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If funding and scaling were the in the talks of 2015, acquisitions, layoffs, and <keyword id="952826" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="shutdowns">shutdowns</keyword> have surely been the trend in 2016. 
 
This year has been infamous for some shocking shutdowns. Here's a list of startup shutdowns that were unexpected. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/After-the-AskMe-fiasco-What-you-should-do-if-your-startup-suddenly-shuts-shop-/articleshow/54017530.cms">ALSO READ: After the AskMe fiasco- What you should do if your startup suddenly shuts shop.</a> 
 
Take a look! 
 
Image credits: Businessinsider.com

Five popular start-ups that have shut down this year

Believe it or not, <keyword id="1640900" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Online-grocery">online grocery</keyword> shopping is a fad. In a country where department stores are still booming and people working with <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/government-defines-the-word-start-up/articleshow/51089062.cms">MNC</a>s considering grocery shopping as their dose of weekend fun, online grocery isn’t something that Indians are really very serious about, unlike cab aggregators and movie ticket booking apps. 
 
Indians are jugaad-friendly. In a market crowded with <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/government-defines-the-word-start-up/articleshow/51089062.cms">online grocery apps</a>, people tend to download apps, get their first order at maximum discount by using coupons and then simply uninstall the app from the device. They would install other apps for their next use. Unlike cab aggregation, app based grocery shopping is never a necessity to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/government-defines-the-word-start-up/articleshow/51089062.cms">urban Indians</a>. In each lane and bylane of any Indian city and suburb there is a grocery store selling the basic needs of bread, rice, pulses, milk and eggs. 
 
The online boom of grocery shopping started in the US some 15 years back and faded out by early 2000. One of the giants in the market Webvan that started in San Francisco met the same fate as their expenses got out of limit. 
 In last few months, there have been numerous deaths of online grocery providers. <keyword id="2809732" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="PepperTap">Peppertap</keyword> that raised USD 51 Million shut down after one and a half year of operation citing similar reason. 
 
Prem Kumar, Founder and CEO, SnapBizz has a point to make. “The consumer behaviour in the grocery online space is fairly different from other consumer goods spaces. The driving forces are merchandise and convenience, while the pillars are technology, merchandise and fulfilment.” 
 
“Since the grocery industry runs on a tight value chain, establishing unit metrics and profitability becomes a challenge,” Kumar said. 
There are two basic models in online grocery- a full service model and hyper local model. Full service models are the ones where they control the end to end value chain and deliver a good customer experience. The hyper local model depends on getting goods from local retailer and delivering it. The unit metrics does not stack up in this model. 
 
“The retailer has to pay 5 to 6%, when he hardly makes 8 to 10 % margin. In spite of doing this, the online grocers do not deliver the same customer experience as delivered by the retailer. Hence, the business model may look attractive in the beginning, but unable to sustain and fold,” Kumar added. 
 
We analyse what could have gone wrong with the online grocery start ups and here are the probable reasons. 
 
Marketing siphons a lot of money <keyword id="2057213" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Big-Basket">Big Basket</keyword> has <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/government-defines-the-word-start-up/articleshow/51089062.cms">Shah Rukh Khan</a> as the brand ambassador. Then other online grocery brands like <keyword id="2466939" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Grofers">Grofers</keyword> and ZopNow invest heavily on marketing, right from digital advertisements to billboards. This is again a hug expense. Firstly marginal profit and then monstrous expenses take a toll on the profit. 
 
Many retailers walk with the cherry of the cake 
Well, if Grofers or Big Basket is giving some benefit to the end consumers, often the small retailers start ordering milk, bread and cold drinks as these are the products where they make nominal profit. So as a result, the retailers re-re-selling the products. 
 
Marginal profits 
It’s a known fact in India that groceries aren’t profitable like gadgets. Selling 5 kg of sugar may give the retailer Rs 100 profit. It’s that tough. And then delivering the product at doorstep would result in more expenses. Before shutting down Peppertap, CEO Navneet Singh admitted that they were operating in negative margins per delivery, confirms a report by business website. 
 
Users look for better offers 
Many users tend to buy through apps only when they get <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/government-defines-the-word-start-up/articleshow/51089062.cms">discounts</a>. This isn’t something that the buyers are to be blamed for. Indian market has always been price sensitive and this ought to happen. 
 
