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Exclusive: Kavin Mittal’s Hike shuts down operations completely

EntrackrEntrackr · 1d 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.

India seeing China’s growth blitz of 2 decades ago: Mittal

LivemintLivemint · 2y ago
India seeing China’s growth blitz of 2 decades ago: Mittal
Medial

Sunil Mittal, Chairman of Bharti Airtel, praised India's "China-plus-one" strategy for attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) and attention to the country. He noted the positive growth in India's economy, highlighting progress in industrial, agricultural, and financial services sectors. Mittal expressed confidence in Africa's potential for economic integration and food security, suggesting that adopting Africa for agriculture could have a significant global impact. He also emphasized the need for increased telecom tariffs in India to ensure financial viability and support ongoing investments in digital infrastructure. Mittal commended India's approach to artificial intelligence (AI) and data protection, suggesting that the country's regulations could become world standards.

Hike’s revenue soars 8X to Rs 150 Cr in FY23; losses up 24%

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
Hike’s revenue soars 8X to Rs 150 Cr in FY23; losses up 24%
Medial

After years of stagnant growth and change in business, Hike posted a notable increase in its scale in the last fiscal year. Hike’s Rush Gaming Universe (RGU)—which hosts multiple skill-based casual games—grew nearly 8X and crossed the Rs 150 crore revenue mark in FY23. The firm’s losses, however, also stood close to Rs 150 crore in the same period. Hike’s revenue from operations skyrocketed 7.8X to Rs 150.5 crore during the fiscal year ending March 2023 as opposed to Rs 19.21 crore in FY22, according to its standalone financial statement with the RoC. Hike generates revenue from commission on entry fees, winning amount and membership fees for joining the application as a VIP member. Previously, Hike used to be a P2P messaging application but in January 2021 it shut down the product and switched to a different domain by introducing two new platforms Vibe and Rush. Vibe is a social media platform to watch videos together whereas Rush is a real money skill-based gaming platform which hosts multiple casual games. The company also earned Rs 1.4 crore via interest and gain on investments and other non-operating income during the year. Including these, its overall revenue reached nearly Rs 152 crore in FY23. As per startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, marketing expenses emerged as the largest cost element for Hike which grew 4X to Rs 142.65 crore in FY23 from Rs 35.86 crore in FY22. Its employee benefit expenses accounted for 35% of the total expenditure and went up 46.2% to Rs 104.42 crore in FY23. Importantly, this cost also includes employee share based payment (settled in equity) of Rs 26.71 crore. Due to the GST crackdown on real money gaming companies coupled with a challenging funding environment, Hike’s Rush Gaming Universe (RGU) had fired around 55 people or 22% of the total workforce. To check complete Expense Breakdown visit thekredible.com View full data Hike’s expenses on server, information technology consultancy, payment gateway and other overheads catalyzed its total expenditure by over 2X to Rs 299.3 crore in FY23 as compared to Rs 140.4 crore in FY22. Visit TheKredible for complete expense breakdown and YoY performance. Despite rising expenses, the company’s losses didn’t increase at that pace. Its losses increased 24% to Rs 147.3 crore during FY23 as compared to Rs 118.7 crore in FY22. Moreover, its outstanding losses mounted to Rs 1,923 crore in the last fiscal year. Hike’s cash outflows from operations, however, declined by 9.5% to Rs 94.5 crore during FY23. Its EBITDA margin improved to -93.92% during the year which can be ascribed to the rising scale. FY22-FY23 FY22 FY23 EBITDA Margin -525% -93.92% Expense/₹ of Op Revenue ₹7.31 ₹1.99 ROCE -61.20% -136.21% On a unit level, the firm spent Rs 1.99 to earn a rupee of operating revenue in FY23. Hike turned unicorn in 2016 when Temasek led a $175 million funding round at a $1.4 billion valuation. In January 2021, it shut down its chat services to enter the real money skill-based gaming space. Since then, it has raised three undisclosed funding rounds from various investors. Its last funding round came in May 2022 led by Web3 investor Jump Crypto to develop Rush Gaming Universe (RGU) — a web3 based social gaming metaverse. Hike’s efforts to find a perfect fit seem to have paid off as the company generated a healthy revenue — even though it took a long time to get there. The company’s losses, however, are still a point of concern. From the time it first raised money in 2013 to the present day, Hike has seen its earliest investor Bharti Airtel grow five times in revenue. Even Softbank, the other early backer, has written off its interest in the firm sometime back as inconsequential. While that takes some pressure off, there is no denying that its legacy weighs heavily on Hike, even when it seemingly is the closest to discovering a viable business model. Will it be able to sustain this new momentum long enough to finally deliver a worthwhile return to any of its investors? Time will tell.

