Way2SMS – Startup Story

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V.V.Raju, started way2sms.com, a web based text messaging services for users in India. Founded in 2006, way2sms.com is India’s first free text messaging portal that also allows you to chat, get email and social media alerts.

VV Raju, now the chief executive officer of www.way2sms.com, embarking on a business outside the then booming FMCG sector was the ultimate goal after completing his masters in computer application from Nagarjuna University in 2003.But he had realised that the FMCG industry was just not right for him as in this he needed to invest a good amount to steer my business successfully. And, hailing from a family with an agricultural background, he thought his investment capabilities would not allow him to think of an investment-oriented business.

Later, he spent nearly eight to 10 months on evaluating various business models. A regular visitor to the the Small Industries Service Institute’s library in Vijayawada, where he was brought up, Raju browsed through various books and business journals and zeroed in on an idea that required more thought-processing and innovation and less investments.

He found mobile and web as the right domains to execute ideas and make them viable in terms of reach and revenues. He convinced his friends and relatives and mopped up about Rs 500,000 and started Sunsilica Solutions Pvt Ltd in 2004. His main objective of starting this company was to provide services in Virtual SMSC (Short Message Service Center) services to Enterprises, Mobile data aggregation / Enterprise Messaging service (SMS Service), Mobile Media Services (Mobile Advertising and Marketing services).

One year from then, Raju have felt a great demand for Bulk Messaging Services from the users and his clients, evolution of way2sms then started in 2006 which was incorporated under Way2online Interactive Media Pvt Ltd (Sunsilica Solutions Pvt Ltd was renamed) and they have hit the market at the end of 2006. In just 30 months, company has become one of the Promising startups and created a buzz among the youngsters providing text messaging services.

But it’s a risky to start such kind of a business model of giving SMS for free because he was buying a message at Rs 0.27 from the telecom operator. And he am giving it for free to the user. That’s a big risk. He started analysing why nobody had started anything of that kind. The only reason is because balancing the cost as against the revenues is a big challenge there. But somehow he took the risk. It’s a runaway success for them. Soon after they started way2sms, he started getting somewhere around 2,000 users per day within three months of launch. They made the user experience very easy. User can just register his mobile number, they send a password to him
just to authenticate or just to check the ownership of his mobile, then he logs into way2sms and he can start sending messages. He can
add contacts and he can start pushing messages to other friends.

The moment the user lands on the site, he can start communicating in multiple channels-SMS, chatting, and emails. He can receive alerts,
he can be in touch with his inbox anytime. During that time only few companies were playing around like that of way2online interactive.
Way2SMS future plans are to replicate its business model in some countries like UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Singapore.

Raju’s business model is also very close to various telecom operators and also has some tie ups with Airtel, Tata Indicom, Citi Bank, ICICI Bank, Tata AIG, Lenovo etc. are some of his corporate clients. Many websites came into existence after the launch of way2sms but this website could sustain the competition as it is always ahead with upgrading to latest technology. They have many servers which manage the huge traffic and they also have the technology to send 1,000 messages per second.

Their source of Income is mobitisement, bulk SMS and Google Adsense. Mobitisement means a mobile based advertisement. If you have an
advertisement to be reached by many users you can do it by just paying some money to way2sms where they send the ad to various mobiles. Rates vary for various places and targeted audience. So many big companies often advertise their business through way2sms. Way2sms also sells SMS units in bulk for various companies and organization. Rates vary depending upon the units purchased. An organization can send SMS for their clients with ease and comfort. Nowadays many colleges and schools also use this service.

Way2sms has acquired 160by2 which is another major indian free sms .service platform.

In May 2012, ValueFirst Messaging, founded in 2003 by Vishwadeep Bajaj has acquired Way2SMS and 160by2. ValueFirst is an enterprise mobility and communication services company. But it was in a controversy in the process of acquisition. Later out-of-court settlement cancelled the acquisition.