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<ul><li><keyword id="2933867" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="leadsquared" source="Orion">LeadSquared</keyword> has raised $153 million from WestBridge Capital in a Series C round.</li><li>It is the sixth Indian unicorn this year and sixteenth startup to do so overall.</li><li>The company now plans to expand to the Middle East, Africa and Europe.</li></ul>Bengaluru-based sales automation startup LeadSquared is the latest software-as-a-service (SaaS) company to enter the unicorn club. The company raised $153 million from WestBridge Capital in a Series C round. A unicorn, in startup parlance, is a company valued at over a billion dollars. “With this financing, we will double down on growth investments in India and North America, start building in APAC [Asia-Pacific] and EMEA [Europe, the Middle East and Africa], add new offerings to our product portfolio, and fund acquisitions. To support our growth, we plan to double our headcount in the next 18 months,” Nilesh Patel, CEO and Founder of LeadSquared, said. LeadSquared is the sixth Indian startup to enter this elite club this year and the sixteenth startup to do so overall. The list also includes MuSigma, Druva, Icertis, Postman, Zenoti and now publicly-listed company Freshworks. Sridhar Vembu-led Zoho Corp is not a part of India’s unicorn list as the company is still bootstrapped and has not disclosed its valuation publicly. Zoho is one of the oldest SaaS companies in India and is estimated to have a higher valuation than $1 billion. <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; table-layout: fixed; width: 468pt;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Company </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Unicorn List Entry Year </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Current Valuation </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Mu Sigma </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2013 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">$1.5 billion+ </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Freshworks* </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2018 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">$3.2 billion* </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Druva </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2019 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">$2 billion </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Icertis </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2019 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">$2.8 billion </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Postman </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2020 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">$5.6 billion </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Zenoti </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2020 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">$1.5 billion </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Innovaccer </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2021 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">$3.2 billion </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">ChargeBee </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2021 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">$3.5 billion </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">BrowserStack </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2021 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">$4 billion </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">MindTickle </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2021 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">$1.2 billion </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Fractal </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2022 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">$1 billion </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">DarwinBox </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2022 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">$1 billion </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Uniphore </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2022 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">$2.5 billion </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Hasura </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2022 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">$1 billion </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Amagi Media </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2022 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">$1 billion </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">LeadSquared </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2022 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">$1 billion </td></tr></tbody></table>*Freshworks is a publicly listed entity Source: Venture Intelligence LeadSquared is a sales automation platform, which helps more than 2000 organization globally to drive sales efficiency. The company — founded by Nilesh Patel, Prashant Singh, and Sudhakar Gorti in 2011 — claims to have clients from different industries like edtech, financial services, healthcare, marketplaces and more. A quick survey of its website reveals that Amity University, NIIT, Byju’s, Unacademy, Clear, Aditya Birla Capital and Angel Broking are its clients. The company has raised $188 million to date, with $32 million raised in 2020 and $3 million in 2019. Sumir Chadha, co-founder and Managing Director at WestBridge Capital said, "LeadSquared has shown a remarkable ability to scale and grow efficiently. Its core SaaS metrics are unique and best-in-class in the industry. Its focus on building an easy-to-use platform that transforms sales processes through automation delivering unparalleled efficiency has significant potential for growth in the global market.” SEE ALSO <a class="tout-title-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/enterprise/news/indias-tech-talent-pool-is-from-vizag-indore-and-warangal-thats-where-infosys-tcs-and-others-are-heading/articleshow/92351346.cms">India’s tech talent pool is from Vizag, Indore and Warangal — that’s where Infosys, TCS and others are heading</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/ril-vedanta-tata-steel-yes-bank-among-stocks-to-watch-out-for-on-june-21/slidelist/92349563.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">RIL, Vedanta, Tata Steel, Yes Bank among stocks to watch out for on June 21</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/oneplus-nord-2t-smartphone-india-pricing-and-launch-date-leaked/articleshow/92352401.cms">OnePlus Nord 2T India pricing and launch date leaked – here’s everything you need to know</a>

LeadSquared is the sixth Indian SaaS unicorn of 2022

<ul><li>Only 4 companies entered the billion dollar unicorn club in the April-June quarter of 2022.</li><li>There were 13 companies that turned unicorns in the January to March quarter of 2022.</li><li>The slowdown in the unicorn creation is directly proportional to the slowdown in funding activities.</li></ul>The ongoing funding winter has already caused a slowdown in the unicorn creation trend of India. Only four companies entered the billion dollar unicorn club in the April-June quarter of 2022, compared to 13 in the preceding January-March quarter. India had added 12 unicorns in the comparable quarter last year. A unicorn is a startup valued at over a billion dollars. About 44 startups achieved this milestone in 2021 and that number was expected to be bigger this year thanks to the optimism in the market. However, contrary to expectations, the April-June quarter saw the least number of unicorns being created since September 2020. According to business intelligence firm Tracxn, the slowdown in the creation of unicorns is directly proportional to the slowdown in funding activities in the Indian startup ecosystem. The investors have limited capital to invest in startups, which makes them even more cautious about investing in bigger rounds or cash-burning businesses. Neobanking firm Open Financial, software-as-a-service (SaaS) company LeadSquare, Nykaa competitor <keyword id="1830414" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="purplle" source="Orion">Purplle</keyword> and edtech company <keyword id="14134943" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="physicswallah" source="Orion">PhysicsWallah</keyword> were the four companies that turned unicorns in the April-June quarter of 2022. Neha Singh, co-founder of Tracxn, emphasised that the entire slowdown in funding and unicorn creation has been impacted by the dip in later-stage funding rounds. The trend of low unicorn creation and late-stage funding is likely to continue throughout this calendar year, through to the March quarter of next year if the Russia-Ukraine war didn’t cool down, Neha added. OneCard was the only unicorn of July 2022, hinting at the continued slowdown for this quarter as well. <div type="image" title="In the funding winter, only four companies turn unicorns in the June quarter" msid="93271361" hostid="261" sizebytes="127869"></div> VerSe Innovation — the parent company of Dailyhunt and Josh — raised the biggest funding round last month when it secured $805 million at a<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/josh-dailyhunt-parent-company-verse-raises-805-million-takes-valuation-to-5-billion/articleshow/90675633.cms"> valuation of $5 billion</a>. It was followed by Delhivery at $304 million, Udaan at $275 million, ShareChat at $255 million and upGrad at $225 million. The slowdown in unicorn creation is not just limited to India, it coincides with a global downturn in funding. About 85 unicorns were added globally in the April to June quarter of 2022, compared to 129 in the same quarter last year. The number stood at 110 unicorns in the January to March quarter. Meanwhile, the global startup funding in April-June quarter of 2022 dropped by 23% on a year-on-year basis to $108.5 billion. Gaurav VK Singhvi, co-founder of investment firm We Founder Circle, explained that several startups had ignored their bottomline for a long time and the investors were now putting pressure on these companies to focus on their finances and numbers. “Revenue is all good but now they are looking at profitability and long term sustenance,” he added. SEE ALSO <a class="tout-title-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/gautam-singhania-md-of-the-raymond-group-people-are-ready-to-get-dressed-go/articleshow/93269593.cms">Lockdown effect: People are ready to get dressed &amp; go says Gautam Singhania of Raymond</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/freebies-home-visits-campaigns-and-free-jabs-for-covid-booster-dose-from-many-states/articleshow/93269529.cms">Freebies, home visits, campaigns and free jabs — this is how states are encouraging people to get their booster dose</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/enterprise/news/twitter-delete-millions-of-spam-accounts-a-day-to-control-trolls/articleshow/93203353.cms">We delete millions of spam accounts a day to control trolls, says Twitter</a>

