Top 10 most successful start-ups in India

India is a country of budding entrepreneurs. Every years a large number of entrepreneurs put in efforts to make a system, a website or a project which they believe is the next big thing. However not all the start-ups are able to continue their journey for over 3 years. Most of them become insolvent or fail due to human resource issues. Here I have listed the top 10 start-ups who have made it to over three years.


Flipkart:
flipkart.com
Undoubtedly the most successful of Indian online companies, Flipkart is one of the biggest and highest earning online companies in India. Being an early starter in the field of online retail, it has the biggest market share of customers. Headquartered in Bangalore, it was founded by Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal in 2007. In its initial years, Flipkart focused on online sales of books, but it later expanded to electronic goods and a variety of other products. Flipkart offers multiple payment methods like credit card, debit card, net banking, e-gift voucher and Cash on Delivery.

JustDial
justdial.com
Its a company providing local search services over the Phone, Web, Mobile and SMS. It is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Users are required to call a common number and simply tell the human operator what service they are looking for. Text and email alerts are then sent to users listing the best options around them. Recently they have come up with an IPO for fund raising. Just Dial's initial public offer to raise $174 million was oversubscribed nearly 12 times in what marked the country's biggest IPO this year (2013).


Quikr
quikr.com
Quikr is an online classifieds company based in Mumbai. It was launched on 12 July 2008 and is currently present in 900 cities across India. Quikr provides the local community with a platform to help them buy, sell, rent and find something and address needs across many categories. These categories numbering over 12 and sub-categories over 140 range from Mobiles, real estate, cars, services, jobs, entertainment, furniture, electronics etc

SnapDeal
snapdeal.com
It is among one of the largest e-commerce stores in India closely following Flipkart in terms of volume of sales and customer base. It has been able to provide the most competitive rates in the online retail industry making it a preferred online retailer for many. It was launched in February 2010. Snapdeal.com has a network of more than 50000 Merchants/Brands, and has over 20 million members (which is 1 out of every 6 internet users in the country) and caters to the shopping needs of customers across 4000+ towns and cities.


RedBus
redbus.in
redBus, also known as redBus.in, is India's biggest online bus ticketing company.The company also sells tickets through offline outlets. RedBus is estimated to have a market share of 65 percent. RedBus now faces stiff competition from many new players such as Mantis (Travelyaari), AbhiBus and SimplyBus, but it is believed that none of the other companies have the convenience or bandwidth of Redbus’ offerings that combine consumers, operators and travel agents.It was started in 2005.

Make My Trip
makemytrip.com
Make my trip is an online ticket booking agency established in 2000. It has a major share of customers in flights and bus ticket booking. It faces close competition with Yatra.com which is a relatively newer player. Makemytrip.com offers the following booking services : airline, railway and bus tickets and reserve hotel rooms and car rentals throught call center/internet.maketrip.com visitors also have the option of Car rentals in popular Indian cities

Yatra
yatra.com
It is an Indian online travel agency and a travel search engine based in Gurgaon, Haryana. Yatra.com offers its customers domestic and international flights, weekend getaways, rail tourism packages, holidays, hotels and trains. The website also offers various time-bound deals from time to time. Founded by Dhruv Shringi, Manish Amin and Sabina Chopra in August 2006. By the way stake is owned by Network18 in this company and Salman Khan is their brand ambassador.


Myntra:
myntra.com
Myntra was established by Mukesh Bansal, Ashutosh Lawania, and Vineet Saxena in February 2007. All three are IIT alumni, and have worked for several start-ups. Myntra is headquartered in Delhi and has been funded by Venture Capital funds like IndoUS, IDG & Accel Partners.  It began its operations in the B2B (business to business) segment with the personalization of gifts, which included T-shirts, mugs and caps to name a few. However, in 2010, the company shifted its strategy to becoming a B2C (business to customer) oriented firm, expanding its catalogue to fashion and lifestyle products.

Ibibo
ibibo.com
Ibibo which stands for iBuild, iBond, is an Indian social networking site. It is an umbrella site that offers a variety of applications under its social network.Ibibo was founded in January 2007 by Ashish Kashyap who had formerly served as the Head of Indian Sales and Operations for Google. It has a number of companies under the brand. The key portfolio organizations of the group are Goibibo.com (Online Travel);  Tradus.com (Online Marketplace); PayU.in (Online Payments) & Gaadi.com (Auto Classifieds).

Book My Show
bookmyshow.com
Its India's largest ticket booking site for Movie Tickets, T20 Tickets, Music Concerts, Sports, Plays, Events, Theater, Cinema & Match Tickets. Apart from this it also has information about Cricket Schedule, Match Reviews, Movie Reviews, T20 Match News. Network 18 invested in this company in March 2007. It sells 1 Lakh (a hundred thousand) tickets in a single day on an average.

