Startup Mergers & Acquisitions: SaaS Unicorn Freshworks Acquires Pune Based Cloud Platform 'Flint'

#startups #itsystems #enterprisetech #mergersandacquisitions #acquisitions

#SaaS #unicorn Freshworks has acquired Pune-based cloud platform Flint for an undisclosed amount.

Founded by Ankur Gakkhar and Abhishek Pande in 2013, Flint offers an enterprise-grade IT operations system and an intuitively designed dashboard.

Founded by Girish Mathrubootham and Shan Krishnasamy in 2010, Freshworks (previously called Freshdesk) has more than 150K clients across the world and is now looking for an IPO.

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SaaS Unicorn Freshworks Acquires Pune Based Cloud Platform 'Flint'

SaaS unicorn Freshworks has acquired Pune-based cloud platform Flint for an undisclosed amount. Freshworks said that this acquisition will strengthen its IT service management (ITSM) and IT operations management (ITOM) capacity. Founded by Ankur Gakkhar and Abhishek Pande in 2013, Flint offers an enterprise-grade IT operations system and an intuitively designed dashboard.

Indian SaaS startup HostBooks is making financial management easy for over 45,000 businesses

#SaaS #accounting #bookkeeping #fintech

The Indian SaaS market is forecast to grow from $6 billion in 2019 to more than $20 billion by 2022, according to the India Private Equity Report 2020 by Bain and Co.

In this brouhaha of growth forecasts, HostBooks Limited, founded by chartered accountant Kapil RANA, has been quietly and steadily gathering steam. An all-in-one accounting application, HostBooks is a comprehensive platform for all accounting needs, says Kapil.

HostBooks offers products such as accounting, GST, TDS, income tax, POS and business intelligence tools for MSMEs and professionals. These cloud-based applications make integrated and automated workflow simple and user-friendly, enabling persons with minimal computer knowledge to operate and obtain the desired results. The startup charges based on annual usage of the solution and is sold on a per user basis.

HostBooks is self-funded with Kapil having invested Rs 30 crore in product development and marketing. At present, it is looking for a large round of $25 million to reach 150,000 businesses worldwide. The startup will use these funds for product research and development, marketing, sales and distribution activities as and when it raises it.

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This SaaS startup is making financial management easy for over 45,000 businesses

India's SaaS success story is being led by unicorns like Freshworks and bootstrapped icon Zoho. Be it enterprise Saas or SMB SaaS, or others, the sector is growing in leaps and bounds. In fact, the Indian SaaS market is forecast to grow from $6 billion in 2019 to more than $20 billion by 2022, according to the India Private Equity Report 2020 by Bain and Co.

Dockabl, Zoho, Druva - 5 SaaS startups that are making it big in India

#startups #startupindia #SaaS #covid19

As per YourStory Media, below are five SaaS-based companies in India that are making it big in the market:-

1. Dockabl - SaaS-based HR Tech startup, co-founded by Samarth Masson and Sanjeev Grover, aims to enable organisations to perform better by providing continuous performance management through a set of modules.

2. RateGain - A leading provider of SaaS products to travel and hospitality companies which help with cognitive revenue management, smart e-distribution, and brand engagement to make more revenue every day.

3. Zoho Corporation - Chennai-based SaaS behemoth founded by Sridhar Vembu in 1996, the company, at present, offers more than 30 SaaS-based apps to help companies increase productivity, manage projects, boost sales, and handle IT support.

4. Druva - Founded by Jaspreet Singh, along with Milind Borate in 2008, Druva offers complete data protection to its customers by providing services like data recovery, data migration, ransomware protection, and cloud backup on demand.

5. CleverTap - Founded by Anand Jain, Suresh Kondamudi, and Sunil Thomas in 2013, CleverTap is a mobile marketing startup that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to boost user retention.

