<ul><li><keyword id="2321999" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="outplay">Outplay</keyword> provides a sales engagement platform that offers sales outreach, dialer, email open tracking and more.</li><li>The company had raised seed funding of $2 million from Sequoia Capital India’s accelerator programme <keyword id="6426108" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Surge">Surge</keyword>. </li><li>It claims to have noted about four times growth in its revenue since early this year, with a customer base spread across 50 countries.</li></ul>Sequoia Capital India has invested $7.3 million in Outplay, a multi-channel sales engagement platform. The company intends to use this Series A capital to invest in technology and hiring exceptional talent across the globe.<br /><br />Outplay was founded by Laxman Papineni and Ram Papineni in 2019. The company provides a sales engagement platform that offers sales outreach, dialer, email open tracking, email click tracking, and many more features for sales teams. <br /><br />The company allows sales managers to create sales playbooks to coach their team members and help them achieve their sales targets. The platform claims that its combination of automation and personalisation helps teams start genuine conversations. It enables the sales team to stay on task by using multiple channels, using a single interface.<br /><br />“Outbound sales teams are truly the dark horse of the sales organisation — the targets are high, but the methods aren’t scientific. Outplay is committed to making outbound outreach data-driven, so that sales teams are talking only to the warmest prospects at any given point across multiple channels, optimising time and resources,” said Outplay’s chief executive Papineni.<br /><br />The two-year-old startup had raised $2 million from Sequoia Capital India’s accelerator programme Surge, which hosted 23 companies including <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/a-startup-which-helps-you-become-a-makeup-artist-vah-vah-raises-seed-funding-from-sequoias-surge/articleshow/84378187.cms">Vah Vah</a> that raised $1.85 million earlier this month. Sequoia has invested about $55 million in this cohort, along with several co-investors. The cohort also includes 13 companies working in domains of fintech, payments, communications, logistics and Software as a Service (SaaS).<br /><br />“Outbound sales needs are evolving rapidly and reps [representatives] now need personalised, automated and contextual tools to drive sales, which Outplay is successfully enabling. Sales reps spend an average of four hours per day on Outplay, demonstrating the effectiveness of the product which has category-leading customer reviews. Additionally, rapid digitisation due to COVID has been a significant accelerant for the business…,” Harshjit Sethi, Principal at <keyword id="563136" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sequoia-India">Sequoia India</keyword> said.<br /><br />Outplay claims that its revenue has grown over 4 times in revenue and the team has grown three times since its last round of funding earlier this year. Besides this, it now has customers across 50 countries.<br /><strong><br />SEE ALSO</strong><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/byjus-acquires-us-based-epic-plans-to-invest-1-billion-in-the-north-american-market/articleshow/84612303.cms">BYJU's acquires another American startup, plans to spend $1 billion on US expansion</a><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/policybazaar-plans-to-raise-close-to-870-million-through-its-ipo-at-a-likely-valuation-of-3-5-billion/articleshow/84606274.cms">PolicyBazaar plans to raise close to $870 million through its IPO at a likely valuation of $3.5 billion</a><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/swiggy-raises-1-25-billion-in-a-mega-round-of-funding-led-by-softbank-and-prosus/articleshow/84578974.cms">Swiggy gets a $1.25 billion cheque from Softbank for the same reason Zomato went for an IPO</a><br /><br /><br />