And they call it Freedom

The Indian constitution has listed seven rights, one of which is right to freedom. Although I am against the idea of democracy altogether, but for the time being I will not talk about it. I will just like to write about the Right to Freedom which is a fundermental right of citizens of India.

By definition:
Right to freedom includes freedom of speech and expression, assembly, association or union or cooperatives, movement, residence, and right to practice any profession or occupation (some of these rights are subject to security of the State, friendly relations with foreign countries, public order, decency or morality), right to life and liberty, right to education, protection in respect to conviction in offences and protection against arrest and detention in certain cases.

First of all, I find the definition flawed in itself. I don't think anyone has the authority to grant freedom to someone else. Now, even if you grant a right to freedom, there can be no exception to it. Freedom doesnot come with any chains or chuches. It is absolute. Freedom is the independence to do anything one wishes, whatever be the consequences. Obviously, absolute freedom can be disastrous because world is full of psychopaths and anti-social elements. But this doesnot changes the definition of freedom. If you grant freedom to someone, you can't put conditions on it. Freedom, if not absolute, cannot be called freedom. It can be anything but it.

So now, even if you can't grant unquestioning freedom, atleast fulfill what you claim to grant. You say one has freedom of speech provided it doesnot infringe the National security. But then you ban individuals from Social Media sites like Twitter and Facebook for instance. You ban people from protesting peacefully. Again, not that I care too much about the protests as they almost all go in
vain and are fruitless means of fulfilling ones demands. But even then, if one wishes to protest and feels that by protesting and rallying like this, he will get what he wants, then why block him. Why is he locked behind the bars for a peaceful procession. Aren't they trespassing the rights they have granted themselves?

Right to freedom cannot be granted by anyone. No one has the authority to grant this particular right to anyone else. Be it the government or parents. One is born with it and if it is compromised in any sense then one must fight till he dies for it. Because if you are not free, then life is worthless.


My inspiration for writing this article is the song 'Aazaadiyaan' from the movie Udaan.

I - FREE

In continuation of the previous article I talked about different dimensions of independence. Now I'd proceed further with the concept of financial independence which I consider to be the most important from the perspective of an individuals ego. 
Financial independence is the ability to live a healthy life fulfilled with the basic necessities without any financial help from any other human being or institution. 
I always find it acceptable and rather valid, the comparison of human beings with jungle animals. I find plausible the similarities between the two. The animals take care of their young ones, teach them to earn their food and the art of sustainability during their early ages. In the same was a human being is taught, throughout his childhood and adolescence to try becoming capable of earning a living and sustaining in this world. However after a certain age, when the young ones are able enough, the adult animals leave them to sustain on their own. 
My motive of showing such a contrast might be clear. If not, let me help you. Human beings are also animal-like in most respects. So, if one fine day, when an adult animal sets free the young one, isn't it possible and also natural for human beings to follow suite. Is it not the way human are meant to live. 
Well, what i am describing here might be unorthodox and not many will like my idea, I know. People will argue about man being a social animal. Social, i am unable to understand it enough. 
The point I want to state is- Once an individual starts earning, he/she should start preparing to be financially independent. From the day he/she earns their first wage/profit, they should begin their journey towards independence. If the goal is not reached by the time you retire(if at all you wish to retire ever) then alas, you have never achieved this one kind of independence ever. But, again I'd like to say what I had already said earlier (in my last article): During the process of being financially independent, one must not forget his duties and responsibilities. 
I'd further discuss about the same in my next article where I'd talk about real life practices to be followed to achieve this goal- Financial Independence-the most important one for an individual's ego.        

Independence

This article has been written keeping in mind the retired individuals. I am going to discuss a different dimention of independence and not the usual kind of independence as we have always perceived it to be. Independence is the most importance criteria of an individuals existence. I have always beleived in independent living and I think most of us do. But what is independence is what we fail to define. Some say we are independent because India is no longer ruled by Britishers while others have a completly different conception of independence where they live in jungles independent of any other human being's intervention. Well, my definition of independence is rather closer to the latter's conception of independence than former's.
Independence to me is the capablity of an individual to live without the help of another individual in any from what so ever. Here I'd like to further explain that help from others is different from the exchange or trade of values or materials such that both the parties benefit. Help is done without selfish motive but trade is done for mutual benefit. So being independent essentially means that you are not helped by others but trade and exchange of benefits is taking place for mutual benefit. Independence is not limited to Financial independence but has more parameters as Emotional, Social and Spiritual. I'd explain these in my next articles.
Being independent means to be ready to face the worst nightmares alone. It means to have the confidence and capability to live independently without any other human beings intervention. The point I want to state here is that if there comes a day when an individual has no family, no friend to give him a shoulder, he should not be heart-broken, instead he should prepare himself, everyday of his life for such an eventuality. He should always be ready for the day when everyone else would relinquish him and he has to live all by himself. He shuold prepare himself for the day when he need not depend on any other individual for his existence. When that day is achieved, I'll say that he has achieved independence.
But there is another side of it that I'd like to point out. In the process of being independent, one must not relinquis his duties and responsiblities rather he himself must help others dependent on him to attain independence. I'd restate that independence is the most important criteria of one's existence and should not be compromised at any cost.

