Lookup

Lookup, operating under its parent company Hatchery Software Private Limited, was a Bengaluru-based startup that developed a hyperlocal messaging application designed to connect local consumers with nearby businesses. The company was founded by Deepak Ravindran, a serial entrepreneur who dropped out of college to pursue his ventures. Ravindran's journey began with an SMS-based search engine called Innoz, which he co-founded in 2007 with three classmates. After Innoz plateaued, he founded Quest, a Q&A platform, before returning to India to establish Lookup.

The inspiration for Lookup came from observing his mother placing grocery orders by chatting with a local grocer on WhatsApp. This led to the development of a dedicated platform for conversational commerce, allowing users to interact with a wide range of local businesses, including grocery shops, chemists, and restaurants, directly through chat. The service facilitated shopping for products, getting items delivered, and making reservations at establishments like spas. A key feature was its privacy protection, enabling users to communicate with storekeepers without revealing their personal phone numbers.

The business model centered on enabling local commerce through a chat-based interface. For businesses, it provided a direct line to customers, and when a store couldn't fulfill an order, Lookup's call center would find an alternative solution. The startup also managed logistics through partners for product delivery. Lookup secured significant investor interest, closing a Series A funding round with backing from notable figures and firms such as Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, Infosys's Kris Gopalakrishnan, Vinod Khosla's Khosla Impact Fund, and Global Founders Capital. Keywords: Lookup.to, Hatchery Software, Deepak Ravindran, hyperlocal messaging, conversational commerce, local business chat, Indian startup, mobile commerce, chat-based ordering, hyperlocal delivery, local commerce platform, consumer-to-business chat, Innoz, Kris Gopalakrishnan, Biz Stone