Sequoia Capital India invests $7.3 million in sales engagement platform Outplay

<br /><br /><ul class="summary-list"><li>The World Health Assembly began on Monday, with dozens of countries looking to hold <keyword id="1334" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="China">China</keyword> accountable over the <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> outbreak.</li><li>It would likely have embarrassed China on the world stage, casting its response in an unflattering light.</li><li>But China ended up sidestepping that. President <keyword id="191809" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Xi-Jinping">Xi Jinping</keyword> deftly embraced a watered-down investigation likely to spare China any humiliation.</li><li>He also made a high-profile pledge of $2 billion to the WHO, plus more aid to countries in need.</li><li>At the same time, President <keyword id="6354484" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Donald-Trump">Donald Trump</keyword> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-rejected-invitation-to-address-who-while-china-xi-accepted-2020-5">refused to speak at the assembly</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-says-us-will-reconsider-world-health-organization-membership-2020-5">threatened to withdraw totally</a>. US funding for the WHO is already on hold.</li><li>China moved nimbly on the world stage, and made a show of generosity, while the US appeared small-minded and reluctant to lead.</li></ul>China was meant to face a reckoning this week over its early coronavirus response, outnumbered in public by dozens of angry nations at the World Health Assembly. Instead, it ended up outplaying the world.<br /><br />At Monday's <a href="https://www.who.int/about/governance/world-health-assembly/seventy-third-world-health-assembly">virtual</a> World Health Assembly, countries were meant to vote on a draft motion, proposed by Australia, which would begin an investigation into the source of the novel coronavirus and China's role in the outbreak.<br /><br />It would have cast an unflattering light on China's early inaction, and its suppression of information, which cost valuable days of preparation.<br /><br />But that motion didn't even make it to the table.<br /><br />Instead, the assembly was presented with a <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6893255-WHO-Draft-Resolution.html">watered-down draft</a> from the European Union, which calls for a review on "lessons learned" with few specifics.<br /><br />In other words, the new version does not call for an investigation into the origins of the virus in China. At no point does it mention by name China, or Wuhan, where the first cases were found.<br /><br />  <div type="image" title="wuhan wet market" height="1000" width="2000" msid="75830260" hostid="261"></div><br /><br />Around <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/120-nations-support-un-investigating-coronavirus-origin-china-angry-2020-5">122 WHO member states have now backed the draft</a>.<br /><br />As it became clear the motion was going to pass, China reversed its earlier opposition and instead embraced it. The WHO is expected to pass the motion on Tuesday, especially since it now has China's backing.<br /><br />President Xi Jinping on Monday also gave a <a href="https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1188716.shtml">surprisingly conciliatory speech to the assembly, in which</a>:<br /><br /><ul><li><strong>Xi backed an investigation into the virus — but only when the pandemic is over.</strong></li></ul>"China supports the idea of a comprehensive review of the global response to COVID-19," Xi said, "<strong>after it is brought under control</strong> to sum up experience and address deficiencies" (emphasis ours).<br /><br />Dozens of nations around the world are still in the midst of their outbreaks, which means this criterion is unlikely to be met any time soon, especially with <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/coronavirus-vaccine">no vaccine</a>. Many countries that eased restrictions, including Germany and China itself, had to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/countries-imposed-lockdown-again-after-coronavirus-case-spike-2020-5">partially reimpose them when new cases resurfaced</a>.<br /><br /><ul><li><strong>He worded his pledge in such a way that countries will struggle to hold China to account.</strong></li></ul>A WHO investigation into COVID-19's origins "should be based on <keyword id="41551" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="science">science</keyword> and professionalism, led by WHO and conducted in an objective and impartial manner," Xi said on Monday.<br /><br />The omission of the word "independent" is telling, as <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/05/19/asia/xi-jinping-china-who-coronavirus-investigation-intl-hnk/index.html">CNN's James Griffiths noted</a>.<br /><br />  <div type="image" title="wuhan china testing coronavirus" height="1000" width="2000" msid="75830263" hostid="261"></div><br /><br />Carrying out independent investigations in China is notoriously difficult, especially if it could embarrass the ruling Communist Party.<br /><br />When international bodies demanded access to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-uighurs-leaked-govt-cables-cant-deny-2019-11">Xinjiang</a>, home to the beleaguered Uighur Muslims, China gave heavily <a href="https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-china-xinjiang-usa/u-s-official-denounces-choreographed-visits-to-chinas-xinjiang-idUKKCN1R503T">choreographed and chaperoned tours</a> and forbade researchers and journalists from investigating independently.<br /><br />If this is a glimpse into how a coronavirus investigation will look like, the world will struggle to hold China to account.