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Exclusive: Kavin Mittal’s Hike shuts down operations completely

EntrackrEntrackr · 1m ago
Exclusive: Kavin Mittal’s Hike shuts down operations completely
Medial

Exclusive: Kavin Mittal’s Hike shuts down operations completely After 13 years of operations, Hike is shutting down completely, including its US business, founder and chief executive officer (CEO) Kavin Mittal informed investors in an email on Saturday. Mittal said the decision follows the recent ban on real money gaming (RMG) in India, which shortened the company’s runway from seven months to just four months. “After much reflection and speaking with a few of you, I’ve decided to wind down Hike operations completely, including the US,” he wrote. Entrackr has reviewed the copy of the email. Soon after the RMG ban in India, Mittal had announced that the company would exit the country to focus on the United States and other global markets such as the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. However, the decision to shut down entirely has come as an unexpected move for the gaming industry. The company, which started as Hike Messenger and pivoted to Rush, scaled to 10 million users and generated $500 million in gross revenue in four years. Despite the growth, Mittal said the challenges of taxes, regulation battles, and the India ban made continuation unviable. “Is it worth it? For the first time in 13 years of building Hike, my answer is no,” he said, adding that the company may have been too early for its vision of building a gaming nation, while also pointing to better opportunities in AI and other frontier technologies. According to Mittal, Hike has around $4 million left on its balance sheet, which will be used to settle vendor costs and employee severance. Any leftover funds will be returned to investors. Mittal acknowledged the fatigue within the broader team after years of pivots and regulatory hurdles. “RMG was never the destination. It was a means to prove unit economics and unlock the bigger vision. But we got locked into the Indian market in a tax/regulation battle,” he said. Reflecting on the journey, Mittal noted milestones such as Hike Messenger reaching 40 million MAUs and becoming one of India’s most loved consumer brands. He described the shutdown as a disappointment but emphasized the learnings as “invaluable.” Looking ahead, Mittal said he plans to focus on new frontiers like AI, energy, and personal growth. “This chapter ends, but the climb continues,” he wrote, assuring investors that Hike will be closed responsibly.

Exclusive: Flipkart shuts down ANS Commerce

EntrackrEntrackr · 7m ago
Exclusive: Flipkart shuts down ANS Commerce
Medial

url: https://entrackr.com/exclusive/exclusive-flipkart-shuts-down-ans-commerce-8765612 Content: Flipkart has decided to shut down ANS Commerce, its full-stack e-commerce enabler, three years after acquiring the Gurugram-based company, sources familiar with the matter told Entrackr. "Flipkart has decided to shut down ANS Commerce and has also laid off several employees associated with it," said a source familiar with the matter, requesting anonymity. Confirming the development to Entrackr, a Flipkart spokesperson said, “'After careful consideration, ANS Commerce, a full-stack e-commerce enabler that was acquired by Flipkart in 2022, has decided to close its operations. As we wind down operations, we stay committed to ensuring a smooth transition for all stakeholders, including employees and customers.” “To minimize the impact on employees during this transition, we plan to offer internal opportunities at Flipkart, outplacement services, and severance packages,’ the spokesperson added. Founded by Amit Monga, Vibhor Sahare, Sushant Puri, and Nakul Singh, ANS Commerce is a full-stack e-commerce enabler offering services such as store tech, performance marketing, marketplace management, e-commerce warehousing, and fulfillment. It collaborates with over 100 brands, including Jack & Jones, Vero Moda, HUL, Piramal, Lakme, Nivea, Oziva, CEAT, and Bikanervala. The firm raised $2.2 million in its pre-Series A round, led by Gokul Rajaram and Venture Catalysts in October 2021. According to sources, ANS Commerce was acquired in a deal worth Rs 250-300 crore ($35-40 million) three years ago. During FY24, ANS Commerce recorded a 39.4% increase in operating revenue to Rs 54 crore, compared to Rs 39 crore in FY23. However, the company's net loss widened by 27.1% to Rs 73.8 crore in FY24 from Rs 57.8 crore in the previous year.