Price sensitivity 
Indian consumers are quite money minded and sensitive to prices. It’s not they are misers but they love savings, When you buy at department stores you get to scrutinize various brands, quality and of course the prices. But online grocers don’t give the user the luxury to select. 
 
Inventory mismanagement 
 
 
While Big Basket is spending a lot in inventory and Grofers is letting you choose stores. Having an inventory is always the best option provided you have that much cash in hand. What happens when a customer refuses orders? Sellers aren’t taking it back. If you have an inventory and if the item isn’t perishable, you can still keep it in stock for next order. 
 
Last mile glitch 
The <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/government-defines-the-word-start-up/articleshow/51089062.cms">warehouse</a> is super responsive and the pick up is superfast, but then the delivery guys slip and the whole smoothness are hampered. Generally the delivery guys get Rs 300 per day for working from 9 in the morning till 10 at night. No work results in no pay. You don’t really expect a 10 inch wide smile at 9PM carrying your 10 Kg of monthly grocery item. 
 
Moreover unlike Gurgaon, Greater Noida where the real estate boom has given rise to skyscrapers, it’s not everywhere in India where an address is easy to locate and deliver. Naturally the delivery get delayed. 
 
Arsh Singh, COO at Tookan suggests that routing optimization, real-time tracking, keeping customer notified make the grocery delivery management a lot better.

The truth behind why online grocery start ups are failing

“Tired from work, braving traffic jams to get to a jam-packed grocery store? Use our app, select the groceries you want from your nearest stores and get them delivered at your doorstep in no time. Best quality guaranteed at the cheapest rate!” Now, anyone in this world would fall for that idea. It is a great concept we agree, but not so great when the grocery apps fail to fulfill the tall promises they make. What seems like a heavenly service more often ends up becoming a nightmare when wrong products are delivered, or it takes an eternity for orders to reach you. Oblivious to how it is detrimental to their image in the market, our desi <keyword id="3162812" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="grocery-delivery-apps">grocery delivery apps</keyword> unfortunately are losing a great concept to poor customer service, something that forms the foundation of this business. 
 
The irony is, for customers, it ends up complicating their lives instead of simplifying it! Here’s how: 
 Vikram Sanghvi, an employee with a Gurgaon-based MNC, who used <keyword id="964794" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="BigBasket">Bigbasket</keyword> service found grave faults with the app recently: “I received a phone call at the delivery time saying that my order is out of stock and I will be sent an alternate option. I found out that the delivered product was of higher price compared to the one I wanted. Now, is it my fault that you have run out of stock. If you have, the app should not reflect such products so that one does not order it, but why should I compromise and pay a higher price for something I don't want,” he says. 
 Unlike Vikram,Vijaya Singh, a homemaker based in Gurgaon, who thought of trying out <keyword id="2466939" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Grofers">Grofers</keyword> app was delivered an alternative without informing her: “I ordered MDH masala packets. When I received the order, they sent me Catch masala packets instead. It makes me feel that they want to promote one brand over the other.” She also pointed that while ordering multiple products from various sections of Grofers – fruits and veggies, cosmetics, bakery – different delivery boys come at different time which she finds quite inconvenient. "One order and you have the door bell ringing 3 times in 15 minutes. I personally don't like this way of delivery," she says. 
 
Akash and Mandeep, both running their start-ups in South Delhi, have a bigger plight. Only half of the ordered items were delivered to them by Grofers. While Akash opted for the cash on delivery option and did not have to pay for all that he had ordered on the app, a furious Mandeep says “It has been over 45 days and still they haven't returned my money close to Rs 520. There is no money return policy, it’s shameful. You make the mistake and customer pays the price for it. Who runs a business like this.” 
 
For Janki, a mother and employee working at an MNC in Gurgaon, it was worse because the products were not delivered until the next day and what she was in store for is quite annoying: “I had ordered pampers for my kid from ZopNow. First, they postponed the order for another day and then they cancelled my order without informing me. When I called them for my money that I paid online, they said supervisor will call back but nobody reached out to me. Pathetic customer service,” she says. 
 We have all heard of late deliveries, but 6 days!! “We generally shop online and decided to give Godrej <keyword id="938654" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Natures-Basket">Nature's basket</keyword> online website a chance. It was the biggest mistake ever. We were told our order will be delivered in 48 hours, however even after 6 days we haven't received the order, neither have we received any update. The service is obviously very unprofessional and cannot be trusted, which we did not expect from a Godrej,” he says. 
 
