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Flipkart: From A to Finish First

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Flipkart From A to Finish First,Startup Stories,Startup News India,2018 Latest Business News,Flipkart Business News,Indian Ecommerce Ecosystem,Indian Online Retail Market,Global Enterprise Clients,Flipkart Indian Market,Flipkart Founder

Close to 11 years ago, when the Indian ecommerce ecosystem was still in the nascent stages, one company, with an investment of Rs. 4, 00,000 did not know it would become India’s leading ecommerce player. Launched by IIT Delhi alumnus Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal, today, Flipkart is valued at $11.6 billion. Slowly but surely, the firm gained investors such as Tiger Global Management, Tencent Holdings and Naspers.

But, the company faced some major competition in these ten years. From Snapdeal to eBay, the Bengaluru based ecommerce firm fought tooth and nail to gain a majority of the Indian online retail market. After a long drawn out battle, last year Flipkart and India’s next ecommerce major Snapdeal almost joined hands to become one entity. However, the deal didn’t come through as the Gurgaon based startup, Snapdeal, wanted to pursue an ‘independent path.’ The silver lining of this merger was Flipkart gained one of it’s biggest shareholders after ending the merger talks with Snapdeal.  With backing from Japan’s venture firm SoftBank, US based Microsoft and eBay among other investors, Flipkart was finally prepared to take on the world. However, the company faced a bigger threat in the form of the American retail giant Amazon led by Jeff Bezos.

The Flipkart versus Amazon battle was always present from the very word go. The real war, however, started back in 2015, when both Flipkart and Amazon decided to move into the online smartphone market. At that point, Amazon lost its foothold in the Chinese market, with other ecommerce platforms figuring out they could do what Amazon was doing in a faster and cheaper way.

With that happening on the side, founder and CEO, Jeff Bezos, decided to do whatever it takes to keep their foothold strong in the Indian market. This included signing a cheque worth $ 2 billion to anyone who stood in its way! While this matter in itself was worrisome for Flipkart, the fact that Amazon was entering into the world of smartphones made things exciting.

Over the years, the Flipkart and Amazon war gave rise to a lot of exciting eyeballs, making everyone stand on edge with excitement. Flipkart wanted to be the reason Indians bought products on the Internet. Its focus on technology to solve product ecommerce for the domestic market put it in a league of its own. Even the storied Indian IT and BPO industry derived nearly 90% of its profitable revenues from global enterprise clients.

What makes the two ecommerce platforms stand neck to neck is the fact that the number of coders, as well as the technology used by both the companies. Refined to its core, this battle is a classic “homegrown pioneer vs. giant multinational” story on the grounds of  Nirma vs. Hindustan Lever, Thums Up vs. Coca Cola, or Mahindra & Mahindra vs. Toyota Motors; with technology as the mid ground. Flipkart has the scale and local footprint. Amazon has staying power and a platform it has seasoned globally for 21 years.

With SoftBank’s recent investment into Flipkart, the battle stands at an interesting level. As of 2017, the homegrown ecommerce platform raised $ 3.9 billion in two rounds of funding from SoftBank and Tencent. At such a time, even the idea of a potential investment from the biggest retail giant, USA based Walmart would give the boost it requires to beat Amazon once and for all. However, before that could happen Amazon decided to show its hand in the game as well.  The Seattle based company recently offered Flipkart a breakup fee of $ 2 billion to convince it to discuss an offer which analysts say would bring with it substantial antitrust challenges, as Flipkart and Amazon dominate the online shopping space in Asia’s third largest economy. Furthermore, Amazon is interested in buying about 51 to 55 % stake in the ecommerce platform. Whichever way the deal plays out, it is safe to say Flipkart has garnered a great deal of attraction from the international ecommerce marketplace.

Whether the deal goes through between Flipkart Amazon.com Inc., or with Walmart and Flipkart, it will be the biggest deal made by a US based company in terms of buying out another similar online platform. Regardless of how this flips, it would also be a win win situation for the Indian ecommerce company!

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Imarticus Learning Acquires MyCaptain for INR 50 Crore to Boost Non-Tech Upskilling

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My Captain

Imarticus Learning, an IPO-bound professional education firm, has acquired Bengaluru-based edtech platform MyCaptain for INR 50 crore in a cash-and-stock deal. This marks Imarticus’s fourth acquisition in four years and is aimed at expanding its presence in non-tech career training, especially across India’s Tier-II and Tier-III cities. MyCaptain, which has over 500,000 learners and a revenue of ₹27 crore for FY25, specializes in creative and entrepreneurial fields, with 60% of its users from smaller cities.

 

With this acquisition, Imarticus will bring MyCaptain’s employability bootcamps in digital marketing, design, and content to its 20+ classroom centers in 16 cities, blending online and offline learning. MyCaptain will operate as a fully-owned subsidiary, and all 250 of its employees will join Imarticus, expanding the combined workforce to over 850. The move supports Imarticus’s goal to reach five million learners by FY28 and deepen its offerings in non-tech domains.

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Kingdom of Innovation: Saudi Arabia Tops Global Startup Growth Rankings for 2025

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Saudi Arabia has been named the fastest-growing startup ecosystem in the world in the 2025 StartupBlink Global Startup Ecosystem Index, with a growth rate exceeding 200%—the only country in the global top 100 to achieve this milestone. This surge has earned the Kingdom the “Country of the Year” title, highlighting its transformation into a global innovation leader.

The report ranks 110 countries and 1,400 cities, with three Saudi cities—led by Riyadh—making the global top 1,000. Riyadh entered the world’s top 100 startup cities, posting a 134% growth rate, and solidifying its role as a regional tech hub.

Saudi Arabia now leads globally in HealthTech, nanotechnology, and transport tech, and ranks among the top in sectors like fintech, e-commerce, logistics, and gaming. The Kingdom’s rapid progress is fueled by Vision 2030, robust government support, and record venture capital investment, making it the most funded VC market in MENA.

Startups such as Tabby, Tamara, and Jahez exemplify this momentum, as Saudi Arabia emerges as a top destination for innovation and entrepreneurship.

 

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SC Grants Relief to Paytm’s First Games, Stays Massive GST Notice

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StartupStories

The Supreme Court of India has granted interim relief to Paytm’s gaming arm, First Games, by staying proceedings on a ₹5,712 crore GST notice issued by the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI). The notice, sent in April 2025, demanded GST for the period January 2018 to March 2023, based on the department’s view that 28% GST should be levied on the total entry amount, rather than the 18% GST currently paid on platform fees.

First Games challenged the notice in the Supreme Court, which on May 23, 2025, ordered a stay on all further proceedings until a final decision is reached. The dispute is part of a broader industry-wide debate over the correct GST treatment for real money gaming platforms, with similar cases pending before the court. Following the stay, Paytm shares rose nearly 2% in early trading, reflecting investor optimism.

The Supreme Court’s order provides temporary relief to First Games and signals ongoing judicial scrutiny of GST demands across India’s online gaming sector.

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