How InfoEdge Was Founded Before The Startup Industry Was Found

The story of a successful Indian start-up that came up much before the term was coined – InfoEdge It was founded in 1993 by Sanjeev Bikhchandani and a partner as one of the earliest internet companies in India.

Bikhchandani graduated from IIM, worked with GlaxoSmithKline, and moved on to become an #entrepreneur. The story dates back to 1990 when he and his partner founded ‘InfoEdge’ (conducted salary surveys) and ‘IndMark’ (database of trademarks). Sanjeev took over InfoEdge when the partners split in 1993. Info Edge functions as a holding company and operations in three businesses: Naukri (found in 1997); 99acres, Jeevansathi & Shiksha.

InfoEdge was funded by ICICI for a 15% stake & in 2006, it was the first Indian web firm to be listed. When Naukri launched its IPO, its share was priced at ₹320 & its stock rose to ₹628 within 20 mins of listing. It overpriced due to a P/E of 52!! (Infosys was 41). Today, the company has a #market cap of over $4B! It has also invested in mushrooming firms like Zomato, PolicyBazaar.

Revenue model: Via fees associated with its services and ad solutions, commission income on property bookings. Its revenue is attributed to its flagship #business portal Naukri.

Can you think of any other business enterprise like InfoEdge?

Radhika Bajoria

Storyteller with a passion for writing. I love researching in depth about business, trends, current affairs in India & globally. Always an eye on value & ethics, inclined towards generation of long term ROI & expediting growth.

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