Lately at work, we have been staging debates to discuss and put forth our views on our observations in the ecosystem. A few weeks back, we got down to discuss whether ad-based revenue models can be successfully monetized in India to build unicorns.

The pandemic has provided an unprecedented acceleration to Edtech, behaving like the demonetization moment. But what we also saw unfolding during the pandemic was the long looming learning crisis compound into an employability crisis.

In the last decade, India has made gains in controlling diseases, such as polio, and improving access to maternal (maternal mortality ratio or MMR has dropped from 556 deaths per 100,000 live births to below 130), child health, and family planning services. On aggregate, however, India’s health system has achieved limited impact on population health outcomes, compared with its peers, and is unable to control high out of pocket payments that comprise 65-70% of total health expenditure.

Meesho is an online supply marketplace for resellers to source products and sell via social channels like WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram. It talked about social commerce before it became a fad and was no more than a marketing gimmick to Indian VCs.

Swiggy is an online food ordering and delivery platform. By virtue of steamrolling the food delivery logistics in India, it has managed to capture the eye of users, founders, and VCs alike. It was quick to achieve the unicorn status and is currently valued at $3.6 billion. It has managed to create a buzz around itself but the question is — how much is hype and how much is real?