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Exclusive: Kavin Mittal’s Hike shuts down operations completely

EntrackrEntrackr · 7h 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.

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Exclusive: Flipkart shuts down ANS Commerce

EntrackrEntrackr · 6m 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.

Exclusive: Amazon shuts down refurbished platform Renewed

EntrackrEntrackr · 6m ago
Exclusive: Amazon shuts down refurbished platform Renewed
Medial

Exclusive: Amazon shuts down refurbished platform Renewed Amazon has decided to shut down its refurbished platform, Renewed, citing increasing challenges. The e-commerce giant has informed sellers of the immediate discontinuation of the service via email. Entrackr has reviewed the copy of the email. “We have made the decision to discontinue selling external refurbished products on Renewed due to high returns/rejects and the Contacts per unit impacting customer experience. Please stop inbounding any inventory to FCs and scheduling pickups from your SF location starting 7th March 2025. We understand this may be disappointing and would like to thank you for your partnership,” Amazon said in a note to sellers. Launched in 2017, Amazon Renewed is a platform where customers can buy refurbished, pre-owned, and open-box products that have been thoroughly inspected and tested to ensure they function and look like new. It offers a variety of items, including smartphones, laptops, tablets, cameras, and home appliances. Meanwhile, Newjaisa, a publicly listed company that used to sell on Amazon, has written to the NSE stating that the shutdown will impact them in the short term. However, Newjaisa is actively collaborating with other retailers to mitigate the effects. According to sources, over 50% of Newjaisa’s revenue came from Amazon Renewed. Entrackr has reached out to Amazon for comments. Amazon Renewed was a direct competitor to Yaantra, which was acquired by its arch-rival Flipkart for an undisclosed sum in January 2022. It’s worth noting that Amazon has also tied up and invested in Cashify, a prominent Indian re-commerce platform specializing in the buying and selling of used electronic devices. With the shutdown of Amazon Renewed, the refurbished space is left with these two prominent players.

Tiger Global-backed Toplyne shuts down operations

EntrackrEntrackr · 11m ago
Tiger Global-backed Toplyne shuts down operations
Medial

Plug-and-play platform Toplyne is shutting down operations and returning capital to investors, according to sources who spoke to Entrackr. This decision comes as a surprise, given that Toplyne had raised funding from prominent investors like Peak XV and Tiger Global. “Despite securing sizable funding, the startup struggled with scaling beyond a certain point, leading the founding team to make the decision to wind down and reach out to investors to return remaining capital,” said one of the sources requesting anonymity. Toplyne is a plug-and-play platform designed to help sales teams at product-led growth companies increase conversion rates among freemium users. Founded by Rishen Kapoor, Ruchin Kulkarni, and Rohit Khanna, this three-and-a-half-year-old startup facilitated lead conversion by integrating actionable insights directly into products, enabling companies to turn potential leads into paying customers. “After 3.5 years of building Toplyne, we’ve made the tough decision to wind down operations and return capital to our investors. Despite our best efforts, we couldn’t reach the scale or product-market fit we aimed for,” said Rishen Kapoor in a LinkedIn post. Toplyne has raised over $17 million in total capital from investors including Peak XV, Tiger Global, Surge, Together Fund, and angel investors like Kunal Shah and Harshil Mathur. According to the startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, Toplyne was valued at approximately $80 million in its latest fundraising round. Sources indicate that one of the co-founders, Rohit Khanna, exited the firm sometime last year due to differences within the founding team. Queries sent to Kapoor and Peak XV didn’t elicit any immediate response. Toplyne joins a group of startups that have shut down operations in 2024 while returning partial capital to investors. Others on this unique list include Greenik, Fashinza, Virgio, Investmint, Bluelearn, Paras Chopra-led Nintee, and Karthik Gurumurthy-led Convenio.

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