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How GrowthJockey addresses venture incubation challenges for enterprises

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
How GrowthJockey addresses venture incubation challenges for enterprises
Medial

Large enterprises encounter numerous challenges hindering their growth, especially in the segment of venture incubation. Navigating digital transformation remains complex, compounded by the need to make crucial choices among disruptive technologies like advanced AI, blockchain, and IoT among others. Moreover, scaling innovations beyond the initial stages is another hurdle as future businesses struggle to prioritize ideas and allocate resources effectively. Recruiting digital talent and prioritizing investment amidst numerous options further complicates decision-making, especially for early-stage ventures. Managing the cost and uncertainty of return on investment adds complexity to digital transformation efforts. GrowthJockey is looking to address these challenges for enterprises as well as accelerating the growth of future businesses. We spoke to founder and CEO Ashutosh Kumar to learn more about GrowthJockey, what distinguishes it from the competition and the roadmap ahead. Here are the edited excerpts There are not a lot of companies that are catering to this space, especially targeted at the enterprises. How did you come up with this idea? In my decade-long experience at leading large corporations, I repeatedly found myself involved in building future ventures for these organizations. Throughout these endeavors, I recognized a significant unmet need within the industry – large companies were eager to invest in and develop futuristic ventures but faced considerable challenges in finding the 0-100 capabilities required for building ventures from ground zero to full-scale operation. Reflecting on industry trends, I observed a shift in the mindset of forward-looking companies. While two decades ago, companies began adapting and building digital capabilities, today’s forward-looking enterprises are more inclined towards developing in-house venture building. They recognize the strategic advantage of internal incubation, which aligns closely with their ecosystem and vision, thereby helping in fostering the right company culture from the outset. Recognizing the limitations of past approaches – where large enterprises attempted to navigate the 0-100 journey by engaging multiple agencies and consulting firms leading to fragmented efforts and limited success- I saw an opportunity to address this challenge. This realization motivated me to establish GrowthJockey, aiming to build the massive capability needed to execute the 0-1 and 1-100 journey for large enterprise ventures. Our focus lies in creating an ecosystem of agile technology and talent, enabling us to deliver transformative solutions in venture incubation and digital transformation. How does the platform work? Please help simplify the process. At GrowthJockey, our platform, intellsys.ai, serves as a strategic AI infrastructure designed to harness real-time digital data, empowering companies to operate within a dynamic environment using real time insights. Intellsys.ai has played a pivotal role in our ability to expand, scale, and successfully deliver projects, providing our clients with the agility and foresight needed to thrive in today’s fast-paced digital landscape. However, our platform extends beyond intellsys.ai and encompasses a holistic approach to venture building. At GrowthJockey, we productize venture building by leveraging our specialized capabilities in design thinking, digital technologies, strategic consulting, and business operations. Our approach is supported by a detailed and evolving playbook, ensuring that we deliver comprehensive solutions tailored to the unique needs of each venture. Please explain your business model. At GrowthJockey, our revenue generation model encompasses various streams reflecting our diverse offerings. Firstly, as an institutional incubator, we incubate and build ventures, either for equity and cash or solely for cash. We also work as a strategic growth partner where we deliver growth and scale for businesses with our deep capabilities in technology, digital marketing, strategic consulting and business operations, providing a full suite of customized growth solutions. Additionally we derive our revenue stream from intellsys.ai, our AI infrastructure platform, operated on an AI SaaS model, designed to deliver growth-as-a-service with its real time deep data analytics and ability to analyse, experiment, and execute digital campaigns at a large scale. Furthermore, our involvement in venture building includes equity stakes in startups we incubate, generating revenue through exits from these investments, whether through acquisition, IPO, or other strategic transactions. Anchored by our focus areas of growth, operations, and technology, our business model drives innovation and collaboration, positioning GrowthJockey as a pioneering force in the digital transformation sector, both nationally and globally. Who are your nearest direct and indirect competitors? At GrowthJockey, we pride ourselves on being pioneers in our unique business model, making us stand out in the industry. While traditional competitors may not exist due to our innovative approach, we maintain collaborative relationships with industry giants, including the Big 3 consulting firms, with whom we’ve partnered on building numerous ventures. Regarding our AI infrastructure, intellsys.ai, our nearest direct competitors include companies like Pixis.ai, WatsonX, Adobe 360, and Fractal.ai. While they operate in a similar space, what sets us apart is our DIY vertical and our focus on delivering transformative technology solutions. Our specialization in offering growth, operations, and technology tools has enabled us to carve out a distinct niche for ourselves in the industry.

