In a year when frugality has been the rallying mantra for the technology world, expectedly so the ET Startup Awards jury kicked off the discussions for this year’s ‘Bootstrap Champ’ category taking note of the scale and profitability achieved by the nominees without having raised any external funds.Three Bengaluru-based firms — Boldfit, a manufacturer of health and fitness equipment; Fyers, an online trading platform; and Gameberry Labs, an online game publisher — came through as the top contenders for the spot.While jury members commended Boldfit for the quality of its products and user loyalty, they highlighted Fyers for its execution and perseverance to stand against competition from Zerodha and Groww in the space.
However, taking the top spot was six-year-old Gameberry Labs, which impressed the jury with its strategy of building long-term sustainable revenue by focusing completely on international markets.Jurors also appreciated Gameberry’s execution chops to build a business in a crowded gaming space.According to Gameberry, almost 99% of its overall revenue comes from international markets such as the Middle East & North Africa (MENA), Spain, Latin America and the US.