The Startup which built chatboxes from the hinterlands of India for global businesses

AxleWeb Technologies is a web development company that was launched by Anshul Shrivastava in Rewa, a city in Madhya Pradesh in June 2019. It is a web development company that helps brands launch chatbots on their Facebook, WhatsApp, Slack, and other social media platforms. This startup builds chatbots from hinterland India for global businesses. Besides chatbots, AxleWeb is also dedicated to developing related products like Alexa Skills, Google Home Actions, and other voice platforms. The government’s Startup India initiative has also recognised it.

Anshul always knew his strengths lay in technology and building products and solutions so three years into his stint in Mindtree in Pune in 2013, Anshul felt strongly about doing something of his own which is why on the back of this interest, alongside his day job, Anshul decided to take up freelance projects and built websites for small businesses. A year later, the work took off so much that he had to rope in more freelancers to meet project deadlines. The turning point for Anshul was when a four-year project opportunity in London opened up. This is when he learnt about advanced website development, mobile app development, AR and VR, chatbots, Alexa, and more. Being entrepreneurial, Anshul started working as a freelancer and started creating chatbots for small businesses in London as well. The company charges a one-time development fee based on project requirements.  “The idea took off and more people started contacting me for chatbots and Alexa skill development. This led me to resign from my job after nine years, and start a development company. In June 2019, I started AxleWeb Technologies focussing specifically on chatbots, Alexa skills and AI-powered digital assistants,” says Anshul. He adds that he invested about Rs 2 lakh as seed capital from his savings to start the company.

The company claims to have spent over Rs 30 lakh on office rent, hiring, technology, and product development since 2019. “A part of it was from my savings, and then some from the revenue we generated,” Anshul says. He also acknowledges that having an office in Rewa saves a lot of operational cost for the company. Anshul plans to bootstrap the company for as long as he can. The company has doubled its employee count since it began, and the team now stands at 11 including Anshul. AxleWeb is also working towards building a SAAS-based software product for which it will charge recurring monthly fees. The company has more than 150 clients across the world, mostly from outside of India. 

“The idea took off and more people started contacting me for chatbots and Alexa skill development. This led me to resign from my job after nine years, and start a development company. In June 2019, I started AxleWeb Technologies focussing specifically on chatbots, Alexa skills and AI-powered digital assistants,” says Anshul. 

AxleWeb’s competitors in the present market include live chat software providers like Birdeye, Podium, Drift, Intercom, Freshdesk, ActiveCampaign, HubSpot Marketing Hub, and Live Chat. The company claims to be growing fast and seeing a rise of 50 per cent in its revenue quarter-on-quarter. “We registered a turnover of Rs 28 Lakh in FY2020,” he says. “The target is to cross Rs 1-crore revenue mark as early as possible,” he adds.