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Constant innovation and a profound understanding of customer needs are crucial for maintaining relevance in the ever-evolving <keyword id="11064864" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="saas-industry" source="Orion">SaaS industry</keyword>. And it goes beyond just deciphering customer requests. True insight is gleaned by actively listening to their perspectives and aligning innovations with their overarching <keyword id="2422188" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="business-goals" source="Orion">business goals</keyword>. Raviteja Dodda, Founder and CEO of MoEngage, emphasised these principles during a compelling discussion with Jeff Klaus, Head of Worldwide ISV Strategy and Development at AWS India. This discussion is part of the <keyword id="6395918" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="saas" source="Orion">SaaS</keyword> Scions web series, jointly hosted by Business Insider India and AWS India. Dodda underscored the foresight required to anticipate how enterprise brands will leverage <keyword id="2582671" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="saas-products" source="Orion">SaaS products</keyword> in the next five years, stressing on the pivotal role of forward-thinking in fostering innovation and evolution within companies. This strategic approach involves meeting customers’ current needs and addressing future requirements, thus ensuring a cycle of improvement. The conversation delved into the significance of generative AI in enhancing customer experience and the interconnectedness between technology and innovation in the SaaS industry. Regardless of the industry, be it e-commerce, retail, or financial services, technology helps decipher consumer behaviour. By harnessing the power of AI-driven personalization and automation, enterprise companies can extract valuable insights about their customers, enabling them to craft more tailored and effective engagement approaches. Speaking about the importance of AI within his company, Raviteja outlined their journey – commencing with their investment in AI capabilities in 2016, just two years after the inception of their venture. They bring all engagement channels to one platform through strategic integration of AI and automation. This empowers <keyword id="2547868" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="consumer-brands" source="Orion">consumer brands</keyword> to guide customers through different life cycles and stages. By leveraging AI, MoEngage helps identify the optimal engagement moment for each customer and the type of content that drives high conversions, fine-tune the message cadence, and profile customers based on their propensities. Sharing suggestions and best practices that have helped MoEngage capture the market beyond India, Raviteja explained that they have constantly evolved their go-to-market (GTM) approach over the past nine years, especially in the SaaS landscape. Recognizing the time it takes to witness tangible results in SaaS endeavours, he emphasised the need to sow seeds in the present to drive growth in the future. "We have taken our GTM structure geographically and have GTM teams independently for each geography," Raviteja added. He credited their success to recruiting adept market launchers who spearhead the initial zero-to-one phase in each market, bringing seamless collaboration between sales, customer success, and marketing. For smaller SaaS enterprises grappling with uncertainties about initiating customer events or ensuring customer satisfaction, Raviteja advises leaping forward – underlining the direct correlation between brand awareness and accelerated growth. Sharing his top recommendations for others in the industry, Raviteja said that the first crucial resource is honesty about the product market fit, the right value proposition, and whether it resonates with the customer. "Don't be a tourist," he added. He cautioned against playing it by the ear in the initial months without a long-term plan. "Do different keywords to get up in terms of establishing the PMF, build a strong founding team, and scale it from there," Raviteja concluded. Raviteja's insights are a blueprint for navigating the dynamic SaaS landscape, advocating a blend of innovation, localization, and steadfast commitment to long-term goals. Disclaimer: This article is generated and published by the Insider Studios team. You can get in touch with them at <a href="mailto:insiderstudios@businessinsider.in">insiderstudios@businessinsider.in</a>

From good to great: How SaaS shapes the customer engagement of tomorrow for consumer brands?

