Five Indian Failed Startups: The Untold Stories


Over time, it is becoming easier to initiate a startup. But, why most of the startups do not themselves in the good books of people? The reason is there is a stiff competition in every field nowadays. Also, most people do not pay attention after running a startup. So, it can be said that running a startup success is not a piece of cake. Certain startups are unable to run properly. Let us have a look at them. 

1. Just Buy Live

 Just Buy Live connected retailers to buy goods directly from brands across multiple categories like food, drinks, personal care, auto, smartphones, fashion, stationery, etc. The startup also offered an unsecured credit lending facility to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to facilitate the transaction on its portal and provide working capital to small retailers. Various reports claim that Just Buy Live may have shut down due to an unscalable business model and negative cash flow. As per Entrackr’s report in March this year, Just Buy Live’s cofounder said that the company has temporarily been shut down and would resume operation after raising fresh funding. Its website is currently down.

2. BabyBerry

The online parenting app, Babyberry helped many parents of a newborn baby to provide the best possible care for their child’s holistic growth and development from physical, cognitive, social to emotional growth. The app included features such as digital vaccination charts and reminders, health records management, and access to the nearest doctors based on geolocation and many more attractive features. In August this year, a report had cited its founder saying that the startup is currently looking to solve technical errors on the platform after many of its customers reported the glitches. Notwithstanding, the startup had raised $1 Mn (INR 6.99 Cr) meant for product development and marketing.

3. Mr. Needs

 Mr. Needs offering consumers an amazing online subscription-based service for the delivery of products like milk, bread, eggs, and other grocery items. In June 2017, ET said that its “per delivery costs are 50% to 70% lower than the industry standard,” and was serving 36K monthly orders for 9K families across Noida. The startup has pulled down its website, and its mobile application is not found anymore on Google’s play store. It is, however, not clear as to what lead the startup to shut its operations. The startup likely closed down its shutters amid fierce competition from the likes of BigBasket, DailyNinja, and several others.

4. Ezytruk

Trucks and logistics platform Ezytruk connected carriers, shippers, and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), to enable systematic transportation of goods across long distances. It offered a variety of services such as price comparison between carriers, real-time information of the goods, warehouse space management, etc. Ezytruk had raised a seed funding of $147K (INR 1.02 Cr) from Dubai-based investors Ajith Nair and Anish K. However, the startup could not scale and grow further as it was unable to raise further rounds of funding, reported Techcircle, which ultimately led the founders to shut down the operation this year.

5. Wydr

 B2B wholesale marketplace Wydr offered a range of products across categories like fashion, home, automotive, and electronics to manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers. The platform allowed sellers to customize their requirements, negotiate prices, and instantly close deals at reasonable prices. The startup claimed to have added over 10K manufacturers and distributors across cities in India. A report by Entrackr cited ShopClues cofounder Sandeep Aggarwal and an early investor in Wydr as confirming the shutdown. The report said that “the company (Wydr) was scaling down for the past three months and finally pulled the plug a couple of days ago.” 

It is very difficult to find a smooth place in the market and continue the journey with full comfort. There is a cut-throat competition in every field and subject. One has to work very hard to live a normal life. Necessary conditions are not sufficient nowadays. For example, if a student is only studying and doing nothing else, it will not fetch good results for him/her. Apart from studying, he/she must engage himself/herself in other activities and practical things to be able to survive in this world. Lastly, to survive the business world, keep yourself updated, and adapt to the ever-increasing demands of the customers.

Written By - Vaibhav Sharma

Edited By - Kashish Chadha