Telcos hiring down to 30% in FY25, job additions will be seen in 5G roles, and for expansion plans, says report

LivemintLivemint · 1y ago
Telcos hiring down to 30% in FY25, job additions will be seen in 5G roles, and for expansion plans, says report
Medial

The growth of the workforce in India's telecom sector is expected to slow down to 30% in FY25, compared to 31% in FY24 and 51% in FY23, according to data from TeamLease and Quess Corp. This is due to the lower capital expenditure of major telecom companies like Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, who have completed their 5G expansion plans. However, other players like BSNL and Vodafone Idea are expected to add jobs for their expansion plans and 5G roll-out. Overall, the telecom industry remains one of the top five employers in India, with positions in various segments actively recruited. Additionally, apprenticeships in telecom companies have increased in the last two years.

Funding and acquisitions in Indian startups this week [25-30 Mar]

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
Funding and acquisitions in Indian startups this week [25-30 Mar]
Medial

This week, as many as 17 Indian startups raised $125.13 million in funding. These deals include seven growth-stage deals and nine early-stage deals. These deals also include one early-stage startup which did not disclose the amount raised. Last week, about 23 early and growth-stage startups collectively raised around $447 million, including two undisclosed deals. [Growth-stage deals] Among the growth-stage deals, seven startups raised $103.43 million in funding this week. Vernacular social media platform ShareChat led the list with $49 million debt funding. The list was followed by three fintech firms namely Aye Finance, Sindhuja Microcredit, and KreditBee which raised $16.5 million, $14.5 million, and $9.4 million funding, respectively. Further, adtech startup AdOnMo, IPO-bound MobiKwik, and cybersecurity startup TAC Security also secured funds this week. [Early-stage deals] Subsequently, nine early-stage startups scooped funding worth $22.71 million during the week. Sustainable packaging startup Bambrew spearheaded the list followed by branded franchised retail chain SuperK, AI security and risk management startup SydeLabs, crypto exchange Nomoex Global, and proptech firm Aeria. The list further includes logistics solutions provider JustDeliveries, agritech startup Elevate Foods, AI-powered deep tech startup Daakia, and B2B footwear marketplace Kaarigar Mandi. The list of early-stage startups also includes edtech startup Aviotron Aerospace which kept the funding amount undisclosed. 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 5 deals followed by Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Patna, Kolkata, and Agra. The complete breakdown of the city and segment can be found at TheKredible. [Series-wise deals] During the week, Seed funding deals are on the top spot with four deals while debt deals are in second position forming around 57% of the total funding. Further, Pre-Series A and Series A are next on the list among others. [Week-on-week funding trend] On a weekly basis, startup funding slipped 71% to $125.13 million as compared to $447.6 million raised during the previous week. The average funding in the last eight weeks stands at around $259 million with 27 deals per week. [Departure] This week, Praveen Sharma, senior vice president of business at Paytm’s parent entity One 97 Communications, resigned nearly after over four years, the company said in an exchange filing. Sharma, in his resignation letter, said he intends to pursue “other opportunities” after his exit from the company. [Fund launches] The week saw only one startup-focused fund