In the funding winter, only four companies turn unicorns in the June quarter

<ul><li>Indian startups have already laid off a little over 11,000 employees in the first six months of 2022.</li><li>It could get even worse in the near future as experts expect Indian startups to layoff close to 60,000.</li><li>Both low-funded and highly-funded startups have been impacted by this, and would be in the future too.</li></ul>The prospects of a long funding winter has pushed several Indian startups to fire a significant chunk of their employees. However, amid the gloom there are some outliers who continue to hire employees even as they maneuver through the economic challenges. Sridhar Vembu-led software-as-a-service (SaaS) company Zoho Corp plans to hire 2,000 employees in India and abroad this fiscal, as it plans to further scale its operations. Even TaCa Healthcare is continuing its hiring to strengthen its existing business and expand to new geographical locations. The same stands true for other startups hiring amidst the chaos. Indian startups have already laid off a little over<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/indian-startups-have-already-laid-off-a-little-over-11000-people-in-the-last-six-months/articleshow/92541036.cms"> 11,000 employees in the first six </a>months of 2022 as the flow of capital is expected to remain constricted for the next 18-24 months. It could get even worse in the near future. Archit Garg, co-founder at Glamyo Health, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/60000-jobs-in-startup-companies-may-lose-their-jobs-this-year-in-india-experts-say/articleshow/91804572.cms">pegs startup layoffs at 60,000</a>. Both low-funded and highly-funded startups have been impacted by this, and would be in the future too. Yogita Tulsiani, the managing director and co-founder of global tech-recruiter iXceed Solutions, noted that most companies hired aggressively during the start of the pandemic and are unable to handle it now. Amidst all this, these are the startups that are hiring at the moment: <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Startups </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Hiring </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Verticals </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Timeline </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Zoho </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2,000 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Software developers, quality assessment engineers, web developers, designers, product marketers, writers, technical support engineers and sales executives </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">FY2023 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Vivifi </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">1,000 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Multiple verticals </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">FY2023 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">VDO.AI </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#ffffff;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">100+ </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#ffffff;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Tech, sales, operations, finance and strategy </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#ffffff;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">September 2022 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">iThink Logistics </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">120+ </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Tech, marketing, sales in different locations like Mumbai, Surat, Jaipur, Delhi, Bangalore </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">FY2023 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Faircent </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">200-250 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Technology and data analysts, predictive analytics, data mining technologies </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">3-6 months </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Collabera Technologies </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">600-800 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">BFSI, retail, life sciences and healthcare and Hi-Tech Industry </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">4-6 week </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">TaCas </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">400 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">N/A </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">6 months </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">LeadSquared </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">800 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Sales and marketing, finance, product, engineering, delivery, and support functions </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">8 months </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">MBA Chai Wala </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">500 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Baristas, restaurant staff </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">6 months </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Utkarsh </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">500 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">N/A </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">FY2023 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">HappyLocate </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">600 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Sales, HR, accounts, operations, marketing and tech. </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">FY2023 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Sequretek </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">500 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">N/A </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">FY2023 </td></tr></tbody></table> Piyush Bhartiya, co-founder and CEO of AdmitKard — an end-to-end career advisory for students studying abroad — earlier in May highlighted that for every company that is laying off employees there are 100 others who are hiring. “Like I said, some companies are laying off, others like ours are hiring. I do not see that will impact the employment ratios too dramatically,” he added. SEE ALSO <a class="tout-title-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/reliance-industries-itc-infosys-and-other-hot-stocks-on-july-22/articleshow/93041515.cms">Indian markets open in the green – RIL, M&amp;M gain while Nifty IT, Infosys decline</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/ecommerce/news/amazon-prime-day-best-offers-deals-discounts/articleshow/93024348.cms">Amazon Prime Day 2022 – early deals, bank offers, Prime membership and everything else you need to know</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/reliance-industries-to-start-fy23-with-strong-earnings-thanks-to-refining-margins/articleshow/93041430.cms">Reliance Industries to start FY23 with strong earnings, thanks to refining margins</a>

Zoho, LeadSquared and other startups continue to hire amid industry layoffs

<ul><li>Over 11,000 people have lost their jobs so far this year and it could increase further to 60,000.</li><li>Experts predict that the flow of capital is expected to dry for the next 18-24 months.</li><li>In spite of the stress, funds that startups raised grew by 28.6% in funding value between January to April this year, according to a report by GlobalData.</li><li>Here are few startups that are looking to expand their workforce amid layoff season.</li></ul>Startups in India are facing the brunt of a funding winter and have laid off over 11,000 people so far. It could get worse as experts predict that over <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/indian-startups-have-already-laid-off-a-little-over-11000-people-in-the-last-six-months/articleshow/92541036.cms">60,000 </a>people could lose their jobs as the flow of capital is expected to remain dry for the next 18-24 months. According to Business Insider India’s calculations, 25 startups, mostly in the ecommerce and edtech space, have resorted to retrenchments. Seven unicorns — Ola, Blinkit, Unacademy, Vedantu, Cars24 and Mobile Premier League (MPL) — were part of the firing list too. In spite of the stress, funds that startups raised grew by 28.6% in funding value between January to April this year, according to a report by GlobalData. It also said that Indian startups raised $12.1 billion till April – via 672 venture capital deals. It means, a few, if not many have the space and funds to grow. Here’s a list of startups that are looking to expand their workforce this year. 1. E-learning platform Utkarsh to hire 500 people Edtech startup Utkarsh is planning to recruit 500 employees from tier 2 and 3 cities by the end of FY23. It is focussing on hiring from Hindi-speaking states like Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. The company plans to hire senior leadership, educators, and expand their new sales and customer service team. 2. Unicorn LeadSquared to ramp up its employee headcount by 800 SaaS-based marketing automation company LeadSquared, which recently turned into a unicorn after raising $153 million in a series C round, said that it’s looking to double its headcount in a year and a half. This Nilesh Patel-led company will be hiring 800 people over the next few months across sales and marketing, finance, product, engineering, delivery and support functions, as cited by <a href="https://yourstory.com/2022/06/layoffs-saas-startups-hiring-india/amp">YourStory</a>. 3. HappyLocate to hire 600 people by FY23 Tech-based one-stop relocation platform HappyLocate announced its plans to hire 600 people across six departments — sales, HR, accounts, operations, marketing and tech. The company intends to hire fresh graduates from over 50 universities and experienced professionals across the country. 4. Cybersecurity startup Sequretek to strengthen its workforce to 500 Cybersecurity startup company Sequretek to increase its employee headcount from 400 to 500 people across US, Europe, and Asia. The company makes cybersecurity accessible and affordable through a combination of products, platforms and services. 5. Vivifi India to add 1,000 new employees Fintech NBFC Vivifi India Finance aims to amplify its workforce by hiring 1,000 new team members across various streams in FY22. The organization is also looking to expand its geographical territories to newer locations, including in tier 2 and 3 cities, in various states, pan-India, with the headquarters remaining in Hyderabad. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/firing-at-byjus-backed-whitehat-jr-toppr-and-others-left-2000-out-of-jobs-in-june/slidelist/92671183.cms">Firing at Byju’s backed WhiteHat Jr, Toppr and others left 2,000 out of jobs in June</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/enterprise/news/ed-has-reportedly-raided-44-locations-of-vivo-and-related-firms-across-the-country/articleshow/92672031.cms">After Xiaomi, Vivo comes under the Enforcement Directorate’s scanner</a>

Amid the layoff season, these five startups are on a hiring spree

<keyword id="2933867" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="LeadSquared">LeadSquared</keyword>, customer acquisition platform provider to businesses, is now integrated with Facebook's new lead ads product. 
 