Prepare your own Retirement Plan

The retirement planning industry is starting to get matured in India or well it has already matured enough with the presence of more than 10 players which offer umpteen products related to retirement planning or pension funds. What surprises me is that how did an industry flourish in a field where none is needed. Yes, precisely none is needed. 

Before getting into the details I would first like to brief about the functioning of these funds:

You pay monthly installments for years till you retire and after retirement they pay back the money. There are two modes of payments offered: 

1) They pay a lump-sum amount after your retirement or 

2) They pay small amounts till you die depending upon the terms and conditions.

The main reason I am writing this article is to make you aware that the preposterous funds like pension and retirement planning funds are not required and unnecessary. Are not we self-sufficient in planning for our own retirement. How can some third person plan for our retirement better than ourselves.

Keeping apart the theoretical part, lets move on to the practical application.
I'll show you how these funds are not actually more profitable then a Fixed Deposit.
Let me explain with the help of a real life example:

There is a fund which asks for 4K/month till your retirement and pays back 1Crore at the time of your retirement. So for investing in this fund for 40 years, you'll have invested approx. 20 lakhs and will get 1Crore in return. Well, looks fair enough. Isn't it?    

Lets check it out: 

Investing 4K/month @ 10%/annum for 40 years compounded annually will give you: 

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2Crore 68Lakhs 31Thousand 8Hundred and ninety rupees.

So in fact you loose more than 1 Crore rupees.

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This was an ideal scenario which never exists. Taking a practical scenario:

Investing 4K/month @ 10%/annum for 32 years compounded annually will give you:

1Crore 2Lakhs 6Thousand 8hundred and 88 rupees.

You lose more than 2Lakhs.
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I have taken the interest as compounded annually but actually it is compounded quarterly. So the interest amount will be further more. Also most of the time the rate of interest offered in not 10% but around 9.75%. So the effect will be negated. But the facts and figures are before you. 

Further there are other risks related to investing in such schemes and until we read the offer document completely and miss out few important clauses, these risks will persist. Some of these funds have market based risks which can never be eliminated. And after all aren't we smart enough to plan for our own retirement.

Equity investments and trading

Introduction

The primary reason people enter into equity trading is because of its potential to offer huge returns and rewards. Even I was drawn into it for the same reason. It looks all shiny and glittery. But all this shine and glitter comes at a cost known as RISK. Most of the time traders (and not investors) enter market with a short term perspective which has enormous risks associated with it. The only way to avoid or at least marginalize the risk is to research exhaustively and play it smart.

My experience

I am a novice to first-hand equity investing, having just six months of experience but I have been following the stock markets and some specific stocks since the last four to five years. I slowly started to develop my knowledge and expertise in this field by reading newspaper (Economic Times and Financial Express) and books (CFA course material) and of course the internet which is undoubtedly the most informative source.

My strategy

I am a kind of trader who believes in inter-day and medium-term investments and very rarely will I involve in intraday trade. Here are some strategies I apply :

1) Look out for undervalued shares (Value Investing):

Sometimes the markets are not efficient in itself and a stock may be undervalued by the market. So I try to find out such undervalued stocks by looking at the past one year graphs and financial ratios. The information is easily available on hdfcsec.com and others other websites. The comparison of last one year price range and current price of the stock provides valuable information about it. It can be interpreted differently by different people, however while interpreting one must take note of the prevailing market conditions corresponding to the particular value of stock at that time. Eg. When the market (Sensex or Nifty) is at its years highest point and a stock of ABC company is trading at its years lowest levels then there is a possibility that the stock is undervalued.

2) Look out for news and announcements

Reading newspaper and online news reports can provide important information about a company's operations. Lookout for news of mergers and acquisitions, about commissioning of new production facility set-up and other important developments. Now in this respect one must keep in mind that not every merger/acquisition will result in a positive return or increase in price of stock. Here I'd like to share an experience with you. Once, around two years ago, I read in The Economic Times that SAIL is going to set up some new plants in tho locations and the profits are expected to rise etc. etc... The very same day I bought its shares at 220/share. And today the price is howering at 80/share. So this means I had not researched properly about the stock and had invested in vain and had to pay the price.