<br /><br /><ul><li><strong>Xi announced an additional $2 billion in funding to the WHO, with a focus on developing countries.</strong></li></ul>The extra $2 billion almost matches the WHO's entire annual program budget for 2019, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-who/us-savages-who-as-it-promises-pandemic-review-but-china-pledges-2-billion-idUSKBN22U111">Reuters reported</a>. It now means that China is the WHO's largest financial contributor.<br /><br />The top contributor used to be the US. But President Donald Trump withdrew $400 million in US funding earlier this year to protest what he called the WHO leadership's "China-centric" nature.<br /><br />  <div type="image" title="WHO China" height="1000" width="2000" msid="75830270" hostid="261"></div><br /><br />On Monday, White House National Security Council spokesman John Ullyot called the $2 billion injection "a token to distract from calls from a growing number of nations demanding accountability for the Chinese government's failure to ... warn the world of what was coming."<br /><br />Throughout the pandemic, the WHO has praised China's response to its outbreak — despite widespread reports of a cover-up — and repeatedly rejected accusations that it is too close to China.<br /><br /><ul><li><strong>He pledged to help African nations better their healthcare systems, and promised that </strong><strong>any Chinese vaccine development "will be made a global public good."</strong></li></ul>Xi's pledge came as the US reportedly plans to <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/1a25aeb9-f645-434f-b3e1-4ab62cf5ebed">publicly disassociate itself from a WHO resolution to let poor countries</a> bypass patents to access coronavirus vaccines or therapies.<br /><br />Even early reports of such a move invited accusations that the US cares more for its pharmaceuticals industry than for impoverished COVID-19 sufferers.<br /><br />It follows a public spat after French drug-maker <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-vaccine-sanofi-scraps-us-priority-france-outrage-macron-2020-5">Sanofi reversed a pledge to give the US priority access</a> after pressure from the French government.<br /><br />China, meanwhile, has in recent weeks been crafting an image for itself as a global benefactor in the virus fight, rather than the country where the virus originated.<br /><br />It has sent medical supplies around the world, and pledged Monday to start an exchange with 30 hospitals in Africa, and help accelerate the construction of the Africa CDC headquarters.<br /><br />Experts have <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/analysis-china-coronavirus-political-points-mostly-not-working-2020-4">overwhelmingly dismissed these acts as a propaganda stunt</a>, but it is undeniable that China is making a play for global leadership when few other nations seem willing.<br /><br />  <div type="image" title="President Donald Trump tells reporters that he is taking zinc and hydroxychloroquine during a meeting with restaurant industry executives about the coronavirus response, in the State Dining Room of the White House, Monday, May 18, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)" height="1391" width="2782" msid="75830273" hostid="261"></div><br /><br /><h2>Trump made it easier for China to claim victory</h2>As China made grand pledges at the World Health Assembly, Trump went on the offensive.<br /><br />He rejected an invitation to speak at the assembly, sending instead Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, who went on to blame the WHO for failing to warn the world about COVID-19 in its early days.<br /><br />"In an apparent attempt to conceal this outbreak, at least one member state made a mockery of their transparency obligations, with tremendous costs for the entire world," <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/about/leadership/secretary/speeches/2020-speeches/secretary-azar-plenary-remarks-at-world-health-assembly.html">he said</a>, in a clear reference to China.<br /><br />As <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-rejected-invitation-to-address-who-while-china-xi-accepted-2020-5">Business Insider's John Haltiwanger has noted</a>, the fact that Trump declined to speak at the assembly — while Xi did — also shows that the US is pulling away from its responsibilities on the world stage.<br /><br />  <div type="image" title="donald trump alex azar" height="1000" width="2000" msid="75830280" hostid="261"></div><br /><br />Hours later, Trump tweeted a <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1262577580718395393">furious, four-page letter</a> he had sent WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in which he threatened to make the "temporary freeze of United States funding to the <keyword id="43588" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="World-Health-Organization">World Health Organization</keyword> permanent and reconsider our membership in the organization."<br /><br />In the letter, Trump also accused the WHO of favoring China, and censured it for not praising his own response to the US outbreak.<br /><br />China <a href="https://twitter.com/Rover829/status/1262682798806065153">said</a> this was an attempt to smear China and shift focus away from Trump's own mishandling of the US crisis.<br /><br />The contrast was clear. China was given an opportunity to — however cynically — present itself as a calm, peaceful leader. Meanwhile, the US appeared petty and reluctant to engage.<br /><br />It is not hard to see China angling to fill the power vacuum Trump is leaving at the WHO, which could help it walk away relatively unscathed from the pandemic that began inside its borders.<br /><br />Read the original article on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-who-outplayed-coronavirus-response-reckoning-2020-5">Business Insider</a>

