Entrepreneur Stories
The Alibaba Success Story
In 1999, towards the end of the dot.com frenzy, a group of 18 people led by Jack Ma started Alibaba in a small apartment in Hangzhou, China. Nineteen years after its inception, this wholesale online marketplace is now the world’s largest e commerce platform, running on par with the likes of Google, Amazon and PayPal! What makes Alibaba’s journey to success so inspiring is how the e commerce platform reached to the top in less than two decades!
Jack Ma learnt of the internet when he went to the United States in the early 1990s. Unlike the United States, China still had not embraced the internet revolution. When Jack Ma returned, he decided to tap into the uncharted waters of the world wide web with the idea that was Alibaba. With an initial investment of $ 5 million and 17 co founders, Jack Ma launched Alibaba’s online retail platform!
The launch of Alibaba’s online retail platforms – Alibaba.com (B2B) and 1688.com (B2C) – was fortunately timed; the consumer internet boom had only just arrived in China and the local market was not as direly affected by the dot-com crash as its American counterpart. Other future e commerce markets such as India had barely even begun exploring the sector.
With a funding of $ 21 billion from SoftBank, the 21st century began on a very positive note for this steadily rising e commerce platform. Post this investment, the money kept pouring in! A year after this influx of cash, Alibaba launched Taobao.com, the Chinese version of eBay! Looking at the positive response received, Jack Ma ventured into other areas like an instant messaging tool called Aliwangwang and third party online payments platform Alipay. These three businesses would eventually evolve into the ‘iron triangle’ of e commerce, logistics, and finance upon which the Alibaba Group of today is built.
Having secured a funding of $ 25 billion, Alibaba was declared the largest and the most profitable e commerce platform in the world by the year 2016. With a market value of $ 231 billion, there was no stopping this company! One of the major reasons for this stupendous growth structure has been credited to the informal employee beneficial policy at Alibaba. The conglomerate has also been very active in shaping and bolstering China’s entrepreneur ecosystem while launching several projects to better China’s rural areas. In 2010, Alibaba announced that it would contribute 0.3 percent of its annual revenue to environmental awareness and conservation efforts around the world – resulting in a $ 4.71 billion turnover. The firm has also set up an independently funded group called the Alibaba Foundation, that tackles social issues. From being a lost and broke boy in China to being a massive success overnight, Jack Ma has truly come a long way!
A decade ago, the success of a startup was measured largely by its ability to raise capital. Today, a different metric is gaining importance: the ability to generate meaningful exits for investors. Large stake sales by early backers are becoming increasingly common, not because growth opportunities have disappeared, but because India’s startup ecosystem is entering a more mature phase where capital is expected to complete its full cycle from investment to returns.
This evolution is particularly significant for consumer brands that have successfully blended technology, retail, and strong brand-building. Companies that were once viewed as high-risk startup bets are now attracting institutional investors capable of absorbing large transactions. Such developments indicate that these businesses are no longer being valued solely on future potential; they are increasingly being assessed on operational performance, market leadership, and long-term profitability. In many ways, investor exits are becoming a validation of a company’s ability to create lasting enterprise value.
The broader implication extends beyond a single company or investor. Successful exits encourage more global capital to enter India’s startup ecosystem because they demonstrate that liquidity opportunities exist at scale. As more venture-backed companies approach public listings, secondary transactions, or strategic investments, the focus of founders and investors alike may shift from chasing headline valuations to building durable businesses. The next chapter of India’s startup journey will likely be defined not just by the creation of unicorns, but by the creation of companies capable of delivering sustained returns to all stakeholders.
Apple has unveiled the new MacBook Air with M5 chip, starting at $999 for 13-inch and $1,299 for 15-inch models. The MacBook Air M5 boasts a 2nm M5 chip with 12-core CPU, 18-core GPU, and 50 TOPS Neural Engine for seamless AI tasks like real-time translation and 8K editing. Up to 22 hours of battery life, Thunderbolt 5, and Wi-Fi 7 make it the ultimate ultraportable, now 10% thinner at 0.44 inches with fanless cooling.
Key MacBook Air M5 features include Liquid Retina XDR display (500 nits, nano-texture option), 12MP Center Stage camera, and six-speaker Spatial Audio. Colors like new Sky Blue join Midnight and Starlight. Pre-orders are live today, with macOS Sequoia 15.4 enhancing Apple Intelligence and iPhone Continuity for students, pros, and remote workers.
Why buy MacBook Air M5 now? It outpaces Snapdragon X Elite rivals with ecosystem magic and future-proof performance, eyeing top 2026 laptop sales. CEO Tim Cook calls it “more capable than ever.” Visit apple.com for M5 MacBook deals and specs.
Delhi NCR-based gaming startup Zupee has acquired Mumbai-based microdrama platform Vertical TV in a deal valued under INR 40 Cr. This move strengthens Zupee Studio, its short-video arm launched in September 2025, by integrating Vertical TV’s expertise in bite-sized dramas like romance and thrillers.
Facing challenges from India’s 2025 real-money gaming ban, Zupee valued at $1 Bn after raising $120 Mn has pivoted to non-gaming content, including recent layoffs of 40% of its workforce. The acquisition builds on its November 2025 purchase of Australian AI firm Nucanon for interactive storytelling, targeting its 200 Mn+ users with engaging, mobile-first formats.
This deal underscores the rising microdrama trend in India, helping Zupee diversify amid regulatory pressures and compete in the short-video space dominated by quick, shareable content for on-the-go audiences.