<ul><li><keyword id="4621694" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="freshworks" source="Orion">Freshworks</keyword> made its trading debut on US stock exchange Nasdaq on Wednesday and its valuation touched $12 billion.</li><li>The company sold 28.5 million common shares, raising $1 billion in proceeds.</li><li>The CEO says that the IPO created 500 crorepatis in India, 70 of which are under 30.</li></ul>Indian software-as-a-service (SaaS) firm Freshworks made its trading debut on US stock exchange Nasdaq on Wednesday and it was a strong one. The company was valued at $12.2 billion after it opened 21% above the initial offering price of $36 apiece. Shares of Freshworks opened at $43.5. The stock hit an<a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/freshworks-stock-price-ipo-nasdaq-debut-salesforce-software-crm-2021-9"> intraday high</a> of $48.75 on September 22. Freshworks sold 28.5 million common shares, raising $1 billion in proceeds. Girish Mathrubootham, in interviews with several media outlets, highlighted that the Freshworks initial public offering (IPO) created a lot of wealth for its employees as more than 500 of its employees turned crorepatis (millionaires). He further added that about 70, of these 500 employees, are under the age of 30. "I feel like an Indian athlete who has won a gold medal at the Olympics. We are showing the world what a global product company from India can achieve,” he added, in an <a href="https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/freshworks-ipo-creates-more-than-500-crorepatis-in-india-with-70-of-them-aged-below-30-7496681.html">interaction </a>with Moneycontrol. The company was valued at $3.5 billion when it raised $150 million funding from investors like Sequoia Capital, CapitalG and Accel in November 2019. The company is also backed by Steadview Capital and Tiger Global Management. It plans to use the proceeds from the offering to acquire complementary businesses, products, services or technology. A part will also be used for general corporate purposes like working capital, operating expenses and capital expenditure. Founded by Mathrubootham and Shan Krishnasamy as Freshdesk in 2010, the company started its journey as a helpdesk software for customer support. It decided to rebrand itself to Freshworks in June 2017 to incorporate the company’s growing software suite. Freshworks claims to have over 52,500 customers across the globe and it reported a revenue of $169 million in the first half of 2021. Compared to the first half of 2020, the company’s revenue has grown by nearly $60 million. SEE ALSO <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/south-koreas-crypto-regulations-are-tightening-around-investors-and-exchanges-alike/articleshow/86426452.cms">South Korea’s crypto regulations are tightening around investors and exchanges alike</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/paras-defence-and-space-technologies-ipo-gets-blockbuster-demand-from-investors/articleshow/86422668.cms">Paras Defence and Space Technologies IPO gets blockbuster demand from investor</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/experts-say-karnatakas-ban-on-games-of-chance-like-dream11-and-mpl-may-face-a-legal-test/articleshow/86419697.cms">Experts say Karnataka’s ban on games of chance like Dream11 and MPL may face a legal test</a>

Freshworks IPO — 500 crorepatis, $12 billion market cap and more that emerged from India’s first SaaS listing at Nasdaq

