{Weekly Wrap} Why Indian e-commerce industry is resilient amid slowdown blues (and other top stories of the day)

VAEOBUoESBBGD0NNR1ZfVQdYBURYDV1TIQUMBQpYGwZfD0UVF1BAQxZQDldXXlwVC1pbDiYCXQJRCBpbWlVN&ml=UAYNAkoFSFYCUABF&sl=I0h6S2NmSDd5MkxVW1wAGQhXT0peFhcWFQ0THU1XWghMUg==&pp=0& Weekly Wrap | 22nd December Hello The year 2019 was a mixed bag for India’s ecommerce industry, beginning with new government regulations that aimed to streamline the sector. It also had to weather a slowdown, but the direction remained strong as ecommerce made inroads into the hinterlands of the country. Despite the lack of clarity on policies and the economic downturn, the Indian ecommerce industry revealed its robust spirit and came up trumps in a challenging year. Read more about the ecommerce space’s evolution in India, [here]( VAEOBUoESBBGD0NNR1ZfVQdYBURYDV1TIQUMBQpYGwZfD0UVF1BAQxZQDldXXlwVC1pbDiYCXQJRCBpbWlVN&ml=UAYNAkoFSFUEUAkBSQ==&sl=I0h6S2NmSDd5MkxVW1wAGQhXT0peFhcWFQ0THU1XWghMUg==&pp=0&). Every year, there are sectors that stand out and play out as themes—in terms of new businesses, trends, and so on—for the year or at least for part of the year. For 2019, if we were to hazard a guess on what those sectors were, the pick would be language, logistics, and enterprise software. At YourStory’s first ‘Early Investor Summit’, Vaibhav spoke about the key trends that dominated the internet space in India in 2019. He highlighted some of the hottest themes that are working and will continue to work. Read his take on the future of Indian internet space [here]( VAEOBUoESBBGD0NNR1ZfVQdYBURYDV1TIQUMBQpYGwZfD0UVF1BAQxZQDldXXlwVC1pbDiYCXQJRCBpbWlVN&ml=UAYNAkoFSFUEUAcLSQ==&sl=I0h6S2NmSDd5MkxVW1wAGQhXT0peFhcWFQ0THU1XWghMUg==&pp=0&). Cheers, Team YourStory Here's what you need to know to stay caught up on Indian startups, innovations and more... [What’s likely to be cooking in India’s foodtech sector next year?]( VAEOBUoESBBGD0NNR1ZfVQdYBURYDV1TIQUMBQpYGwZfD0UVF1BAQxZQDldXXlwVC1pbDiYCXQJRCBpbWlVN&ml=UAYNAkoFSFUEUAIBSQ==&sl=I0h6S2NmSDd5MkxVW1wAGQhXT0peFhcWFQ0THU1XWghMUg==&pp=0&) In 2019, the foodtech sector saw unicorns Swiggy and Zomato establishing their stronghold, growing exponentially, and focussing on single-serve meals. But 2020 is likely to see increased supply, improved choices, faster deliveries, and greater use of technology. [Can PhonePe change the face of Indian kirana stores]( VAEOBUoESBBGD0NNR1ZfVQdYBURYDV1TIQUMBQpYGwZfD0UVF1BAQxZQDldXXlwVC1pbDiYCXQJRCBpbWlVN&ml=UAYNAkoFSFUEUAcKSQ==&sl=I0h6S2NmSDd5MkxVW1wAGQhXT0peFhcWFQ0THU1XWghMUg==&pp=0&) [CEO Sameer Nigam on PhonePe's plans to dive deeper into India, way forward with Walmart]( VAEOBUoESBBGD0NNR1ZfVQdYBURYDV1TIQUMBQpYGwZfD0UVF1BAQxZQDldXXlwVC1pbDiYCXQJRCBpbWlVN&ml=UAYNAkoFSFUEUAcOSQ==&sl=I0h6S2NmSDd5MkxVW1wAGQhXT0peFhcWFQ0THU1XWghMUg==&pp=0&) [Meet Google Play's best apps, games, and movies of 2019]( VAEOBUoESBBGD0NNR1ZfVQdYBURYDV1TIQUMBQpYGwZfD0UVF1BAQxZQDldXXlwVC1pbDiYCXQJRCBpbWlVN&ml=UAYNAkoFSFUEUAMLSQ==&sl=I0h6S2NmSDd5MkxVW1wAGQhXT0peFhcWFQ0THU1XWghMUg==&pp=0&) Google has released its annual ranking of Play Store’s best apps, games, movies, books and audiobooks of 2019. There are the usual suspects, and also some new, unheard of apps that emerged as absolute winners during the year. Spotify was India’s user’s choice app of the year on Google Play, while ‘Call of Duty’ dominated the gaming category locally and