There are three kinds of people who will be reading this post:
- You read about our funding news and got intrigued and want to find who we are?
- You have been following us for sometime and are interested in our well being.
- You are a user of our products.
For people who fall into category 3, Thank You very much – its because of you that we exist and we will use the funds to make better products that enable you to give expression to your ideas.
For people who fall into category 2, we call you FABs (Friends of Avishkaar Box). You have always supported us with your encouraging words, connections, favour and suggestions. I would request you to keep contributing in us – and we promise we will not let you down.
Now comes the category 3, the wannabe entrepreneurs or the funding agencies who may not have heard about us before the word spread on raising our Pre Series A (link 1, link 2). Let me extend a warm welcome to you as well on behalf of Team Avishkaar. I do not blame you if you think that Avishkaar’s success was an overnight one – that’s the way things are portrayed in the popular culture I guess.
If anything, this crop of Avishkaar took a lot of nutrients via the team’s blood, sweat, countless number of failures and the most important ingredient of persistence. I am reminded of a saying that I have always sweared by “Many of the world’s greatest achievements were made by tired and discouraged men and women who did not give up”.
I remember talking to lot of folks within my team telling them how important was our success – not that our idea is any better or our team more intelligent than others. It’s because we are doing a lot of things that do not fit the popular overnight-success-startup formula:
- Even average grads can make it big: We are a team that does not have any IIT or IIM as its founding members. A country where VCs back IIT/IIM teams even without looking at their BPlans, we went against the flow and made ourselves noticed by actual traction.
- Startups can be SOCIALIST: We have always cared for people – if you ever had the “right” attitude, we have built the skills in you. We will take a lot of time in hiring people in our team, however, once done we will not fire you – if something is not working out, we will work with you, fight with you, but, will not leave you midway.
- NAIKI KARR AUR STARTUP CHALA: We have not swindled even a single employee, vendor or customer of their money. A promise is a promise whether it has resulted in financial losses, but, we have never gone back on our word as far as paying up is concerned.
- BOTTOMLINE = TOPLINE = Take equal care of both of them: For us, the bottomline has been equally important as the top line. We have tirelessly worked hard fixing the product portfolio, the supply chain, the assembly line, the margins while others indulged in self glorification (remember Rahul Yadav of Housing).
- Our Name literally means INNOVATION: We have truly innovated – whether its developing hardware, software, apps, firmware – we have innovated in every area where it matters.
- Only Indian Hardware startup that has SCALED: We are the only hardware startupthat’s profitable and successful in India. If you know any other which has sold more than 25000 boxes – do let us know :).
- BTW, ours are the only products Made in India and Sold in China 🙂
Since the reasons are seven so were the number of years, shoes, business suits, heartbreaks that took us to become an overnight success :).
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Tarun
Media Coverage of Avishkaar Box Investment Story
- Ed-tech startup Avishkaar Box raises ?5 crore in pre-Series A funding : Techstory
- Avishkaar Box raises Rs 5 Cr in Pre-Series A from Auxano Deals : Yourstory
- Auxano Deals invests in ed-tech startup Avishkaar Box: VC Circle
- Ed-tech startup Avishkaar Box raises Rs. 5 crore : Business Standard
- Ed-Tech Startup Avishkaar Box Raises Rs 5 Cr : BW Disrupt
- Seed Round Funding of Avishkaar Box : Crunchbase