<ul><li><keyword id="4621694" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="freshworks" source="Orion">Freshworks</keyword> made its debut in the US-based Nasdaq on September 22 and it is the first Indian SaaS company to do so.</li><li>Freshworks was the first Indian SaaS company to achieve a billion dollar valuation, in 2019.</li><li>The company has now crossed a $10 billion valuation, thanks to its public listing.</li></ul>The Indian software-as-a-service (SaaS) industry had already been growing exponentially since last year, but Freshworks’ public listing at Nasdaq has taken it all to another level. The company, which makes customer engagement software for businesses, was valued at a whopping<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/freshworks-ipo-500-crorepatis-12-billion-market-cap-and-more-that-emerged-from-indias-first-saas-listing-at-nasdaq/articleshow/86445614.cms"> $12.2 billion </a>after it opened 21% above the initial offering price of $36 apiece. Freshworks sold 28.5 million common shares, hitting an intraday high of $48.75 on September 22. Freshworks was founded over a decade ago by <keyword id="2167965" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="girish-mathrubootham" source="Orion">Girish Mathrubootham</keyword> and <keyword id="2167964" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="shan-krishnasamy" source="Orion">Shan Krishnasamy</keyword>. Both the co-founders were former employees of Zoho Corp, which too is one of the biggest SaaS companies in India. Both Zoho Corp and Freshworks are rivals and the biggest players in this industry. Here is a glimpse of Freshworks’ journey so far: <table class="redcator-table-advance" style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.6em; box-shadow: none; width: 910.922px; font-family: Merriweather; padding-bottom: 10px !important; background-image: inherit !important; background-position: inherit !important; background-size: inherit !important; background-repeat: inherit !important; background-attachment: inherit !important; background-origin: inherit !important; background-clip: inherit !important;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Year </td><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Development </td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Early 2010 </td><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Girish Mathrubootham decided to start his entrepreneurial journey. Shan Krishnasamy too decided to join this venture as a co-founder. </td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">October 2010 </td><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Mathrubootham and Krishnasamy resigned from Zoho Corp. </td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">December 2010 </td><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Freshworks, then known as Freshdesk, incorporated in the USA due to lack of recurring payment solutions in India. </td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">March 2011 </td><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Created a team of six people — three developers, one UI/UX designer, one customer acquisition/support engineer and Mathrubootham himself as product manager and CEO. </td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">December 2011 </td><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Raised $1 million in a funding* round led by Accel. </td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">August 2015 </td><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Acquired co-browsing and live video chat provider 1CLICK.io. This was Freshdesk’s first acquisition. </td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">August 2015 </td><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">The company crossed 50,000 customers. </td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">June 2017 </td><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Freshdesk rebranded to Freshworks. </td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">June 2017 </td><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">The platform was used by 100,000 companies in 145 countries. </td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">December 2018 </td><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Freshworks turned unicorn, after raising $100 million at a valuation of more than a billion dollars. </td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">November 2019 </td><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Freshworks valued at $3.5 billion, after raising $150 million. </td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">November 2019 </td><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">It crossed 150,000 customers. </td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">March 2020 </td><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Zoho Corp filed a lawsuit alleging that Freshworks stole confidential information and built a business out of it. </td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">August 2021 </td><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Freshworks filed for $100 million IPO in USA </td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">September 2021 </td><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Freshworks made its debut on Nasdaq and its valuation touched $12 billion. </td></tr></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody></table>*Freshworks has raised one funding round every year since 2011. There was a year-long break in 2017, when the SaaS firm did not raise any capital. Freshworks and Zoho’s rivalry took a serious turn in 2020, when Zoho filed a lawsuit <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/startups/zoho-says-freshworks-intentionally-accessed-database-in-new-us-lawsuit/articleshow/79413070.cms">alleging</a> that Freshworks stole confidential information and built a business out of it. Vembu-led company has also accused Freshworks of poaching its employees and customers. The battle is still ongoing. According to a report by investment firm Chiratae Ventures and consulting firm Zinnov last month, the Indian SaaS segment has the potential to clock a total turnover of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/india-software-service-sector-needs-more-than-200000-employees-by-2025/articleshow/84632003.cms">$75 billion</a> by 2025. Companies like Zoho, Freshworks, and others are expected to be at the forefront of it. Freshworks was the first Indian SaaS company to achieve a billion dollar valuation, in 2019. A year later, the company closed another round at a valuation of $3.5 billion. It is backed by some of the prominent investors across the globe — Sequoia Capital, Tiger Global, Accel, Steadview, CapitalG and more. The company raised another billion dollars through its public issue. It’s valuation also increased over three times to $12.2 billion. The SaaS giant has acquired 13 companies to date including AnswerI1Q, Flint, CanvasFlip, Natero, and Zarget, among others. "I feel like an Indian athlete who has won a gold medal at the Olympics. We are showing the world what a global product company from India can achieve,” Mathrubootham said, in an <a href="https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/freshworks-ipo-creates-more-than-500-crorepatis-in-india-with-70-of-them-aged-below-30-7496681.html">interaction </a>with Moneycontrol. He further claimed that the <keyword id="11167545" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="freshworks-ipo" source="Orion">Freshworks IPO</keyword> has made 500 crorepatis in India, 70 of which are under 30. SEE ALSO <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/vodafone-idea-and-airtel-need-tariff-hikes-agr-moratorium-might-not-be-enough-say-analysts/articleshow/86285450.cms">Vodafone Idea and Airtel need tariff hikes, AGR moratorium might not be enough, say analysts</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/airtel-vodafone-idea-and-jio-welcome-telecom-relief-package-but-analysts-are-divided-on-whether-it-is-enough/articleshow/86252002.cms">Airtel, Vodafone Idea and Jio welcome telecom relief package, but analysts are divided on whether it is enough</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/airtel-challenges-telecom-departments-demand-of-1400-crore/articleshow/86260516.cms">Airtel challenges telecom department's demand of ₹1,400 crore</a>