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Dockabl, Zoho, Druva - 5 SaaS startups that are making it big in India

After the lockdown was implemented many were forced to work from their homes, which gave SaaS startups an opportunity to provide them with efficient products to ease their job. As per Markets&Markets, sectors such as ecommerce, software-as-a-service (SaaS), healthcare, and enterprise technology are likely to see growth and create investment opportunities in the post-COVID-19 era.

SaaS software popularity charts: impact of the global pandemic [SaaSworthy's Report]

#SaaS #videoconferencing #telemedicine #video #covid19

SaaSworthy’s first-ever report measures the impact of COVID-19 on #SaaS software popularity.

It’s important to look at the categories and software that grew the most to acknowledge the shifts in the #SaaS industry, and understand what people are looking for during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are some highlights:

1) Virtual classroom, webinar and video conferencing, and telemedicine are the three categories that saw the biggest jump in popularity

2) When it comes to software that grew the most in search volume, webinar and video conferencing software like Cisco Webex Meetings, Airmeet, and Google Meet (formerly Hangouts Meet) dominate the list.

3) URL shorteners, video editing, and photo editing are the most popular software categories.

4) Tally is the most popular ERP software, and is 7x larger than the next software in the category (Fulcrum).

5) Remote access software as a category grew in popularity, and the software that grew the most were AnyDesk and TeamViewer which are massively popular, especially when compared to others in the category.

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SaaS software popularity charts: impact of the global pandemic [Report]

That the COVID-19 crisis has shifted the way the world works is no surprise. The pandemic has transformed industries overnight and has made remote work the norm. And to enable companies and employees to manage remote working comfortably, SaaS software played an essential role.

Startup Funding Alert: Capital raises $9M for its AI-based 'capital as a service' funding platform for startups

#startupfunding #capitalasaservice #CaaS #startupideas #debtfunding #AI #artificialintelligence #SaaS

Capital, which has built an AI-based platform called the “Capital Machine” , a Capital As A Service platform, that ingests details about a company to provide tips on how to optimise it and then provides non-dilutive financing for it, has raised a further $9 million. The startup was co-founded by Blair Silverberg, the CEO with Csaba Konkoly and Christopher Olivares.

The idea was to use the advances of AI, software-as-a-service and the surge of interest in fintech and running financial services online to build something that could give founders and CFOs of smaller startups an alternative to consider, which could be a win-win for financiers and those getting funded.

Thousands have already tapped the Machine for insights, which are free to get (indeed the data is helpful for the Capital Machine regardless as it continues to learn more about businesses each time it gets used). But in practice, the pool of those taking loans is smaller and typically splits 50/50 between those that are taking Capital debt to meet all of their funding requirements, and those that are taking it in combination with other kinds of financing, including equity funding.

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Capital raises $9M for its AI-based 'capital as a service' funding platform for startups

In 2019, in the US alone, more than 10,000 startups raised more than $133 billion in venture funding, with a large proportion of that equity investments. Today, a company building a platform to help startups consider alternative routes to financing - specifically less dilutive options that gi...

Startup Funding Alert: Blockdaemon Raises $5.5M for its Leading Blockchain Infrastructure Platform - AlleyWatch

#fundingalert #startupfunding #blockchain #blockchaintech #technology #API #SaaS

Blockdaemon raises $5.5M for its leading blockchain infrastructure platform. This funding round was supported by a number of new investors including Hashkey, CoinShares, Blockchain.com Ventures, Kenetic, SPiCE VC, and Fenbushi Capital. Early investors Comcast Ventures, Lerer Hippeau, CoinFund, boldstart ventures, and Heavybit also continued their participation in our latest funding round.

Blockdaemon is a leading blockchain infrastructure provider. Its node management platform helps auto-scale blockchain networks securely with enhanced monitoring, back-up systems, HA clusters, APIs and cloud-managed node monitoring of on-premises solutions with their Blockchain Package Manager (BPM). Builders looking to interact with public, permission-based, and staking networks can connect to 30+ protocols through the Blockdaemon Marketplace.

