vivekananda hallekere biography

The leap before the bounce.

Meet the founders who dared to make mobility fun and easy.

Vivekananda Hallekere

CEO & Co-Founder

COO & Co-Founder

CTO & Co-Founder

Launched in May 2018, Bounce is the brainchild of Vivekananda Hallekere, Anil G and Varun Agni.

They launched Bounce as India’s first smart mobility solution, with a mission of making daily commute quick, stress-free, reliable and convenient. In its ride-sharing avatar, Bounce tapped into the need for affordable and safe travel options for various daily commuters. Right from covering long distances to providing last-mile support, we aim at addressing diverse mobility needs

Indigenously built with in-house R&D, Bounce dockless scooters were first launched in Bangalore and quickly became the desired mode of transport in the city, as well as in parts of Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. In its first year, Bounce facilitated 1,00,000 rides a day with a 30,000 strong scooter fleet on road. Bounce remains one of India’s fastest-growing start-ups with the proud badge of having scaled to 100K transactions in a day. Bounce’s valuation stood at a staggering 500 million USD in just 11 months from its conception.

Bouncing off the numbers.

5.1m ev rides, 30m ev rides km, 1250 metric tonnes of c02 emissions saved, 5,365,929 sign ups.

A founder’s electric vision.

Vivek strongly believed in the potential of Electric Vehicles in India, because of which he launched in-house EV mobility solutions for Bounce in July 2019. In its attempt to fastrack India’s shift to electric mobility, Bounce introduced its own electric scooter into its fleet. Ever since major milestones have been met.

Bounce truly believes that India’s journey of becoming electric should be accessible and inclusive. To facilitate a speedy adoption of EVs, Bounce has built retrofit EVs by converting the existing Internal Combustion Engine (ICE). They’re currently developing a mass-scale conversion solution across multiple corporations. This is because the company believes that a complete electric eco-system that truly works for Indians is the need of the hour - and rest assured, Bounce is inching towards that goal with every passing day.

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Vivekananda Hallekere is the Co-Founder and CEO of Bounce, India’s first smart urban mobility solution, with a mission of making daily commute stress-free, time-saving, reliable and convenient. He strongly believes that mobility is a basic human need just like food, water and shelter; thereby, he advocates the democratisation of commuting. Together with his co-founders, Vivek started WickedRide in 2014 with a fleet of eight motorcycles. Soon, Vivek and the team realised that there was a larger market need for last-mile connectivity in cities like Bangalore, thus setting up Bounce in 2016. At Bounce, Vivek handles Business Development, Marketing and Sales. He also plays a crucial role in managing the company’s dialogue and engagement with government bodies as well as authorities including the Government of Karnataka. Additionally, Vivek holds and manages Bounce’s investor relationships.

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Bounce’s Vivekananda Hallekere on why dockless mobility is here to stay

Vivekananda Hallekere, co-founder and chief executive of scooter-sharing platform Bounce, swears that dockless mobility solution is here to stay and take off big time in India.

He has his reasons to stand by his conviction. Bounce, which initially started off as a luxury bike rental platform, Wicked Ride, has scaled up significantly in a short period of time. But Hallekere says they have barely scratched the surface and there is still a long way to go.

Surely, investors also seem to be taking note of the venture’s potential to solve a very relevant India problem, the first and the last mile in urban mobility. The company has raised around $23 million (approximately) so far from the likes of Sequoia Capital, Accel, InnoVen, Qualcomm and Flipkart co-founder Sachin Bansal.

Additionally, the company is also in the midst of a $70-80 million round that could see some marquee names like Israeli-Russian billionaire investor Yuri Milner and Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin’s venture fund B Capital Group putting in money.

The venture was founded in 2014 by Hallekere, along with Varun Agni and Anil G. The company initially offered motorbikes and scooters on a rental basis primarily to urban commuters. It tweaked its business model to a dockless scooter-sharing service but has continued to run its rental business. With the acquisition of bicycle-sharing unicorn Ofo’s India assets, Bounce now also offers dockless bicycle sharing.

In an interaction with TechCircle, Hallekere talks about the journey behind Bounce and the company’s road map ahead. Edited excerpts:

You started off as a luxury bike rental. When did you spot the opportunity to go bigger?

This was in early 2016, when the Bengaluru metro railway line had just come up. We were discussing metro as a mobility option for commuters. That was also the time Indonesian ride-hailing firm Go-Jek had raised its first big round ($550 million).