The success story of India’s first SaaS company to be listed in Nasdaq

Freshworks, an Indian cloud-based <keyword id="9231180" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="SaaS-Company">SaaS company</keyword>, is organizing a summit to provide a deep dive into digital-first customer experience. Freshworks’ philosophy is simple — empower its customer to deliver delight with software that is simple, agile and intuitive. While larger companies can depend on IT teams to deploy CX solutions, smaller businesses face constraints of resources and budgets. And that’s where Freshworks steps in. The customer experience (CX) is the feeling that every customer takes away after an interaction with a brand. It’s a crucial part of the transaction that makes or mars the brand’s image. A strong customer experience is the best way to attract more consumers, ensure their loyalty and grow revenue through repeat sales. However, many organizations struggle to create that experience in a new digital-first world which has been disrupted by the pandemic and evolving consumers’ buying trends. Digital-led experiences will continue to grow in popularity even after the pandemic ends, and companies that act fast and innovate their operations will establish a superior advantage. Just as home-delivery has evolved from a ‘nice-to-have’ to a must-have, digital-first experiences are now integral to customer retention. Even if we forget about the pandemic for a second, the impact of poor CX goes beyond customer dissatisfaction. Negative CX leads to increasing support tickets, in turn increasing operational workload and unnecessary costs. In the new normal, CX isn’t limited to onboarding customers through various online channels but also integrating services and leveraging their potential. It’s essential for businesses to clearly understand their customers, their preferences, habits, and patterns to mould a perfect experience. At <keyword id="6474664" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Re">RE</keyword>:SOLVE, Freshworks will showcase how some of India’s most popular digital-first brands leveraged its tools to become digital-first and improve their customer experience. The future shall consist of contactless transactions powered by chatbots, omnichannel sales via multiple platforms, and close integration with chat apps like WhatsApp. Freshworks is bringing together some of India’s biggest digital disruptors to uncover what drives their success. Companies including Byju’s, Dunzo, Lenskart, and PhonePe will share their strategies and practices to inspire many more organisations. The conference shall be live-streamed globally and consists of three tracks — CX on mobile apps, optimisation of customer service, and modern stacks for customer support. Attendees can also benefit from live curated masterclasses that will help them take away actionable steps to evolve CX in their own organizations. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="RE:SOLVE, a summit on digital-first customer experience" comment="subhead" text="RE:SOLVE, a summit on digital-first customer experience">RE:SOLVE, a summit on digital-first customer experience</cmsannotation> With readily available tools, top-notch customer support, and minimal requirement of customisations, Freshworks is best suited to take the lead. With RE:SOLVE, it intends to show that the digital transformation of CX isn’t as difficult as it seems to be. For businesses considering a shift, RE:SOLVE is the perfect place to understand the nitty-gritty of digital CX, implementation of Freshworks software, and how it can permanently change its business model to embrace digital-first engagement channels. Right from sales to support, one can accomplish all under one roof. An added attraction for attendees will be the keynote session by cricketing legend Adam Gilchrist. In conversation with Freshworks’ Co-founder and CEO Girish Mathrubootham, Gilchrist will draw parallels between cricketing as well customer experiences by sharing how both involve learning, disrupting and winning. RE:SOLVE is scheduled for August 26 and is open to all. Just visit the<a href="https://bit.ly/BIxAr"> registration page</a> and fill-up the form to reserve your seat at the forefront of an ongoing digital revolution. Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post in partnership with Freshworks SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/infibeam-avenues-is-looking-to-acquire-a-point-of-sale-company/articleshow/85292156.cms">INTERVIEW: Infibeam Avenues is looking to acquire a point-of-sale company</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/travel-app-ixigo-files-for-a-1600-crore-ipo/articleshow/85292327.cms">Travel app ixigo files for a ₹1,600 crore IPO</a>

Freshworks announces RE:SOLVE, a summit for digital-first customer experience featuring prominent Indian brands