Another young working lady, Shikha Singh, swears she won’t use the apps ever as it gave her the most embarrassing moment ever: “I ordered some grocery through Bigbasket app and I needed it urgently because some guests including my boss were coming over. The order was placed successfully and their call center confirmed the same to me. Not only were they late, but I got a call two hours later only to hear from the team that the items were out of stock and couldn’t be delivered. I had to order food from the restaurant for them. It was embarrassing as I had invited them to a home-made litti-chokha treat.” 
 
Not everyone has been that unlucky though. A couple of them we spoke to said that they received the right orders, except that it took them an eternity to get them at their doorstep. “The orders never seem to reach you before 2-3 hours, even the smallest orders take time. What if you have guests over? One can bring things from the market and finish cooking by the time they deliver,” says Saba Haider, a journalist working with a reputed media house in Noida, who uses Grofers for her household needs. 
 
There are even several users complaining of price disparity. They can’t stop short of calling it fraudulent practices. “I ordered Tropicana 100% orange juice from Nature's Hub. MRP for this product is Rs 120, but on the site it was displayed as Rs 99. Obviously, I was happy at the discount being offered and ordered 5 of them for Cash on Delivery. When the product came, they charged me Rs 120 (original MRP) for the product mentioning this was incorrectly priced on the site. Since I was not at home at that moment and my wife wasn't aware of it, she paid and opened the pack. Now this is totally unacceptable and misleading,” said Ashish Naik, a businessman based out of Mumbai. 
 
Dear concerned companies, we hope you are listening to them. Our humble advice – Please, treat your customers like god. If you don’t, you might fall out of the race even before you picked up. Don’t forget, you are because they are.

The reality of Desi grocery delivery apps, how horribly they fail at what they promise to customers

At a time when online fashion retailer <keyword id="319719" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Myntra">Myntra</keyword> is planning to shut down its website and concentrate only on mobile app mode of operations, the big question of the hour is : Would online retailers do away with their websites and focus on mobile-app only? 
 
After speaking to half-a-dozen startups, The Economic Times found that the new entrants plan to channel efforts and marketing dollars entirely on their mobile applications. 
 Among the ones ET spoke to are local services startups Zopper, Doormint and LocalOye; online-first restaurants Holachef and Spoonjoy; online dating startup Truly-Madly; and on-demand grocery delivery firm <keyword id="2809732" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="PepperTap">PepperTap</keyword>. 
 
Large eCommerce firms such as Flipkart, Snapdeal, Quikr, Ola and Myntra get 70-80% of their traffic from mobile devices, a key factor influencing Internet companies and startups to consider being app-only platforms, the ET news report confirms. Flipkart and its fashion affiliate Myntra began the trend by shutting their mobile websites and relying instead on their apps to encourage repeated use and to push targeted discounts and notifications. 
 Yet exception is there to prove the rule. Quikr is still not keen on shutting down web operation. "Mobile is clearly the most important channel for us, but for our business, which has a lot of customers in rural India, the browser is important as well," founder and CEO <keyword id="1063538" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pranay-Chulet">Pranay Chulet</keyword> told the financial daily. 
 
India's smartphone market grew 54% to 140 million devices last year, and is expected to reach 651 million in four years and be the largest mobile-first Internet market, according to Cisco. 
 
As a reflection of this market growth, Ola, India's largest taxi-hailing company, saw cab bookings through its mobile app double in the past 12 months. In contrast, its "website as a source of bookings has been negligible, as 80% of the bookings come through the app and around 20% through the call centre", Anand Subramanian, director of marketing communication at Ola, which registered more than 2 lakh rides a day in January told the ET. 
 
