution: I can work closely with founders to offer a custom solution free of cost for a year, with a nominal subscription fee thereafter. Data privacy is assured under all circumstances. Let's connect and discuss how we can transform the relationship space to be more meaningful and spread love 💕 #matchmaking #matrimony

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Gm everyone. We are hiring. This time for Ecosystem growth superstars, someone to work with Abhinav Singh ➡️📍ETHDenver at DappLooker legends to build the ecosystem, junior or senior alike! Ping TG: reach_abhinav Required: - Have a good connection in the Indian web3 ecosystem. - Good with design and content creation. - Super accountable. Don’t let things slide. - Hungry. Make things work and solve whatever problems that come in your way Good to have: - Technical knowledge of web3. Though we can get you ramped up - Strategic thinking. Though we can show you the way - completely remote

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Miracles can happen in DTC SaaS. Don't believe me? Just see what came into this week's Fulfil.IO Support CSAT highlight reel, for Dhairya Goel and the team that worked with him on this ticket: 🤩 "Very amazing support" 🚴‍♂️ "truly handled with urgency" 📈 "We can't do what we do without this" 💫 "Thanks for making miracles happen" Software isn't perfect, and having help when you need it the most matters. It's okay to expect more from your ERP; perhaps even a miracle. 😉 Support lives at the ❤️ of Fulfil.IO, and we pipe every CSAT submission into our Slack so everyone can read it. Nice work team. 🙌

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Do you want to get hired at top startups as a Product Manager? Thrive successfully in your current role as a Product Manager? Want to get promoted in your product career? Then this podcast is for you! I had a great time interacting with Mayank Agarwal, the Director of Product at Urban Company, who has also worked as a Project Leader at BCG and in Process Excellence at ITC. A graduate from IIM Bangalore, Mayank shared invaluable insights. In this video, we discussed about various topics : 🌟 Product Management vs. Management Consulting 🎓 Choosing the right career path for MBA grads ❌ Common career mistakes to avoid 📈 Tips for getting promoted in your organization 📱 Building products for millions of consumers 🔍 Learnings from working at startups, established companies, and consulting firms 📝 Key things a Director of Product looks for when hiring PMs and APMs 💬 Communication and Stakeholder management for product management Don't miss the podcast! Check out the link in the first comment. #productmanagement #productmanager #hiring #jobs

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Nobody might enjoy the comments more than me. Building a platform for restaurants Fuddo with 1) Takeaway with schedule 2) Restaurant Delivery 3) Order any time ( No delivery and you have to pick). no more not available for order from 2 min far restaurants too 4) Actual Prices 5) No Cloud kitchens 6) Special deals without bankrupting restaurant ( Excess food gives special deals) More secret benefits to restaurants to survive and get back on their feet. Now the difficult part of Customers 1) Converting customer from Faked discounts on Hiked prices 2) Quantity Magics 3) Convincing customer for actual prices of 20 to 30 % lesser than online prices 4) Get to know the place from where you get your food 5) More options without breaking bank explaining 100 more reasons to choose Fuddo

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Kaun Banega CTO?! Shocking insights via The Mint - Highly valued Indian startups are opting out of hiring new executives at exuberant packages to lead tech innovation. This comes when a persisting funding downturn has pushed them to put a lid on hiring and venturing into new growth verticals to control cash burn. - Several new-age companies, including Zomato and Healthify, that have relied on tech to drive disruption are now opting out of hiring replacements for the once-prized C-suite role. - Companies retaining their high-cost CTOs are pushing them to take on additional roles such as “IT management, product oversight, or broader organisational responsibilities", it said. Why? “Over the last year or so, there’s been a lot of focus on profitability and making the business viable. We are now emphasising the right mix of talent and cost, and honestly, titles don’t matter," Mota Moti: It seems the “overpaid, over-hyped, over-marketed, overvalued” CTO is coming back to becoming just another #dhandhekibaat row item :)) If you have views, please share?! My view: if you are a promoter that doesn't know Tech, then this is not an option. Article link in comments!

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Milestone Alert! 🚀 We launched monetization on Eloelo for 2% of our users in April week 1. Here's a look at how it started vs how its going:- ✅ First 50 Days = 100K paid transactions 🌟Next 50 days = 400K paid transactions 🚀 Last 50 days alone = ~ 1 MILLION paid transactions! Intentionally not calling it "micro transactions" since the AOVs are higher than any OTT platform's monthly plans. 🏙️ Interestingly, Delhi & Kolkata were among the top 6 cities. Lines between "Bharat" and "India" will blur if you have a good product. 📈 This further fuels our ambition of building a new-age media & entertainment powerhouse! #Eloelo #Monetization #News #IndiaKaLiveAdda

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In 2023, Zomato did a Cricket World Cup campaign which led to 20% surge in app downloads and 18% increase in order volumes. Zomato didn’t just create a platform for ordering food; they turned it into an experience. By adding fun, gamification features, they’ve transformed what could’ve been a mundane process into something engaging. Here’s what they did: 📍 Animated Delivery Tracking: Instead of waiting impatiently, Zomato keeps you entertained with playful animations that show the journey of your food, making the waiting time more enjoyable. 📍 Rewards and Challenges: Zomato’s loyalty programs let users unlock points, discounts, and exclusive offers with every order. It feels like levelling up in a game, except the reward is delicious food! 📍 Engaging Offers: Spin the wheel for discounts or take part in their limited-time challenges. These little touches keep you coming back for more. Here’s why gamification is more than just a trend—it’s a psychological trick that works: 👉 Reduces boredom 👉 Builds loyalty 👉 Boosts engagement If Zomato can make ordering food a game, you can add gamification to your product, too. Gamification isn’t just for fun—it’s a strategy that drives results. Want users to keep coming back? Gamify. #Gamification