Launched in October this year, Lead Ads is Facebook’s newest offering to advertisers which makes lead capture on mobile incredibly simple. 
 
When someone clicks on a Facebook lead ad on a mobile device, a form opens with their information automatically populated, making it easy for them to submit their details with just a few taps. 
 
LeadSquared integrated with Facebook and offers lead capture automation, lead management, marketing automation, sales CRM as well as deep analytics to help businesses close more deals in less time. 
 
Nilesh Patel, CEO, LeadSquared, said, "Facebook is a key advertising vehicle for many of our customers. Lead ads make it faster and simpler for users to express an interest in the advertisers’ services.”

LeadSquared integrates with Facebook lead ads

Over the last year or two, I have written several dozen case studies for my company (<keyword id="2933867" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="LeadSquared">LeadSquared</keyword>) and more often than not, the case of choosing the wrong marketing software initially drove these customers to us. Statements like ‘that didn’t work for us’ and ‘it was a complete failure’ are just a few from the many that I have heard repeatedly. 
 
Having interacted with several clients from various industries, I have identified a pattern on what businesses consider or fail to consider, as they make this choice. In most cases, their evaluation process isn’t thorough enough. 
 
So here’s my list of 5 factors that would help you make an informed decision while investing in technology to accelerate sales for your business. It’s a cost to the company and considering that, you would want to know what I have to say. 
<ol>
	<li>
		Go For A Free Trial</li>
</ol>
I really recommend you take a trial before you invest in software. Most software websites will list feature after feature saying this will help you with “this” or “that”and it actually helps. But the question here is: 
 
· How much effort do I need to put in to get that benefit? (Everything would need some human intervention, but how much is the question.) 
 
· Does it work without any glitches? (Believe me, I have worked on comparison documents for software after software, and have seen that no matter how impressive the website looks, you should never take it for granted that the software would be just as impressive.) 
 
I do not want to take names here (if you ask me privately, I just might); but I have ‘trialed’ several tools and seen that they are not at all easy to use. Sometimes the UI is the problem (not user-friendly), while sometimes the software is just too slow - It takes ages for the email editor to open or the dashboard to appear. These things should not be neglected while choosing software for your business. Remember, you would be using it on a daily basis and working with ‘an Internet Explorer’ might not grow your business at the rate you want it to. 
<ol>
	<li value="2">
		Customer Reviews Are Vital</li>
</ol>
Personally, I think this is one of the most important factors that you should consider while choosing software. In fact, you should consider it generally for any kind of investment. I look up customer reviews on Zomato and other sites before going to restaurants. Okay, I don’t always do it but I do take these reviews very seriously and I’m sure there are several people out there who do the same - for hotels, salons, electronic gadgets, admission in colleges and pretty much everything else that involves money. Customer feedback should be every marketer’s Holy Grail! 
 
There are tons of software review sites out there like G2 Crowd, TechnologyAdvice, TrustRadius, etc. 
· Software Sellers: Get your customers to write reviews about you 
· Software Buyers: Read reviews before you invest in anything. 
 
<ol>
	<li value="3">
		How “Supportive” Is Their Customer Support?</li>
</ol>
Now I know this can be a problem because I have read reviews of unhappy customers, complaining about the lack of support from the team. (Read reviews on G2 crowd and see for yourselves.) I have handpicked a few as well: 
 
· “And their support is their biggest, biggest problem. I personally do not care whether their support team is from the US, India or anywhere else in the world. If they are knowledgeable and are easy to communicate with, that is what's important.” 
 
· “Very poor, outsourced customer service. If you only communicate in English, not the company for you...” 
 
· “I no longer use this product but used an older version and in order to get support we were told that we would have to upgrade which was not very cost effective” 
 
You see what I mean? An unhappy customer is unpredictable and volatile. They might even write a blog post about the company’s poor customer support, or bring it up on the company’s social media pages (I have done the latter as a consumer, so I can identify with that). 
 
What I am trying to say is great support makes a difference. If the software company offers customer support not just via mail but also through chat, phone calls and even on the field and in multiple languages, nothing like it. Of course, there are other factors that you need to consider but this one should be in your top 5. 
 
While you are at it, also look at their help portals and support websites. How helpful are the articles there? Are the support queries actually answered, or are they ignored? This would give you a good picture of how it’s going to be for you post-purchase. 
<ol>
	<li value="4">
		It’s A Mobile World. </li>
</ol>
According to KPCB’s 2015 Internet Trends report from earlier this year, there were 5.2 billion mobile phone users in 2014, out of which, 40% were smartphone users. That automatically tells you that majority of that 40% would be using their phones to surf the net. This further explains the need for mobile-friendly websites and mobile apps for online businesses. 
 
Even Google has been stressing on it for a while. Apart from SEO factors that you need to keep in mind, the advantage of going about doing your business on the go should encourage you to opt for a software that not only has a responsive website but also a mobile app. 
 
Mobile internet usage has skyrocketed in the past 4 years and has now officially overtaken desktop internet usage. Keeping that in mind, it would only be wise to opt for software that is futuristic and ‘mobile’. 
<ol>
	<li value="5">
		At What Cost?</li>
</ol>
It all comes down to this –money. No matter what your budget is, I would advise you to take into consideration the 4 factors mentioned above. All software platforms have different plans for those with a tight budget and those who have much to spend. The other important thing is to scrutinize the software thoroughly before investing. 
 
If you have ever dug deep into the features offered and the pricing details, you would know that not all features offered on the website are included in the plan that you might be going for. Some come with additional costs. In most cases, the plan details would specific this (that ‘x’ feature would be an additional cost) but in some they don’t. That’s what you need to look out for. 
 
If you are not clear on the cost standpoint for any feature, just ask them upfront – email them or check with the sales rep you are in contact with, and they would clarify it for you. 
 
So here are my final thoughts: 
ü Explore the software; 
ü Pay attention to what your fellow users are saying; 
ü Consider your options if you can’t get value out of the software on your own; 
ü Be futuristic; and 
Invest only when you have figured out and adapted to the 4 above. 
 
(Author of this article is Nilesh Patel, who is the Founder and CEO of LeadSquared)

5 Factors You Need
to Consider While Choosing Business Software

Over the last year or two, I have written several dozen case studies for my company (<keyword id="2933867" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="LeadSquared">LeadSquared</keyword>) and more often than not, the case of choosing the wrong marketing software initially drove these customers to us. Statements like ‘that didn’t work for us’ and ‘it was a complete failure’ are just a few from the many that I have heard repeatedly. 
 