<ul><li><keyword id="2645087" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rategain" source="Orion">RateGain</keyword> intends to raise over ₹400 crore through its fresh issue, which will be used for investments and acquisitions.</li><li>Rate Gain has over 1,434 customers, spread across 110 countries.</li><li>The company counts Lemon Tree, OYO and several other hotels and OTAs as its clients.</li><li>It will continue to focus on the US market after its public listing as well.</li></ul>Software-as-a-service startup (SaaS) RateGain Travel Technologies — which has less than 1% business coming from India — had decided, earlier this year, that it will get listed in its home country. This is rather odd as several tech entrepreneurs dream of getting their startups listed in American stock exchange Nasdaq. It’s not just a matter of pride, but also a strategic move. There are majorly two reasons for Indian tech startups to explore a Nasdaq listing — retail investors have better understanding of tech business in the US and/or majority of their revenue is coming from that market. Besides this, international listing gives Indian companies a larger and more diverse pool of capital. Whether it's the already listed Freshworks or soon-to-be-listed Icertis, <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/startups/inmobi-prepares-for-nasdaq-listing-to-seek-15-billion-valuation/articleshow/81789159.cms">InMobi </a>or <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/pine-labs-reportedly-joins-the-long-list-of-indian-tech-startups-heading/articleshow/81760763.cms">PineLabs</a> — one of these three factors are the driving force of listing abroad. So it is quite amusing why RateGain would choose to get itself listed in India and that too in 2021 — potentially the worst time for any travel tech business due to the ongoing pandemic. Bhanu Chopra, the chairperson and managing director of RateGain told Business Insider that there were three reasons why the company decided not to go for a Nasdaq listing. First, the ability to drive up brand value being a local company is much higher. Second, they wanted to be the torchbearer of the first product SaaS company to list in India. Third, there were several logistical issues that couldn’t have been solved without making some organisational changes and it was quite cumbersome. Therefore, the company decided to stick to its home market and be the first SaaS company to list in India. Rate Gain has over 1,434 customers — across the hotel, hospitality and online travel agency (OTA) segment — spread across 110 countries. In order to serve the customers in these locations, RateGain has set up its subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, United States and Spain. It has also acquired three companies to date — US-based DHISCO and BCV, and<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/ipo-bound-rategain-acquires-germany-based-myhotelshop/articleshow/86454447.cms"> Germany-based myhotelshop</a>. About 65% of RateGain’s revenue comes from the US market, while nearly 2% comes from India. The company will continue to focus on the US market even after the public listing as the majority of its customer base is settled or registered there. <div type="image" title="Despite majority of its revenue coming from the US, this is what compelled RateGain to be the first SaaS company to list in India" msid="87269616" hostid="261"></div> The company — founded in 2004 and bootstrapped till 2017— intends to raise ₹400 crore through its fresh issue. Besides, the company will also sell 2.26 crore as offer for sale (OfS). This capital will be used to make strategic investments, acquisition and fund inorganic growth initiatives. Its last reported valuation was $133 million in 2015. But why now? <div type="image" title="Despite majority of its revenue coming from the US, this is what compelled RateGain to be the first SaaS company to head for an IPO in India" msid="87286549" hostid="261"></div> It’s no secret that the travel and hospitality segment was severely hit since March 2020, when the world stepped into pandemic-induced lockdowns. As the entire segment was suffering, RateGain was bound to suffer too as they comprised its clients. The company decided to take a pause and arm itself with better products to meet the pent-up demand that may come back soon as people indulge in revenge travel and COVID-related restrictions are lifted. The company counts Lemon Tree, OYO and several other hotels and online travel aggregators (OTAs) as its clients. Besides this, the company believes that Indian investors are now ready to invest in tech businesses. Chopra believes that the investors' interest in Indian startups have increased in both private as well as public markets. This can be seen in terms of the number of unicorns -- private firms valued at or more than $1 billion -- that are being created as well as the number of companies hitting the public market. “My sense is that the Indian investor is now ready and they understand the future of any industry is digitisation. Now, RateGain is leading that effort in digitisation of the travel and hospitality industry” Chopra added. The pent-up demand of the travel industry and the positive global outlook is driving 26% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) growth. “Retail investors understand that the travel industry is recovering very fast and it is going to be the fastest growing industry in the next four-five years,” he added. Chopra believes that the ecosystem has developed enough for retail investors to understand the upcoming trends. In a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/droom-founder-explains-why-he-is-considering-a-us-ipo-and-where-he-intends-to-spend-the-money/articleshow/84917608.cms">previous interaction</a> with Business Insider, Droom’s founder and CEO Sandeep Aggarwal highlighted that Indian investors now have a stock appetite to invest in tech businesses. Earlier, he was of that view that Indian new age businesses are not rewarded in the Indian stock exchange. WATCH ALSO: <div type="Video" msid="84897976" hostid="261" title="India's latest unicorn is prepping for an IPO now" dataSource="BUSINESSINSIDER" thumbUrl="https://denmark.timesinternet.in/cmslite/api/app/images.jpg?msid=84897976"></div> SEE ALSO <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/bharti-airtel-tech-mahindra-bajaj-finance-and-other-top-stocks-to-watch-out-for-on-october-26/slidelist/87268702.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Bharti Airtel, Tech Mahindra, Bajaj Finance and other top stocks to watch out for on October 26</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/international/news/elon-musks-wealth-surged-by-36-billion-the-largest-single-day-gain-bloombergs-ever-recorded/articleshow/87267131.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Elon Musk's wealth surged by $36 billion, the largest single-day gain Bloomberg's ever recorded</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/opinion-the-next-four-letter-word-taking-the-world-of-finance-by-storm/articleshow/87260681.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">OPINION: The next four-letter word taking the world of finance by storm</a>

Despite majority of its revenue coming from the US, this is what compelled RateGain to be the first SaaS company to head for an IPO in India

New Delhi, The technology industry in <keyword id="19895063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="india" source="keywords">India</keyword> reached $253.9 billion in revenue with an addition of $9.3 billion incremental revenue in FY2024 (estimated), growing at 3.8 per cent from FY23, a <keyword id="19955786" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="nasscom" source="keywords">Nasscom</keyword> report said on Friday. The technology industry added 60,000 net employees in FY2024 (estimated), with a total headcount of 5.43 million. However, the focus on digital skills continued to remain strong with AI, Cloud, data and cybersecurity emerging as top in-demand skills for the industry, the report noted. The Indian tech services export revenue (excluding hardware) is expected to touch $199 billion in reported currency, a growth of 3.3 per cent compared to FY2023. "We do see FY2025 as the year of capability building as the new normal. Navigating the current challenges will require the industry to focus on 4Rs -- Reshape - accelerate transition to AI-first companies; reskill - make talent the biggest competitive advantage; rewire growth and raise IP creation and R&amp;D investments," said <keyword id="19956660" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="debjani-ghosh" source="keywords">Debjani Ghosh</keyword>, President, Nasscom. The engineering research and development (<keyword id="20612065" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="erd" source="keywords">ER&amp;D</keyword>) sector alone contributed 48 per cent to the total export revenue addition in FY2024. Global Capability Centres or GCCs continue to invest in India, expanding their service portfolios at the same time new GCCs are setting up operations. The industry saw an addition of 53 new GCCs in 2023, the report said. "While headwinds like global economic slowdown, inflation, recessionary fears and geopolitical conflicts continue to pose challenges, we are confident that the industry will bounce back," said <keyword id="20134134" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rajesh-nambiar" source="keywords">Rajesh Nambiar</keyword>, Chairperson, Nasscom. With digital tech spending expected to grow in 2024, "We will also witness emergence of alternative demand source, customer retention, faster go-to-market strategies in newer markets for enterprises," Nambiar added. With continued investments by the government and enterprises in emerging technologies, India's domestic sector emerged as the great propeller. Focus on application development, automation, verticalised products, software-as-a-service (SaaS), data migration for AI and Cloud enterprise spending are some of the notable drivers to this growth, the report showed. "The industry is committing 60-100 hours per year per employee on upskilling," the findings showed.

