Bootstrapped for seven years, backed by Domino's India master franchisee Jubilant Foodworks last year, and with operations in seven countries, Roadcast has had a sedate growth so far. But can the SaaS-based logistics automation platform now run at a scorching pace to keep up with its well-heeled rivals?
Vishal Jain, Anshul Jain and Rahul Mehra, Co-Founders of Roadcast Image: Madhu Kapparath
“Two roads diverged in a wood…,” this is the only line from the poem ‘The Road Not Taken’ that got firmly etched in Vishal Jain’s memory since childhood. “Robert Frost’s poem was all about the choices we make,” reckons the chartered accountant, who spent over a decade at advertising agency FCB Ulka, and then started treading on the entrepreneurial road in 2015 when he co-founded Roadcast along with Anshul Jain and Rahul Mehra. Anshul, an IT engineer, had over 10 years of professional experience. Mehra, a mechanical engineer and the youngest among the trio, had a little over five years of work experience in web and graphic design, including a brief stint at Ogilvy. Though all the co-founders came from diverse backgrounds, there was something in common: All noticed the gaping hole. The logistics automation platform in India was largely broken, and the friends decided to fix it.
Back in 2015, though, the co-founders had something elementary to fix in order to start their journey. They had two choices, which was a dilemma for them. The first was to take a full-time plunge into entrepreneurship. This meant loads of uncertainty to begin with. It also meant starting a new innings with all the variables that are a way of startup life. The idea of stepping out of the comfort zone after a meaty corporate stint was not an easy thought to deal with. The other choice was to start Roadcast as a part-time gig. The latter looked comforting. Jain and Anshul decided to sail on two boats till something substantial emerged, while Mehra quit his job to front the army. For over a year till late 2016, Roadcast had a truncated upbringing. The operating revenue inched at an excruciatingly slow pace: Rs1.3 lakh and Rs32.18 lakh in FY16 and FY17, respectively.
Staying bootstrapped came with its own set of challenges. The biggest was capital, and the hack devised to solve it was ‘jugaad’. Take, for instance, the ‘innovative’ way adopted by the co-founders to solve the infrastructure problem of the fledgling startup. Five employees, including the co-founders, needed laptops. Jain got to know that his company was clearing its old stock. There was only one glitch, though. There were 60 terminals and one needed to buy all of them. The co-founders bought all, repaired and refurbished 50 of them and then sold them at more than double the rate. “This is how we funded ourselves,” smiles 41-year-old Jain. “And there was ample money to pay salaries for three months.”
Having laptops didn’t solve all the problems though. The co-founders now needed software developers, and there was a special need to hunt for an iOS techie. The hack, again, was out of the box: Advertising on OLX. After a few weeks, they found one. Interestingly, the guy wanted to sell his Mac; he met the co-founders at one of the metro stations in West Delhi, and at 9.30 pm, Roadcast accidentally got its iOS developer.