It is amazing how much of a difference one year can make.
Last year, when we launched the inaugural version of SaaSBoomi Awards 2020, the dark cloud of Covid-19 hung over the world like a shroud. Even in this grim environment, we pushed ahead with the awards with the hope that it would serve as a rallying point for inspiring all other SaaS startups in India. Indeed, it was a heartfelt surprise for all of us to see well over 200 high-quality applications across all the categories – making it tough for the jury to pick just one winner in each.
Fast forward to the present and the picture is very different. As the world looks beyond Covid, Indian startups and entrepreneurs are more ambitious than ever, buoyed by a worldwide demand for online and digital services and a hitherto unprecedented amount of venture capital chasing the new generation of SaaS leaders following the exemplar established by companies like Freshworks that went public at decacorn valuations recently. The last year has been great for Indian startups, be it in terms of IPOs, freshly-minted unicorns, massive fundraises and tremendous growth – India has definitively established itself as one of the most important SaaS hubs of the world.
It is against this confident backdrop that we are back with the 2021 edition of SaaSBoomi Awards. While the previous inaugural edition was a experiment in hope, this year’s event is intended to shine light on our brightest stars – SaaS companies that were probably not even born a year or two back but have emblazoned their presence in the firmament of global tech leaders who will build large and tremendously successful businesses over the next decade.
SaaSBoomi Awards is an endeavour to celebrate our SaaS companies and their founders – to recognize and laud their achievements, to bring to light little-known gems, to inspire others to follow their path.
Why should you apply for the SaaSBoomi Awards?
Awards are expected to bring name and fame – SaaSBoomi Awards will deliver those in spades but that is not the most important reason why you should consider participating.
SaaSBoomi Awards is the first and only startup awards program in India that is shaped and judged entirely by the community. You will be judged and recognized not by corporate sponsors or VC investors but by your peers in the Indian SaaS community. By folks who have walked in your shoes but have strode to great heights – community members who have taken their companies to hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue, who have bootstrapped their startups to profitability at scale with hundreds of team members, who have set global standards in deep tech and cutting-edge innovation.
The SaaSBoomi Awards program is designed to recognize a select set of exemplary startups along a thoughtfully constructed set of categories that will in essence serve as a proxy for the entire Indian SaaS industry. Winning an award here is all but guaranteed to give you and your startup enduring recognition and respect – all done by the community, for the community.
We had a few interesting learnings while running the awards process last year, which we’ve incorporated in this year’s awards – from newer and sharper categories to a more streamlined application process.
For SaaSBoomi Awards 2021, we’re inviting applications for the following award categories:
- SaaS startup of the year – For the best SaaS startup of India, which has achieved great heights at a global level and serves as a lighthouse for all other SaaS entrepreneurs in India. This will be selected by the jury members among all the SaaS startups in India.
- Breakout SaaS startup of the year – For startups that have achieved phenomenal traction or recognition in the recent past, whether through a paradigm shift or through focussed execution.
- Emerging SaaS Startup of the year: For startups below $1M in revenue, which has achieved phenomenal traction in its journey from start.
- Bootstrapped SaaS startup of the year – For startups that have scaled without raising any institutional money (over $100K) and only rely on revenue to fund and grow their operations.
- DevTools SaaS Startup of the year – For startups that are building tools, libraries, or systems for the burgeoning developer market, and have received critical acclaim for the same.
- Vertical SaaS startup of the year – For startups that play in a vertical domain and have achieved phenomenal traction within that domain, be it in terms of revenue or customers.
So if you’re a SaaS startup or know someone who you think deserves to be recognized, head straight to this link. Applications are open till Jan 7, 2022.