Over prolonged discussions, we realised that the first mile and the last mile were always going to be a problem in cities where metro railway was just taking shape. We also happened to bump into a report about the Delhi metro railway, where even with 180 kilometres of metro railway lines, the average first- and last-mile was about six kilometres. Suddenly, we realised that we were staring at a potential billion-dollar opportunity.

Why dockless scooter rental over a taxi model?

After a debate on the merits and economics of a bike taxi, we gathered that the biggest problem statement in the taxi model was the driver cost. This driver is a fungible resource and we will have to fight for this resource with other industries like food delivery and e-commerce industry. Also, it is by now an established pattern that drivers do not remain on these jobs for long.

In scooter taxis, the driver is not a convenience but a friction point from all perspectives -- for us as a business as well as for the customer in terms of sharing a small real estate with a stranger. Besides, the risk levels were very high. However, once we remove the driver from the equation, we realised that economics is not the only thing that improves.

Can you take us further into it?

We started on roundtrips with keys dispensed from a dispenser. But then realised it was not scaleable and docks will never make sense. It had to be end-to-end.

Having said that, each of these models have a role to play and can survive in an urban mobility market in a country like India, where the demand is so huge. Only 18% of the population have access to personal mobility including cars and two-wheelers. Also, we are just talking about major cities. What about the Tier-II and Tier-III cities?

In terms of efficiency, while urban cities pose a problem of congestion, the Tier-II cities and beyond just do not have a well-evolved public commute system at all. So each pain point has a specific solution.

How has the reception been so far?

Taxis work the best in certain markets wherever the traffic is unidirectional while they don’t in certain other markets. In taxis, the demand-supply match can happen because there is a driver. But the cost at which he/she comes onboard does not justify the economics for us. It's as simple as that.

We are currently doing more than seven rides per bike every day. So I would say we are already doing what a bike/scooter taxi can do, but without a driver.

What is Bounce’s biggest value proposition to the consumer?

The customer service is solely dependent on the consumer here. You find a ride, use it and drop it anywhere without having to wait for anyone. One can even share the cost by sharing the ride.

What we are essentially trying to do is give you the feeling of a private vehicle ownership, but just at a much cheaper cost. For example, the average cost of travelling a kilometre by Bounce comes to Rs 6.50. It becomes just Rs 3.25 when you share it. As simple as that. We also don’t lose money at this pricing.

Gradually, at some point later, we may enable an option where a user can also pool the ride with another commuter traversing along the same route.

Can Bounce work well in cities like Delhi or Chennai, which are well-connected by various modes of public transport?

MRTS (mass rapid transit system) commute economics justifies only if a commuter clocks more than six kilometres. Even then, the last mile or the first mile is always a problem. In our case, our solution works well in conjunction with the metro railway. Likewise, our solution also works well for commuters who commute less than 10 km every day.

That said, 40-50% of our rides begin from or end at a metro railway station. On top of this, the public transport system is also not completely evolved at all cities. Hence, we are trying to act as an alternative mode of transport. While we are optimistic that our solution will work in any sort of big city and see no reason why consumers won’t adopt this, we will have to wait and see.

Do you need a certain piece of public infrastructure to enable mobility solutions like Bounce?

We are not bringing in a new form factor to create a parking infrastructure, dedicated right of way, or a dock. Two-wheelers are the major mode of commute for India. India has 100 million two-wheelers already and consumes about 25 million year after year. Has there been any dedicated infrastructure created for two-wheelers so far? We are just adding to it.

Likewise, in terms of parking spaces, we have exclusive access to parking spaces in Bengaluru metro railway stations and wherever there is paid parking, we have made an arrangement with them as well. In tech parks, companies like SAP Labs, Sasken Technologies and Mercedes-Benz have created dedicated parking spaces for us, recognising our value.

But these problems are likely to face your cycle-sharing operations.

Cycle sharing is altogether a different story. There are multiple problems like parking infrastructure and pilferage. But the biggest of them all is the commute itself. The busy roads by themselves pose a big challenge for these vehicles. Not to mention the weather conditions and the fitness levels of most people to do a six-kilometre commute. This is a classic example of a need to create a dedicated infrastructure.

Is Bounce’s business model designed more to appeal to the younger demographic?

