Thiruvananthapuram: In a notable accomplishment for Kerala's startup ecosystem, Thiruvananthapuram-based Engagespot has been selected as the first startup from the state to join the esteemed Techstars New York City Accelerator Program. Engagespot stands among only 12 startups worldwide chosen for the 15-week accelerator, hosted at Techstars’ headquarters in NYC, a major step forward for the state’s tech sector.
Renowned for its elite startup accelerator, Techstars boasts a global network of over 4,000 startups, including 150 unicorns. Engagespot's inclusion signals a significant boost in visibility for Kerala’s impact in the developer tools space.
Engagespot specializes in enhancing business communications by integrating notifications across multiple platforms, such as SMS, email, push notifications, and Slack. Powered by AI, the platform optimizes timing and channel selection, driving engagement while cutting notification costs by up to 50%. Just 11 months since its inception, Engagespot already supports over 2,000 developers globally and has secured annual contracts worth over $100,000 with clients like Veho, Sameday, and Nivoda.
"The Techstars Accelerator was transformative," shared Shiv Shankar, cofounder and CEO of Engagespot. "In just 15 weeks, we grew revenue fivefold, achieved operational profitability, and increased our monthly growth rate to 25%."
Co-founder and CTO Anand Sukumaran noted, "Testing with leaders from unicorn companies helped us evolve our product rapidly. The connections and community we built are invaluable."
During the accelerator, Engagespot raised $250,000, with contributions from Techstars and angel investors like Fred Cook, CTO of Veho, and Great Valley Investments. Moving forward, the startup plans to establish a stronger foothold in North America, with the founders based in New York and the engineering team in Thiruvananthapuram. Plans to expand include hiring 20 engineers next year to support anticipated growth.
