ShareChat

2021-08-24T10:17:49Z

2402:8100:22DC:15EC:37A5:CEE8:188:279B:

{{short description|Indian social networking service}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox software
| title = ShareChat
| name = ShareChat
| logo = ShareChat app logo.png
| logo_size = 120px
| screenshot =
| screenshot_size =
| caption = screenshot of Sharechat
| author = Ankush Sachdeva
| developer = Mohalla Tech
| released = {{Start date and age|2015|10}}
| ver layout = stacked
| latest release version = {{Multiple releases
| branch1 = Android
| version1 = 14.6.4
| date1 = {{start date and age|2021|07|02}}
| branch2 = iOS
| version2 = 2.7.2
| date2 = {{Start date and age|2020|07|31}}
}}
| operating system = {{plainlist|
*[[iOS]]
*[[Android (operating system)|Android]]}}
| size = {{plainlist|
*110.5 [[Megabyte|MB]] ([[iOS]])
*44.78 [[Megabyte|MB]] ([[Android (operating system)|Android]])}}
| genre = {{plainlist|
*[[Social media]]
*[[Image sharing]]
*[[Video sharing]]
*[[Instant messaging]]
*[[Chatroom]]}}
| licence = [[Freeware]]
| website = {{URL|1=https://www.sharechat.com/}}
| language = {{hlist|
[[Assamese language|Assamese]]| [[Bengali language|Bengali]]| [[Bhojpuri language|Bhojpuri]]| [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]]| [[Haryanvi language|Haryanvi]]| [[Hindi]]| [[Kannada]]| [[Malayalam]]| [[Marathi language|Marathi]]| [[Odia language|Odia]]| [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]]| [[Rajasthani language|Rajasthani]]| [[Tamil language|Tamil]]| [[Telugu language|Telugu]]| [[English language|English]]}}
| language count = 15
}}

{{Infobox company
| name = Mohalla Tech
| logo =
| collapsible =
| screenshot =
| caption =
| dissolved =
| location = [[Bangalore]], India
| locations =
| founder = {{plainlist|
*Ankush Sachdeva
*Bhanu Pratap Singh
*Farid Ahsan}}
| chairman =
| chairperson =
| president =
| CEO =
| MD =
| GM =
| industry = [[Internet]]
| products = {{plainlist|
*ShareChat
*[[Moj (app)|Moj]]}}
| services =
| revenue =
| assets =
| equity =
| owner =
| parent =
| divisions =
| url =
| advertising =
| language =
| footnotes =
| logo_size =
| type = [[Privately held company|Private]]
| traded_as =
| foundation = {{Start date and age|2015|1}}
| incorporated =
| area_served = Worldwide
| key_people = {{plainlist|
*Ankush Sachdeva ([[CEO]])
*Bhanu Pratap Singh ([[Chief technology officer|CTO]])
*Farid Ahsan ([[Chief operating officer|COO]])}}
| operating_income =
| net_income =
| num_employees =
| subsid =
| programming_language =
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| num_users =
| launch_date =
| current_status =
| collapsetext =
}}

'''ShareChat''' is an Indian [[social media]] and [[social networking service]], developed by [[Bangalore]]-based '''Mohalla Tech Pvt Ltd'''. It was founded by Ankush Sachdeva, Bhanu Pratap Singh and Farid Ahsan,<ref>{{cite web |title=ShareChat: The no-English social network |url=https://www.forbesindia.com/article/startups-special-2018/sharechat-the-noenglish-social-network/50399/1 |website=forbesindia.com |access-date=21 June 2020}}</ref> and incorporated on 8 January 2015. ShareChat has over 250 million monthly active users<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-11-05|title=ShareChat's Monthly Active User Base Reaches 160 Mn, Riding On Tier I Growth|url=https://inc42.com/buzz/sharechats-monthly-user-base-reaches-160-mn-riding-on-tier-i-growth/|access-date=2020-11-18|website=Inc42 Media|language=en-US}}</ref> across 15 [[languages of India|Indic languages]]. The company's application offers features that include [[private messaging]], [[Tag (metadata)|tagging]] and a [[Personal message|personal messaging]] feature, enabling users to share videos, jokes, songs and other language based social content with other unknown users.