Having interacted with several clients from various industries, I have identified a pattern on what businesses consider or fail to consider, as they make this choice. In most cases, their evaluation process isn’t thorough enough. 
 
So here’s my list of 5 factors that would help you make an informed decision while investing in technology to accelerate sales for your business. It’s a cost to the company and considering that, you would want to know what I have to say. 
<ol>
	<li>
		Go For AFree Trial</li>
</ol>
I really recommend you take a trial before you invest in software. Most software websites will list feature after feature saying this will help you with “this” or “that”and itactually helps. But the question here is: 
· How much effort do I need to put in to get that benefit? (Everything would need some human intervention, but how much is the question.) 
· Does it work without any glitches? (Believe me, I have worked on comparison documents for software after software, and have seen that no matter how impressive the website looks, you should never take it for granted that the software would be just as impressive.) 
 
I do not want to take names here (if you ask me privately, I just might); but I have ‘trialled’ several tools and seen that they are not at all easy to use. Sometimes the UI is the problem (not user-friendly), while sometimes the software is just too slow - It takes ages for the email editor to open or the dashboard to appear. These things should not be neglected while choosing software for your business. Remember, you would be using it on a daily basis and working with ‘an Internet Explorer’ might not grow your business at the rate you want it to. 
<ol>
	<li value="2">
		Customer Reviews Are Vital</li>
</ol>
Personally, I think this is one of the most important factors that you should consider while choosing software. In fact, you should consider it generally for any kind of investment. I look up customer reviews on Zomato and other sites before going to restaurants. Okay, I don’t always do it but I do take these reviews very seriously and I’m sure there are several people out there who do the same - for hotels, salons, electronic gadgets, admission in colleges and pretty much everything else that involves money. Customer feedback should be every marketer’s Holy Grail! 
 
There are tons of software review sites out there like G2 Crowd, TechnologyAdvice, TrustRadius, etc. 
· Software Sellers: Get your customers to write reviews about you 
· Software Buyers: Read reviews before you invest in anything. 
 
<ol>
	<li value="3">
		How “Supportive” Is Their Customer Support?</li>
</ol>
Now I know this can be a problem because I have read reviews of unhappy customers, complaining about the lack of support from the team. (Read reviews on G2 crowd and see for yourselves.) I have handpicked a few as well: 
· “And their support is their biggest, biggest problem. I personally do not care whether their support team is from the US, India or anywhere else in the world. If they are knowledgeable and are easy to communicate with, that is what's important.” 
· “Very poor, outsourced customer service. If you only communicate in English, not the company for you...” 
· “I no longer use this product but used an older version and in order to get support we were told that we would have to upgrade which was not very cost effective 
 
You see what I mean? An unhappy customer is unpredictable and volatile. They might even write a blog post about the company’s poor customer support, or bring it up on the company’s social media pages (I have done the latter as a consumer, so I can identify with that). 
What I am trying to say is great support makes a difference. If the software company offers customer support not just via mail but also through chat, phone calls and even on the field and in multiple languages, nothing like it. Of course, there are other factors that you need to consider but this one should be in your top 5. 
 
While you are at it, also look at their help portals and support websites. How helpful are the articles there? Are the support queries actually answered, or are they ignored? This would give you a good picture of how it’s going to be for you post-purchase. 
<ol>
	<li value="4">
		It’s A Mobile World. </li>
</ol>
According to KPCB’s 2015 Internet Trends report from earlier this year, there were 5.2 billion mobile phone users in 2014, out of which, 40% were smartphone users. That automatically tells you that majority of that 40% would be using their phones to surf the net. This further explains the need for mobile-friendly websites and mobile apps for online businesses. 
 Even <keyword id="6355629" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Google">Google</keyword> has been stressing on it for a while. Apart from SEO factors that you need to keep in mind, the advantage of going about doing your business on the go should encourage you to opt for a software that not only has a responsive website but also a mobile app. 
 
Mobile internet usage has skyrocketed in the past 4 years and has now officially overtaken desktop internet usage. Keeping that in mind, it would only be wise to opt for software that is futuristic and ‘mobile’. 
<ol>
	<li value="5">
		At What Cost?</li>
</ol>
It all comes down to this –money. No matter what your budget is, I would advise you to take into considerationthe 4 factors mentioned above. All software platforms have different plans for those with a tight budget and those who have much to spend. The other important thing is to scrutinize the software thoroughly before investing. 
 
If you have ever dug deep into the features offered and the pricing details, you would know that not all features offered on the website are included in the plan that you might be going for. Some come with additional costs. In most cases, the plan details would specific this (that ‘x’ feature would be an additional cost) but in some they don’t. That’s what you need to look out for. 
 If you are not clear on the cost standpoint for any feature, just ask them upfront – email them or check with the <keyword id="157727" type="POSITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="sales-rep">sales rep</keyword> you are in contact with, and they would clarify it for you. 
So here are my final thoughts: 
ü Explore the software; 
ü Pay attention to what your fellow users are saying; 
ü Consider your options if you can’t get value out of the software on your own; 
ü Be futuristic; and 
ü Invest only when you have figured out and adapted to the 4 above. J 
 
(The article has been contributed by Nilesh Patel, Founder and CEO LeadSquared) 
 
Image: thinkstock

5 Factors You Need to Consider While Choosing Business Software

<ul><li>Indian markets opened slightly lower as SGX Nifty, an early indicator of the market, was down 0.26%.</li><li>Most global markets including peers <keyword id="35189" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="asian-markets" source="Orion">Asian markets</keyword> gave negative cues ahead of a key Fed rate decision due this week.</li><li>RIL, <keyword id="6354512" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="infosys" source="Orion">Infosys</keyword>, ICICI Bank among stocks to watch out for on July 25.</li></ul>Indian stock markets opened lower as expected following its Asian peers. The shares of RIL which fell by 4% in early morning trade, dragged the indices further further down. The oil to telecom major missed analysts’ expectations in June quarter in spite of a 46% jump in net profit to ₹17,955 crore. Infosys stock was also down by 0.75% in early trade, as it announced its results on Sunday, July 24. <keyword id="6484188" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sensex" source="Orion">Sensex</keyword> lost 450 points in opening trade at 55,656 while <keyword id="66115" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="nifty-50" source="Orion">Nifty 50</keyword> fell by 100 points to 16,607. Among other top losers was Zomato that lost 12% of its value in opening trade as the one year lock-in period of promoters, shareholders, employees and others ended today. Markets were largely expected to remain volatile this week as the Fed is to announce its decision on interest rates and the US will release second quarter gross domestic product data; later in the week. The movement of the falling rupee is also expected to impact the direction of the market. Here are some of the post-market events from Friday that could have a bearing on the stocks today. Reliance Industries Mukesh Ambani-led company RIL reported 46% yearly increase in its net profit thanks to strong performance of its refining segment, while its telecom business Jio reported a modest 5% sequential growth. Infosys The IT major reported a 5.7% sequential decline in its net profit to ₹5,360 crore in the June quarter, as against ₹5,686 crore in the previous quarter largely on account of wage hikes. ICICI Bank The lender posted a growth of 50% in net profit to ₹6,904.94 crore for the quarter ending June compared to ₹4,616.02 crore last year aided by a sharp reduction in provisions. JSW Steel The company reported 86% on year decline in consolidated net profit of ₹838 crore for June quarter while revenue from operations rose by 31.8% on-year to ₹38,086 crore. HDFC The mortgage lender plans to raise up to ₹11,000 crore by issuing bonds on a private placement basis. Kotak Mahindra Bank The private sector lender reported a 26% on year rise in net profit at ₹2,071 crore for April-June as compared to ₹1,642 crore in the year-ago period. Yes Bank The bank reported a 50% increase in net profit at ₹311 crore for June quarter on a fall in provisions for bad loans, and healthy income growth. Vodafone Idea The telecom operator announced that its current chief financial officer Akshay Moondra will replace outgoing chief executive officer Ravinder Takkar next month. Earnings today Tech Mahindra, Axis Bank, Tata Steel, Canara Bank, IIFL Wealth Management, Central Bank Of India, Glaxosmithkline Pharmaceuticals, Jindal Stainless, Aether Industries, among companies to report quarterly results. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/education/news/80-impact-students-going-to-study-abroad-will-feel-the-pinch-but-it-is-worse-for-students-already-there/articleshow/93044954.cms">₹80 impact: Students going to study abroad will feel the pinch, but it is worse for students already there</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/zero-tolerance-for-high-volatility-says-rbi-guv-shaktikanta-das-as-rupee-stays-above-80/articleshow/93049194.cms">Zero tolerance for high volatility, says RBI guv Shaktikanta Das as Rupee stays above 80/$</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/zoho-vivifi-leadsquared-and-many-other-startups-are-looking-new-people-in-different-roles/articleshow/93054022.cms">Zoho, LeadSquared and other startups continue to hire amid industry layoffs</a>