(Image: Reuters)

You must own a smartphone with Internet if you want to shop online

<ul><li>After a couple of dull years and a few failures, online grocery in India is back with a bang. </li><li>SoftBank has put in fresh funds in Grofers while Reliance Industries Limited is reportedly looking to buy a majority stake in Grab. </li><li>Swiggy had recently announced its foray into online grocery delivery with Swiggy stores. </li></ul> There was a time when the online grocery vertical had become the hot favourite with major players trying their luck in the game. But soon with failures piling up one over the other, exits were announced. Come 2019 and it seems like it’s going to be the year hyperlocal grocery delivery again. Sector leader BigBasket may become the first unicorn – clock a valuation of $1 billion – of 2019, and food delivery startup Swiggy threw in its hat into groceries with Swiggy Stores. Swiggy, which raised a whopping $1 billion in funding in December, has already piloted the operations in Gurugram and has tied up with <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/swiggy-takes-on-bigbasket-grofers-to-deliver-groceries-from-local-stores-119021201294_1.html">3,500</a> local stores. However, these startups will be battling the deep pockets of Mukesh Ambani and the Japanese Softbank. Reliance Industries Limited is <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/ril-in-talks-for-majority-stake-in-startup-grab/articleshow/68192744.cms">reportedly</a> in talks to buy a majority stake in Grab, a hyperlocal delivery startup for groceries, medicines and food based out of Mumbai. Grofers has raised <a href="https://tech.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/internet/grofers-raises-fresh-funds-from-existing-investor-softbank-as-e-grocers-valuation-hits-425m/68203728">fresh funds</a> from SoftBank Vision Fund (the Japanese firm had earlier too invested in the e-grocery company) which takes its valuation to $425 million. This excitement was missing in the space the last few years. E-grocery startup PepperTap had to shut its operations in 2016. In a blog on <a href="https://yourstory.com/2016/04/peppertap-journey-navneet-singh">YourStory</a>, Navneet Singh, founder of PepperTap, wrote about the problem they faced. “The integration of our app with our partner stores was not great. In the race to pepper the whole country with PepperTap, we had brought too many stores online far too quickly,” he wrote. Another unicorn startup Paytm too had explored the e-grocery space with Paytm Zip, only to shut shop in 2015. So, even with clear failures in the past, what makes today’s unicorns still find their way into the space? A simple answer - the demand still exists. Grocery stores aren’t called convenience stores for nothing. For today’s millennial who is busy with work to order groceries on a tap is an easy, convenient way out. A report on the online grocery space in India by Red Seer consulting states, “Inspite of all these disruptions and changes, one thing that did not change was the massive potential for online grocery- as indicated by India’s USD 500+ Bn grocery market out of which a mere 0.2% is online (~USD 1.2 bn overall and ~USD 1 Bn considering only hyperlocal grocery).” The proof that it still works is seen in BigBasket’s <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/startups/newsbuzz/bigbaskets-wholesale-unit-revenue-up-35/articleshow/67358734.cms">revenue</a> report. In the year 2017-18, BigBasket saw its revenue grow by 35% while losses dropped by 53%. In FY19, the company expects the revenue to grow by <a href="https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/companies/bigbasket-chief-hari-menon-expects-75-revenue-jump-in-fy19-to-rs-3500-crore-3183251.html">75%</a>. Grofers which had posted a net loss of <a href="https://tech.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/internet/grofers-narrows-loss-to-rs-258-cr-as-sales-double-in-fy2018/68105608">₹268 crore</a> in FY 17, managed to post a loss of ₹258 crore in FY18. The company has also added <a href="https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/grofers-eyes-rs-2500-crore-revenue-in-fy19-adds-2-5-lakh-new-customers-in-january-3453911.html">2.5 lakh</a> new customers in January, while also aiming for a revenue of over ₹2500 crore. And with big backers like Mukesh Ambani and Softbank entering the fray, the competition, too, will be intense. The battle for dominance may mean more discounts and cashbacks for consumers. See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/swiggy-in-talks-to-acquire-ubereats-india-operations/articleshow/68110377.cms">Swiggy wants more on its plate, in talks to acquire Ubereats India</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/for-indian-startups-2018-has-been-a-year-of-bouncing-back-as-venture-capital-funding-doubles/articleshow/67286540.cms">For Indian startups, 2018 has been a year of bouncing back as venture capital funding doubles</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/these-are-the-25-most-sought-after-startups-in-india-report/articleshow/65866420.cms">These are the 25 most sought after startups in India: Report</a>

Online grocers are back in business in India with billions more to burn – and that may be good for consumers

If <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=practo&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Practo</a>, Indian healthcare <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=startups&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">startup</a>, raises around $50-60 million in its funding round, it could become a $600 million value product. 
 ET reported New York-based investment firm Thrive Capital, Russia's ru-NHoldings and existing investor Chinese online giant Tencent are in advanced negotiations with <keyword id="1165142" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Practo">Practo</keyword>. 
 
