Hike Messenger was popular in India; now it has shut down after raising $260m+ in funding

The company was valued at $1.4 billion after raising funding from notable investors


Alfred Lee

19 Jan, 2021

Hike Messenger was popular in India; now it has shut down after raising $260m+ in funding | BEAMSTART News

Hike Messenger, once a very popular messaging app based in India, has shut down.

Its apps have also been removed from both the Apple and Google Play stores.

The end of the company's service comes at a time when Telegram and Signal have surged in popularity in recent weeks, further eroding Hike Messenger's presence in an already crowded space.

The Hike Messenger app.

Hike Messenger was founded by Airtel chairman's son, Kavin Bharti Mittal in 2012, and was backed by Tencent, Tiger Global, SoftBank, and several other notable investors.

The company had reportedly raised over $260 million in funding, and was valued at $1.4 billion in 2016.

Founder of Hike Messenger, Kavin Bharti Mittal.

In a series of tweets earlier this month, Kavin lamented that India will "never have a homegrown messenger" unless the country chooses to ban Western companies from operating in the nation.

India's most popular messenger, WhatsApp, has grown to over 450 million users in the country.

Already a member?

Sign in to read this article & enjoy the following:

  • Access to members-onnly content, events, and more
  • Connect with a global community of CEOs, Business Owners, and more.
  • Free Business Feature & Profile Listing
  • Post Unlimited Jobs & Hire Talent Effectively
  • Connect with Investors and Fundraise
  • Search through entire members, companies, and investors directory
  • and lots more!

Latest Jobs

Founding Product Designer

Hera

Berlin,

Full Time

USD 80000 — USD 150000 yearly

Head of Research

ProSights

New York,

Full Time

USD 140000 — USD 185000 yearly

Full-Stack Engineer

maintouch

New York,

Full Time

USD 120 — USD 180 yearly

Founding Engineer

Attunement

California,

Full Time

USD 150 — USD 300 yearly

Forward Deployed Engineer

Lamar Health

California,

Full Time

USD 100000 — USD 220000 yearly

People Operations Coordinator

Quindar

Colorado,

Full Time

USD 85000 — USD 100000 yearly

Product

Chariot

New York,

Full Time

USD 140000 — USD 200000 yearly

Founding People Operations Manager

Hadrius

New York,

Full Time

USD 65000 — USD 100000 yearly

Developer Experience Engineer

Medplum

California,

Full Time

USD 150000 — USD 190000 yearly

iOS Engineer

Reframe (Glucobit)

Georgia,

Full Time

USD 80000 — USD 150000 yearly

BEAMSTART is a hub for everything Startups, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation. Connect with a global community of people, and stay updated with the latest startup jobs, news, and discussions.

 
© 2016 - 2025 BEAMSTART. All Rights Reserved (Legal).