Sensex falls 450 points, Nifty 50 down 100 on weak global cues, disappointing earnings

<ul><li>Overall, <keyword id="982553" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="indian-startups" source="Orion">Indian startups</keyword> have raised $13.3 billion between January and May 2022.</li><li>Some of these big ticket deals of May 2022 were Zepto’s $200 million round, Ather Energy’s $128 million round.</li><li>India has still managed to create more unicorns between January and May 2022 compared to the year before.</li></ul>In the middle of a heatwave in May is when the funding winter kicked off this year. May is the first month of the year when the total funds raised fell below $2 billion, according to a recent report by data analytics and consulting company GlobalData. “The decline in VC funding in May suggests that investors are increasingly becoming cautious in placing bets and startups are also realizing the impact of funding winter. In fact, May also witnessed announcement of very few big-ticket deals above and equal to $100 million,” said Aurojyoti Bose, lead analyst at GlobalData. Some of these big ticket deals included Zepto’s $200 million round, Ather Energy’s $128 million round and Absolute’s $100 million. In terms of unicorns, only one company — neobanking startup Open — saw its value rise over a billion dollars in May. Overall, Indian startups have raised $13.3 billion between January and May 2022. Indian startups are next only to Chinese counterparts in terms of VC funding value among the Asia-Pacific (APAC) countries during the last five months of 2022. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="The funding winter could last for one or two years" comment="subhead" text="The funding winter could last for one or two years">The funding winter could last for one or two years</cmsannotation> Fund flow to Indian startups have been <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/he-slowdown-in-unicorn-creation-may-be-there-for-the-next-two-months-too/articleshow/91116175.cms">slowing down </a>since April due to the after-effects of the Russia-Ukraine war, impending recession and Fed rate interest hikes. This is expected to go on for another 12-18 months, if not 24 months, as per experts. “Given this environment, capital will be scarce in upcoming quarters,” Vamsi Krishna, chief executive officer and co-founder of Vedantu, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/after-unacademy-vedantu-has-laid-off-600-people/articleshow/91643403.cms">said</a> in a blog post. Vedantu, Meesho, Cars24 and MFine have already started firing their employees and cutting down their workforce in an attempt to increase their runway. Unacademy too have started to rethink their business model to include more revenue streams. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Early and growth stage startups will find it tougher to raise funds" comment="subhead" text="Early and growth stage startups will find it tougher to raise funds">Early and growth stage startups will find it tougher to raise funds</cmsannotation> Even though the Indian startup valuations have taken a hit in April, 2022 has created more unicorns in the first five months of 2022 as compared to the entire year before. According to a recent report by market intelligence provider Tracxn, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/india-created-14-unicorns-in-the-first-half-of-2022-before-funding-slowdown-hit-them/articleshow/91955385.cms">14 Indian companies turned unicorns </a>— valued at over a billion dollars — in 2022. Last year, the number was at 13 during the same time frame. But it is also important to note that only one startup entered the unicorn club in April and May. The pace came back however as PhysicsWallah, Purplle and Leadsquared turned unicorns in June. But stakeholders claim that the funds will flow slowly for the near-term. We Founder Circle’s cofounder Gaurav Singhvi <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/tough-times-will-make-startups-go-for-hero-teams-slash-ad-budgets-and-focus-on-profits/articleshow/92270583.cms">told </a>Business Insider India that the investors will have limited capital to invest in startups, which will make them even more selective about the companies they want to invest in. The biggest impact of this limited funding would be faced by early and growth stage startups, instead of well-established companies. SEE ALSO <a class="tout-title-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/rejected-i-banks-manufacturers-for-not-having-enough-women-on-board-says-mamaearth-founder/articleshow/92429742.cms">Rejected i-banks, manufacturers for not having enough women on board says Mamaearth founder</a> <a class="tout-title-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/indias-crypto-players-bullish-on-hiring-say-crash-is-just-a-phase/articleshow/92425464.cms">India’s crypto players bullish on hiring; say crash is just a phase</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/google-has-termed-slice-as-a-harmful-app-recommending-users-to-uninstall-it/articleshow/92429265.cms">Slice payments app spies on photos, audio records and call history, says Google</a>

