If cricket is a religion, then IPL is the biggest festival we celebrate every year. And here’s how we at Open – put our best foot forward this IPL season!
It is very difficult to miss cricket when you grow up in India. From our living room television sets to neighborhood stores to markets to railway stations to airports, cricket holds a special place in the hearts of Indians. In fact, we learn a lot from it – the aspiration to achieve more, the never-give-up attitude, the hope that we can overcome any challenge no matter how difficult it is, and so much more.
In short, cricket is rightfully considered a religion in India… and if cricket is a religion, then IPL is the biggest festival we celebrate every year, indeed. Another important aspect that is also considered a religion in India is business. Almost every family in our country runs a business. Surprised? But it’s true. Some run them formally be it a startup, a supermarket, a salon, an IT firm, an agency, and what not! While these are formally registered businesses, there are many others too. It could be a next-door neighbour who runs a tiffin service, a group of people who do home-based tailoring, a student offering tuition services for others, and millions of similar small businesses.
Ever since we built Open, we have always remained firm in our resolve to help every kind of business realize their fullest potential. We saw that managing their end-to-end finances is a herculean task, no matter how big or small the business is. We have, are, and will always solve this problem for all businesses so that they can focus all their efforts and energies towards building their dreams and business empires. Today, more than 20 lakh businesses use Open as their all-in-one solution for business banking.
This is just the beginning…
There are more such businesses who need a partner to streamline everything related to business banking – be it payouts, collections, accounting, taxes, reconciliation and 15+ other services. To do so, we figured why not merge the two religions because in a country where cricket and business are as coveted as religion, there is nothing better than associating with IPL teams to connect with millions of small business owners in the country.
I am honoured to announce Open’s association with three of India’s cricketing powerhouses with an impeccable record both on and off field – Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad!
This partnership between Open and the teams is due to the shared values we have with the respective teams. RCB’s philosophy of ‘Play Bold’, KKR’s anthem Korbo Lorbo Jeetbo re that echoes the spirit to do, fight, and win, and SRH’s motto of ‘Ready To Rise’ aptly defines us as well as our network of businesses. This is the spirit of Indian businesses who always strive hard to push and open new boundaries. We have seen this both in the pre and post covid eras.
The story of the brilliant surge of Indian businesses doesn’t end here and this year’s IPL is a prime example of it. I’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate fellow members of the Indian startup community… because a staggering number of 29 home-grown startups are participating in this year’s IPL as partners and sponsors. Another noteworthy thing is that out of these 29 startups, it is fintech startups (10) that are leading the way. It is commendable to say the least that every IPL team has at least two startups who are associated as partners or sponsors, showing the remarkable progress and growth we have achieved as a community. On a personal note, Open ranks 6th among the 29 startups when it comes to the most number of franchise partnerships per brand.
Moving on, we wish the teams the best of luck for the upcoming season and to our current and future users, the mighty Indian businesses – stay tuned! We have so many exciting contests, offers, rewards, and more planned for you.
On an ending note, I’d like to add… We are a nation of dreamers and doers and our Indian businesses boldly take on challenges thrown at them, fight with a never-give-up attitude, and rise above all obstacles.
Open salutes this spirit and pledges to strive hard to further simplify banking for millions of Indian businesses!
