e-commerce
Startups thriving on mutual synergies
MUMBAI According to a recent industry survey, the total amount invested in the startups more than doubled between 2014 and 2016. The rate of growth was high in India, with the country accounting for more than $4 of every $10 invested in startups. This growth of capital investment in start-ups highlights the significant role that technology and the internet are playing in radically changing the nature of start-ups on a global level.
Partnership and collaboration is key to any successful mentoring arrangement and it is not just the start-up that benefits. Small but growing companies can introduce mature partners to more creative and flexible ways of thinking. Likewise, they can provide access to new customers and innovative products. This is especially true in the start-up sector which is characterised by rapid change and innovation.
One of the biggest examples of this phenomenon is Onspon.com. Onspon.com is a unique start-up that focusses on founded with the objective of automating the process of making sponsorship decisions, and securing access to timely sponsorship.
If you thought this was interesting, Hitesh has more in store. “Sponsorships have become a very vital tool for the start-ups of today. They have started realising that discovering brands and companies that provide them with value in terms of an association or powering an event that can create value for them.”
Onspon.com is providing early-stage start-ups with a brilliant medium for effective outreach and early traction which can be considered gold-dust in today’s fast paced start-up world. Hitesh Gossain, CEO,Onspon.com, elaborates on this, “There are several start-ups and brands nowadays that are in requirement of associations and synergies to leverage each other’s strengths. Our platforms have the special ability to provide brands with the most befitting / high ROI yielding avenues. What they also arereliasing that in this sphere, collaborating together on events and picking up platforms to expose their brand is an effective tool which can make a bigger difference than a media plan at times.”
“We have over 11000 event managers regsitered with us. They range from college sponsorship seeking individuals to IPL teams looking for brands on their jersey. Some of these cases provideStartups with an intriguing opportunity to engage their brand identity and reach out to a concentrated and effective audience. We are one of the examples of a startup offering other companies an opportunities to leverage our strengths and contribute to our platform in return,” says Hitesh smiling.
The success of Startup Bootcamps and similar mentoring initiatives lies in the fact that entrepreneurs and corporate executives now need each other more than ever. Indeed, their requirements and their strengths are often complementary.
Therefore, startups can brighten their global prospects by forming collaborative partnerships thatcapitalise on their complementary strengths while respecting the independence of each party. Nowthats a food for thought. Isn’t it ?
e-commerce
Instamart and Duolingo launch street spell check campaign for Instaprint
Duo the owl fixes signboard typos across cities to showcase instant printing.
MUMBAI: If spelling mistakes had a sworn enemy, it might just be a bright green owl with a printer. Instamart has teamed up with language learning platform Duolingo for a quirky nationwide campaign that turns everyday spelling errors into a public spectacle while promoting its instant printing service, InstaPrint. The playful activation takes aim at the many misspelled shop boards and public signs scattered across Indian streets. From “saloons” that promise haircuts rather than drinks to menus and posters peppered with punctuation mishaps, the campaign sends Duolingo’s mascot Duo on a mission to restore linguistic order.
Armed with Instamart’s instant printing feature, Duo prints corrected versions of the mistakes on the spot and pastes them over the originals. The result is a series of humorous street interventions that have quickly begun circulating on social media.
Photos and videos of the grammar correcting owl have been widely shared online, with amused users reacting to the unexpected spell check patrol. One user joked, “Ab ayega na maza bhidu,” capturing the internet’s delight at the unusual campaign.
Behind the humour lies a practical message. The activation is designed to showcase the capabilities of Instaprint, Instamart’s printing service that allows users to print documents and posters almost instantly.
The company says the feature is meant for everyday needs such as printing resumes, visa documents or last minute posters without the usual scramble to locate a print shop.
Instamart introduced Instaprint in 2025 across select metropolitan cities including Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi. The service allows users to order printed materials directly through the platform, extending the quick commerce model beyond groceries and household essentials.
By combining Duolingo’s famously persistent owl with India’s street level spelling quirks, the campaign taps into the internet’s long running fascination with grammar mistakes while demonstrating a real world use case for instant printing.
After all, in a world full of typos, sometimes what you really need is a quick printer and a very determined language teacher.