launch. Mumbai-headquartered venture debt firm Alteria Capital has announced the final close of its third fund at approximately $186 million. The firm has backed startups such as Rebel Foods, BlueStone, OneCard, Ather, and Captain Fresh, and plans to continue its support for startups across various sectors including consumer brands, e-commerce, fintech, logistics, business-to-business platforms, rural and agritech, healthcare, and climate tech. [Shutdown] Investment tech startup GoldPe will cease to exist precisely one year after its inception on April 1, 2023. Co-founder Parth Shah stated that the decision was made due to the absence of a sustainable revenue stream, a flawed business model, and cash flow issues. Visit TheKredible to see series-wise deals along with amount breakup, complete details of fund launches, and more insights. [New launches] ▪️ Mamaearth parent Honasa launches Staze to foray into cosmetics space ▪️ Cars24 rolled out Autopilot service to get car drivers on demand ▪️ CarDekho Group’s fintech arm Rupyy forays into personal lending space [Financial results this week] ▪️ Bounce’s revenue surges 6X to Rs 91 Cr in FY23; cuts losses ▪️ BillDesk records Rs 2,678 Cr revenue in FY23; profits fall 5% ▪️ Man Matters-parent Mosaic Wellness crosses Rs 200 Cr revenue in FY23 ▪️ Myntra claims positive EBITDA in the last two quarters ▪️ IPO Prep: Swiggy paints a healthy financial picture in first 9 months of FY24 [News flash this week] ▪️ Ranjan Pai’s MEMG and 360 One get CCI nod to invest in API Holdings ▪️ ICICI Securities reiterated the ‘BUY’ rating on Zomato ▪️ Innoviti gets payment aggregator licence from the RBI ▪️ Chiratae Ventures sells stakes of portfolio startup to Madison India Capital [Conclusion] The weekly funding saw a significant drop in investment flow as compared to the last week when the funding crossed $440 million. This week only one VC firm Alteria Capital launched a startup-focused fund amounting to around $186 million. Additionally, the week also witnessed a shutdown as investment tech startup GoldPe shut down the shop within one year of its inception. CCI has approved the subscription to CCPS B of API Holding by Ranjan Pai’s MEMG (Manipal Education and Medical Group) and 360 One. This decision follows CCI’s previous approval, where multiple combination proposals entailed investments by marquee investors such as Goldman Sachs, Naspers, Temasek, and CDPQ in API Holdings Ltd., the parent company of PharmEasy. Brokerage ICICI Securities has reiterated a ‘BUY’ rating on foodtech giant Zomato and raised its price target (PT) to Rs 300 per share. This represents an upside of more than 67% from the stock’s last close of around Rs 182 on Thursday (March 28). The brokerage attributed the increase in PT to the company’s “sustained growth trajectory and sustained improvement in profitability metrics”. Digital payments solutions company Innoviti has secured an online payment aggregator (PA) license from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Along with Innoviti, Navi Mumbai-based payment solutions provider Concerto Software and Systems also secured the PA license for its gateway ‘Vegaah’. This takes the tally of the number of entities to receive PA licenses in 2024 to 13. Earlier this month, Infibeam Avenues also secured final authorization from the central bank to operate as a payment aggregator via its payment gateway brand CCAvenue. Last month, Amazon Pay also received PA authorization. JusPay, Stripe, Tata Payments, and Mswipe are among the other players to receive the PA license this year.

Funding and acquisitions in Indian startups this week [18-23 Mar]

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
Funding and acquisitions in Indian startups this week [18-23 Mar]
Medial