May is the first month of 2022 when startups raised less than $2 billion

Incomes of all kinds are taxable. While a few financially sound people understand the tax calculation on income from salary, rents and businesses, taxes on <keyword id="6357440" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="stock-market" source="Orion">stock market</keyword> income calculation is a tad more complicated. Here are a few steps to understand taxes on <keyword id="14528053" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="stock-market-earnings" source="Orion">stock market earnings</keyword>: Types of stock market earnings In the first place, you need to know that the income generated through purchasing or selling shares is covered under the category of Capital Gains. The two heads under ‘Capital Gains’ are ‘Long Term Capital Gains’ and ‘Short Term Capital Gains’. Depending on their holding period, shares are classified either as long term or short term. Here the holding period refers to the duration for which the investment is held from the date of acquisition to the date or transfer or sale. The holding periods of shares and securities differ between different types of capital assets. For the purpose of calculating the <keyword id="6354751" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="income-tax" source="Orion">income tax</keyword>, the holding period is defined differently for equity mutual funds and debt mutual funds. The taxability also differs in these cases. How equity share gains are taxed Short-Term Capital Gains (STCG) On a given stock exchange, if the equity shares are sold within 12 months from the date of purchase, the seller is said to make either short term capital gains (STCG) or incur short term capital losses (STCL). Short term capital gain results when the selling price of shares is higher than the purchase price. Short term capital gain calculation: Sale price of the share minus (Purchase price of the share + expenses on sale) Short-term capital gains are taxed at 15% irrespective of which tax slab you belong to. Long-Term Capital Gains (LTCG) On a given stock exchange, if the equity shares are sold after 12 months of purchase, the seller is said to make either long term capital gain (LTCG) or incur a long term capital loss (LTCL). Long term capital gain results when the selling price of shares is higher than the purchase price. If a seller makes a long term capital gain of over 1 lakh on selling equity shares or equity oriented mutual fund units, the gains made will be taxed @10% plus whatever cess is applicable. The seller will not have the benefit of indexation. Short-Term Capital Loss (STCL) If there are any short term capital losses from equity share sales, it can be offset against short term capital gains or long term capital gains ensuing from any capital asset. When not set off in entirety, the loss can also be carried forward for eight years and adjusted against short term or long term capital gains made over this eight year period. It is possible to carry forward the losses only IF the taxpayer files the IT returns within the due date. Hence even if the income made in a year is lesser than the taxable income, filing |IT returns are mandatory for availing the provision of carrying forward the losses. Long-Term Capital Loss (LTCL) Any long term capital losses incurred from transfers can be off-set and carried forward. Hence it is possible to off-set the long term capital losses against any other long term capital gains. However, it is not possible to off-set long term capital losses against short term capital gains. If there are any long term capital losses that are unabsorbed, it is possible to carry them forward to the next eight years and can be set off against long term capital gains. To be able to avail of this provision, a person has to file IT returns within the due date. Securities Transaction Tax (STT) STT is applied on the equity shares sold or purchased. These tax implications apply only to the equity shares sold or bought on a stock exchange. All sales and purchases on a stick exchange will invite STT. / Business income Vs Capital Gains Income If you want to treat the income from the sale of shares as business income, the profits you made will be added to the total income generated in a given financial year. Such income is taxed according to your tax slab. If you want to treat income from sale of shares as capital gains, long term capital gains from equity above 1 lakh per year is taxable. On the other hand, short term gains are taxed at 15%. If the taxation rules allow treating the income from sale of shares as a business income is a big question. A lot of uncertainty hovers over this question since taxpayers have received notices from the income tax department seeking explanations on why they chose to treat the income from sale of shares as a business income. Options in front of taxpayers Taxpayers now have the option either to treat the income from sale of shares as a business income or income from capital gains. However, once they make their choice, the same method must continue for subsequent years too unless there is a significant change in the situations of selling shares. This choice is available only to the shares or securities listed. CDBT circular says that the taxpayers can choose to treat the income from selling shares as business income by treating their listed shares as stock-in-trade, irrespective of how long the shares are held. If the taxpayer chooses to treat the income from the sale of shares as capital gains, it is possible to do it in case of shares held for over 12 months. Nevertheless, if the taxpayer makes this choice, the same stand will have to continue for the subsequent years too and changing the stand will not be permitted. In any of the cases discussed above, whether to consider the income from selling shares as business income or capital gains income depends on the concept of significant trading activity and the taxpayers intention to hold the shares either as ‘stock’ or ‘investment’. Sale of Unlisted Shares In case of selling unlisted shares, the sale does not take place in any formal market. Therefore, the Income Tax Department has clarified that the income generated from the sale or transfer of unlisted shares will be taxed as ‘Capital Gains’ irrespective of the holding period. This rule is put in place in order to ensure a uniform approach. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/zoho-vivifi-leadsquared-and-many-other-startups-are-looking-new-people-in-different-roles/articleshow/93054022.cms">Zoho, LeadSquared and other startups continue to hire amid industry layoffs</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/niti-aayog-launches-new-app-to-help-with-ev-benefits-savings/articleshow/93054107.cms">Niti Aayog launches new app to help with EV benefits, savings</a>