Tech industry in India hits $254 bn in revenue in FY24, adds 60K employees

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Shares of Indian software firm <keyword id="12153608" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="freshworks" source="Orion">Freshworks</keyword> jumped as much as 36% in their trading debut on Wednesday. </li><li>The firm priced its initial public offering at $36 per share Tuesday evening.</li><li>Freshworks aims to compete with <keyword id="11892769" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="salesforce" source="Orion">Salesforce</keyword> as it tries to disrupt the <keyword id="12153610" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="customer-relationship-management" source="Orion">customer relationship management</keyword> market.</li></ul>Shares of <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/frsh-stock">Freshworks</a> jumped as much as 36% on Wednesday during its Nasdaq debut.The stock hit an intraday high of $48.75 Wednesday. Freshworks on Nasdaq trades under the ticker "FRSH." The firm priced its initial public offering at $36 per share Tuesday evening. Freshworks sold <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/freshworks-announces-pricing-of-initial-public-offering-301382238.html?tc=eml_cleartime">28.5 million common shares</a>, raising $1 billion in proceeds and garnering a valuation of over $10 billion valuation. Founded in India, Freshworks, now a San Mateo, California-based software company, builds customer management platforms that have <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/former-atlassian-exec-jose-morales-freshworks-2020-10">gained the attention of clients</a> including Honda, Cisco, and American Express.Its business <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/freshworks-new-cmo-stacey-epstein-growth-2021-3">boomed during the pandemic</a> as companies rushed to digitize most of their customer operations to cater to the growing demand of clients whose employees were mostly stuck at home as large swathes of the world shutdown, founder CEO and Girish Mathrubootham <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/freshworks-ceo-huge-opportunity-to-disrupt-customer-service-market-2019-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">previously told Insider.</a>Freshworks aims to compete with software behemoth Salesforce as it tries to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/freshworks-new-cmo-stacey-epstein-growth-2021-3">disrupt the customer relationship management </a>market, Mathrubootham <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/freshworks-ceo-huge-opportunity-to-disrupt-customer-service-market-2019-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">added.</a> Though Freshworks is based in the US, the majority of its employees are based in Chennai, India. It has other offices in 10 other locations, including London, Berlin, and Sydney.The idea of Freshworks was borne out of Mathrubootham's frustration with the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/freshworks-ceo-huge-opportunity-to-disrupt-customer-service-market-2019-11">lack of response from a moving company</a>, which damaged his television during the process in 2010. More than a decade later, he has grown his firm from just focusing on customer support to one that provides software for every customer interaction."We started in a 700 square foot warehouse in Chennai in 2010," Mathrubootham said in the <a href="https://sec.report/Document/0001628280-21-018866/0001628280-21-018866.txt">regulatory filing</a>. "We didn't plan nor expect to change the world. Our dreams came in increments, each building on the next and expanding our vision over time."Today, the company, among India's first unicorns - startups worth more than $1 billion - and is one of the country's best-known software-as-a-service firms.Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan, and Bank of America Securities acted as lead book-runners for the offering.