China outplayed the world on the day it was meant to face a reckoning over its coronavirus response

<ul><li>Studio Sirah plans on developing games that feature Indian mythological and historical content.</li><li>Its first title is ‘Kurukshetra: Ascension’, a card battler game.</li><li>The startup plans on bringing more such games with Indian content to the global audience.</li></ul>Bengaluru-based Studio Sirah plans to bring the Indian mythological world into gaming with its first title ‘Kurukshetra: Ascension’, a card battling game. To develop its first title, Studio Sirah raised $830,000 in a round of funding led by Lumikai, an Indian gaming-focused venture capital fund. The startup also plans on releasing more titles in the future that will be inspired by Indian mythologies and history. <br /><br />Studio Sirah was founded by two brothers, Prateek Shah and Abhaas Shah who grew up playing games such as Contra, Age of Empires, Civilization, and Hearthstone. The gaming studio was founded with an aim to bring games that feature Indian content for not just the Indian audience but the global community as well. Studio Sirah will focus on developing mid-core games which are games that have a hardcore theme but can be played in a short time.<br /><br />“We didn’t see any good Indian content that we would like to play as gamers. There are a lot of hypercasual and casual games, but these are not the games that appeal to us,” Abhaas Shah was quoted as saying by VentureBeat.<br /><br />Abhaas also highlighted how the Indian mythologies are still very popular in the country through TV shows. With its games, Studio Sirah hopes to bring a modernised version of these stories to gamers globally.<br /><br /><strong>The game</strong><br /><br />Kurukshetra: Ascension will be the first title from Studio Sirah, and it will be a card battler based on the epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. In these kinds of games, the central theme is card battling. “Earn hundreds of unique cards and outplay your opponents in thrilling online duels. Battle mythical monsters and ancient gods in a legendary campaign of ascension where your decisions determine the fate of the universe,” reads the game’s description on the website.<br /><br />The game will also feature fictionalised stories and characters with the focus on “strategic gameplay, immersive art, and a deep progression system.” It will also have heavy themes of philosophical and religious thought. Kurukshetra: Ascension will be available on both mobile and PC when it launches. It is available for pre-registration now on Studio Sirah’s official website. <br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO:</strong><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/tim-cooks-last-major-product-launch-as-apple-ceo-could-be-ar-glasses/articleshow/85760766.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Apple CEO Tim Cook’s last major product launch could be AR glasses</a><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/apple-is-expected-to-release-its-latest-flagship-iphone-13-series-in-september-/slidelist/85758235.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">iPhone 13 series: Everything we know so far</a><br />

Bengaluru based Studio Sirah raises $830,000 to develop India-first mobile games — ‘Kurukshetra: Ascension’ will be the first title

<ul><li><keyword id="9700532" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="indian-saas">Indian SaaS</keyword> segment employs a workforce of over 50,000.</li><li>Indian <keyword id="6395918" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="SAAS">SaaS</keyword> industry has the potential to clock revenue of $75 billion by 2025.</li><li>The SaaS sector, globally, has the potential to surpass IT industry’s valuation this decade.</li></ul>The Indian software-as-a-service (SaaS) segment could employ over 260,000 people in the next four years (by 2025), representing a five fold increase from the current employee base of 50,000. This hiring spree would mostly be accelerated by the segment’s fast-paced growth and the influx of global funding.<br /><br />Indian SaaS segment has the potential to clock a total turnover of $75 billion in the next four years and capture a fifth (19%) of the global demand for <keyword id="6361043" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="software">software</keyword> products, as per a report by investment firm Chiratae Ventures and consulting firm Zinnov. <img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/M6yThe92-LB-0rRodKh9JzELJNfDz-ERnfWScLwSLadHd-ma2nmxxGjUDGO4pUrQMkGsi3dGvmuow4upMoMIduuIj78s2jPkGAU_Z7NYSfWpjX0KcfM-CeEZsN29kWkG4A8Uhgtp" /><br /><br />The Indian SaaS segment is poised to create a market capitalisation of more than $1.3 trillion by 2025.<br /><br />This is the best-case scenario for India’s fast-growing SaaS industry. Even if the industry continues to grow at the current compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 51% in the next five years, the country’s SaaS revenue could grow as much as $42 billion by 2025. This is about an eight fold increase from the current $5.3 billion in revenue cumulatively.<br /><br />“It’s no secret that the future of business and scale is SaaS driven, more so in the post-pandemic landscape. What’s interesting however is how quickly Indian companies have set a global benchmark for the industry. The exponential growth unlocked in the last 5 years is a testament to how capital efficient the Indian SaaS industry is,” Venkatesh Peddi, executive director and head of SaaS investments at Chiratae Ventures, said.<br /><br />SaaS is a software distribution model in which software is licensed to users on a subscription basis and is centrally hosted. This is also known as “on-demand software”. There are over 1,000 players in the Indian SaaS segment, which has received $6 billion in investment in the last decade (2010-2020) as per the report. <br /><br />A few key players in the Indian SaaS segment are Zoho Corp, Freshworks, Browserstack, Postman, Zenoti, Chargebee, HighRadius, Icertis and Druva. The report also adds that sales management platform MindTickle, conversation automation platform uniphore and workforce management software FarEye may be entering the unicorn club soon. <br /><br />Globally, the SaaS segment has the potential to take over the information technology (IT) industry in terms of valuation this decade. The report notes that the SaaS segment will cross $1.8 trillion valuation by 2030, compared to the $1.6 trillion valuation of IT services. <br /><br /><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/NEd60XDsjtFFiqUTi-nT1To0BcZNcg21IdjWMSaMzRPVfdY0iOEH6rna7RMad8DPKwczw18KaWGC0dmMpem3pFlW2AiMpJHjZr8z3CeJZby-ZILe-mIdrZESSOeOh4TLUbum0XtH" /><br /><br />“IT Services has been foundational to Indian progress and rising footprint in the global market. We are seeing this sector in SaaS, which is growing and providing India the spotlight that Indians deserve in the global market. So this is the second industry, after IT service, which is really powering through. 2025-2030 will be the year when Indian SaaS would become mightier in terms of market value,” Praveen Bhadada, managing partner at Zinnov, told Business Insider. <br /><br />The revenue per employee for IT services companies in 2020 was around $47,000. Meanwhile, the revenue per employee for SaaS firms grew 30% to $100,000 last year. Notably, Indian SaaS sector earns 70% of their revenue from global markets, and it is bound to grow further to 85% by 2025.<br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO</strong><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/youtube-is-testing-shopping-feature-on-live-streams-for-select-creators/articleshow/84628204.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink"></a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/byjus-acquires-us-based-epic-plans-to-invest-1-billion-in-the-north-american-market/articleshow/84612303.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">BYJU's acquires another American startup, plans to spend $1 billion on US expansion</a><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/youtube-is-testing-shopping-feature-on-live-streams-for-select-creators/articleshow/84628204.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink"></a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/youtube-is-testing-shopping-feature-on-live-streams-for-select-creators/articleshow/84628204.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink"></a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/youtube-is-testing-shopping-feature-on-live-streams-for-select-creators/articleshow/84628204.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink"></a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/youtube-is-testing-shopping-feature-on-live-streams-for-select-creators/articleshow/84628204.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">YouTube is testing shopping feature on live streams for select creators</a><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/sequoia-capital-india-invests-7-3-million-in-sales-engagement-platform-outplay/articleshow/84617329.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Sequoia Capital India invests $7.3 million in sales engagement platform Outplay</a><br />