How to calculate income tax on stock market earnings

New Indian unicorns get rarer in 2022 as funding winter sets in

<ul><li>The <keyword id="6354312" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ipl" source="Orion">IPL</keyword> digital rights are also going to have a positive impact on Reliance’s telecom offering and content ecosystem.</li><li>Reliance acquired the digital rights of IPL for ₹23,800 crore, which is ₹200 crore more than what Star Sports India paid for the exclusive TV rights.</li><li>The sports sector in India — comprising media rights, apparel and more — could grow fivefold to <a href="https://www.livemint.com/companies/news/sports-business-set-to-touch-100-billion-in-5-years-report/amp-11655820426321.html">$100 billion </a>in the next five years.</li></ul><keyword id="6355199" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="reliance-industries" source="Orion">Reliance Industries</keyword> Limited recently paid a hefty premium to acquire the digital rights for the Indian Premier League (IPL), the biggest Twenty20 cricket tournament in India, for its subsidiary Viacom18. While many may assume that the move is linked to <keyword id="3820" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="mukesh-ambani" source="Orion">Mukesh Ambani</keyword>’s ambition of making its OTT platform Voot a relentless competitor to other major players like Disney+ Hotstar, there is definitely more to this deal than meets the eye. According to research firms Bank of America (BofA) and CLSA, the IPL digital rights may also have a positive impact on Asia’s richest man Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance’s telecom offering and its content ecosystem, along with the OTT offering. “If marketed properly, we think Jio has the potential to poach users from telco competitors to watch the content. Apart from IPL, we think RIL is also looking at movie content as ‘Cricket+ Bollywood’ combo would aid better monetization,” the bofA added. However, there are arguments that while IPL rights add the potential to increase the number of active users, there's little to know of its impact on the overall revenue. Asia’s richest man Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance acquired the digital rights of IPL for ₹23,800 crore ($3.04 billion), which is ₹200 crore more than what Disney-owned Star Sports India paid for the exclusive TV rights. <div type="image" title="the ipl digital rights is helping mukesh ambani&amp;#39;s reliance in more than one way" msid="92389475" hostid="261" sizebytes="44329"></div> Disney-Star held the contract for both digital and television rights in 2018. However, <keyword id="2693987" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ipl-media-rights" source="Orion">IPL media rights</keyword> are for 410 matches over 2023-27 versus 300 in the previous five years when Disney-Star held the mandate. The sports sector in India — comprising media rights, apparel and more — could grow fivefold to <a href="https://www.livemint.com/companies/news/sports-business-set-to-touch-100-billion-in-5-years-report/amp-11655820426321.html">$100 billion </a>in the next five years. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Viacom18’s Voot sits at the center of it all" comment="subhead" text="Viacom18’s Voot sits at the center of it all">Viacom18’s Voot sits at the center of it all</cmsannotation> Viacom18’s video streaming service Voot is currently among the small players in the Indian OTT ecosystem at the moment, with a mere 2% of the market share. While the IPL rights might not be enough to dethrone the industry leaders player like Disney+ Hotstar from its 26% market share, it is enough to cause a significant dent in its numbers from IPL for the next five years. Hotstar, even before being acquired by Disney in 2019, attracted most of its audience through cricket match streaming services. Disney+Hotstar — available in India and Indonesia — reported revenue of ₹1,721 crore in the fiscal year 2021, with cricket accounting for 80% of that as <a href="https://www.businesstoday.in/latest/corporate/story/ipl-media-rights-viacom18s-win-means-disneys-hotstar-now-needs-to-chart-a-new-growth-path-337667-2022-06-15#:~:text=For%20FY21%2C%20it%20had%20revenues,of%20the%20total%20cricketing%20revenue.">per former Hotstar executives</a>. This year, the company added four million subscribers in the January to March quarter thanks to Disney Star’s association with IPL. “Viacom 18’s OTT VOOT has been lagging, and the IPL digital rights loss will be a significant hit to Disney Hotstar,” CLSA said. <div type="image" title="Winning IPL digital rights is helping Asia’s richest man in more than one way" msid="92389511" hostid="261" sizebytes="123806"></div> Now with media rights coming to Viacom18, Reliance could actually make an attempt to bump up its revenue through ads or a subscription model. The potential of ads does increase as impulsive purchases of commerce and food usually go up during the IPL season and they are expected to go even higher in the near future. "Ad rates will be about 10% upwards on TV and digital will be around 30% higher," said Karan Taurani, senior vice-president, Elara Capital. Notably, IPL advertising revenues jumped nearly three-fold in the past five years to ₹4,000 crore and form 50% of total ad spending on sports in India, as per CLSA. Besides this, Jio Platforms could monetize their IPL digital rights by charging an annual subscription fee of ₹20-80 from its customers who want to watch the cricket league without any disruption, BofA noted. Disney+Hotstar is known to have followed a similar model in the past. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Even JioFibre, Jio telecom and other Jio Platforms are expected to gain from it" comment="subhead" text="Even JioFibre, Jio telecom and other Jio Platforms are expected to gain from it">Even JioFibre, Jio telecom and other Jio Platforms are expected to gain from it</cmsannotation> RIL’s digital venture Jio Platforms owns multiple consumer platforms including TV streaming app JioTV and video-on-demand JioCinema to name a few, which simply has the potential to diversify the content even further and therefore power the monetisation engine as well. It’s the vast portfolio of services and apps offered by Jio Platforms that analysts expect Jio telecom’s subscriber base to pick up. Notably, the mobile arm of Jio would act as an exclusive digital distributor for the IPL rights. Broadband services JioFiber — which also allows users to stream content — also falls under this mix and gives the company an opportunity to step into the TV screens in an instant. BofA believes that Jio’s improving fixed broadband rollout in coming years could further improve the monetization beyond mobile screens to smart TV audiences, where the average revenue per user (ARPU) is higher than mobile phone services. CLSA believes that the Viacom18’s digital rights win could boost Reliance Jio Platforms’ content pool significantly, and digital rights exclusivity could boost Reliance Jio data subscribers. Reliance Jio has <a href="https://www.trai.gov.in/sites/default/files/PR_No.40of2022_0.pdf">over 35% of India’s mobile users</a> and was the biggest telecom service, as of April 2022. “We value Jio telecom entity (₹826) at ₹5.6 lakh crore and the ad and commerce potential for Jio digital opportunity (₹160) at ₹1.08 lakh crore (at 2-year fwd avg P/S multiple for peers),” BofA concluded. SEE ALSO <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/leadsquared-is-the-sixth-indian-saas-unicorn-of-2022/articleshow/92360030.cms">LeadSquared is the sixth Indian SaaS unicorn of 2022</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/digital-payments-are-on-track-to-cross-the-200-billion-mark-but-fintechs-are-yet-to-earn-from-them/articleshow/92358010.cms">Digital payments are on track to cross the 200 billion mark, but fintechs are yet to ‘earn’ from them</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/8-in-10-indians-want-28-of-higher-gst-on-casinos-online-games-and-horse-races/articleshow/92275659.cms">8 in 10 Indians want 28% or higher GST on casinos, online games and horse races</a>

Winning IPL digital rights is helping Asia’s richest man in more than one way

<keyword id="2856483" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Peggy-Olson">Peggy Olson</keyword> is perhaps a lot of things. <keyword id="2955527" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Donald-Draper">Donald Draper</keyword>’s protégé, sometimes the only voice of sanity in the total chaos of misogynistic gibberish, more focused than every single one of her better paid colleagues and a raiser of bars when it comes to brilliant copywriting. 

	But there is one word that sums up all that she is – a total badass. 
 

	Jon Hamm has also said in his interviews, “Mad Men is as much about Peggy’s rise, as it is about Don’s decline. It’s no mistake that the show started on Peggy’s first day at Sterling Cooper.”
 Yes, she’s fictional. But, every <keyword id="53743" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Professional">professional</keyword> has something to learn of Peggy – be it her grit, her refusal to do or accept any half-assed work, or her evolution – both professional and personal. 

	She grew from a demure, unsure secretary to the uncompromising Copy Chief at Sterling, Cooper and Partners, with even Don on her team eventually.
 Here are a few incidents of Peggy being, well, Peggy on <keyword id="49837" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="Mad-Men">Mad Men</keyword>, and lessons that all marketing, or other professionals can learn from her. 

	1. Have an opinion, and don’t be afraid to voice it
 

	“I don’t think anyone wants to be one of a hundred colors in a box.”
 

	This is the first time in Mad Men when Peggy, or any woman, for that matter, is taken seriously in Mad Men.
 

	It opens with the usual sexist overture – “I don’t speak moron - Do any of you speak moron,” before herding all of Sterling Cooper’s female population into a room to try on Belle Jolie lipsticks, for a focus group research. 
 Peggy stands out as she hands <keyword id="2955528" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Freddie-Rumsen">Freddie Rumsen</keyword> a basket with all the tissues that the women trying on the shades used, calling it “A basket of kisses,” unknowingly paving her way into copywriting. 

	She stands out because she speaks her mind, in stark contrast to all her other female colleagues. She observes, forms an opinion, and voices it, even when she’s expected not to.
 

	It’s all right to go along with the popular opinion, but if you have an individual opinion, even an unpopular one, don’t be afraid to voice it. 
 

	Here’s another instance when Peggy did just that. This was during the Heinz Beans pitch.
 

	“You have to run with this; it’s young and it’s beautiful, and no one else is gonna figure out how to say that about beans.”
 

	Voicing her opinion this time did not work in her favor; but, that never stopped Peggy from doing it again.
 

	2. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you deserve
 

	She rises in her career exponentially despite the prevalent sexism that didn’t seem to care for the professional capability of women. 
 

	“I need my own office. It’s hard to do business, and be credible when you are sharing with a Xerox machine.”
 This is just after she’s successfully brought in the Popsicle account single handedly. She knows that she has done good work, and she deserves as much as every other copywriter at the agency, if not more. So, she asks <keyword id="592216" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Roger-Sterling">Roger Sterling</keyword> for an office, and gets it. 

	When you know you are doing justice to your work, don’t be afraid to ask for everything that’s your right. 
 

	There’s no better morale booster than getting what you deserve. 
 

	3. “If you don’t like what’s being said, change the conversation”
 

	In addition to showing Peggy’s now superbly grown confidence, this scene also holds some great professional and marketing advice.
 

	The iconic line is originally Don’s, but without a doubt, Peggy’s confidence in delivering it during the Heinz Ketchup pitch left him impressed as well. It was clear early on that she was taking after her mentor in leaving the clients amazed during presentations. 
 

	Peggy rose to the level she did by changing the conversation through action. When her colleagues underestimated her, she changed the conversation by proving she was better than them. The same advice is what I can give to any professional. Don’t be bogged down by others’ opinions of you; just take action to change that conversation.
 