"The round currently being negotiated is in the range of $50-60 million but this may change," ET quoted sources as saying. 
 
Reportedly, Thrive Capital’s investment could be a first from India. Its US investments include <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=instagram&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Instagram</a>, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=twitch&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Twitch</a> and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=slack&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Slack</a>. 
 <keyword id="1698554" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="ru-Net">ru-Net</keyword> has backed companies such as <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=freecharge&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">FreeCharge</a> and PepperTap.

This funding round is important for Practo to become a $600 million value startup

<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Japan%E2%80%99s+SoftBank+">Japan’s SoftBank</a> might provide a <keyword id="6357455" type="EVENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Funding">funding</keyword> of Rs 650 crore ($100 million) to Grofers, a quick-delivery service for groceries and electronics from neighbourhood stores. 
 The Gurgaon-based startup is in talks with investors including <keyword id="163404" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Softbank">SoftBank</keyword>, according to two people aware of the development. 
 The company is looking to close the round at a valuation of between $300 million and $400 million, said a <keyword id="6357097" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="venture-capital">venture capital</keyword> investor. 
 
If the deal fructifies, it will mark an over ten-fold increase in valuation and the third round of funding this year for Grofers, which was valued at $33 million in February in its first major round quickly followed by another round in April, taking its total venture funding to $46.5 million. 
 Grofers, founded in December 2013, has also held talks with Russian billionaire Yuri Milner's DST Global. But SoftBank, whose president is the India-born former <keyword id="6355629" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Google">Google</keyword> executive Nikesh Arora, is now in talks to lead the round, sources said. 
 
The new fundraising comes as Grofers, founded by IIT graduates Dhindsa and Saurabh Kumar, gets ready to compete in the so-called hyperlocal delivery space with larger players such as <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Flipkart%2C+Snapdeal+and+JustDial+">Flipkart, Snapdeal and JustDial</a> besides grocery delivery firms like BigBasket and PepperTap. 
 
Softbank most aggressive when it comes to invest in Indian startups: Over the past year, SoftBank has become the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=investor">most aggressive investor in Indian startups, backing Snapdeal, Ola, Housing and Oyo</a> with over $1 billion in total funding. SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son pledged last year to invest $10 billion in India over a decade. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Grocery+">Grocery accounts</a> for over 70% of India's total retail market of $350 billion, according to a recent report on the Indian Internet market by IIFL. "Our interactions indicate that the top three brick-and-mortar grocers invested $2-3 billion in the past three years. Despite such <keyword id="6362476" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="investments">investments</keyword>, the share of organised grocery retailing remains low. This provides a significant opportunity for an online grocer," said the report. 
 Competition in hyperlocal grocery service: India's largest online retailer has started piloting its hyperlocal grocery service, <keyword id="6354742" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword> Nearby, while <keyword id="541988" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="SnapDeal">Snapdeal</keyword> recently bought a stake in PepperTap by participating in its $36-million round. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Grocery+">Paytm</a>, backed by China's Alibaba Holdings, also has a grocery app while Amazon has been experimenting hyperlocal delivery with kirana stores. 
 Grofers raised $36 million in April this year from venture capital firm <keyword id="270604" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="80" keywordseo="Sequoia">Sequoia</keyword> Capital India, New York-based investment firm Tiger Global Management and Apoletto Asia, the personal investment vehicle of DST Global's Milner. 
 
(Image: Indiatimes)

SoftBank is likely to invest in Grofers! In talks to raise Rs 650 crore

<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=IITs&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Indian Institutes of Technology</a> (<keyword id="49737" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="IITs">IITs</keyword>) are going to convene a meeting to decide the future course of action for e-<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=ecommerce&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">commerce</a> companies and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=startups&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">startups</a> during placement season. 
 