How GrowthJockey addresses venture incubation challenges for enterprises

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
How GrowthJockey addresses venture incubation challenges for enterprises
Medial

Large enterprises encounter numerous challenges hindering their growth, especially in the segment of venture incubation. Navigating digital transformation remains complex, compounded by the need to make crucial choices among disruptive technologies like advanced AI, blockchain, and IoT among others. Moreover, scaling innovations beyond the initial stages is another hurdle as future businesses struggle to prioritize ideas and allocate resources effectively. Recruiting digital talent and prioritizing investment amidst numerous options further complicates decision-making, especially for early-stage ventures. Managing the cost and uncertainty of return on investment adds complexity to digital transformation efforts. GrowthJockey is looking to address these challenges for enterprises as well as accelerating the growth of future businesses. We spoke to founder and CEO Ashutosh Kumar to learn more about GrowthJockey, what distinguishes it from the competition and the roadmap ahead. Here are the edited excerpts There are not a lot of companies that are catering to this space, especially targeted at the enterprises. How did you come up with this idea? In my decade-long experience at leading large corporations, I repeatedly found myself involved in building future ventures for these organizations. Throughout these endeavors, I recognized a significant unmet need within the industry – large companies were eager to invest in and develop futuristic ventures but faced considerable challenges in finding the 0-100 capabilities required for building ventures from ground zero to full-scale operation. Reflecting on industry trends, I observed a shift in the mindset of forward-looking companies. While two decades ago, companies began adapting and building digital capabilities, today’s forward-looking enterprises are more inclined towards developing in-house venture building. They recognize the strategic advantage of internal incubation, which aligns closely with their ecosystem and vision, thereby helping in fostering the right company culture from the outset. Recognizing the limitations of past approaches – where large enterprises attempted to navigate the 0-100 journey by engaging multiple agencies and consulting firms leading to fragmented efforts and limited success- I saw an opportunity to address this challenge. This realization motivated me to establish GrowthJockey, aiming to build the massive capability needed to execute the 0-1 and 1-100 journey for large enterprise ventures. Our focus lies in creating an ecosystem of agile technology and talent, enabling us to deliver transformative solutions in venture incubation and digital transformation. How does the platform work? Please help simplify the process. At GrowthJockey, our platform, intellsys.ai, serves as a strategic AI infrastructure designed to harness real-time digital data, empowering companies to operate within a dynamic environment using real time insights. Intellsys.ai has played a pivotal role in our ability to expand, scale, and successfully deliver projects, providing our clients with the agility and foresight needed to thrive in today’s fast-paced digital landscape. However, our platform extends beyond intellsys.ai and encompasses a holistic approach to venture building. At GrowthJockey, we productize venture building by leveraging our specialized capabilities in design thinking, digital technologies, strategic consulting, and business operations. Our approach is supported by a detailed and evolving playbook, ensuring that we deliver comprehensive solutions tailored to the unique needs of each venture. Please explain your business model. At GrowthJockey, our revenue generation model encompasses various streams reflecting our diverse offerings. Firstly, as an institutional incubator, we incubate and build ventures, either for equity and cash or solely for cash. We also work as a strategic growth partner where we deliver growth and scale for businesses with our deep capabilities in technology, digital marketing, strategic consulting and business operations, providing a full suite of customized growth solutions. Additionally we derive our revenue stream from intellsys.ai, our AI infrastructure platform, operated on an AI SaaS model, designed to deliver growth-as-a-service with its real time deep data analytics and ability to analyse, experiment, and execute digital campaigns at a large scale. Furthermore, our involvement in venture building includes equity stakes in startups we incubate, generating revenue through exits from these investments, whether through acquisition, IPO, or other strategic transactions. Anchored by our focus areas of growth, operations, and technology, our business model drives innovation and collaboration, positioning GrowthJockey as a pioneering force in the digital transformation sector, both nationally and globally. Who are your nearest direct and indirect competitors? At GrowthJockey, we pride ourselves on being pioneers in our unique business model, making us stand out in the industry. While traditional competitors may not exist due to our innovative approach, we maintain collaborative relationships with industry giants, including the Big 3 consulting firms, with whom we’ve partnered on building numerous ventures. Regarding our AI infrastructure, intellsys.ai, our nearest direct competitors include companies like Pixis.ai, WatsonX, Adobe 360, and Fractal.ai. While they operate in a similar space, what sets us apart is our DIY vertical and our focus on delivering transformative technology solutions. Our specialization in offering growth, operations, and technology tools has enabled us to carve out a distinct niche for ourselves in the industry.