Paras Chopra’s Nintee shuts down, to return investors’ money

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
Paras Chopra’s Nintee shuts down, to return investors’ money
Medial

Nintee, a digital health startup launched by Wingify founder Paras Chopra, has announced shutting down its operations after a year of launch. In a blog post, Chopra said that the majority of funding raised by the company is still remaining and will be returned to investors over the next few weeks. Nintee was backed by the likes of Peak XV Partners, Kunal Shah, and others. “Our original hypothesis was to use AI for helping people build better habits to transform their lives. This attracted a passionate niche, but we couldn’t build conviction that it could be a VC-scale business,” said Chopra. After abandoning the initial idea, the firm tried another pivot to explore education and learning related ideas, but Nintee team quickly discovered that building a successful consumer app today is very hard. Nintee has provided four months of severance to the impacted employees and also offered them to join Chopra’s other company VWO at the same salary. Nintee was the third company founded by Chopra after VWO and Wingify. His bootstrapped company Wingify reported back-to-back profits in the past fiscal years. Its revenue from operations increased 16.8% to Rs 223 crore in FY23 with Rs 51 crore profit after tax. Around half a dozen startups operating in India have announced shutting down their operations in the ongoing calendar year so far. The list counts Resso (India), Rario, OKX (India), Muvin and GoldPe. In 2023, more than 15 startups ceased their operations over funding and other challenges.

Bhavish Aggarwal-backed O'Be Cocktails shuts operations

EntrackrEntrackr · 6m ago
Bhavish Aggarwal-backed O'Be Cocktails shuts operations
Medial

Bengaluru-based O'Be Cocktails used to claim that its cocktails were perfected through over a hundred iterations to deliver a consistent blend for consumers. Alcoholic beverages startup O'Be Cocktails has shut down its operations after operating for more than five years. “It was one of the most difficult decisions for myself to shut down the brand; however, in the long run, we couldn’t justify the direction. After extensive retrospection and analysis, it all came down to one key realization: Alcobev is not a consumer-backed but a commoditized industry, which does not align with our vision of creating a premium and convenient cocktail experience for our consumers,” said Nitesh Prakash, founder and chief executive of O'Be Cocktails in a Linkedin post. “Over the past year, we have made every possible effort to find a suitable buyer for O’ Be ensuring the flow of cocktails doesn't stop, but we believe we have now exhausted all remaining possibilities for a sale,” added Prakash. O'Be raised Rs 3.5 crore in an angel round led by First Cheque, Letsventure, Ola’s Bhavish Aggarwal, Tracxn founder Abhishek Goyal, and Sprout Investments in August 2021. The Bengaluru-based startup also raised an undisclosed pre-Series A round led by Inflection Point Ventures in November 2023. O'Be Cocktails used to offer a variety of drinks available in Goa and Bengaluru. The brand used to claim that its cocktails were perfected through over a hundred iterations to deliver a consistent blend for consumers. O'Be Cocktails was operational in Bhutan and nine states of India. The company also said that it was supported by a network of 22 private distributors and 2 government contracts, making its products accessible in over 1,700 premium wine outlets.

Bhavish Aggarwal-backed O'Be Cocktails shuts operations

EntrackrEntrackr · 6m ago
Bhavish Aggarwal-backed O'Be Cocktails shuts operations
Medial

Bhavish Aggarwal-backed O'Be Cocktails shuts operations Bengaluru-based O'Be Cocktails used to claim that its cocktails were perfected through over a hundred iterations to deliver a consistent blend for consumers. Alcoholic beverages startup O'Be Cocktails has shut down its operations after operating for more than five years. “It was one of the most difficult decisions for myself to shut down the brand; however, in the long run, we couldn’t justify the direction. After extensive retrospection and analysis, it all came down to one key realization: Alcobev is not a consumer-backed but a commoditized industry, which does not align with our vision of creating a premium and convenient cocktail experience for our consumers,” said Nitesh Prakash, founder and chief executive of O'Be Cocktails in a Linkedin post. “Over the past year, we have made every possible effort to find a suitable buyer for O’ Be ensuring the flow of cocktails doesn't stop, but we believe we have now exhausted all remaining possibilities for a sale,” added Prakash. O'Be raised Rs 3.5 crore in an angel round led by First Cheque, Letsventure, Ola’s Bhavish Aggarwal, Tracxn founder Abhishek Goyal, and Sprout Investments in August 2021. The Bengaluru-based startup also raised an undisclosed pre-Series A round led by Inflection Point Ventures in November 2023. O'Be Cocktails used to offer a variety of drinks available in Goa and Bengaluru. The brand used to claim that its cocktails were perfected through over a hundred iterations to deliver a consistent blend for consumers. O'Be Cocktails was operational in Bhutan and nine states of India. The company also said that it was supported by a network of 22 private distributors and 2 government contracts, making its products accessible in over 1,700 premium wine outlets.

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