Freshworks jumps 36% in trading debut after pricing IPO at $36 per share

<ul><li>Freshworks became the first Indian software-as-a-service (SaaS) firm to get listed on a US exchange by raising $13 billion on its debut day.</li><li>The IPO created 500 crorepatis in India, 70 of them are under the age of 30.</li><li>There are many more reasons why the startup industry is cheering for the <keyword id="11167545" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="freshworks-ipo" source="Orion">Freshworks IPO</keyword>.</li></ul>Apparently, the startup world can’t keep calm because not everyday does an Indian software-as-a-service (SaaS) firm get listed on a US exchange by raising $13 billion dollars on its debut day. Icing on the cake is that the Freshworks IPO has also created a whole lot of wealth for its employees. 500 crorepatis (millionaires) in India, 70 of them are under the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/freshworks-ipo-500-crorepatis-12-billion-market-cap-and-more-that-emerged-from-indias-first-saas-listing-at-nasdaq/articleshow/86445614.cms">age of 30</a>. Interestingly, Girish Mathrubootham, co-founder and chief executive officer of Freshworks, who is a big fan of Rajinikanth, names the opening ceremony event on Nasdaq as ‘Project Superstar’ in tribute to the famous Indian actor. There are many more reasons why the startup industry is cheering for the Freshworks IPO launch. Here are a few reactions from the India Inc: Freshworks IPO is a ‘snowball moment’ for India’s SaaS industry "An IPO is one more feather in Freshwork and Girish's hat! I strong believe they would build a long standing institution. The most gratifying part is to see the wealth created for their team, and energy they have helped propel in the India SAAS ecosystem - installing confidence in founders /to-be founders that great companies can be built from scratch. This is a snowball moment for India SAAS, and I am excited that we at Speciale are live and investing in this vibrant and growing startup ecosystem,” — Vishesh Rajaram, founder and managing partner of Speciale Invest This startup accelerator feels this is a Neeraj Chopra moment for the industry "Salesforce was the first SaaS IPO in the world in 2004. It served as a big inflection point for the entire SaaS Industry and which today, after 15 years, has an enterprise value of $2 trillion dollars. Freshworks - as the first Indian SaaS company to go IPO - acts as a similar inspiration to a growing number of SaaS startups from India. Every Indian SaaS founder is cherishing this moment just like the nation celebrated Neeraj Chopra winning Gold at the Olympics,” — Prasanna Krishnamoorthy, partner at Upekkha Value SaaS Accelerator Now the important question is who will achieve this feat next? "Successful listing of Freshworks on NASDAQ is a “Eureka” moment for the B2B SaaS sector in India which will inspire many upcoming start-ups to spread Indian product software across the globe. This feat by Freshworks showcases the potential for Indian SaaS start-ups to build globally disruptive technology product companies. It also showcases an immense amount of talent and the passion for entrepreneurship &amp; execution the Freshworks team embodies, and we (as in the Indian startup ecosystem) are eager to find out who will achieve this feat next,” — Ankur Bansal, cofounder and director at BlackSoil “Every SaaS founder in India would have a story or two about how they got inspired by Girish and the Freshworks story. Freshworks IPO makes the story they believed and got inspired by all the more real and their aspirations all the more possible. To the next 10 Indian SaaS IPOs!,” — Mayank Agarwal, cofounder at SendX “Freshworks has paved the path for future SaaS Companies that are building from India and selling globally. This is just a start of what we can see in the upcoming decade where a ton of Indian SaaS Companies will be going public. As Girish had mentioned yesterday that he feels like winning an Olympic medal, it is equivalent or more and motivates the next generation of SaaS Founders to build and go public,” — Harshit Agarwal, chief executive officer at Appknox SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/freshworks-ipo-500-crorepatis-12-billion-market-cap-and-more-that-emerged-from-indias-first-saas-listing-at-nasdaq/articleshow/86445614.cms">Freshworks IPO — 500 crorepatis, $12 billion market cap and more that emerged from India’s first SaaS listing at Nasdaq</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/voltas-havells-india-and-blue-star-stocks-have-gained-10-24-on-hopes-of-strong-demand-this-festive-season/articleshow/86448471.cms">Air conditioner brands Voltas, Blue Star, Havells rally ahead of festive season</a>

Landmark moment for this Rajinikanth fan’s SaaS startup on listing at US exchange