Our solution has multiple use cases across all age groups, students, home makers as well as the elderly group. I can give you a specific example. In smaller towns, you have people who need to travel to the city at regular intervals. For them, commuting is a huge challenge.

I am talking more with reference to the floating population. The floating population of any city, be it small or big, is so huge that commute becomes such a struggle for this diaspora. Imagine what a solution like Bounce can do to them in terms of access to livelihood.

How long do you think before dockless scooter rentals become mainstream in Indian urban and micro mobility?

This is not like e-commerce where it takes time to build a consumer habit and trust. Mobility is always going to be a problem. Here, people know how to ride and where to go. All we are telling you is one doesn’t need to own a scooter and you just pay for the time and the distance.

While there are macro issues like how to continuously attract capital and talent, it would be very foolish of us to not make this business work. As long as we or someone else can do it, this is a business that has all the hallmarks of a big time take-off. What Bounce has currently done is demonstrated the need and the workability of the dockless-sharing solution.

How capital- and operations-intensive is your venture?

It is definitely operations-intensive. Since there is no driver in our business model, we have to do a lot of things from our end. The DNA and the approach required is very different as this is not a marketplace model.

It comes with its own challenges. We have built the tech and the product. Now it is purely an execution game. This requires attracting talent continuously. This has also not been done before. One good thing is we don’t have the problem of attracting our customers with deep discounts. We just need to market the product and bring in consumer awareness.

What is your scale of operations in Bengaluru? Also, are there any plans for geographical expansion?

I will not be able to give you numbers. However, I can just say our daily rides amount to 10% of what one of the two major cab-hailing players does in Bengaluru every day. This is a business that works big time on proximity and density. The vehicle has to be close to you.

We have about 5,000-6,000 scooters in Bengaluru. We intend to scale up significantly over the next 12 months.

Do you see solutions like Bounce grabbing a section of cab-hailing commuters?

Like I said earlier, India is a huge market and every solution has its use case. I am not sure whether someone using cabs would give them up for Bounce. However, for a lot of commuters, it would make logical sense as it can help you save money and time. However, having said that, there is no need for us to snatch any cab-hailing consumers. There might be some overlaps, but it might not be significant.

What about your bicycle operations? Will they get a bit less focus than your scooter-rental operations?

As I said, every solution has a use case and we saw an opportunity and hence decided that acquiring Ofo's business would make for a great move. The way we look at is to enable as many commuter miles in as many ways as possible. The dockless scooter-sharing solution addresses a larger and more pressing problem.

Likewise, the same with Wicked Ride. Does it make economic sense to continue operating it?

Wicked Ride has always been a decent business, that is traditional and cash-rich. We are perhaps among the very few players that also offer luxury bikes like Harley-Davidson on rentals. I will not be able to say anything about it right now. It's more about bandwidth and focus. Our current focus and bandwidth are aligned more towards mobility solutions. We will have to discuss it internally and decide on the future of Wicked Ride.

What are your near-term and long-term expansion plans?

I cannot share much about that as we have a lot of internal targets. What I can tell you is we are looking to replicate this in other cities, hopefully, within the next 12 months. We are looking to scale up operations by at least 40-50x within the same time period. Even at that scale, we feel it would still be conservative compared with our goals.

As for roundtrips, we are already operational in 10-11 cities. For dockless, we are evaluating around six cities (can’t disclose names). Likewise, we will launch operations based on the market opportunity and potential rather than geography. For example, it is not necessary that our next launch will also be another southern market just because we started in Bengaluru.

Is there any scope for inorganic growth?

We are never hesitant to explore both organic and inorganic means of growth. However, if we were to explore for acquisitions, it would be likely to augment our tech capabilities.

Talking about the competition landscape, how many big players can this space accommodate?

These are very early days. But it is a beautiful business to be in and we are likely to see a lot more players emerging in this space. But as on today, we are the only ones in the dockless mobility space. There is still a lot of learning that needs to go into this space. Eventually, there will be a last few men standing, but it’s too early to talk about that now.

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Vivekananda Hallekere

CEO & Co-founder  -  Bounce

Vivekananda is the Co-founder & CEO of Bounce which is a full-stack EV mobility company. He founded Bounce in 2018 as India’s first smart mobility solution, with a mission of making daily commute quick, stress-free, reliable and convenient. He graduated from The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.