This week, equivalent to 22 Indian startups raised $447.35 million in funding. These deals include nine growth-stage deals and 11 early-stage deals. Two early-stage startups kept their transaction details undisclosed. Last week, about 30 early and growth-stage startups collectively raised around $287 million, including four undisclosed deals. [Growth-stage deals] Among the growth-stage deals, nine startups raised $420.35 million in funding this week. Healthtech firm Engrail led the pack with $157 million in funding. Audio series platform Pocket FM, healthtech startup Ultrahuman, and content-to-commerce company The Good Glamm Group followed with $103 million, $35 million, and $30 million funding, respectively. Further, data collaboration software provider Atlan, cloud kitchen startup Curefood, B2B marketplace and retail platform Jumbotail, NBFC operating in remote rural parts, Dvara KGFS, and coffee brand SubKo Coffee also raised funds this week. [Early-stage deals] As many as 11 early-stage startups scooped funding worth $27 million during the week. MSME-focused lending-tech startup Optimo Loan topped the list followed by gaming startup Liquidnitro, boutique hotels firm Brij Hotels, and climate tech platform Sprih. The list further includes networking solution provider HCIN Network, AI music startup Beatoven.ai, B2B furniture cloud factory Relso, fintech firm Yenmo, and jewellery brand Jewelbox among others. The list of early-stage startups also includes two startup that kept the amount undisclosed. The startups are Droom and Dairy Day. 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 14 deals followed by Delhi-NCR with 3 deals. Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Ahmedabad are next on the list. The complete breakdown of the city and segment can be found at TheKredible. [Series-wise deals] This week, seed funding deals are on the top spot with five deals. Four startups raised funding in Series B, followed by three pre-seed, three Series A, and two Series D deals. [Week-on-week funding trend] On a weekly basis, startup funding grew 56% to $447.35 million across 22 deals. Last week, 30 startups raised around $287 million in funding. The average funding in the last eight weeks stands at around $254 million with 26 deals per week. [Mergers and Acquisitions] This week witnessed only one acquisition deal. French influencer marketing firm YKONE acquired a 70% stake in Barcode, a content and influencer marketing agency for an undisclosed amount this week. [Fund launches] The week witnessed three startup-focused fund launches. American investment firm Alphatron Capital, which primarily makes limited partner-style bets on venture capital firms in India, has closed its maiden fund and received $30 million in commitments from its limited partners (LPs) for the fund. US-based multi-stage venture capital firm B Capital made the final close of its second opportunities fund with aggregate capital commitments of $750 million. Cedar Capital, the fintech-focused venture capital arm of management consulting firm Cedar and fintech market intelligence platform IBS Intelligence, also marked the first close of its $30 million FinTech Venture Capital fund, raising capital in the range of Rs 50 to 75 crore. [Shutdown and Layoff] OKX, one of the largest crypto exchanges in terms of trading volume, is shutting down its services in India. Citing local regulatory hurdles, the Seychelles-headquartered exchange notified its users in the country to close their accounts and redeem funds before April 30. Prosus-backed virtual events platform Airmeet laid off around 20% of its entire workforce earlier this week, as part of its second restructuring exercise within a year, people aware of the matter informed Inc42 on the condition of anonymity. Visit TheKredible to see series-wise deals and amount breakup, complete details of fund launches, and more insights. [New launches] ▪️ PB Fintech plans to incorporate a subsidiary to enter the PA biz [Financial results this week] ▪️ EV startup BattRE’s revenue dips to Rs 87 Cr in FY23; profit tanks too ▪️ Advantage Club crosses Rs 300 Cr revenue in FY23; profitability in sight ▪️ ZingHR posts Rs 84 Cr revenue in FY23; losses surge 84% ▪️ BetterPlace crossed Rs 500 Cr revenue in FY23; losses grew 47% ▪️ Eupheus Learning reports Rs 99 Cr revenue in FY23; improves economics ▪️ Safegold gross revenue nears Rs 5,000 Cr in FY23; turns profitable [News flash this week] ▪️ Builder.ai Co-founders booked by ED in two criminal cases ▪️ MIB warned influencers on promoting offshore online betting and gambling platforms ▪️ Zomato gets GST penalty notice from Gujarat’s Deputy Commissioner Of State Tax [Conclusion] After the stagnant funding in the past few week, the weekly funding grew 57% and crossed $450 million. In a positive development, this week again three VC firms launched startup-focused funds to support Indian entrepreneurs. While the layoffs and shutdowns reappeared this week as crypto exchange OKX is shutting down its services in India and virtual events platform Airmeet laid off around 20% of its entire workforce. Co-founders of AI-focused startup Builder.ai have reportedly been booked by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with two separate criminal cases. Sachin Dev Duggal is named as a suspect in an alleged money laundering case, while Saurabh Dhoot is linked to an alleged loan fraud case. Duggal’s involvement stems from the ED’s money laundering probe into the now-bankrupt electronics giant Videocon. The agency issued a summons to Duggal in 2022 to appear as a witness in the probe into alleged “unexplained transactions” between his company (not Builder.ai) and Videocon. Moreover, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting advised endorsers and influencers on social media to refrain from promoting or advertising offshore online betting and gambling platforms. The ministry also directed online advertisement intermediaries not to target such promotional content towards the Indian audience. Failure to comply may lead to proceedings under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, including removal or disabling of social media posts or accounts and penal action under applicable statutes. Additionally, foodtech major Zomato has received a GST penalty notice from Gujarat’s Deputy Commissioner of State Tax for fiscal 2018-19. Zomato has been asked to pay Rs 4.11 crore for GST, along with additional interest and penalty charges totaling Rs 8.57 crore following an audit of its GST returns and accounts.

