Many of us enjoy rags to riches stories and we would all like to know how these people made their journey possible. The story of Lijjat Papad is one such story which is sure to leave you inspired throughout your life.
Today, Lijjat is more than a just a ‘papad’ (crispy bread) in Indian homes. It all started by getting a modest loan of just Rs.80 and now the company is tasting the stupendous success of more than Rs. 301 crores.
Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat was started in 1959 and at that time their only motto was empowering women by providing employment opportunities. This organization manufactures various products like Papad, Appalam, Gehu Atta, Masalas, Detergent powders, liquid detergents as well as detergent cakes.
The central office is located at Mumbai with 81 branches and 27 divisions spread across different states all over India. The main reason for its popularity is that the makers from past 40 years have been sticking to their core values.
The makers of Lijjat ensure that every process runs smoothly, every single person earns a comfortable profit, agents get their share and ultimately the consumers get quality products at an affordable rate.
This is how the team of Lijjat make it possible:
Every morning a group of women reach their workplace and knead dough which is then collected by another group of women to roll into papads. These women while coming to collect the dough also give the previous day’s production which is sent to quality testing. Another team packs the papads after the rolling is done.
Lijjat papad was all started when 7 women had an idea to start their own franchise by using their cooking skills and to make a living. These 7 women took a modest loan of Rs.80 from Chhaganlal Karamsi Parekh. They made the papads at their own building and started made it into a group venture with the help of their neighbors. Eventually, Lijjat became a household name known for quality papads.
With Chaganbapa’s advice, the women transformed this small venture into a cooperative and started recruiting women. During the first years, they had to stop the production of papads for almost 4 months due to rains. Later, they resolved this issue by buying a cot and a stove.
Lijjat papad later extended their productions to masala, khakhra, wheat atta as well as bakery items. To boost its sales, they started selling their items at trade fairs and exhibitions and also made advertisements to air on televisions. Eventually, they started attracting global interest which included the former Vice President of Uganda Dr. Speciosa Wandira-Kazibwe.
The makers of Lijjat papad follow the Sarvodaya philosophy. All the members are the owners of the company, which means profit or loss is equally shared among all the members. Every member has the power and authority to make their own decisions on their own initiative.
Today, Lijjat Papad is one of the most successful businesses that is owned by women for the empowerment of women. It helps women not willing to work outside their homes and contribute to their family incomes.
MobiKwik is venturing into the stock broking sector with the launch of its subsidiary, MobiKwik Securities Broking Private Limited (MSBPL), following approval from the Ministry of Corporate Affairs on March 3, 2025. This move aims to diversify MobiKwik’s offerings beyond its core digital payments services and compete with established players like Zerodha and Groww.
MSBPL will provide a range of brokerage services, including trading in shares, securities, commodities, and derivatives. The subsidiary has an initial capital of Rs 1 lakh, with plans for an additional Rs 2 crore investment to support its operations.
As MobiKwik enters this competitive market, it brings a substantial user base of 172 million and a merchant network of 5 million. Despite recent financial challenges, including a reported loss of Rs 55.2 crore in Q3 FY25, the company aims to leverage its existing infrastructure and user engagement to capture a share of the growing investment technology market, projected to reach $74 billion by 2030.
This strategic expansion aligns with MobiKwik’s broader goals of enhancing its financial service
Nazara Technologies has sold its entire 71.54% stake in Sports Unity Private Limited, the company behind the multiplayer quiz game ‘Qunami’, for INR 7.15 lakh. This divestment, effective March 25, 2025, signifies a strategic shift for Nazara, which had previously acquired a controlling interest in Sports Unity in 2019 for INR 7.5 crore.
The decision to offload the stake comes as Sports Unity has faced financial difficulties, reporting no active business operations and a negative net worth of INR 0.45 crore at the end of FY24. This move aligns with Nazara’s broader strategy to streamline its operations and concentrate on more profitable ventures within the gaming sector.
This sale follows Nazara’s recent divestment of a 94.85% stake in another subsidiary, Open Play, to Moonshine Technologies for INR 104.33 crore. Despite reporting record quarterly revenue of INR 544.7 crore in Q3 FY25, Nazara experienced a 53.5% decline in net profit year-over-year.
Nazara continues to focus on enhancing its portfolio through strategic acquisitions and investments in high-potential gaming platforms while navigating the competitive landscape of the gaming industry.
Hypergro.ai, a Bengaluru-based marketing technology startup, has raised Rs 7 crore in seed funding led by Silverneedle Ventures, with participation from Huddle, TDV Partners, HME Ventures, Dholakia Ventures, FiiRE, and angel investors. Founded in 2022 by Rituraj Biswas, Neha Soman, Abhijeet Kumar, and Arijit Mukhopadhyay, the company aims to revolutionize digital marketing by addressing challenges like high Customer Acquisition Costs (CAC) and low Return on Ad Spend (ROAS).
The startup leverages AI to create hyper-personalized video ads using user-generated content (UGC). The fresh capital will be used to enhance Hypergro.ai’s AI capabilities, expand operations, and build a specialized team focusing on data analysis, predictive algorithms, and automation.
Since its inception, Hypergro.ai has collaborated with over 70 brands, including several from Shark Tank India. The company’s innovative approach has led to its selection for Google’s Startups Accelerator: AI First (India) program in July 2024, providing access to critical training, mentorship, and state-of-the-art AI tools.
Hypergro.ai’s platform now supports a community of over 300,000 creators across India and has partnered with more than 100 brands, significantly enhancing its AI model’s accuracy and improving revenue generation for clients. As it continues to expand and refine its AI-powered marketing solutions, Hypergro.ai is set to transform the digital advertising landscape, offering businesses more effective and efficient customer acquisition and engagement strategies.