Funding and acquisitions in Indian startup this week [01 - 06 July]

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
Funding and acquisitions in Indian startup this week [01 - 06 July]
Medial

This week, 24 Indian startups raised around $270.3 million in funding. These deals count 4 growth-stage deals and 20 early-stage deals. In the previous week, over 25 early and growth-stage startups cumulatively raised more than $211 million in funds. [Growth-stage deals] Among the growth-stage deals, 4 startups raised $234.2 million in funding this week. E-commerce company Purplle topped with its $120 million Series F round. Hospitality firm OYO, EV startup Matter and agritech brand Arya.ag followed with $50 million, $35 million and $29.2 million funding respectively. [Early-stage deals] Moreover, 20 early-stage startups secured funding worth $36.13 million during the week. D2C brand Comet spearheaded the list followed by health startup Watch Your Health, fintech startup Dice, logistics tech firm Ripplr, and media & entertainment startup Pepul. Automotive tech Bike Bazaar, SaaS startup Wify, and logistics firm Lobb also raised funding among others. For more information, visit TheKredible. [City and segment-wise deals] In terms of the city-wise number of funding deals, Bengaluru-based startups led with seven deals followed by Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Pune and Ahmedabad among others. Segment-wise, e-commerce startups grabbed the top spot with four deals. Healthtech, proptech, agritech and logistics startups followed this list. [Series-wise deals] During the week, Seed funding deals led the list with 5 deals followed by 4 Series A and pre-Series A deals. Pre-seed and debt funding also saw 3 deals and 2 deals respectively. [Week-on-week funding trend] On a weekly basis, startup funding slipped 76.73% to $211 million as compared to around $906 million raised during the previous week. The average funding in the last eight weeks stands at around $404 million with 28 deals per week. [Fund launches] Japanese automaker Suzuki is diving into Indian social impact investing with Next Bharat Ventures. This Rs 340 crore fund targets early-stage startups tackling challenges in rural areas and the informal economy. Focusing on sectors like agriculture tech and financial inclusion, Next Bharat Ventures will invest Rs 1 crore to Rs 8 crore per startup, aiming to support up to 20 ventures annually over the next few years. [Key hirings] Here’s a summary of the key hirings and departures: Among key hirings, Mandar Vaidya, formerly of OYO, took the helm as CEO at Cloudphysician. The investment world welcomed Ajay Mittal to ValuAble as a General Partner and Investment Manager, transitioning from Ascent Capital. Paytm saw a shift with Swati Rustagi taking on a Vice President role at Adobe. Pickrr bolstered their product team with Kunal Bariwal joining as Lead Product at CaptainBiz. Finally, Softbank appointed Lydia Jett as an Independent Director for Flipkart. [M&A] Indian crypto exchange CoinDCX has fully acquired BitOasis, a Middle Eastern virtual asset platform. Both teams will merge, with BitOasis retaining its brand. In the HR tech space, US-Indian platform Phenom gobbled up Tydy, a human resources tech firm, in its fifth acquisition. While Nodwin Gaming, the esports arm of Nazara Technologies, is acquiring German esports agency Freaks 4U Gaming in a two-part share swap deal worth Rs 271 crore, solidifying their position in the esports market. [Layoffs and shutdowns] Edtech giant Unacademy has laid off 250 employees in a restructuring effort aimed at streamlining operations and boosting efficiency. The company seeks to achieve sustainable growth and profitability. While the exact number of impacted employees is undisclosed, Unacademy assures support for