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Investors cautiously optimistic about Web 2.0 in India
MUMBAI: Investors appeared optimistic and cautious at the same time about Web 2.0, in a panel discussion held yesterday as part of IAMAI‘s Web 2.0 conference, titled ‘The Web‘s Next Frontier‘.
Moderated by SeedFund managing partner Mahesh Murthy, the discussion hovered basically around key metrics that investors would examine while investing in Web 2.0 models in India and how they would evaluate emerging media business models. IDG ventures India MD Manik Arora articulated on the prospective business model, the team working on it and the amount of localisation possible in the venture, as key areas he would look to while investing in a Web 2.0 model. He said, “I‘m not convinced that some Indian copy of Orkut or Myspace is going to work in India, unless there is a compelling reason to do so. We would be looking into the speed of implementation through a local language, mobile optimisation, user generated content (UGC) potential and also an offline presence for the model.” |
Matrix Partners MD Rishi Navani, who‘s invested in India‘s first online movie rental site Seventymm, appeared highly skeptical of any Web 2.0 model. “To me, Web 2.0 in India is a misnomer. We‘re currently going through a Web 0.5, I guess. However, we are open to investing in ventures, where Web 2.0 features can be incorporated in a Web 1.0 site.” Insisting on perseverance with Web 2.0 in India, Helion VC MD Kanwaljit Singh said, “Optimism is there in India and since its a long term investment, we‘re willing to wait. Ultimately, the Web 2.0 model founding team should be living the phenomena. Having said that, I think advertising based models will only succeed.” On being asked what factors he would examine within the model, Singh replied, “I‘d like to test the possibility of setting up the model online, offline and on other channels.” Citing the example of Just Dial as a success, he insisted that Web 2.0 models offering local information and taking up local issues had potential to succeed in India. |
Cleartrip travel services CEO and Sherpalo ventures partner Sandeep Murthy was brief in his vision of a Web 2.0. He said, “We‘ll focus on what customers need and we‘re particularly not worried whether it is a Web 2.0 or 1.0.” Naming Ebay and Bazee.com as copy-paste models, when asked whether an adaptation of a US-based model would be a cause for worry, he said, “I think a cut-copy-paste model is inevitable in some ways, but we‘ll address firms which are relevant to the Indian context.” Navani however, said, “If we fund something in India, it‘s quite likely to be similar to a US based model. We‘ll first find out whether there is a large business opportunity and second if there is differentiated content.” Nexus India Capital Advisors founding director Suvir Sujan asserted that Web 2.0 is a difficult model to execute in India. “In Web 2.0, your market is building your product. Since websites like Orkut already have engaged users so deeply, entrepreneurs must figure out whether similar models are needed. If yes, then they must come up with a sufficiently different product.” All panelists agreed upon need for advertising-driven business model. Navani pointed out that a good user interface is a precursor for any Web 2.0 model, which would attract more advertisers. Murthy opined that bringing classified advertisements from print, would be a feasible idea only if the firms had the required ground fleet to do so. Agreeing, Sujan said that the challenge for Web 2.0 would be to get advertising at the right time. |
Applications
With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
