Regarding the number of startups, India is in first place worldwide, even in the case of tech companies. Many bright minds have taken the plunge to establish their businesses, putting their abilities to the test and giving form to their ideas. Despite the high failure rate historically associated with new companies, the United States is poised for a startup revival because of the country’s young population and its ability to develop innovative approaches to marketing and management.
“Bootstrapping” describes funding a new venture solely via personal savings. These businesses and their founders are self-sufficient, seeking no outside funding.
India is home to a thriving ecosystem of bootstrapped tech companies, some of which are as old as 25 years and still going strong. They range from novel approaches to cooking and computing to dating and retail therapy. Indian youth have perfected a method that has enabled businesses to target Indian homes effectively. Therefore, these young businesses have a promising future.
Top Bootstrapped Indian Tech Companies
1. Zoho
The firm develops web-based software for corporations. It provides a variety of programs necessary for office work. The company’s beginnings may be traced back to 1996. In an earlier form, it was branded as AdventNet. It’s not public property but rather the property of one individual. It comes with a suite of software that includes over fifty programs—this aids in the smooth operation of office procedures.
Co-created by Sridhar Vembu and Tony Thomas. Since its inception in 1996, Zoho has expanded throughout the world. The company’s headquarters may be found in the Indian city of Chennai. It has assets worth a total of $570M US. It employs many individuals; more than 10,000 falls under its umbrella from twelve locations throughout the globe.
2. Zerodha
The platform is specifically geared toward electronic trading and the provision of financial services. Trading in commodities, unit trusts, public money, bonds, stock, and so on are among the services it provides, along with other things like kites, coins, and game consoles. In 2020, it reached its highest point. Zero + Rodha = something which represents nothing and everything, thus the name.
In 2010, Nithin Kamath established Zerodha. This Indian tech company is headquartered in Bangalore. Their annual revenue is 4,042 crores. And at the moment, there are more than 1,100 individuals employed by it. It has grown to become India’s biggest retail stockbroker, with a customer base of around five million and holding about fifteen per cent of the country’s publicly traded equities. Zerodha is a bootstrapped company since its value was above $1 billion in June 2020.
3. Fusioncharts
It’s a young company with outposts in bustling metropolises like Bangalore and Kolkata. It was founded in 2003 and has relied solely on its founders’ savings since its inception. Combining many data points into a single graphic is useful. Javascript, Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG), and Vector Markup Language (VML) are just a few programs it employs to build concise, interactive, and digestible diagrams.
It all began with Pallav Nadhani. In addition to its widespread usage in the United States, Korea, and Europe, it has already reached more than 182 nations. It has a user base of over 10 million. Its popularity and reach have skyrocketed, and it is now globally known. Its income has climbed by 250, and its workforce has expanded by the same amount.
4. 42gears
42gears offers a unified management solution for several devices via software applications, including mobile phones, desktop PCs, and tablets. It’s helpful in a variety of other contexts as well, like phone security, content creation, teamwork, etc. The company also offers a proprietary mobile testing tool called Astrofarm. It’s useful for many mobile-related tasks, including security, administration, EMM, BYOD, MDM, and more.
Because Onkar and Prakash started the firm with their own money, we call it a “bootstrapped” venture. They made the gamble because they were confident in weathering the economic storm. His thirteen years of expertise in the software industry were invaluable in developing effective tools for the public. Furthermore, once they began making money independently, the business took off.
5. GrabOn
Whenever we think of an Indian startup, GrabOn is one of the first companies that spring to mind. Ashok Reddy established it as the country’s top affiliate e-commerce business in 2013. It has revolutionized how people buy online by giving them access to a wide variety of discounts on well-known brands at a low cost.
The site has over 4000 retail partners, so no matter what you’re looking for, you’ll be able to find the newest and greatest coupon for your favourite brand right there. Millions of ecstatic consumers have filled their virtual shopping carts with goods purchased at steep savings thanks to GrabOn’s incredible selection of offers and discounts.
6. QuackQuack
After analyzing the state of internet dating in India, Ravi Mittal created the groundbreaking software QuackQuack. Verified singles abound on this Hyderabad-based network. The firm has over 4 million subscribers and over 800,000 downloads, resulting in over 2.05 million matches. The business intends to include a video chat option inside the app, allowing users to initiate video calls with strangers. The firm is also working on releasing the app in almost ten other languages worldwide.
Also, learn about the top fintech companies here.
7. Wingify
Wingify, founded in 2009 by Paras Chopra, is another privately funded worldwide SaaS success story. The organization now has thousands of consumers that utilize its extraordinary services. Wingify has become the leading platform in the nation for enhancing a company’s online visibility because of the quality of its solutions in areas including e-commerce, software as a service, online education, media and publishing, and large corporations.
8. Astrotalk
AstroTalk, a Delhi-based firm founded in 2017, leverages technology to connect clients with astrologers securely. One such Delhi-based tech-driven astrology firm is called AstroTalk. Puneet Gupta, a technician who did not believe in astrology, launched it in 2017. His trust was strengthened, though, when he went through significant emotional upheaval for no other reason than that it had been foretold that he would.
The company’s platform now serves as a meeting place for astrologers and their clients. One’s love life, marriage, profession, and other areas of life may all be predicted. The startup says consumer privacy has been a top priority from the get-go.
9. Kayako
The next item on our agenda is Kayako. The firm, founded in 2001 by Varun Shoor in Jalandhar but now has its headquarters in London, specializes in customer support software. The company is well-known for serving as a help desk and customer care platform for many enterprises.
The company has grown substantially over the years and offers outstanding service to tens of thousands of businesses. It also provides several other helpful features, such as a shared email, customer assistance, and ticketing software for managing online transactions.
10. Mailchimp
In 2000, when Ben Chestnut and Dan Kurzius were doing company, they were design consultants. His customers wanted electronic newsletters, but making them was time-consuming at the time. As a result, he and his colleagues developed MailChimp, an improved system for creating electronic newsletters.
The founders have been in business for almost twenty years. Their bootstrapped enterprise is now worth over ten billion dollars. I don’t understand how they managed to pull that off. Their established design business constrained them, so they approached MailChimp as a growth opportunity.
Conclusion
Trying to get by on your resources (or “bootstrap”) makes sense now. Most modern young people are creatively thinking up new concepts adults will like. Additionally, the hazards of debt are mitigated since all the money comes from one’s hand without depending on other people. Its innovativeness stems from the fact that its business plan is constructed independently. Despite drawbacks like putting in a lot of effort and having less probability of surviving, it’s worth a try.