Bounce’s first electric scooter features swappable battery, costs less than $500

Bangalore-based Bounce on Thursday priced its first electric scooter at as low as 36,000 Indian rupees ($480), considerably undercutting the heavily-backed rival Ola as the mobility war intensifies in the world’s second most populous nation.

The startup, backed by B Capital and Falcon Edge, launched its first electric scooter called the Bounce Infinity E1 that features a swappable battery and several other unique features including tubular frame, hydraulic telescopic front suspension and twin shock absorbers at the rear ithat it said are designed for the Indian roads.

Customers will be able to swap the battery once it discharges from a nearby swapping station. The startup is building a network of swapping stations, for which it is tapping thousands of gas stations as well as mom and pop stores, in several Indian cities, Bounce said.

“It’s pretty big, not just for us but we believe that it’s a game-changer for India as well,” said Vivekananda Hallekere, co-founder and chief executive of Bounce, in an interview with TechCrunch. The startup said it has tested the swappable battery for over 200 million kilometers.

Bounce has already set up a factory in the Indian state of Rajasthan and is planning to set up another one, Hallekere said. He said Bounce is setting aside $100 million to invest in the electric vehicle business in the next one year.

The startup is hoping that most of Infinity E1 customers will purchase the scooter without the battery. In the state of Gujarat, the variant will be available for $480 and the price will slightly vary in other states depending on government subsidies.

Customers will also be able to purchase the scooter with the battery and charger for 68,999 Indian rupees ($921). Depending on the state subsidy, the price can go as low as 59,999 Indian rupees ($800; as is the case in Gujarat).

Those opting to go for the Bounce Infinity E1 without the battery will pay for swapping each time they replace an empty battery, the startup said. “This pushes the running costs of the scooter down substantially, by as much as 40% compared to conventional scooters,” the startup said.

The Bounce Infinity E1 can run as fast as 65 kmph and lasts for about 85 kilometres on one charge, the startup said. It will ship in five different colors and can be customised. Customers will also have full visibility about the vehicle’s performance as well as will have the ability to trace and remotely lock the scooter.

India is the world’s largest two-wheeler market. Two-wheelers — scooters and bikes — command over 80% of all vehicles sold in the country Electric vehicles are yet to make inroads in the country. In recent years, scores of entrepreneurs have started to make a push in the space as the nation attempts to cut its carbon emission. India is currently the third-largest carbon-emitter after China and the U.S.

SoftBank-backed Ola recently launched its electric vehicle that is priced at 99,999 Indian rupees, or $1,350. Ola has delayed the shipping of its scooter several times. It’s hoping to make its electric vehicles a big success and counting on it becoming a headline as it eyes the public markets, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

Bounce said it will take pre-orders for the Infinity E1 scooter starting today. It will start shipping the scooter in early March.

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India’s First E-Scooter That Doesn’t Come With Batteries, Requires No Charging

We speak to Vivekananda Hallekere of Bounce, a Bengaluru-based electric mobility startup, which launched its first consumer electric scooter, Bounce Infinity E1. It comes with a unique ‘battery as a service’ option for consumers.

E arlier this month, Bounce, a Bengaluru-based electric mobility startup, launched its first consumer electric scooter , Bounce Infinity E1, which comes with a unique feature. This is India’s first e-scooter that doesn’t necessarily come with batteries and thus needs no charging. Offered with a ‘battery as a service’ option, this e-scooter will be available to consumers at Rs 45,099 (Delhi ex-showroom), while they can pre-book it for a refundable amount of Rs 499. Deliveries are slated for March 2022 through its dealership network and its online platform.

But what does a ‘battery as a service’ option entail? The Better India spoke to Vivekananda Hallekere, the CEO and co-founder of Bounce to understand this unique feature.

“The recently launched Bounce Infinity E1 offers a unique ‘Battery as a service’ option – the first-of-its-kind in the Indian market. Here, customers have the choice of acquiring the Bounce Infinity E1 at an affordable price with ‘battery-as-a-service’ and using Bounce’s battery swapping network instead. Customers pay for battery swaps, whenever they swap an empty battery with a fully-charged one from Bounce’s swapping network. This pushes the running costs of the scooter down substantially, by as much as 40% compared to conventional scooters,” he claims.

So far, the startup claims that its battery-swapping station network has a distribution of close to 200 stations in major Indian cities like Delhi-NCR and Bengaluru which have completed over 500,000 swaps and enabled over 2 crore EV kilometres.

