Cloud Telephony for Startups
SHIVAKUMAR GANESAN
Co-founder, Exotel
Shivakumar Ganesan created a cloud-based mobile solution when call volume went through the roof at his first venture, a consumer-toconsumer marketplace, Roopit. He soon realised that other entrepreneurs needed a solution like this and so founded Exotel with Ishwar Sridharan, Siddharth Ramesh and Vijay Sharma in February 2010 and launched the solution in June 2011. Exotel provides a single mobile number that can be linked to a number of mobile phones. A company’s employees can log into the system and calls get routed to those who are logged in. The system includes features for sales, marketing and customer support teams making it an integrated solution, especially for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The product is aimed at SMEs that do not want to invest in servers and call centres to handle calls. Exotel notched up over 20 customers within four months of launch. In March this year the company raised Rs 2.5 crore from Mumbai Angels and Blume Ventures. “We participated in a show on ET Now and the funding from Blume happened through that,” says Ganesan, who has previously worked with Yahoo! and Flipkart. He was also in talks with Mumbai Angels simultaneously. “Blume and Mumbai Angels were comfortable with each other and so they invested together,” says the entrepreneur. He adds that access to a large and diverse network is the greatest help his investors give him. “Mumbai Angels alone has a number of portfolio companies who are potential clients for us,” says Ganesan, adding that investors have brought in greater discipline in the operational aspects of the business as well. The startup, which has around 80 customers in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, is focusing on growth. The company intends to expand to newer markets like Tamil Nadu in the next couple of months.
Co-founder, Exotel
Shivakumar Ganesan created a cloud-based mobile solution when call volume went through the roof at his first venture, a consumer-toconsumer marketplace, Roopit. He soon realised that other entrepreneurs needed a solution like this and so founded Exotel with Ishwar Sridharan, Siddharth Ramesh and Vijay Sharma in February 2010 and launched the solution in June 2011. Exotel provides a single mobile number that can be linked to a number of mobile phones. A company’s employees can log into the system and calls get routed to those who are logged in. The system includes features for sales, marketing and customer support teams making it an integrated solution, especially for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The product is aimed at SMEs that do not want to invest in servers and call centres to handle calls. Exotel notched up over 20 customers within four months of launch. In March this year the company raised Rs 2.5 crore from Mumbai Angels and Blume Ventures. “We participated in a show on ET Now and the funding from Blume happened through that,” says Ganesan, who has previously worked with Yahoo! and Flipkart. He was also in talks with Mumbai Angels simultaneously. “Blume and Mumbai Angels were comfortable with each other and so they invested together,” says the entrepreneur. He adds that access to a large and diverse network is the greatest help his investors give him. “Mumbai Angels alone has a number of portfolio companies who are potential clients for us,” says Ganesan, adding that investors have brought in greater discipline in the operational aspects of the business as well. The startup, which has around 80 customers in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, is focusing on growth. The company intends to expand to newer markets like Tamil Nadu in the next couple of months.
3 TIPS TO RAISE MONEY
Do not raise money if you do not have to
You should be able to answer how much you need, how you will use the investor’s money and how you will give it back
Do not raise money until you have paying customers
Do not raise money if you do not have to
You should be able to answer how much you need, how you will use the investor’s money and how you will give it back
Do not raise money until you have paying customers
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