Business Standard

After losing to WhatsApp, Kavin Mittal's Hike aims to rival Facebook

Despite becoming a hit early on thanks to quirky stickers and a privacy feature that let teenagers hide chats from parents, Hike's messenger app overtime failed to challenge the popularity of WhatsApp

Kavin Bharti Mittal
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Kavin Bharti Mittal Mittal is now focused on bolstering revenue through Hike’s two new platforms

P R Sanjai | Bloomberg
Kavin Bharti Mittal, a scion of the family behind India’s second-biggest wireless operator, is planning to revive his struggling technology startup more than four years after it was valued at $1.4 billion by backers including Softbank Group Corp.
 
Since attaining unicorn status in 2016, New Delhi-based Hike Pvt. has suffered a string of setbacks. The latest blow came last month when it shut down its signature messaging app -- a platform that grabbed the attention of other investors such as Tencent Holdings Ltd. and Foxconn Technology Group for taking on WhatsApp in the local market.

That setback doesn’t mean

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