Blockdaemon has a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model, clients can deploy nodes and connect to networks via our marketplace. It supports clients that want to rapidly scale up their networks, by providing custom node configuration across private/public chains and cloud services that work best for business.

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Blockdaemon Raises $5.5M for its Leading Blockchain Infrastructure Platform - AlleyWatch

Leading blockchain infrastructure provider, Blockdaemon , works with some of the largest enterprises in the worldShell Oil to simplify the process of deploying nodes for these organizations as they dip their toes into the powerful potential of the blockchain.

Agricultural Tech: This MeitY-backed deeptech startup AIGROEDGE uses IoT sensors to monitor farms and improve crops

#agritech #farming #IoT #startups #agriculture #deeptech #ai #artificialintelligence #dataanalytics #saas

Delhi-based deeptech startup AIGROEDGE Technologies, co-founderd by Mayank Rajput, ABHAI TIWARI, and Akshay Taneja, has built a proprietary #IoT sensor that monitors agricultural lands in real-time and improves crop visibility for farmers.

AIGROEDGE has built a proprietary intelligent farming kit, which includes an Internet of Things (IoT) based sensory device known as ‘KRAASHAK’ and a #SaaS-based analytics platform called AgriVitals.

The Delhi-based startup measures soil parameters (temperature, moisture, conductivity, pH level, moisture absorbance rate); environmental parameters (temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, light intensity, CO2 level, and weather data from external stations); and geographic parameters in real-time by deploying multiple sensor nodes across agricultural fields. Typically, one acre of land requires five sensors to capture adequate data.

AIGROEDGE operates on a B2B model; its customers include farms and agritech firms, genetic and plant breeding companies, and government and farm finance providers.

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This MeitY-backed deeptech startup uses IoT sensors to monitor farms and improve crops

Serial entrepreneur and innovator Mayank Rajput has dabbled in sensory systems, electronics, and material design for almost seven years. This is the electronics engineer's second entrepreneurship stint after StretchSkin Technologies, which he founded in 2018. The Singapore-based startupbuilds stretchable and wearable sensory systems for physical rehab, gaming, and training.

The Zoho Experiment: Sridhar Vembu dabbles with Indian village offices as employees move home

#startups #distributedworking #employment #closetohome #zoho #forabettertomorrow

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the #SaaS company Zoho Corporation is experimenting with 10 village offices in Tamil Nadu where its staff will be able to access Zoho Corporation’s feeder offices, situated in not more than 20-30 kilometres from their home towns.

I think if distributed work culture, where people start working near their hometowns, is encouraged, then the dream of Mahatma Gandhi will become a reality in achieving true democracy in villages and stop unnecessary evil of migration in India. Such initiatives should also be encouraged for gig workers as well.

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The Zoho Experiment: Sridhar Vembu dabbles with village offices as employees move home

In the southernmost part of Tamil Nadu, closer to a tiger reserve in Mundanthurai, and the Tier-V cities of Tenkasi, Tirunelveli, is a village where Zoho Corp Founder Sridhar Vembu, from the last nine months, is trying to pull off the unexpected. Sridhar requested YourStory to keep the name of the village where he is working anonymous.

Startup Funding Alert: Canva, a startup for non-designers to design, raises $60 million on a $6 billion valuation

#startups #designs #saas #unicorns #unicornclub #startupideas

Any SaaS startup venture, which enables non-designers to design their requirements like sales pamphlets, is an opportunity even in India. Please listen to this.

Sydney-based Canva, the design platform for non-designers, has announced the close of a $60 million funding round, bringing its valuation to $6 billion, according to the company.

Canva was founded in 2012 with the mission of democratizing design tools. While many non-designers can navigate their way around Google Slides or PowerPoint, or maybe even crop an image, going more in-depth on a design project can be daunting, as the suite of tools provided to designers can be incredibly complex.

The company’s tools are meant to simplify the design process for folks who don’t work in the design department, whether it’s the sales team putting together sales materials, marketers working on content or other departments working on internal materials to send to the broader organization. The drag-and-drop interface gives folks a way to create something beautiful and impressive without having to learn Photoshop.

