Some things are better with two distinct features.’Think local, act Global’ is a term coined by the Americans and is truly fit for new age startups, skyrocketing all across Asia and Africa.
In those terms, companies in India have been employing technology for the good and have been spreading its wings all across the world.
Let’s take a look at 5 such desi startups who managed to make a mark in the global market:
Cleartrip
Cleartrip has been the go-to application for many travellers, both leisure and business to book hotels, flights, and whatnot. With its clean and clutter free approach towards travel booking, it also managed to draw its users into a new segment within travel called Experiences. The company has scored big with the acquisition of the Saudi Company ‘Flyin’ where they enjoy an upwards of 60% of market share and annual turnover of nearly $599 million.
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Ola
Ola has always been in the news for a variety of reasons and is arguably one of India’s best performing startups. Ola has brought the ride-hailing and sharing service years ago. The company is taking baby steps towards further expansion in the United Kingdom and started operations in Wales. Currently, Ola has 125 million customers across 110 cities in India, Australia and now looking to expand across all major cities in the UK by 2018.
Rentsher
RentSher is an online rental marketplace which has tapped a unique market here in India. Rentsher gives out particulars like medical supplies, costumes, computer peripherals, cameras and even general home appliances on rent and has largely contributed to the Indian Rental and sharing economy. It aims to geographically expand both in India as well as the Middle East, in a try to exploit the multi-billion dollar market, aided by the extravagant spending capacity of the working class in the middle east.
OYO
OYO has been continuously expanding to countries like major tourism markets like Malaysia and Nepal. OYO has been concentrating on full control over its inventory and it has only fueled its expansion in China, known for its population and the latest boom in increasing Chinese travelers. The move to being a branded budget hotel chain across destinations in India and centring itself across popular tourism spots has contributed it to gain a turnover in the recent times.
Zomato
Zomato is probably the first Indian startups to put a lot of focus into global expansion. The biggest of them was the acquisition of Urbanspoon in the US for $55 million (Rs. 350 crores). Zomato still faces issues with profitability and has caused them to displace themselves from big buck markets like the US and the UK, with hopes still to expand its foray into other nationalities as well.
(With ANI inputs)