== Foundation and history ==
ShareChat's holding company, Mohalla Tech Pvt Ltd, was incorporated in January 2015 by three IIT Kanpur graduates<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/tech/iit-k-alumni-made-sharechat-app-wields-local-languages-to-challenge-facebook/story-7GFHg4yytjmD5NJkF16X3O.html|title=IIT-K alumni-made ShareChat app wields local languages to challenge Facebook|date=2016-06-07|website=Hindustan Times|access-date=2019-08-19}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tofler.in/mohalla-tech-private-limited/company/U74999KA2015PTC103797|title=Mohalla Tech Private Limited|last=www.tofler.in|website=www.tofler.in|access-date=2019-08-14}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Mohalla Tech Pvt Ltd - Company Profile and News - Bloomberg Markets|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/1426659D:IN|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-11-22|website=Bloomberg.com}}</ref> — Ankush Sachdeva, Bhanu Pratap Singh and Farid Ahsan. The company is headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka, and presently employs over 400 people.<ref>{{Cite web|title=ShareChat hires back half of laid-off employees, expected to add another 150-200 in six months|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/internet/sharechat-hires-back-half-of-laid-off-employees-expected-to-add-another-150-200-in-six-months/articleshow/77528292.cms|access-date=2020-09-01|website=The Economic Times}}</ref>

Initially, ShareChat primarily worked as a content sharing platform, without any scope of users generating their own content. In April 2016, ShareChat enabled [[user-generated content]] creation on its platform, allowing its users to share their own posters and creative content. At around the same time, it also introduced open tagging for users, which would allow anyone to create their own hashtags depending on the content.<ref name="nie7May2018">{{Cite web|url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/lifestyle/tech/2018/may/07/sharechat-announces-private-messaging-shake-n-chat-open-tagging-on-its-platform-1811349.html|title=ShareChat announces 'Private Messaging', 'Shake-N-Chat', 'Open Tagging' on its platform|website=The New Indian Express|access-date=2019-04-18}}</ref>

The key people at the hierarchy of ShareChat include Ankush Sachdeva (co-founder and Chief Executive Officer), Farid Ahsan (co-founder and Chief Operating Officer), Bhanu Pratap Singh (co-founder and Chief Technical Officer), and Debdoot Mukherjee (Vice President - Data Science). All of the co-founders featured in Forbes’ 30 under 30 Asia 2018, having been recognized for their work with language-first approach in the social media landscape.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/lucknow/sharechat-founders-all-upites-figure-on-forbes-30-under-30-asia-list/story-RbtQcPYd5C6oSSOiAru4XO.html|title=ShareChat founders, all UPites, figure on Forbes' 30 under 30 Asia list|date=2018-04-14|website=Hindustan Times/|access-date=2019-04-18}}</ref><ref name="forbes">{{Cite web|url=http://www.forbesindia.com/article/30-under-30-2017/30-under-30-how-sharechat-is-helping-nonenglish-users-access-digital-content/45847/1|title=30 Under 30: How ShareChat is helping non-English users access digital content|website=Forbes India|access-date=2019-04-18}}</ref>

In the wake of the ban on [[TikTok]] by the Indian government in June 2020, ShareChat launched the similar [[Moj (app)|Moj]] app and grew substantially. In September 2020, ShareChat raised $40 million from investors Dr. Pawan Munjal of [[Hero MotoCorp]], Ajay Shridhar Shriram of [[Delhi Cloth & General Mills|DCM Shriram]], [[Twitter]], SAIF Partners, [[Lightspeed Venture Partners|Lightspeed Ventures]] and India Quotient.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Twitter-backed Indian social network ShareChat raises $40 million|url=https://social.techcrunch.com/2020/09/24/indias-sharechat-raises-40-million-says-its-short-video-platform-moj-now-reaches-80-million-users/|access-date=2020-09-25|website=TechCrunch|language=en-US}}</ref> By April 2021 ShareChat had raised $500 million from investors and was valued at over $2 billion.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Murgia |first1=Madhumita |title=ShareChat valued at $2bn after India’s TikTok ban |url=https://www.ft.com/content/3a5e44e2-b2c0-4f37-9c4a-f51c6ef46eb6 |access-date=3 June 2021 |work=[[Financial Times]] |date=7 April 2021}}</ref>