globally. Here are the top apps of 2019. [The story of Kanpur’s Thaggu ke Laddu]( VAEOBUoESBBGD0NNR1ZfVQdYBURYDV1TIQUMBQpYGwZfD0UVF1BAQxZQDldXXlwVC1pbDiYCXQJRCBpbWlVN&ml=UAYNAkoFSFUEUAULSQ==&sl=I0h6S2NmSDd5MkxVW1wAGQhXT0peFhcWFQ0THU1XWghMUg==&pp=0&) VAEOBUoESBBGD0NNR1ZfVQdYBURYDV1TIQUMBQpYGwZfD0UVF1BAQxZQDldXXlwVC1pbDiYCXQJRCBpbWlVN&ml=UAYNAkoFSFUEUAULSQ==&sl=I0h6S2NmSDd5MkxVW1wAGQhXT0peFhcWFQ0THU1XWghMUg==&pp=0& [These women entrepreneurs are now earning in crores]( VAEOBUoESBBGD0NNR1ZfVQdYBURYDV1TIQUMBQpYGwZfD0UVF1BAQxZQDldXXlwVC1pbDiYCXQJRCBpbWlVN&ml=UAYNAkoFSFUEUAIASQ==&sl=I0h6S2NmSDd5MkxVW1wAGQhXT0peFhcWFQ0THU1XWghMUg==&pp=0&) Entrepreneurship is no cakewalk. It’s rife with many challenges – starting up, initial investment, the right product fit, looking for funding, marketing, distribution…the list is endless. From fashion and handicrafts to event management and beauty products, these woman entrepreneurs started with minimal investment and are now earning in crores. [Bisleri’s 'Bottles for Change' initiative is helping recycle plastic]( VAEOBUoESBBGD0NNR1ZfVQdYBURYDV1TIQUMBQpYGwZfD0UVF1BAQxZQDldXXlwVC1pbDiYCXQJRCBpbWlVN&ml=UAYNAkoFSFUEUQALSQ==&sl=I0h6S2NmSDd5MkxVW1wAGQhXT0peFhcWFQ0THU1XWghMUg==&pp=0&) VAEOBUoESBBGD0NNR1ZfVQdYBURYDV1TIQUMBQpYGwZfD0UVF1BAQxZQDldXXlwVC1pbDiYCXQJRCBpbWlVN&ml=UAYNAkoFSFUEUQALSQ==&sl=I0h6S2NmSDd5MkxVW1wAGQhXT0peFhcWFQ0THU1XWghMUg==&pp=0& [Y Combinator’s Michael Seibel says success is not about fundraising]( VAEOBUoESBBGD0NNR1ZfVQdYBURYDV1TIQUMBQpYGwZfD0UVF1BAQxZQDldXXlwVC1pbDiYCXQJRCBpbWlVN&ml=UAYNAkoFSFUEUAQOSQ==&sl=I0h6S2NmSDd5MkxVW1wAGQhXT0peFhcWFQ0THU1XWghMUg==&pp=0&) Starting up is never easy. But, Michael Seibel, CEO, Y Combinator, knows a thing or two about what works and does not work while starting up. In an exclusive interaction with YourStory, Michael shares his thoughts for the new decade, and talks about working with the best founders, why they make a difference, and what makes them successful. VAEOBUoESBBGD0NNR1ZfVQdYBURYDV1TIQUMBQpYGwZfD0UVF1BAQxZQDldXXlwVC1pbDiYCXQJRCBpbWlVN&ml=UAYNAkoFSFUEUQMASQ==&sl=I0h6S2NmSDd5MkxVW1wAGQhXT0peFhcWFQ0THU1XWghMUg==&pp=0& MatchMove, headquartered in SIngapore, provides a scalable, business-friendly platform-as-a-service with intelligent tools and data – enabling clients to create amazing products that address the challenges of moving digital money securely. The company has built their solutions on #AWS from the ground up, seamlessly. [Read how @awscloud is helping them build a scalable platform to move digital cash securely.]( VAEOBUoESBBGD0NNR1ZfVQdYBURYDV1TIQUMBQpYGwZfD0UVF1BAQxZQDldXXlwVC1pbDiYCXQJRCBpbWlVN&ml=UAYNAkoFSFUEUQMASQ==&sl=I0h6S2NmSDd5MkxVW1wAGQhXT0peFhcWFQ0THU1XWghMUg==&pp=0&) VAEOBUoESBBGD0NNR1ZfVQdYBURYDV1TIQUMBQpYGwZfD0UVF1BAQxZQDldXXlwVC1pbDiYCXQJRCBpbWlVN&ml=UAYNAkoFSFUEUQQJSQ==&sl=I0h6S2NmSDd5MkxVW1wAGQhXT0peFhcWFQ0THU1XWghMUg==&pp=0& “Startups not only need to have a good product but also market those products and ensure the scale is global,” says Ritesh Modi, startup mentor and Regional Director and Regional Lead, Microsoft Certified Trainers. In an interview with YourStory, Ritesh shares his experience of mentoring startups, the challenges they face, how they have overcome and why he believes startups need a technology partner to bring scalability to their application as well as the business. 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