3)Comparing financial ratios of company with other competitors

Financial ratios of a company like Leverage ratios, solvency ratios etc. are very useful in determining the position of a company and ability to pay debts. Comparing these ratios and other financial statements like balance sheets, profit-loss statements with other peers can help in taking a smart decision for investing in a stock. However, studying and understanding these ratios require some patience but I assure you that once you start understanding them, it will be very useful.

4) Insider information

Insider information is the information provided by some management level employee of a company. It may be about a news about a new deal or merger or takeover of some other company and has not yet been made public. Obtaining such information is very difficult but if obtained from some reliable source, believe me, it can work wonders.

5) Future prospects and expectations from the company

Expectations about sales growth and global scenario. Foresight about how the sales of the company are going to be affected can be helpful.

Conclusion

Trading in equity is considered in of the riskiest business but also it is the business which can bring you from rags to riches in the matter of months (if not days). The strategies followed by any investor cannot be fool proof and should be subjected to continuous evolution. Net theories and practices should be developed, iterated and reiterated. Older theories which have proven wrong should be discarded or modified according to individuals discretion. There is no thumb-rule which can be applied to equity trading for booking profits. Portfolio should be built in such a way such that the risk is minimized and profit maximized. Cheers !!!

Should India Inc. be apprehensive about a Double - dip yet?

Not much seems to be going right at the moment for India Inc. as such. Be it the value of rupee against dollar or the industrial production growth rate. The stock-market seems to be taking a dive, although the slope doesn't seems to be as steep as the last one. Among this tumult we find the government passing The Food Security Bill amidst the tight fiscal situation. We have news about EU nations on the verge of default which further aggravates the condition. The interest rates are doing no good to the economy than the inflation. Everyone seems to have tightened their fists at the moment, be it the governments or corporates.

I believe this is what should not be happening in the economy. Cutting the costs and spending will exacerbate the situation and will lead to the development of a vicious cycle which might further lead to a double-dip indeed. The market already seems to have stagnated due to the above mentioned reasons and now if we cut the costs/spending then cash will be further sucked out from circulation. The market needs to be eased  by adding surpluses to increase liquidity which can be achieved by lowering the interest rates. Although this might hamper the inflation a bit but in the long run it would be advantageous, I believe. Radical measures should be taken by the government and industries as well to regain the lost faith of investors (both local and foreign). There is light at the end of the tunnel, but length of the tunnel cannot be estimated as yet.
 

Essay : Technology creates more problems than it solves and may threaten or damage the quality of life

Technology is the use of machines to solve problems which in most cases couldn’t be solved manually. The machines were used to make our lives easier and on most occasions it has succeeded. Development of ‘wheel’, ‘telephone’, ‘first-generation computer’ and ‘atom-bomb’ had been the most useful developments for the mankind over the last few centuries. The last century experienced humongous developments in various technological fronts varying from health-care to nuclear-power. Although most of these developments have been very useful for us, but developments in some fields have created a sense of insecurity and an environment or unrest at the global level.
The first misuse of technology had been in the field of nuclear weapons and in WoMD : Weapons of mass destruction. Nuclear powers in the hands of notorious countries like Iran and Pakistan have been an issue of global concern for the past decade. The superpowers of the world are now conscious about the existence of power with the third world nations.
According to the Pentagon, China has the most active land-based ballistic and cruise missile system in the world. The missiles are placed on frontiers of Taiwan and India. These missiles pose a threat not only to the two countries but to the whole world.
These developments have transformed the world to an arsenal possessed by a nation preparing for the World-war.
Setting apart the military developments and taking a look at the advancements in the field of information technology. Julian Assagne’s Wikileaks is also a creation of technology. An archive of the tapes and documents of various private and secret affairs of government is now open to public domain. The views of American minister Hillary Clinton about many nations of the world are unacceptable and has forced them beg pardon from them. It poses a threat to world diplomacy and may result in souring relations among nations.
Apart from the macro aspects, technology has also led to damage to the quality of life at the macro-level. Lethargy has crept into the lives of people as they have become addicted to the comforts of technology. Social-networking has long replaced outdoor sports and computer games have now become the only indoor game at disposal.
It’s not just the humans who are affected but environment also. We are aware of the ill-effects of global warming caused due to the industrial developments. It has been well said the modern technology owes ecology an apology.
Advantages are many but the disadvantages are grave. If world is to be a better place than technology needs to be in better hands.