MassBlurb

MassBlurb Private Limited was a Mumbai-based company founded in 2014 by engineers and long-time friends Sanket Shah and Pankit Chheda. The inspiration for the venture came from observing their parents' businesses struggling to leverage technology for online marketing. Initially, the duo developed a tech product for the broader small and medium enterprises (SMEs) market while holding down their day jobs, but they soon pivoted. Recognizing the potential of the food and beverages (F&B) sector, they refocused their efforts exclusively on it just two months after their official launch in October 2014.

The company operated on a software-as-a-service (SaaS) business model, providing a marketing automation platform for restaurants. This platform offered a single dashboard to manage a variety of online activities, including social media presence, customer relationship management (CRM), reputation management, and performance analytics. Its services were designed to help restaurants increase footfalls and improve customer acquisition. Revenue was generated through monthly subscription fees that ranged from ₹5,000 to ₹30,000, depending on the services required by the client.

Shah, an alumnus of the University of Michigan, and Chheda, an alumnus of Carnegie Mellon University, brought their engineering backgrounds and prior entrepreneurial experiences to the venture. Shah had previously founded Visify Books, while Chheda had experience as a software engineer and co-founded a media startup. They bootstrapped MassBlurb with ₹15 lakh from their personal savings before securing an undisclosed amount of angel funding in August 2015 from investors including LetsVenture and Mumbai Angels. This capital injection facilitated the company's expansion into several Indian cities, including Delhi, Bangalore, and Pune. By June 2016, MassBlurb had grown to serve over 200 premium restaurant brands across India. In a significant milestone, the company was acquired by Mobikon, a customer engagement and marketing platform, in June 2016 for an estimated $2.5 million. Following the acquisition, both founders took on key roles within Mobikon, with Shah managing key accounts and partnerships and Chheda focusing on new product initiatives.

Keywords: restaurant marketing, F&B technology, SaaS, digital marketing automation, customer engagement platform, social media management for restaurants, online reputation management, restaurant CRM, Indian startup, Mobikon acquisition, Pankit Chheda, Sanket Shah, marketing analytics, customer acquisition tools, food and beverage industry, startup funding, angel investment, Mumbai startup, restaurant tech, lead generation