those affected during this transition. Koo, the Indian microblogging platform that focused on local languages, is shutting down. Founder Apramyea Radhakrishna announced the closure on LinkedIn, stating they couldn’t find a buyer. Radhakrishna expressed his vision for a local language platform in India but acknowledged the high costs of running a social media app. [Potential deals] Bengaluru-based logistics and distribution platform Ripplr is close to securing Rs 40 crore (around $4.7 million) in debt financing from Northern Arc. Meanwhile, B2B sweets supplier Scandalous Foods, backed by investors like Anthill Angel Fund and EvolveX, is reportedly seeking fresh capital to fuel its growth. Visit TheKredible to see series-wise deals along with amount breakup, complete details of fund launches, and more insights. [New launches] Zomato stops Xtreme delivery service; relaunches intercity food delivery [Financial results this week] Ixigo posts Rs 656 Cr revenue and Rs 73 Cr PAT in FY24 Mylab’s op revenue nosedives to under Rs 100 Cr in FY23, slips into losses NoBroker in FY23: Op revenue grows 87% to Rs 609 Cr; losses up by 64% Akumentis’ income crosses Rs 400 Cr in FY24; posts Rs 57 Cr profit [News flash this week] DPIIT recommends removal of angel tax; Finance Ministry to take final call Zerodha set to stop zero brokerage model after SEBI’s new circular SoftBank-backed FirstCry, Unicommerce get SEBI approval for IPO Zomato receives Rs 9.5 Cr demand notice from GST Swiggy’s two-punch for users: Eatlists and UPI Payments on the Menu Karnataka cracks down on illegal bike taxis after driver protests Delhivery’s drone dream takes flight with MCA nod [Conclusion] After a sudden spike in the weekly funding last week, the startups saw a nearly 77% drop in funding to $211 million this week. Only fund startup-focused fund launched this week namely BizDateUp. The Commerce Ministry has proposed removing the “angel tax” on startups in India. This tax, currently at 30%, is levied on investments exceeding the fair market value of the startup. Many argue the angel tax stifles startup growth and innovation. The government implemented it in 2012 to combat money laundering, but its effectiveness is debated. While DPIIT-registered startups were exempted last year, many still received tax notices. The Commerce Ministry’s recommendation is a positive step for startups, but the final decision lies with the Finance Ministry. SoftBank-backed startups FirstCry and Unicommerce received approval from SEBI to launch their initial public offerings (IPOs). FirstCry, a kids’ retailer, initially filed its IPO application in December 2023 but faced delays due to SEBI requesting more financial data (beyond Q1 FY24). Unicommerce, an e-commerce software company, filed its IPO application in January 2024 and will only offer existing shares for sale, with no new issuance of shares. Food delivery giant Zomato recently shut down its intra-city logistics service “Xtreme” due to a lack of customer demand. Meanwhile, Zomato’s woes deepened with another Goods and Services Tax (GST) demand notice of Rs 9.45 crore from Karnataka authorities. This adds to previous notices exceeding Rs 585 crore, all stemming from a dispute over GST on delivery charges. Zomato argues they only collect these charges on behalf of partner restaurants and shouldn’t be liable for GST. In a separate move, Zomato is relaunching its intercity food delivery service “Legends.” IPO-bound Swiggy is piloting new features. The first feature “Eatlists” allows users to create and share curated lists of their favorite dishes within the app, similar to creating music playlists. Secondly, Swiggy is testing a new in-app UPI payment system developed in collaboration with Yes Bank and Juspay.

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