“Bounce is set to invest over USD 100 million across manufacturing of e-scooters and expanding the battery swapping infrastructure over the next 12 months. We’ve been setting up a wide battery-swapping network through prominent partnerships, which will serve both its retail customers and its successful ride-sharing business. The ambition is to build the world’s largest and densest battery swapping platform to support India’s transition to clean mobility, and offer a swapping facility within one-kilometre distance for its customers,” he adds.

The startup has partnered with various brands like Nobroker, Park+, Readyassist, Helloworld, Kitchens@, Goodbox, etc. to strengthen the electric mobility ecosystem across the country by setting up more than 3,500 battery swapping stations across 10 cities.

“This smart framework will be available at locations like residential societies, key parking spaces, malls, corporate offices, etc. for customers to find the nearest swapping station on their Bounce App. The best part of the ‘battery as a service’ option is that anyone can partner with us and become battery swapping partners. It can be the local mom and pop store or you could host a couple of batteries from your home. If they can’t host space then people can just invest and get a fixed return on the investment they make. We call this ‘Bounce Power’, which will empower the common man to be part of this transition to clean energy,” he explains.

Partnership with Park+ is to strengthen the EV ecosystem across the country by setting up over 3,500 battery swapping stations across 10 Indian cities. This smart framework will be available at locations like residential societies, key parking spaces, malls and corporate offices for customers to find the nearest swapping station on their Bounce App or Park+ app, claims Vivekananda.

With Battery and Charger

However, the Bounce Infinity E1 will also be offered with the battery, which can be removed from the scooter and charged by customers at their home or office or wherever convenient, and a charger as well. Priced at Rs 68,999 (ex-showroom), the Infinity E1 is powered by a 2kWh lithium-ion battery pack that provides a certified range of 85km on a single charge. Using any regular electricity socket this battery takes about 4 to 5 hours to fully charge.

Meanwhile, other key features of the Infinity E1 with battery and charger include a top speed of 65 kmph, 0-40 kmph in 8 seconds, and a torque output of 83Nm.

Consumers can ride this e-scooter in two riding modes, Power and Eco, while it’s built on a tubular frame and features hydraulic telescopic front suspension and two shock absorbers in the rear. Going further, it also comes with disc brakes at both ends with an electronic braking system and also possesses the regenerative braking technology feature. Finally, this e-scooter will also come equipped with a comprehensive warranty of 3 years or up to 50,000 km.

Developing the Infinity E1

Bounce started working on EVs and its swapping network in late 2019. They first worked with a contract manufacturer and co-developed a model which is deployed on its fleet. Subsequently, in early 2021, it acquired an EV OEM company and worked on launching Bounce Infinity E1 during December, including integrating the swappable battery, durable chassis etc.

“We strongly felt that fleet owners like us will be first movers and can take the advantage of better economics on EV and at the same time build infrastructure that can be passed on to consumers. For its mobility business, Bounce wanted to move towards EVs for ease of operations and better economics. However, it was initially unable to find any form factor that could be readily used primarily due to the lack of reliability and durability of the scooters available in the market. In addition to this, the range anxiety and downtime that comes with a fixed battery (charging) was not viable for a fleet operator like us,” explains Vivekananda.

Hence, Bounce invested heavily in R&D with an in-house vehicle engineering team to modify some of the existing models and also to design and develop a new model from scratch, especially working on a removable battery and swapping network. Having invested and developed form factors that are suitable for the Indian conditions, “it made sense to manufacture and sell this to the consumers, in a market starved for good electric two-wheelers”.

“So we started with a small project to build an electric scooter that works for India and the journey got us here. We have done over 2 crore km on battery and the battery swapping station built with the power of mom and pop stores. The company firmly believes that India is at the dawn of an EV revolution and Bounce is committed to taking up all challenges to bring India on to the world map of electric mobility adopters,” he claims.

Standing out from the crowd

The majority of two-wheeler owners in India do not have access to dedicated parking for their vehicles. Even people who have access to dedicated parking do not necessarily have access to charging at a given parking spot. The inability to charge a two-wheeler has been the biggest impediment to EV adoption in India.

“Infinity E1 is the first and only scooter in India to provide both options – to swap batteries from the Bounce network as well as charge-at-home. This not only addresses the charging problem but also mitigates the need to invest in batteries — the customer can pay per swap for battery usage. This pushes the running costs of the scooter down substantially,” says Vivekananda.

