CATEGORIES
“I Didn't Raise Money For The First 7 Years. Raising Money Is A Light And Sound Show”
“Investors see who you are, your team. It’s like selling a dream. They don’t give money to your business, they give you the money because you are an incredible guy and have a great team.”
“KEPT GROWING THE CORE BUSINESS”
“Always focus on core elements such as users, engagement, technology and monetisation. Let the metrics and outcomes speak for themselves, recognition and valuation will follow.”
“Tracked Every Feedback From Users All Over The World”
“We were obsessive about product reviews and user requests. We had in-depth conversations with developers as often as possible. We also relied on quantitative methods to build our business model.”
“Idea Of Cash On Delivery Was A Major Innovation”
“CoD opened up a larger customer base for us than before. Another defining moment was getting the SEO right — we were getting customers for free, but our cost of marketing was zero!”
“Failed A Few Times, But Learnt From Them, Still Took Risks” “
If you are in a disruptive industry, businesses don’t scale in a linear way. There comes a moment when you have the right product at the right price point with the right value proposition for enough customers. At that point it will just explode.”
“Did Not Remote-Control The Business”
“Marketing technology varies with countries. In the U.S students read the brochure and there is very little interaction with the programme advisor. In India, if we don’t speak to students, they don’t enroll. Latin America is predominantly on Whatsapp; the U.S. uses FB Messenger widely.”
“Built A Massive Network Among Retailers”
“The quality of your product will always be the best indicator of the company. What we do on the technology side and the product side is good, so what you need on the sales side is only distribution. As long as the quality is great, the product will sell easily.”
“Designed Products Not For Fortune 500, But Fortune 5 million”
“Customers love our products because they are for the service engineer, the IT or sales person. People who use the software help us get better. We have 52,000 customers in over 120 countries.”
“Always Let People Do Their Job”
“It’s hard to let go when you are still young. We managed to do really well in hiring the first core team, and that is the most critical part of our story.”
When Art Defied A Shrinking Economy
As artists caught on to digital avenues and social media paved the way, luxury art industry found a new market amid the pandemic.
Green Way For Luxury Cars
Automakers bet on electric vehicles, find new playbook to target the country’s growing affluent millennial populace
COUPED IN MANSIONS
THE CAMELLIAS RESIDENCES IN GURUGRAM, WITH A STARTING PRICE OF ₹30 CRORE, ARE DRIVEN BY INNOVATIONS LIKE A CLUBHOUSE DESIGNED BY INTERNATIONAL ‘GRAND MASTERS’. WITH 80% OF THE APARTMENTS SOLD, DLF IS LOOKING TO RAKE IN ₹12,000 CRORE
HIGH-END VILLAS BEAT PANDEMIC BLUES
WITH MORE PEOPLE WILLING TO PAY A PREMIUM FOR OPEN SPACE, PRICES HAVE RISEN BETWEEN ₹5,000 AND ₹12,000 PER SQ. FT. IN CITIES SUCH AS MUSSOORIE AND SHIMLA IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS.
LUXURY REBOOTS, RECONNECTS
BRANDS UP THEIR DIGITAL GAME TO WOO MILLENNIALS JUST AS SUSTAINABILITY AND REVENGE SPENDING TAKE CENTRE-STAGE IN LUXE CONSUMPTION.
VINTAGE ON WHEELS
RANA MANVENDRA SINGH OF BARWANI HAS ‘RESTORED’ A NUMBER OF HIGH ROLLERS, INCLUDING A 1912 ROLLS-ROYCE SILVER GHOST AND A GOLD-PLATED DAIMLER. THE RENOWNED CAR HISTORIAN IS NOW PLANNING TO RECREATE THE ‘LOST’ DESIGNS OF CARS FOR THE MAHARAJAS.
RUSH HOUR FOR MILLIONAIRE HOMES
WITH THE BULL RUN IN EQUITIES ACTING AS A CATALYST, INDIA’S HNIs ARE BACK TO BUYING MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR HOMES
THE RETURN OF LA SAMARITAINE
THE ICONIC ART DECO AND ART NOUVEAU STRUCTURE WAS RENOVATED OVER SIX YEARS BY 800 SKILLED CRAFTSPEOPLE FOR A REPORTED $1 BILLION AND OPENED IN JUNE. THE DEPARTMENT STORE AND MIXED-USE COMPLEX PROMISES TO LET YOU SAVOUR AN AUTHENTIC FRENCH EXPERIENCE.
TIMELESS TICKERS
IN THE PHYGITAL WORLD, AUCTION HOUSES SUCH AS CHRISTIE’S HAVE CLOCKED THE HIGHEST-EVER SALES THIS YEAR FOR TIMEPIECES, WITH YOUNGER AND DIVERSE BUYERS SNAPPING UP SOME OF THE MOST EXCLUSIVE WATCHES ON THE PLANET.
WHISKY TALES
HAND-CRAFTED IN SPEYSIDE, THE BALVENIE RANGE, THE WORLD’S MOST EXQUISITE AND CREATIVE SINGLE MALTS, IS THE RESULT OF EXPERIMENTATION BY MALTMEN, COOPERS AND MASTER BLENDERS THROUGH GENERATIONS.
The Conversation N.R. NARAYANA MURTHY
Sustainable practices can coexist with a company’s pursuit of profit, says the Infosys co-founder and Catamaran Ventures founder. The 74-year-old, known for his philanthropy, points out that shared values can not only create great companies but can also spawn a sustainable and just society.
What To Do If Stock Markets Correct
The last fiscal may have been the worst year for the Indian economy since Independence, but it was the best one for equity investors. Will the rally last? What strategy should investors follow if there is a correction—or a crash?
Liquidity-driven Euphoria Ebbing
THE LAST ONE YEAR has been unprecedented bafflement for equity investors. The pandemic caused a big economic shock which was also characterized by the quickest and largest rebound inequities.
IT Majors Project Healthy Fiscal Road Map With Robust Q1 Results
Pandemic-driven demand for IT services globally has brought a rich deal pipeline to India's biggest IT firms. Digital transformation in BFSI, retail, and healthcare bodes well for the future.
INDIA INC.'S GREEN CHALLENGE
For sustainable practices to work, India Inc. needs a green-embedded business strategy, not a compliance-driven one.
GREEN IS THE NEW BLACK
Now that the country’s top two billionaires Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani are going green, will it help India’s power sector transition from coal-based plants to renewables sooner than expected?
A SUSTAINABLE FLIGHT PATH
Battered by the Covid-19 pandemic, India’s aviation sector relies on sustainability for the road to viability among airports and airlines. Here’s what works, what doesn’t.
Green Wheels, Electric Dreams
The luxury car market is reinventing itself in a green avatar by going electric. Here are the top five luxury electric cars India is looking forward to.
Jet 2.0: Turbulence Ahead
When the National Company Law Tribunal approved the revival of the erstwhile Jet Airways, a new chapter in India’s aviation sector got scripted. But will the airline fly again?
UNEASE IN THE CORNER ROOM
REGULATOR RBI’S GOVERNANCE CIRCULAR HAS PRIVATE BANKS AND THEIR CEOS IN A SPIN. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS?
The Future Is Here. And It's Autonomous
After 37 years, honeywell is looking to shed the ‘industrial’ tag as it enters the age of autonomous systems, with india’s manufacturing firms finally adopting industry 4.0. This could be the decade of honeywell, but there are some road bumps.