It’s hard to get rid of the entrepreneurial itch, even if you’ve already scored the biggest exit in India’s startup ecosystem.
Flipkart co-founder Binny Bansal has launched a new startup named OppDoor. Like with Flipkart, OppDoor is also in the e-commerce space, and enables e-commerce brands to tap into global markets. Binny Bansal had earlier sold Flipkart to Walmart and netted himself a cool $1 billion (Rs. 8,000 crore) in the process.
Interestingly, while Binny Bansal had built Amazon’s chief rival in India in Flipkart, OppDoor helps brands that are currently selling on Amazon in the US to sell to international markets. “Launch your Amazon US Brand into Thriving International Markets,” OppDoor says, hinting that it could help brands grow their presence in markets like UK, Australia, Canada, Mexico and Singapore.
Incidentally, OppDoor is registered in Singapore. It provides a host of services to brands including keyword research, PPC advertising, and advertising on Amazon. “We propel your brand forward by optimizng advertising ROI through a mix of paid search, display ads, and brand ads,” OppDoor claims. “With our Amazon advertising experts utilizing industry-leading tools, you gain access to hidden insights that set you apart, ensuring a competitive edge in the ever-evolving Amazon ecosystem,” it adds.
Interestingly, OppDoor doesn’t mention Binny Bansal anywhere on its website. There is no mention of its team or founders either on its site or LinkedIn, but media reports have suggested that Bansal is behind the initiative. Binny Bansal’s Flipkart co-founder Sachin Bansal, on the other hand, has been very public about his startup Navi, which is in the finance and fintech space.
This would be Binny Bansal’s second entrepreneurial venture after founding Flipkart in 2007. Flipkart ended up being India’s most valuable startup, and was acquired by Walmart at a record valuation of $21 billion in 2018. But just a few months after the acquisition, Binny Bansal had quit the company following allegations of “serious personal misconduct”. After leaving Flipkart, Bansal had launched xto10x, which helps companies scale by providing them with tech, marketing, and leadership expertise, and backed 021 Capital, which funds other startups.
Binny Bansal now seems to have founded yet another startup in OppDoor. It appears that neither of his two latest ventures have the scale and ambition of Flipkart — while Flipkart had single-handedly led India’s e-commerce revolution, both xand10x and OppDoor seem to be more incremental and strategic plays. But while Flipkart is still to report a single year of profits, both of Bansal’s new businesses look like they could make money. It still early days for OppDoor, but it’s likely that Bansal could use his decade-long experience in building India’s most iconic e-commerce business into helping other brands find success in the e-commerce space.