He goes on to explain some of the more unique and attractive features on the Infinity E1 are as follows:

Remote Applications- It can be tracked remotely with a battery charge status also available.

Drag Mode- This mode enables the scooter to move along at walking speed in case you have a puncture and want to push it.

Reverse Mode- This allows you to move the scooter backwards for ease in getting out of tight parking spots.

Cruise Control- This feature keeps the scooter running at a steady speed, irrespective of the conditions and the terrain.

Anti-Theft- The Infinity E1 senses vibrations when left parked and can understand if it’s being tampered with. It locks its rear wheels in response to movement and makes it harder to move.

Tow Alert- The Infinity E1 alerts you if it moves out of its parking zone and gets towed. The notifications alert the owner and track your vehicle too.

Unlike other EV manufacturers, Bounce isn’t merely launching a vehicle, but building an entire ecosystem along with it. Whether this succeeds or not remains to be determined, but one can’t fault the vision at play here.

(Edited by Yoshita Rao)

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• Bounce eyes $100mn investment in e-scooter mfg, battery swapping infra

• Updated On Nov 8, 2021 at 12:38 PM IST

• Published On Nov 8, 2021 at 12:24 PM IST

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The Economic Times daily newspaper is available online now.

Mobility startup bounce raises $20 million from existing investors.

The company’s cofounder and chief executive, Vivekananda Hallekere, confirmed the fundraising to ET and said the Bengaluru-headquartered company had already closed the first tranche of this round but denied that it was exploring an outright sale.

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Vivekananda Hallekere Riding the Innovation Wave with Bounce

In the realm of entrepreneurship, mavericks are those individuals with extraordinary vision, challenging conventional norms, and inspiring others to think beyond the ordinary. Vivekananda Hallekere , Co-founder and CEO of Bounce , epitomizes this spirit. For anyone who has commuted in Bengaluru or the 11 other cities where Bounce operates, the bright yellow and red Bounce scooters are a familiar sight. Bounce provides daily commuters with a solution to their last-mile commuting woes. In a country where only 18 percent of the population has access to personal mobility, Bounce ‘s keyless scooters empower users to pick up a bike from anywhere via the app and drop it off at their destination. This keyless and dock less sharing system, underpinned by an IoT framework, sets Bounce apart not only in India but worldwide.

Rapid Growth and Unprecedented Success:

Bounce made headlines in 2019 when it became the world’s fastest-growing bike-sharing start-ups, completing 20 million rides since its inception and averaging 120,000 rides per day in Bengaluru alone. Vivekananda Hallekere , commonly known as Vivek, is the driving force behind this unique start-ups. Vivek exemplifies the entrepreneurial spirit of challenging conventional wisdom. Despite India’s limited IoT talent pool, he and his team built the required technology and hardware from scratch. The decision to create their IoT infrastructure in a country not traditionally associated with IoT expertise was undoubtedly their biggest challenge. Still, they persevered and succeeded.

The Power of Community Collaboration:

Beyond technology, Bounce experienced unprecedented community participation. Vivek underscores the significance of designing something that genuinely enhances convenience and cost-effectiveness in people’s lives. This approach fosters collaboration with the community, driving success. Vivek highlights how innovation transcends demographics. Bounce ‘s user base includes diverse segments, from college students to senior citizens. This diversity underscores the broad appeal of innovations that enhance convenience and accessibility.

Creating Value in Changing Times:

In today’s world, users prioritize experiences over commodity purchases, such as owning a scooter. Vivek acknowledges that there is no emotional attachment to vehicle ownership anymore. Users prefer subscription models over traditional EMI payments. Bounce ‘s role is to create technology and operations that emphasize convenience and support innovative solutions. Vivek predicts that electric vehicles will revolutionize the mobility sector. Beyond environmental benefits, electric scooters offer nearly half the operating cost of traditional fuel-powered vehicles, with minimal maintenance requirements. Bounce’s plans include partnering with existing electric scooter brands and launching their brand of electric scooters. These scooters boast innovative features, such as intelligent seats, remote tire pressure monitoring, and durable all-aluminum frames.