== Acquisitions ==

In March 2019, Mohalla Tech acquired Transversal Tech-owned short video sharing platform, Clip.<ref name="inc">{{Cite web|url=https://inc42.com/buzz/exclusive-clip-gets-acquired-by-sharechat-in-all-cash-deal-to-help-it-fight-off-bytedance-in-india|title=Exclusive: Clip Gets Acquired By ShareChat In All Cash Deal To Help It Fight Off ByteDance in India|date=2019-03-01|website=Inc42 Media|access-date=2019-04-18}}</ref> In February 2020, it acquired Bengaluru-based online fashion marketplace Elanic.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://inc42.com/buzz/sharechat-acquihires-elanic-to-tap-social-ecommerce/|title=Acquisitions|website=INC42|access-date=2019-02-25}}</ref> In March 2020, it acquired a meme discovery and sharing platform, Memer.<ref>{{Cite web|title=ShareChat buys meme sharing app Memer|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/internet/sharechat-acquires-kae-capital-backed-meme-sharing-app-memer/articleshow/75409607.cms|last=|first=|date=|website=EconomicTimes.com|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-05-12}}</ref> In August 2020, it acquired a hyperlocal information platform, Circle Internet.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Banerjee|first=Prasid|date=2020-08-24|title=ShareChat acquires hyperlocal information platform Circle Internet|url=https://www.livemint.com/companies/news/sharechat-acquires-hyperlocal-information-platform-circle-internet-11598247397522.html|access-date=2020-08-28|website=Livemint|language=en}}</ref>

== Initiatives against misinformation ==
On April 17, 2019, ShareChat took down around half a million pieces of content and removed 54,000 accounts for spreading fake news, hate speech, spam and conducting coordinated misinformation campaign.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/elections/lok-sabha/india/sharechat-pulls-down-4-8-lakh-posts-54k-accounts-for-violating-community-guidelines/articleshow/68925554.cms|title=ShareChat takes down half a million pieces of content, 54K accounts removed|last=Mandavia|first=Megha|date=2019-04-17|work=The Economic Times|access-date=2019-08-20}}</ref>

== Layoff and re-hire ==
ShareChat laid off 101 employees or a quarter of its employees in May 2020.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Grados|first=O. B.|date=April 1975|title=[The laboratory in programs for enteric infection control]|url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/123456|journal=Boletin de la Oficina Sanitaria Panamericana. Pan American Sanitary Bureau|volume=78|issue=4|pages=318–322|issn=0030-0632|pmid=123456}}</ref> Ankush Sachdeva said "We have to focus on our core product and feed recommendation driven growth levers while scaling back on the others. We need to go back to our fundamentals in terms of only picking bets that move the needle for growth."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/startups/newsbuzz/sharechat-lays-off-101-employees-as-advertising-market-tanks/articleshow/75838995.cms?from=mdr |title = ShareChat lays off 101 employees as advertising market tanks}}</ref>

ShareChat has rehired over 50% of the laid-off workforce with the success of its newly launched short video platform, Moj. It is also expected to hire 150-200 more people by March 2021<ref>{{Cite web|title=ShareChat hires back half of laid-off employees, expected to add another 150-200 in six months|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/internet/sharechat-hires-back-half-of-laid-off-employees-expected-to-add-another-150-200-in-six-months/articleshow/77528292.cms|access-date=2020-08-28|website=The Economic Times}}</ref>

== Moj ==

ShareChat's app [[Moj (app)|Moj]], launched on 29 June 2020, is a short-video platform that emulates the features of [[TikTok]], which was among the apps banned by the [[Indian government]] in June 2020.

ShareChat itself is a competitor to Helo, another [[social media platform]] that was owned by TikTok's parent company, [[Bytedance]]. However, Bytedance has been accused by ShareChat of copying its design and UI pixel to pixel in 2018. Following Delhi High Court's direction, Bytedance changed its design for Helo<ref>{{Cite news|last=Christopher|first=Nilesh|title=ByteDance: Taken to court by ShareChat, ByteDance says Helo to new design|work=The Economic Times|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/startups/newsbuzz/taken-to-court-by-sharechat-bytedance-says-helo-to-new-design/articleshow/66505314.cms?from=mdr|access-date=2020-09-01}}</ref>

In a tweet, Ankush Sachdeva, co-founder and CEO of ShareChat, said the app was coded in 30 hours. It has received Google Play Best of 2020 Awards, as of 1 December 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2020-12-01|title=Google Play Best of 2020 Awards Revealed|url=https://www.news18.com/news/tech/google-play-best-of-2020-awards-revealed-wysa-koo-moj-and-others-win-in-different-categories-3133673.html}}</ref>

Moj today has emerged as India's [https://entrackr.com/2021/07/sharechat-raises-145-mn-at-a-valuation-of-2-88-bn/ number one] short video app with the highest monthly active users. It has over 160 million monthly active users. In a recent feature by [https://techcrunch.com/2021/07/26/india-sharechat-valued-at-3-billion-in-145-million-fundraise/ TechCrunch], Moj was positioned as #1 short video platform in India, beating others like MX TakaTak, Josh and Roposo.

== See Also ==

* [[Moj (app)]]
* [[Trell (application)]]
* [[Roposo]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Official website|https://we.sharechat.com/}}

[[Category:Mobile social software]]
[[Category:Indian companies established in 2015]]
[[Category:Freeware]]

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