After the IIM-A and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=flipkart&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Flipkart</a> fiasco, heads of placement committees across all IITs are going to build a strategy for startups and decide what slots will be given to them and they will also decide on which startups to call. 
 
READ ALSO: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Flipkart-calls-deferring-joining-dates-of-campus-recruits-a-tough-decision-but-necessary/articleshow/52437180.cms">Flipkart calls deferring joining dates of campus recruits "a tough decision but necessary"</a> 
 
"Our AIPC (all-IITs placement committee) meeting was scheduled for October. But we have to convene this out-of-turn meeting in light of recent developments," Professor Kaustabha Mohanty, convenor of the panel, told ET. 
 After <keyword id="6354742" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword>, many startups such as PepperTap, Home Shopping, <keyword id="3354183" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Runnr">Runnr</keyword>, Zimply, etc also deferred the joining dates of the recruits. 
 
"Flipkart is a bellwether client of the current era of ecommerce companies. What Hindustan Unilever is to FMCG and what Infosys was to IT services, Flipkart is to ecommerce. I do believe the brand is already affected by this furore. What's worse is that it is not Flipkart alone, but the entire industry of ecommerce and the startup world that bears the brunt of this image drubbing. It's temporary for sure and life will go on, but the scar is left behind for sure," Brand strategy expert Harish Bijoor, CEO of Harish Bijoor Consults, told ET. 
 
Meanwhile, reportedly, IITs have asked new recruits to explore other options too. 
 
READ ALSO: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Readthe-Curt-email-IIM-A-sent-Flipkart-about-bad-hiring-policies/articleshow/52431557.cms">Read the Curt email IIM-A sent Flipkart about bad hiring policies</a> 
 
(Image: Thinkstock)

IITs to decide on which startup to call and reject during placements amid Flipkart fiasco

<keyword id="6481662" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Jasper-Infotech">Jasper Infotech</keyword>, the company behind online marketplace <keyword id="541988" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="SnapDeal">Snapdeal</keyword>, is soon going to in invest in <keyword id="2892247" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Zimmber">Zimmber</keyword>, the on-demand home services platform. 
 
As per reports, The New Delhi based company is expected to invest somewhere between Rs 40 to 50 crore in Rejuvenate Solutions, the Mumbai-based company that runs Zimmber. This figure is for 10% of Zimmber’s stake. 
 
After leading a $36 million (about Rs 240 crore) funding round in hyper-local delivery service PepperTap in September last year, this is Jasper's second investment in the on-demand services space. This again proves that Jasper is increasingly focusing on this fast-growing segment. 
 
However, this move can also be taken as an inspiration from rival firm Amazon, as it’s just been two months that Amazon led a Rs 150-crore funding round in home services startup Housejoy. 
 
"Zimmber is an attractive investment opportunity and we are in active discussion with multiple investors," Anubhab Goel, cofounder and chief executive officer of Zimmber, told ET while declining to comment further. 
 
Snapdeal is presently valued at about $5 billion, after raising $500 million from Foxconn, Alibaba Group and SoftBank in August last year and buying digital payments platform FreeCharge for $400-450 million in April last year. This was the largest buyout done in the Indian consumer internet sector. 
 
<a href="http://www.medianama.com/wp-content/uploads/Snapdeal1.jpg">Image source</a>

You Searched For "PepperTap" and got 9 results

Five popular start-ups that have shut down this year

Tanya Dubey

The truth behind why online grocery start ups are failing

Suchayan Mandal

The reality of Desi grocery delivery apps, how horribly they fail at what they promise to customers

Anushree Singh

You must own a smartphone with Internet if you want to shop online

BI India Bureau

Online grocers are back in business in India with billions more to burn – and that may be good for consumers

Sanchita Dash

This funding round is important for Practo to become a $600 million value startup

BI India Bureau

SoftBank is likely to invest in Grofers! In talks to raise Rs 650 crore

BI India Bureau

IITs to decide on which startup to call and reject during placements amid Flipkart fiasco

BI India Bureau

Snapdeal’s promoter Jasper Infotech eyes on-demand home services platform

BI India Bureau

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