Scaling Beyond Borders:

Vivek envisions expanding Bounce to other countries, emphasizing the scalability of their model. India’s challenging dynamics make it an ideal testing ground, facilitating expansion into more advanced markets with fewer operational hurdles. Vivek advises entrepreneurs not to rely solely on data-driven decisions. He advocates for intuition and customer feedback, stressing that while everything might appear perfect on paper, it’s essential to exceed initial expectations. In Vivek’s view, entrepreneurship demands a blend of paranoia, optimism, and delusion. These qualities help navigate the highs, lows, and unexpected twists that come with the entrepreneurial journey.

In conclusion , Vivekananda Hallekere’s story with Bounce serves as an inspiring testament to entrepreneurship, innovation, and resilience. Bounce’s unique approach to last-mile commuting and Vivek’s unwavering commitment to challenging norms underscore the potential for transformation in the business world. His insights and experiences serve as a valuable source of inspiration for aspiring entrepreneurs and innovators.

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The triumph of Lybrate can be attributed to its innovative approach and meticulous planning. Arora underscores the critical importance of aligning the product with the workflow of doctors, fostering positive word-of-mouth recommendations. The nascent stages involved securing funding, with Gokul Rajaram, a luminary in developing Google’s AdSense network, playing a pivotal role. Lybrate secured a seed round of $1.23 million from Nexus Venture Partners, Rajaram, and independent investor Vispi Daver in August 2014. A subsequent funding round in July 2015 saw a commitment of $10.2 million from Tiger Global, Nexus Venture Partners, and Ratan Tata, propelling Lybrate’s mission to new heights.

The healthcare landscape in India presents a formidable challenge, marked by a concerning doctor-patient ratio of 1:1,700, as highlighted by a joint report from KPMG and Ficci. What sets Lybrate apart is its unwavering focus on alleviating the doctor shortage. The platform’s workflow begins with anonymous health-related queries from patients, evolving into online or offline consultations as comfort levels with the doctors on the platform grow.

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Abhishek Shah’s foray into healthcare entrepreneurship was inspired by personal experiences. Growing up in a family of healthcare entrepreneurs, with parents diagnosed with chronic diseases, Shah witnessed the challenges of managing conditions like hypertension and diabetes. This exposure laid the foundation for Wellthy Therapeutics, founded in 2015 with the vision of leveraging technology for behavioral change in healthcare.

Wellthy Therapeutics’ mobile app serves as a personal health coach, utilizing AI to analyze patient data and habits. The app provides continuous guidance and motivation for adopting healthier lifestyle choices, crucial for managing type 2 diabetes. For individuals like Smruti Daru, the app has been transformative, helping her achieve significant improvements in glycated haemoglobin levels and weight within a short period.

At the core of Wellthy’s philosophy is an outcome-focused approach. Abhishek Shah emphasizes the importance of improving patient outcomes by addressing behavioral changes. The app guides patients through their daily routines, encouraging them to log diet, monitor sugar levels, track weight, and adhere to exercise routines. This focus on quantifiable outcomes sets Wellthy apart in the realm of digital therapeutics.

Wellthy Therapeutics has garnered recognition and endorsements from major organizations. Partnering with the Research Society for the Study of Diabetes in India (RSSDI) in 2016, Wellthy became a prescribed application for doctors. The company presented positive clinical outcomes at an American Diabetes Association conference, establishing itself as the first South Asian digital therapeutics firm with such achievements. Understanding the unique cultural nuances of India and Asia, Wellthy tailored its app to cater specifically to the genetic makeup, behavior, and values prevalent in the region. Recognizing that two-thirds of the world’s diabetics reside in Asia, Wellthy’s regional focus positions it strategically in the fight against diabetes.

Abhishek Shah’s commitment to improving healthcare outcomes is reflected in Wellthy’s self-funded growth. Investing around ₹2.9 crore into the venture, Shah prioritized creating a product that genuinely benefited patients. Wellthy’s expansion involves unique partnerships with hospitals, doctors, patients, and insurance companies, laying the groundwork for future growth. With plans to go live in the Middle East later this year, Wellthy envisions achieving a full-fledged presence in Asia within four to five years. The company’s trajectory aligns with its mission to redefine diabetes care through innovative technology and a patient-centric approach.

For Abhishek Shah, the journey of building Wellthy intertwines with the personal milestone of becoming a father. This balancing act, navigating the realms of first-generation entrepreneurship and first-time fatherhood, shattered perceived limitations and unlocked newfound capabilities. Shah’s dedication to his vision has not only transformed his life but has become a source of empowerment for individuals managing diabetes.

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