<ul><li>The Indian SaaS segment has the potential to clock a total turnover of $75 billion by 2025.</li><li>One in five global <keyword id="6361043" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="software" source="Orion">software</keyword> demand is likely to be met by Indian <keyword id="6756963" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="saas-companies" source="Orion">SaaS companies</keyword> in the next four years, according to experts.</li><li>On one hand large global corporations, even tech giants like Amazon and Twitter, are buying software solutions from India.</li><li>This has led to a mad rush from venture capitalists who have pumped in $1.7 billion into these startups in 2020.</li><li>Seven unicorns have been created in this space in the last year and a half alone.</li></ul>The sudden change in global trends and the rise of ‘remote everything’ — from learning to work — has propelled the software-as-a-service (SaaS) industry. And their customers include marquee names like Amazon, Twitter, <keyword id="596" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="hyundai" source="Orion">Hyundai</keyword>, Domino’s, and Philips, just to name a few. Venture capital firms like Accel, Tiger Global and Sequoia, looking for the next gold rush, have pumped in $1.7 billion across 128 deals in 2020, and more in 2021, creating at least seven unicorns in the space of less than 20 months, in India alone. Enterprise tech accounted for 13% of deal volume among top investors in the first half of 2021, says a NASSCOM PGA Labs report. According to a report by investment firm Chiratae Ventures and consulting firm Zinnov last month, the Indian SaaS segment has the potential to clock a total turnover of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/india-software-service-sector-needs-more-than-200000-employees-by-2025/articleshow/84632003.cms">$75 billion</a> by 2025. But where will this revenue come from? The answer is simple — market and product expansion. As the world stepped into a lockdown in March 2020, the SaaS companies had a new reality to face — the demand for softwares and solutions that required limited/no physical efforts and showed faster results was the need of the hour. More enterprises were on a hunt for tech solutions in the latest virtual scene and SaaS companies started seeing more customer interest. The increased customer interest also resulted in increased flow of venture capital for this segment and India added seven SaaS unicorns — private companies valued at or more than $1 billion — during the pandemic since 2020. <div type="image" title="Amazon, Twitter, Hyundai, and Domino’s are buying Indian software fuelling a $75 billion dream chased by top VCs like Sequoia and Tiger Global" msid="85647410" hostid="261"></div> While the investors’ interest brought in more money for the SaaS companies to grow, the increased customer interest has brought in more revenue. Zoho, which is a 25-year old bootstrapped company that has not raised funds so far, has customers like Amazon, Zomato and Xiaomi. Here's Sridhar Vembu, the founder of Zoho, explaining the software boom, in a recent interview with Business Insider. <div type="Video" msid="85650341" hostid="261" title="Zoho founder explains India's software boom in the last 24 months" dataSource="BUSINESSINSIDER" thumbUrl="https://denmark.timesinternet.in/cmslite/api/app/images.jpg?msid=85650341"></div> Conversational artificial intelligence (AI) solutions company Uniphore ⁠— backed by Cisco, Sistema Capital Partners and ⁠Chiratae Ventures — claims to have noted a 3-fold year-on-year increase in their revenue in the financial year 2021, meanwhile contract management system has termed this fiscal the best one for them. Similar trend of increased revenue has been witnessed by most of the big SaaS names in India. Backed by Google and led by founder Girish Mathrubootham, help desk software company Freshworks ⁠— which has bagged contracts from Vice Media Group, Toshiba and Cisco ⁠— claimed to have crossed $300 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR) in February 2021. ARR is a metric used by SaaS businesses to show the revenue one can expect on a yearly basis. “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, previously said. One in five global software demands will be met by Indian SaaS companies in the next four years, Chiratae-Zinnov report added. What are Indian startups doing to attract these customers? With enough revenue and funding to aid sustain and grow their businesses, Indian SaaS companies have now put in greater focus on penetrating deeper into the international markets. <div type="image" title="Amazon, Twitter, Hyundai, and Domino’s are buying Indian software fuelling a $75 billion dream chased by top VCs like Sequoia and Tiger Global" msid="85647440" hostid="261"></div> Monish Darda, co-founder and chief technical officer (CTO) of Icertis, talked to Business Insider about the three important aspects for international expansion for any SaaS business. First, ensuring that the technology is in accordance with the market one if planning to enter. Second, readiness from the team perspective and having local workforce who understand the market well. Third, cracking right partnerships to expand business. “If you look at contract management, you will see that for India we will not only integrate electronic signatures from Adobe Sign, which are global, but also add e-Mudhra which is a very Indian specific digital signature. You always have these different things in different markets that you need to cater to, to be successful. So there is technology,” he explained. Ankur Bansal, co-founder of BlackSoil Capital, in an interaction with Business Insider said that it’s almost a given for all SaaS companies, who have found their product-market fit, to think global. Having global customers changes the valuation of a SaaS company “dramatically” and offers much better margins to the company. “In terms of the size of the contract, the understanding of it and the speed of execution — everything on all counts in favour of a SaaS company… Anyway SaaS business margins are great, and on top of it if the company is catering to customers based out of the US or Europe then it becomes way better,” Bansal added. SEE ALSO <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/infosys-airtel-kaveri-seed-and-other-top-stocks-to-watch-out-for-on-august-26/slidelist/85645299.cms">Infosys, Airtel, Kaveri Seed and other top stocks to watch out for on August 26 </a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/personal-finance/news/investors-will-be-able-to-open-fixed-deposit-accounts-fds-on-google-pay/articleshow/85646488.cms">Google Pay to let users open fixed deposits on its platform </a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/news/popular-pro-vaccine-reddit-page-calls-on-founders-to-do-more-to-combat-covid-19-disinformation/articleshow/85639053.cms">Popular pro-vaccine Reddit page calls on founders to do more to combat COVID-19 disinformation</a>

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Tech industry in India hits $254 bn in revenue in FY24, adds 60K employees

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Freshworks jumps 36% in trading debut after pricing IPO at $36 per share

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Landmark moment for this Rajinikanth fan’s SaaS startup on listing at US exchange

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