	4. Take Initiative
 

	When SCDP was all set to go down under, it was Peggy who took the initiative to get the Topaz account. She found out about the opportunity, set a meeting, prepared the pitch, gave the presentation, and got the account home; that too when everyone else was on a holiday – all on her own (okay, with a little help from Ken Cosgrove). 
 

	You take these initiatives generally when you care about your company and work, and want to get somewhere with it. And, believe me these things never go unrecognized, especially in a startup setting, when everyone is on the same team, with the same objective – to help the company grow.
 

	5. Ideas are great, but execution is paramount
 

	“If you can’t tell the difference between which part’s the idea, and which part’s the execution of the idea, you’re of no use to me.”
 

	While working for Koss headphones account (at Cutler Gleason and Chaough), Peggy has asked her team to come up with three different ideas. However, they come up with the three pitches around the same core concept, prompting Peggy to say these words.
 

	While the words are spoken in a different context, it holds true when it comes to the actual execution of the ideas as well. It’s great if you come up with a new idea to advance the business every day, but more important than that is executing these ideas to get some real results. Execution is how your contribution would be measured.
 

	6. Be clear of your goals
 

	“I want to be the first woman creative director of the company.”
 

	Everyone has different expectations off Peggy. But, she doesn’t let that stop her. Never for once did she try to fit into the bracket society defined for women back then. She doesn’t let her family, her coworkers, or even her mentor and boss come in the way of what she wants for herself. 
 

	She wants to be successful at her career, and willing to work for it, and that’s what every marketing professional needs, not just for himself, but also for the advancement of the company.
 

	These are only a few instances of many when Peggy Olson proved that of all the Mad Men she’s the real hero every professional, marketing or otherwise, should try and emulate. 

	 
	 
	(The author is Nilesh Patel, Founder and CEO of LeadSquared) 
	 
	(Image credits: madmen.wikia)

6 Things all Professionals can learn from Mad Men’s Peggy Olson

“Less is more.” That’s what Hemingway taught us.A6-word story often attributed to him would tell you how deeply this shines through his writings. 
 
“For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” 
 In <keyword id="6354839" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="marketing">marketing</keyword>, Seth Godin takes “Less is more” to a whole new level. Seth Godin says it in lesser words, with more clarity than any other marketer would say in articles 10 times longer. 
 
But this post isn’t about the conciseness of his or Papa Hem’s writing. It’s about the complex marketing ideas Seth has been able to express so clearly. Let’s look at a few excerpts from <a href="http://sethgodin.typepad.com/">his blogs</a> that would compel you to do things differently than you have been doing so far. 
 
1. Be a problem solver, not a sales person 
“It's a blend of two things. "I'd really like to help you," and, "If this isn't for you, that's okay, there are others it might be a better match for." 
Generosity, not arrogance.Problem-solving, not desperation.Helpfulness, not selfishness.” 
 
The definition of sales has shifted. It’s not about the volume of sales that you make, but about the quality of it. Your product should exactly address the problem of the customer; otherwise eventually that customer would slip. 
 
Seth has often said that he doesn’t want new readers for his writing; he just wants to make his writing relevant for his readers. That’s how he is seemingly effortlessly able to write post after post and book after book for his true readers. 
 
The best quality in your salesperson would be the ability to identify the product-customer fit, and then make the sale.Persuasiveness is not the only quality good enough now. 
 
2. Value simple &amp; significantbefore complex 
“I intentionally abandoned the hard stuff early on because not only do I think it's useless, I think it's a distraction.” 
 
Fix the seemingly simple things first. Maybe you haven’t identified who you want to sell to yet. Identify that. 
 
You might have an existing system that needs simple fixes to be functional again. Maybe you need to move on from a dated system <a href="http://www.leadsquared.com/">to a new one</a> for it to work. Try to find the simple loopholes and fix them, before you start implementing all the new things that media is talking about. 
 
If you keep on setting up new methods of lead generation, instead of first fixing how your existing and future leads would be organized, you would eventually just add to the disorganization. 
 
3. Permission Marketing, not Interruption Marketing 
“Permission marketing is the privilege (not the right) of delivering anticipated, personal and relevant messages to people who actually want to get them.” 
 
Never cross the lines you were not given permission to cross. Use opt-ins. 
 
To get a willing opt-in, offer them things of value. Allow them to download e-books, attend webinars etc. and then you would have the right context to start a conversation. 
 
And the conversation that you start has to be really relevant to your recipients. Know what it is that they want, and serve just that. 
 
Even if you are trying to make a cold-reach attempt, tell the recipients why you are in their inbox. Research them before you reach out, and try solving their problemswhen you are allowed in. That’s how you would catch their attention. 
 
4. Listen to your customers, instead of popular opinions 
“The media wants overnight successes (so they have someone to tear down). Ignore them. Ignore the early adopter critics that never have enough to play with. Listen instead to your real customers, to your vision and make something for the long haul. Because that's how long it's going to take, guys.” 
 
Seemingly overnight successes also need years of hard-work in shadows. In Seth’s own words, about the supposed overnight success of his most recent book – “I am an overnight success with this book, and it only took me 20 years to do that.” (Source: <a href="http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/book-marketing-with-seth-godin/">SocialMediaExaminer</a>) 
 
Instead of listening to everyone who has something to say (and everyone has something to say), try listening to people who would actually pay for your product - your customers.Eventually, you would be able to build a great value fit for them. 
 
5. Be a part of a Community, instead of Running Solo 
“Human beings can't help it: we need to belong. One of the most powerful of our survival mechanisms is to be part of a tribe, to contribute to (and take from) a group of like-minded people.” 
 
Invest in gaining a community of loyal subscribers, who are interested in what you have to say. After all, people who would go ahead and buy what you sell are the ones who like what you have to offer in the first place. 
 
These community members would also become the distributors of your ideas. They can be anywhere – your newsletter subscribers, your social followers and so on. 
 
6. Measure your efforts, instead of doing things blindfolded 
“What could you measure? What would that cost? How fast could you get the results? If you can afford it, try it. If you measure it, it will improve.” 
 
<a href="http://www.leadsquared.com/analytics/">Measure</a> all your marketing efforts, if you want to arrive at any concrete result. For all the dollars you invested in those adword campaigns, don’t be satisfied by the numbers Google serves you. Right measurements don’t come that easy. 
 
Dig deeper. Yes, you want to know how much traction you received; but more than that you want to know how much of that traffic, how many of those leads actually translated into customers. Pretty soon, you would find out that the number is lower than you expected. This is the first step in changing the way you run your campaigns. 
 
So, these words of wisdom from Seth Godin’s posts can help you mend your ways in marketing. To summarize, it all boils down to these 6 things: 
 
a) Identify your exact audience, and sell to them, instead of force feeding your offer to everyone. 
b) Fix the simple things first. 
c) Take permission for your marketing, and respect that permission by being relevant. 
d) Listen to your customers before anyone else. 
e) Build a community of like-minded individuals. 
f) Measure everything you do. 
For more marketing &amp; life advice from Seth, you should check out <a href="http://sethgodin.typepad.com/">his blog</a>. 
 
BY: 
NILESH PATEL 
Founder And CEO 
LeadSquared 
 
(Image credit: Indiatimes)

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