India’s SaaS sector to hire more than 260,000 people by 2025

<br />International Monetary Fund (<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/topic/IMF">IMF</a>), the international organization headquartered in Washington, has estimated that India's <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/markets/economy/cea-against-waiving-agricultural-reforms/articleshow/58363001.cms">GDP</a> growth will bounce back to 7.2% in the 2017-18 fiscal, and increase to 7.7% in 2018-19. However, for that to happen, it recommended that the long-standing structural restrictions be removed so that market efficiency can be increased.<br /><br />Also read: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Indias-strong-GDP-data-leaves-economists-scratching-their-heads/articleshow/57406176.cms">India's strong GDP data leaves economists scratching their heads</a><br /><br />After <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/topic/demonetisation">demonetisation</a>, there was a temporary disruption in the Indian economy, caused by the lack of ready cash available with spenders. This disruption, said <keyword id="6355408" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="IMF">IMF</keyword>, will settle down in 2017. <br /><br />Other than <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Remonetisation-substantially-completed-will-expand-tax-base-Jaitley/articleshow/58576226.cms">remonetisation being substantially completed</a>, a favourable monsoon season and developments in removal of supply-side difficulties will also help in balancing this disruption. <br /><br />Also read: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/GDP-growth-outplays-Demonetisation-worry-7-growth-in-Q3/articleshow/57394415.cms">GDP growth outplays 'Demonetisation' worry, 7% growth in Q3</a> <br /><br />"Headwinds from weaknesses in <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/A-step-for-Indias-banks-but-no-giant-leap-for-bad-debt/articleshow/58588569.cms">India’s bank</a> and corporate balance sheets will also weigh on near-term credit growth. Confidence and policy credibility gains, including from continued fiscal consolidation and anti-inflationary monetary policy, continue to underpin macroeconomic stability," the IMF said. <br /><br />Talking of Asia on the whole, the report estimates that the growth will accelerate to 5.5% this year from 5.3% in last fiscal.<br /><br /><br />

