Tag: Unicorn

Categories
Startup

India to Have Around 62,000 Startups, Including 100 Unicorns by 2025, Despite COVID-19 Blow, Says Report

Startup
Startup

Bangalore, October 15: Businesses have been hugely hit by the coronavirus pandemic. However, here comes a piece of positive news where it is expected that India is expected to be home to 60,000-62,000 startups, including 100 unicorns, by 2025, despite the COVID-19 blow, according to a report jointly prepared by TiE- Delhi, a not-for-profit promoting entrepreneurship, and Zinnov, a global management and strategy consultancy.

The report mentions that there has been a dip in overall funding by 50 percent during the lockdown, compared to pre-covid levels, while around 40 percent startups were negatively impacted. Four Indian startups- Nykaa, Unacademy, Postman and Razorpay-emerged as unicorns while the pandemic was at its peak. The report predicts that India is on track to having at least eight new unicorns in 2020, on a par with the 2019 numbers, taking the total number of Indian unicorns to 33.

Accoridng to another report conducted by the same group, it was found out that due to the pandemic, 15 percent of the startups have already halted their operations. In addition to this, 44 per cent of start-ups have cash runway for less than 6 months, 41 per cent of startups have been impacted negatively while 52 per cent are struggling to raise capital.

 

Categories
Startup

What is a Unicorn? Here Are 4 Ideas to Help Startups Become a $1 Billion Company

Startup
Startup (Photo Credits: Pixabay)

A unicorn is a term used in the venture capital industry to describe a privately held startup company with a value of over $1 billion. The term was coined in 2013 by venture capitalist Aileen Lee, choosing the mythical animal to represent the statistical rarity of such successful ventures.

According to Investopedia, companies with valuations of over $10 billion are sometimes referred to as decacorns.

According to the Hurun Research Institute’s Global Unicorn List 2020, India is home to 21 unicorns, valued at $73.2 billion. Paytm is India’s highest-valued unicorn, at $16 billion. Top 10 Indian unicorns make up 78 percent of the total value of unicorns, while Paytm alone claims nearly 22 percent of the total valuation share of these unicorns.

Find the right idea

The most essential work of your startup if you are aiming to become a unicorn is to find the right idea for your business. The idea has to be innovative and should have the potential to work. The idea should create a change in customer behaviour and also improve their lifestyle.

Understand the potential of your product

It is very important to understand whether your product will fit the crowded and the cluttered market and has the potential to stand out. Your product should also be attractive enough to encourage customers to pay a premium price on a regular basis.

Keep your customers in the centre 

The job of a startup is to find a solution to a problem that customers want to solve.

Recognise your weakness & Keep an eye on the competition.

Never lose sight of how the industry and competitors are evolving, especially start-ups with new and potentially disruptive ideas. If you have to succeed, along with your strength, it is also very important to identify your weakness. If you understand your gaps and imperfections, you can always make away with them. This ability defines the success of a startup.

 

Categories
Startup

Dream11 Journey: From Fantasy Gaming Startup to IPL 2020 Title Sponsor, Here’s A Look At The Rise of The Unicorn

Dream11 (Photo Credits: Twitter)

Mumbai, August 19: Dream11, Fantasy gaming startup has bagged the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 title sponsorship rights. Dream11 won the title sponsorship rights with a bid of Rs 222 crore, replacing Vivo for a four and a half month deal.

In India, the online fantasy sports gaming has seen exponential growth over the last three years. To quote, IFSG-KPMG report, the biggest player in this category is Dream11 which commands 90 percent market share.

Here are some interesting facts about Dream11 growth journey: 

  • Dream11 was co-founded by Harsh Jain and Bhavit Sheth in 2012. It is an India based app.
  • Dream11 is headquartered in the city of Mumbai, Maharashtra.
  • In April 2019, Dream11 became the first Indian gaming company to enter the ‘Unicorn Club’.
  • In 2014, the company reported 1 million registered users, which grew to 2 million in 2016 and to 4 million in 2018.
  • Dream11 was also recognised as one of the top 10 innovative companies in India by Fast Company in 2019.
  • China-based App development organisation called Tencent Games had invested in the application in the year 2018.
  • On the Dream11 platform, the share of cricket as a sport is 85 percent, and this explains why IPL is an important platform for the brand to be in.

Here’s how the game format works:

Dream11 provides a fantasy gaming platform for multiple sports such as cricket, football, basketball, kabaddi, hockey, volleyball, and baseball, handball. Here users create a virtual team of real-life players and earn points based on the performances of these players in real matches. In order to participate in a Dream11 game, a user must be at least 18 years old and needs to get their profile verified using their PAN.