Meet the man behind 3 unicorns 🦄

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Hey there,

This man built not one, not two, but three unicorn businesses in just 13 years. Who is he?

Meet Supam Maheshwari, the mastermind behind FirstCry, valued at $4 billion, XpressBees at $1.2 billion, and GlobalBees at $1.12 billion.

Starting his journey fresh out of IIM Ahmedabad, Supam launched Brainvisa Technologies in 2000. This e-learning platform catered to over 500,000 students, laying the groundwork for his future billion-dollar ventures. Which also led to long-lasting bonds with his co-founders, Nitin Agarwal and Amitava Saha.

Despite the setbacks of the dot com crash, Supam and his team pivoted Brainvisa to a B2B model, successfully navigating through the tough times. Their perseverance paid off when, six years later, they exited for $16 million. This exit wasn't just about the money; it provided the capital and confidence needed for their future billion-dollar companies.

In 2010, after becoming a father, Supam noticed a gap in the Indian market for quality baby products. This led to the birth of FirstCry. The company's unique hybrid retail model combined the convenience of online shopping with over 400 physical stores. Innovative strategies like hospital sampling and launching private labels, such as BabyHug, propelled FirstCry's growth.

But Supam didn't stop there. In 2015, he identified logistics challenges in FirstCry and founded XpressBees. Today, XpressBees is a logistics powerhouse, operating in over 3,000 cities and handling 3 million deliveries daily. It serves a diverse client base, including PayTM, Meesho, Lenskart, and Xiaomi. A key to XpressBees' success is its warehouse operational efficiency, functioning at just a fraction of the industry's average costs.

In 2021, Supam embarked on his newest venture, GlobalBees, with Nitin. GlobalBees focuses on acquiring and scaling niche e-commerce brands across various sectors. With the backing of FirstCry's investors, GlobalBees quickly soared to unicorn status within a year.

Supam's journey offers invaluable insights:

1. Identify overlooked consumer needs and gaps in the market

2. Adopt fiscal prudence for lean yet high-growth models

3. Envision innovations ahead of adoption curves

4. Partner with reliable co-founders for the long-term

Supam's achievements, all from his base in Pune, defy the norm that startups need to be in traditional hubs to succeed. His story is a powerful example of how innovative thinking and strategic execution can lead to extraordinary success. Supam Maheshwari has indeed made disrupting the status quo look effortless.

✍️ Jargon of the day

Logistics:

Logistics is like planning a big trip. It's about figuring out the best way to get things from one place to another.

This includes deciding how to pack them, which route to take, and how to deliver them safely and on time. It's like being a travel planner but for products instead of people.

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Cheers,
Karthik