IMF pegs India’s GDP growth at 7.7% in 2018-19

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57e17e7cb0ef971c008b6fc6-2400/13615446_1394420523920419_2480272538342073537_n.jpg" alt="maine forest yurts; bob crowley" data-mce-source="Courtesy of Bob Crowley" /><p class="source"><span>Courtesy of Bob Crowley</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Eight years ago, high school teacher Bob Crowley was sleeping on the jungle floor.</p><p>These days, he charges others to do (more or less) the same.</p><p>Crowley, the winner of the 17th season of "Survivor" and the oldest person to take home the prize, used part of his $1 million award to build a campground outside <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-to-do-in-portland-maine-2016-9">Portland, Maine</a>. His retreat offers peace and quiet in the great outdoors - though not without creature comforts.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57e17ed6b0ef971d008b6f1e-796/bob-official-photo.jpg" alt="bob crowley survivor winner" data-mce-source="CBS" /><p class="source"><span>CBS</span></p><p class="caption">Bob Crowley.</p></div><p></p></div></div>"I would say we lean towards 'glamping,'" Crowley, 65, tells Business Insider.</p><p>Guests shouldn't expect to rough it at Maine Forest Yurts quite as much as Crowley did on the show.</p><p>Crowley spent his summer break from teaching physics in Maine stranded in the <span>rainforest of the central African nation of Gabon. A <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20081210182442/http://www.cbs.com/primetime/survivor/bio/bob_17/bio.php?season=17">self-described hybrid</a> of Indiana Jones and Robinson Crusoe, the natural outdoorsman set out to prove nice guys can win on "Survivor".</span></p><p><span>He played fairly. He formed alliances and kept them. </span><span>And he won three consecutive immunity challenges, helping him "outwit, outplay, and outlast" his competition. </span>Crowley returned to his native Maine with $1 million.</p><p>After paying off bills and setting aside funds for taxes, Crowley and his wife, Peggy, looked to the hospitality industry to start the next chapter of their lives.</p><p>During their 30-plus years living in South Portland, the couple came to acquire some 100 acres of remote Maine woods. The thickly forested land surrounds a pond, and in winter, you can't make out a single house through the trees. The family would visit and cook hot dogs and beans over open fires. Otters, beavers, kingfishers, and a couple of eagles also call it home.</p><p>In the winter of 2013, the family constructed their first yurt <span>-</span> a circular, portable tent used by the nomadic people in Central Asia for thousands of years (and now favored by glamping resorts and hippies alike).  Crowley's three yurts feature hardwood flooring, a stove for warmth, and furniture Crowley built using wood found on the property. Natural light radiates out from the center.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57e17f85b0ef9764008b6f87-2400" alt="maine forest yurts; bob crowley" data-mce-source="Courtesy of Bob Crowley" /><p class="source"><span>Courtesy of Bob Crowley</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Guests pay <a href="https://maineforestyurts.com/booking">$125</a> a night to rent a yurt. The company sells out through summer.</p><p>"Glamping," or glamorous camping, has caught on in recent years. People who want to enjoy nature without buying camping equipment or getting dirty enjoy the luxury accommodations that glamping provides. </p><p>At Maine Forest Yurts, accessibility trumps luxury on the list of priorities.</p><p>The resort welcomes school groups, active military and veterans, and non-profit groups, like the Special Olympics, to stay in yurt sfor free. It manages to do so through an annual fundraising event called the Durham Warriors Project, where applicants from across the country (including some former "Survivor" contestants) compete in challenges inspired by the show. Their donations fund over 100 guests' stays annually.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57e17fb0b0ef9766008b6fa2-2133/13662323_1069928916414581_4278293896542933207_o.jpg" alt="13662323_1069928916414581_4278293896542933207_o" data-mce-source="Courtesy of Bob Crowley" /><p class="source"><span>Courtesy of Bob Crowley</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Crowley loves entertaining guests with stories of his adventures in Gabon as he tours them around the property. But "Survivor" fans make up only about 10% of the guests, he says.</p><p>Life in rural Maine suits Crowley. But he wouldn't say no if CBS asked him to return to "Survivor" for a later reunion season.</p><p>"I would have up this phone and run right out the door," Crowley says.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/glamping-nyc-w-hotels-luxury-travel-2016-8">What it's like to go 'glamping' for $2,500 a night on top of a luxury hotel in NYC</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="lpb28zNTE6vaIFJnCXj23lpy-jTj54ee" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'lpb28zNTE6vaIFJnCXj23lpy-jTj54ee',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

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