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Naarica has been smashing it 💯 So proud of how far Shruti Chand has come. When we first met, she didn’t even have a website, just some traction from some offline events. And now, she’s doing Rs. 10L+ MRR with a double digit EBITDA margin. And she’s just touched the surface - the real mission is 1000x larger than this. In India 🇮🇳, there are still 12-15 crore women who use sub-par products (or none at all) during periods. Making women feel more confident, lesser anxious - I feel that’s Naarica’s true mission. A truly women centric brand. I hope there are more and more folks like Shruti who take up such bold challenges. I hope more and more folks get inspired by her and choose entrepreneurship. And truly solve India-specific problems 🙌🏽

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"The average disposable income of Bihar is lower than Bangalore etc. Don’t you think that will play into what sort of QSR should be built in Bihar right now?" I got this question recently in response to my recommendation for considering an investment into Cafe Hideout, who in my mind are building a land-grab in Patna and can perhaps dominate eastern India in next 3-5 years. I was reminded of Rory Sutherland's perspective of the horizontal and the vertical way to look at data. Clearly, BLR has a much higher average disposable income than Patna (and most parts of eastern India). No doubt about it. But simply looking at the average misses the skewed data from Patna and other eastern states. Patna has about half a million folks with disposable income higher than BLR imo and abou 5 million folks who are at the bottom of the per capita GDP table. If we only look at the average, we will miss the opportunity to think of the needs of the top half million (which is a big number) completely. BTW, their aspiration is to have a lifestyle which matches the top 0.5% of folks in T1 cities. Aspirations are changing everywhere in Bihar as the Digital Desh team has discovered (you can read their insights and research at https://lnkd.in/gYFyk7BE. The report is free to download. Thanks Jasminder Singh Gulati for the coverage). Bihar is changing. And boy does it have size to turn on the momentum.

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Market Shifts / Trends are always fascinating to us. Currently SDReady is seeing an increase in India based Founders, *with US funds, seeking US based sales teams! Context: Seed2C only takes on 1 new client per month, and 3 of our 4 newest clients have India based Founders, that raised US capital, now seeking US sales teams. Where previously we saw more US based Founders, with US Capital, outsourcing Dev and Support to India. #Sales #SalesDev

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Picxele™ got an acquisition offer of 10Cr+ 😃 Back in 2021 September, when we had an amazing FY21 with Crores of Revenue and Thousands of Users coming in, that year was eventful. From getting Investment interest from angels and VC to facing some huge losses to getting an acquisition offer from a well-listed company subsidiary company. Didn't took the investment because I started being comfortable without reporting someone else and getting into the funding loop. Additionally started investing that year which also gave me the perspective of the other side and how other investors think. Faced a huge loss with a client with whom we had been working for 2 years, with no genuine reason and faced mental turmoil due to that, 3 to 4 months later decided to explore other things, which led towards working as a consultant in a couple of startups, besides running Picxele™. By the end of the year did get a good acquisition share swap offer from the well-listed subsidiary company, but didn't took the same as there was no cash component involved and eventually I felt like I was becoming an employee of the company. These all taught me a lot and I understood various aspects of running the business, working as a team member and investing in startups. But at the end of the day, i don't have any regrets, all of these decisions have never hurt any of the people I love and care for, be it family, team members and well-wishers as in the end that matters the most as a human being ☺️

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

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Check out the awesome first episode from 1st10's new podcast, featuring Alexis Munger and Boris Epstein while they interview the Co-Founder of Nextdoor about building their early engineering team!

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The D2C Ecosystem has changed in the past decade. Recently at the Great Indian startup summit, Arjun Vaidya talked about the evolution of the D2C ecosystem and how the place has become very cluttered with more and more D2C brands starting every day. Earlier there were just a few brands trying to sell online and now the numbers have exponentially gone up. With this, the barrier to entry and making a slot for yourself in the consumer's mind has become much more difficult. The same channels and strategies which used to work 10 years back will not work in today's times. A very insightful perspective from Arjun. Thanks a lot for taking time out and doing this we look forward to hosting you in our future sessions. Also, Thank you Amrita Pahi and Megha Talwar from Dell Technologies, Nanda Kumar and Mitul Aggarwal from Netcore Cloud , Varun Raju, Monica Kamath and Aastha Bhandari Bansal from BluSmart , Anoop Asthana from ixigo for having faith in us and supporting us through the journey. Looking forward to working with you guys closely in the future. 🤝 The Builders Club Saloni Mehta (Kamdar) Bharat S Priyanka B. V3 Ventures ---------------------------------------------------- 🚩🚩REGISTER FOR THE BUILDERS CIRCLE 🚩🚩 The Builders Club has launched The Builders Circle - an offline community for funded founders to help in their scaling-up journey, enabled by advisors, partners and investors. What the founders get: * 🔥 Monthly Board Room Meetings * 🔥 Regular Curated CXO Mixers  * 🔥 CXO Advisory Panel * 🔥 Workshops for you and your team * 🔥 Enabler and Vendor Database * 🔥 Investor Connects and lots more! 👉 Details + Registration here: https://lnkd.in/gGydAi2i Currently open for Bangalore Founders only.

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