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Discover the inspiring journey of Saumya Singh Rathore, from a small town in Uttar Pradesh to building India's largest social gaming platform, WinZO.
Saumya Singh Rathore, originally from a small town in Uttar Pradesh, defied expectations at a young age. Born in 1988, she showed a natural curiosity and passion for learning from her childhood, a trait that would later become the foundation of her success. With this mindset, she went on to create WinZO, India’s largest social gaming platform, which is now valued at over Rs 2300 crore.
Background
Saumya completed her early education in Uttar Pradesh, consistently excelling as a top student. Driven by her ambition, she went on to earn a master’s degree from the University of Manchester. She started her career as an Associate at KPMG in January 2009, but her aspirations were always set on something bigger and more unconventional.
Corporate journey
Saumya contributed to several successful projects at Bennett Coleman and Company Limited and Times Network. After six years in the corporate world, she made the decision to step outside her comfort zone. In 2015, she joined the core team of the backpacker travel startup ZO Rooms. Unfortunately, her time at ZO was brief due to a dispute between Oyo and ZO, cutting this chapter of her career short.
Establishing WinZO
In 2017, Saumya, alongside her colleague Paavan Nanda, co-founded WinZO. With a focus on the Indian market, they created a platform that revolutionized gaming for people in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. WinZO offered users the chance to play real-time multiplayer games and win prizes by paying a small fee, ranging from Rs 2 to 25. The platform supported 25 local languages and featured traditional Indian games such as cricket, carrom, and fruit smash, making it accessible and appealing to a wide audience.
Business success
Within just one year, WinZO's user base skyrocketed to 5 million, with users spending an average of 55 minutes daily on the platform. In 2018, the company secured Rs 3.3 crore in funding from Kalaari Capital. By 2019, WinZO had grown to 20 million users. In February 2019, the company raised another Rs 35.4 crore in funding. Additionally, WinZO partnered with over 50 indie game developers, who began hosting their games on the platform, further expanding its offerings.
In 2022, WinZO made a major move by appointing former Indian cricket team captain MS Dhoni as its brand ambassador. To further strengthen its appeal among the youth, the company partnered with popular YouTubers CarryMinati and Bhuvan Bam. Today, WinZO boasts an impressive 175 million users, an annual revenue of Rs 691 crore, a valuation of Rs 2300 crore, and 5 billion monthly transactions. With over 100 games on its platform, WinZO has firmly established itself as India’s largest social gaming platform.
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