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Canva raises $60 million on a $6 billion valuation

Sydney-based Canva, the design platform for non-designers, has today announced the close of a $60 million funding round, bringing its valuation to $6 billion, according to the company. The startup has raised a total of more than $300 million, including this latest round of financing, from investors...

Cloud Technology for FinTech - Banking on the cloud in the face of COVID-19 and beyond

#cloudtech #cloudtechnology #postcovidworld #techonlogy #ai #artficialintelligence #saas

This conversation about use of cloud is now more important than ever, as firms adjust to new realities, including more remote workforces and more digital interactions with customers.

One example of utilising cloud-based tools to accelerate digital transformation efforts is through processing vast amounts of data to reduce development and roll out of new and innovative financial products. For Atom bank, the UK’s first mobile-only bank, success depends on having agility and scalability to develop new solutions and experiences quickly in response to customer demand, while keeping costs low. By embracing the cloud, the challenger bank has been able to move on from on-premise hosted data centres, becoming more responsive to the needs of its customers through new app features or entirely new products and also building more software-as-a-service (#SaaS) and resilient architectures for future innovation.

Similarly, Revolut turned to the cloud to scale at speed without sacrificing stability. Tapping into cloud technology has allowed the organisation to automate updates and maintenance and redesign its slow and costly backup system, whilst maintaining resilience and control over security.

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Banking on the cloud in the face of COVID-19 and beyond - FinTech Futures

Banking on the cloud in the face of COVID-19 and beyond

Turning Point: Two founders turned bankruptcy into growth with their startup venture Likvido

#liquidity #SME #smallbusiness #latepayments #fintech #fintechstartups #covid19 #startupfunding #SaaS

Nearly one in five (18%) of Europe’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) say that late payments threaten the survival of their business, according to Intrum’s 2019 European Payment Report.

Likvido.com, co-founded in March 2018 by Maximilian Frimmer and Lars Holdgaard, offers #SMEs an inverse management system which “connects the dots” between their accounting systems, Frimmer tells FinTech Futures. The start-up recently secured a €2.5 million seed investment from Paris-based investor, BlackFin.

The fintech automates actions for chasing late payments, like a SalesLoft campaign, but for late payments rather than new client engagement. It runs a proactive credit check on new clients to inform them of the number of days required for a campaign and the credit amount. This happens before building a workflow with emails, calls and texts which can also include ‘to do’ lists for account managers to charge late payment fees. If all this does not work, then Likvido.com will loop in a debt collection agency with just “one click”.

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Two founders turned bankruptcy into growth - FinTech Futures

In 2017, two Danish founders were facing bankruptcy. Instead of giving up, they turned exactly what had crippled them into a growing business - late payments.

Growing a global SaaS business - the LogiNext way

Source: YourStory Media

Author: Sindhu M V

In January 2020, transportation automation company LogiNext raised $39 million as a part of its Series B funding, led by marquee investors Tiger Global Management and Steadview Capital. With this, the startup took the total tally of its investments to $50 million, which includes the $10 million it raised as a part of its Series A round, led by Paytm and Alibaba.

The end-to-end logistics management #SaaS platform, LogiNext, enables automated order management, predictive capacity planning, real-time route optimisation, dispatch automation, transparent customer experience, and post-delivery processing and analytics of #B2B transportation or #B2C delivery business.

Mentored by a team of founding engineers of Google and Google Maps during their time at Carnegie Mellon University, co-founders, Dhruvil Sanghvi and Manisha Raisinghani witnessed first-hand the journey of #AI and #ML from being just buzzwords and research topics at university during the early 2010s to being used in applications and technologies two-three years later.

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Growing a global SaaS business - the LogiNext way

Serving 150+ enterprises, LogiNext has quickly become a household name in the global retail and transportation industry. Apart from building the platform as an experience differentiator, LogiNext's growth has been catapulted by its ability to leverage niche and domain specific channel partnerships