Unpacking VerSe’s Josh: growth, monetization and future roadmap

EntrackrEntrackr · 11m ago
Unpacking VerSe’s Josh: growth, monetization and future roadmap
Medial

The short video entertainment space has seen consolidation with the merger of MX TakaTak, the pivot of Chingari, and the shutdown of Mitron TV. This has left the fledgling market with two main players: ShareChat’s Moj and VerSe’s Josh. While Moj’s parent company, ShareChat, has been struggling to scale its short video offering and secure follow-on funding, Josh remains well-capitalized and holds a leading position in the segment with approximately 180 million active users. “We have a monthly active user base of 179 million, along with 91 million daily active users,” said a Josh spokesperson in an interaction with Entrackr. “By the end of FY24, we had over 150 million downloads via playstore.” Josh is available in 12 Indian languages and reports that over 80% of its content is viewed in local dialects. This feature is particularly crucial as more than two-thirds of its users are from tier II and III cities such as Bhubaneswar, Jaipur, Patna, and Raipur. OEM partnership: Key to Josh’s growth Josh’s DAU and MAU numbers appear staggering, but they don’t align with data from app trackers like App Annie and Appflyer. “These trackers are irrelevant in our case, as majority of our downloads come from pre-installed mobile phones,” the spokesperson clarified. Josh has secured more than two-thirds of its downloads through partnerships with smartphone manufacturers such as Vivo, Oppo, Xiaomi, and Samsung, among others. Creator-centric approach driving Josh’s topline The success of a short-video app largely depends on its creators and the ecosystem surrounding them. Josh has a community of over 100,000 creators and partnerships with 14 leading music labels. “Our monthly active creator base increased by 34% year-on-year, reaching 71 million in FY24,” added the spokesperson. Collaboration is a key focus for Josh, which launched Collab to tap into the influencer ecosystem. “Collab is designed to help brands discover influencers and engage with them seamlessly, without any friction,” said the spokesperson. After prioritizing traction for two and half years (September 2020 to mid 2023), Josh began monetization by opening the platform to brands for campaigns in the second half of 2023. Currently, Josh offers a range of advertising solutions which include diverse formats such as video ads, influencer-brand collaborations and influencer and content-led IPs. “Josh helps businesses in brand building, lead generation, user engagement, and creating overall awareness,” added the spokesperson. The platform has worked with 450 brands, including Amazon, Myntra, Nykaa, Xiaomi, since July last year. Around one-third of Josh’s user base was from tier 1 cities while 68% hailed from tier II and III cities. The popularity of short videos is 2X higher in tier II and III cities. Brands with a national presence who are looking to strengthen their brand recall in tier II markets and regional languages prefer Josh. While Josh didn’t give exact revenue numbers, it reported hitting an average revenue run rate of Rs 300 crore this quarter. “Our target is to achieve break even by the first half of 2025,” said the spokesperson. Live commerce/audio, audio stories to oil monetization roadmap In addition to tapping into the influencer ecosystem, Josh is exploring new formats such as brand shoppable commerce, live commerce, live audio, gifting and audio stories. As per the firm, these efforts aim to position Josh for revenue generation and profitability as it deepens its monetization road. The live audio feature on Josh enables users to have real-time conversations with specialised creators. Users initiating live audio calls pay per minute using Josh’s in-app currency, “Jems,” while creators earn “Diamonds,” redeemable in the Indian currency. Audio stories, particularly in regional languages, are also gaining traction. Josh offers subscription-based and micro-payments for specific content from partners like Velvet, Eight, and EarShot, viewing this as a substantial long-term opportunity. Josh has leadership in the Bharat-focused short video entertainment space and is actively working to demonstrate its platform’s ability to deliver real results and fulfil its promises to buyers. Josh’s strategic decision to remain closed to advertising until 2023 reflects its focus on building a robust user base and platform. With its recent monetization efforts, Josh is well positioned to address the market gap left by TikTok in India.

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