#howdoesitfeel?

Rocket is a Germany-based Internet conglomerate that copies business models proven in the US or China and adapts them to high-potential markets outside those two countries. Rocket Internet is one of the most hated yet successful tech companies in the world.

The idea is simple: copy the original, hire young, hungry consultants and finance professionals as so-called founders to run the company, deploy massive amounts of capital to grow fast and overtake incumbents in two years or so, and sell at an attractive price.

Copy, adapt, hire (founders), overtake, sell. Repeat.

 Founded in 2007 by three German brothers – Marc, Oliver and Alexander Samwer – their portfolio companies employ more than 30,000 people. They have a market cap north of $3 billion, which at times has risen above $6 billion.

Lead by Oliver (the middle brother), Rocket Internet is famous for its aggressive growth tactics, taking businesses from idea to billions of dollars in revenue in under three years. This is due, in part, to their cutthroat hiring practices, a team of ex-bankers, and massive amounts of funding they pour into each venture.

Rocket Internet focuses on five industry sectors of online and mobile retail services that make up a significant share of consumer spending: Food & Groceries, Fashion, General Merchandise, Home & Living and Travel. Its network of companies conducts business in a large number of countries around the globe with more than 36,000 employees at the end of 2015.

“… We are running a marathon in a Ferrari,” Oliver Samwer said while addressing the teams at Rocket Internet’s portfolio companies in 2012.

Samwer was known for his inspiring speeches and the aggression with which he pushed all Rocket Internet companies to grow business by three times every month in their first year of operation. The first year was all about over-achieving GMV (or gross merchandise value, which refers to the value of goods sold on a site, but does not account for discounts or sales returns) and order volume targets. Only those founders who achieved these had a shot at surviving. Rocket was ruthless if its targets were not met; founders were replaced without prior warning, just like any other employee.

In its six years in India, at least 10 founders have left Rocket Internet companies. Foodpanda has seen the most churn.

Rocket was anticipating mega exits in India within three to five years of launching operations. It was used to quick exits. In the company’s measure, four or five years was a good time-frame for an exit. It exited CityDeal in four, Lazada in five.

But the Indian market evolved differently. It ended up being more capital-intensive than Rocket had anticipated. Amazon decided it would do its own thing. Till 2015, Alibaba showed no serious intent to enter the market. Jabong’s early discussions with Amazon for a potential sale at $700-$800 million went nowhere. FabFurnish failed to click with the customer, especially in the face of competition from well-funded rivals Urban Ladder and Pepperfry. Foodpanda, once a clear winner in the market, suddenly faced competition from new entrants Swiggy and TinyOwl, which were burning money to grab market share. Amid allegations of corruption and lack of corporate governance, Foodpanda saw its top leadership being changed thrice.

 Keeping in mind the mission and vision of Rocket Internet, you are required to select any failed Indian startup’s business model and set it up in Venezuela, South America which can actually be successful in the country.

Same startups cannot be selected by any of the teams. Please call us and inform us about the start-up you are selecting. (First Come First Serve)

 Prepare a report of 15-20 pages including the following-

-Select a failed Indian Start-Up & Identify the problems that led to failure (Situational Analysis)

-Due Diligence of the Start-up; Which should include-

1.     Technology/Intellectual Property (what they specialised in, i.e. their core product)

2.     Existing Performance (Sales & Market Share, if available)

3.     Strategic Fit & Compatibility (the extent to which the company will fit strategically within Rocket and the target country)

4.     Litigation faced (any pending, threatened, or settled, arbitration, or regulatory proceedings involving the target organisation)

5.     Competitive Landscape (competition landscape in Venezuela)

- The New Startup to be launched in Venezuela, based on the business model of the failed Indian startup you selected  (Name, Vision, Mission, Logo, Executive Summary,  & Business Model )

- Growth Strategy (based on your due diligence, develop strategies/solutions to ensure you’re your new start-up doesn’t face the same challenges in the new location (Venezuela)

-Differentiation Strategy (Unique and new adaptability features according to regional conditions)

- STP, Porters Five Force, TOWS Analysis

- Marketing Strategies

- One viral guerrilla marketing campaign  (to generate top of the mind awareness in the required country, and create rapid brand awareness)

- Exit Strategy

- Fund Requirement, Revenue Model, Break-Even Analysis

 You are required to submit your hard copies as well as your soft copies by 4 PM tomorrow (23rd November 2016).