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Context is everything.
Detailed stories on technology startups, business and economic current affairs.
Detailed stories on technology startups, business and economic current affairs.
Indian tech startups and consumer internet companies have—or will—hit a wall. We look at why, sector by sector.
Editor's note: When Indian startups raised a record amount of funds in 2019, followed by the minting of a dozen unicorns in 2020, many counted dollars raised as a marker for the tech upstarts to take over the market. The COVID-19 pandemic followed soon after, which served as a validation of eye-watering valuations for many consumer internet companies. Nothing could go wrong. But, it did. The US Federal Reserve has raised interest rates seven times since 2022 and continues to be hawkish to control inflation. That put a hold on much of the money supply allocated to emerging markets like India. As the investment environment became constrained, investors started dusting business evaluation and diligence questions that have been kept in storage for the last 10 years. Under usual circumstances, a constrained funding environment should not be a dealbreaker for small and large companies involved in the Indian internet economy. However, they should demonstrate mastery of two out of three business fundamentals: Growth—an increase in consumers and revenueA path to profitability—reduced customer acquisition and operating costsSignificant barriers to entry (a.k.a. a moat) We …
In light of the recent exits of top executives at Swiggy’s quick commerce business, we look at the reasons behind the departures and whether it’s impacting the business.
The online storytelling company is betting that content will be the most sought-after commodity as scores of platforms jump on the microdrama bandwagon. But success will hinge on whether it has a good enough story to draw the audience.
SEBI has lowered the bar for loss-making startups to list. In that context, a company like Zepto redefines the meaning of risk in public market investing.
