Startup Island. New Year resolutions that are going to pay off

Last year around this time, Startup Island discussed why enterprises fail and the value of failing quickly. To be able to move on, entrepreneurs need to have a long-term view of where their businesses are headed. Startups are also realising that they would like investors to function as partners, bringing value beyond just putting in the money.

In this edition, we look at a few start-ups that focused on key parameters last year to build a healthy base on which to kick off 2015.

Relevance is king

Profitability and the overall well-being of businesses are hugely linked to how relevant they are, right from the start, to their target markets.

Strengthening one offering or area of business can make all the difference in the years ahead. Cloud telephony company Knowlarity Communications had a good year, with investments pouring in, and is set on growing to 10,000 SME customers in India by end FY15. Ambarish Gupta, CEO and Founder, says: “Our powerful platform and technology have helped individuals and organisations.

For example, during the general elections… candidates used Knowlarity’s outbound and inbound calling solutions to reach out to millions of people with simple calls and SMS solutions. We now have the ability to process one million calls in an hour.”

Over the years, Ola has established itself as a market leader in the cab rental space. Last year, its focus was to participate in creation of jobs at the driver level to strengthen the larger ecosystem it is a part of.

“The car ownership ratio is as low as 3 per cent in India…besides safe and reliable transportation options for consumers, we have had tens of thousands of drivers getting access, through Ola, to discounted prices from car manufacturers, loans from NBFCs and inclusion, in terms of banking and financial services. We are on a mission to create a million driver-entrepreneurs by 2016,” says Pranay Jivrajka, Vice-President, Operations, Ola.

There were notable developments even in sports education last year, with providers from Australia and the UK reportedly entering the Indian market. Edusports was actively part of a change in this space. Says Saumil Majmudar, CEO, Edusports, “Outsourcing of sports education gained widespread acceptance last year with the focus shifting from awareness to implementation. Private schools that integrated sports education into their curriculum accomplished their goals of facilitating an all-round education experience for students as well as improved parent engagement through sports events and assessments, leading, in general, to better utilisation of sports infrastructure.” Technology adoption is paramount for every business. Mobile and cloud will rule as platforms for SMEs.

Ola’s Jivrajka says: “This year, mobile technology will play a key role in the rapid growth of transportation. Beyond just information and booking transactions, other elements like mobile payments and cash-free rides will create a seamless experience. Mobile platforms will also help enhance safety with in-depth integration of new features at both the customer and drivers’ end, to secure every ride.”

Knowlarity’s Gupta adds, “2015 will see a more mature cloud market; from cloud verticalisation to business intelligence 2.0. Being globally competitive and building a world-class product drives our expansions.” For other growing businesses, new consumer segments are set to open up this year – specifically for Edusports. Lower-income private schools as well as government schools may soon begin testing versions of sports education to suit their context and budgets.