1. 9/24/2016 ZingHR Startup Story | Microsoft India Stories
https://www.microsoft.com/enin/stories/zinghr.aspx 1/9
'Microsoft let us achieve in one year what we thought would take three,' says Prasad Rajappan,
Managing Director of ZingHR‐a startup that is transforming the HR Industry with their technology.
Born in office cafeterias, garages, a Bangalore pub or a Delhi barsati; startups have been the darling
of the Indian economy in the recent years. India has the third highest number of start‐ups in the
world ‐ an estimated 4200‐4400*. India also has the youngest entrepreneurs of them all. Most of the
founders‐almost three out of every four‐are under the age of 35. Startup entrepreneurship in India is
bringing innovations, new jobs and competitive dynamics into the business environment. It's the rise
of India as a startup nation, and Microsoft is happy to play a key role in empowering the new
dynamic.
* A report by Nasscom.
An idea is born
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Helping
India's
startups
scale‐up
2. 9/24/2016 ZingHR Startup Story | Microsoft India Stories
https://www.microsoft.com/enin/stories/zinghr.aspx 2/9
Mumbai‐based ZingHR may not have been born out of a garage or have a romanticized beginning.
It was however, born out of a real need ‐ mobility‐based HR solutions. If you could do your taxes or
banking or cab ordering from your mobile, why not your HR management! Having being in the
Human Capital Management ﴾HCM﴿ industry for a decade, Prasad Rajappan, saw an opportunity in
it, so he developed a solution that gave customers the simplicity of social media on a HCM
automation app. The Zing factor! This was the dawn of ZingHR, a cloud‐based HCM Software
Solution Company. With its hire‐to‐retire approach to automated HCM, it brought in a powerful,
relevant product that has met a unique need ‐ and very comprehensively at that.
ZingHR realized that by leveraging cloud, they could address all the demands of their clients. They
could provide solutions and services that were highly flexible, scalable, mobile, and economical. And
when a partnership with a major cloud provider in the market proved fruitless with a lack of support
and guidance, it was time to move on and find someone who would work with more than just a
cloud solution. Enter Microsoft!
"We were earlier using a different cloud service out there. But we felt that the flexibility and
tools that we were looking for were lacking. Also, Microsoft came to us offering free
onboarding and transitioning guidance from their Microsoft Development Centre."
Prasad Rajappan, Managing Director of ZingHR.
Adding that bit of Zing
What Microsoft brought to the table was way more than just the cloud. It was a platform that could
complement ZingHR's strengths in many ways including mentorship and technology ‐ driving 5X
growth in customers ‐ from 20 to 100 in just a year.
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Microsoft also stood by ZingHR during their transition to the cloud, providing them with vital
support combined with a partnership approach at every stage. This enabled ZingHR to focus on
creating applications that are truly mobile and give their clients the HR mobility that they truly
deserved.
"The partnership with Microsoft has been truly transformational. It has provided us with
access to a large partner network across geographies, marketing support, cutting edge
technology like Azure machine learning and analytics, and many other outcome driven
initiatives that is helping us disrupt the market space. What we would have achieved on our
own in two years, is what we have been able to achieve in six months. We look forward to
accelerating this engagement and taking it to other markets."
Prasad Rajappan, Managing Director of ZingHR.
Mobility
By hosting and deploying their applications on Azure, ZingHR
has ensured that their applications conform to the high
mobility standards today's employees are expecting.
Automation
ZingHR pioneered high levels of automation in several of the
HCM processes, this has helped their clients drive efficiencies
like reducing time and human errors by a considerable margin
Substantial cost reduction
4. 9/24/2016 ZingHR Startup Story | Microsoft India Stories
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Going cloud meant that the solutions come with a pay‐as‐
you‐go subscription model. Hence reducing the cost of
ownership severely.
Global reach
The global presence of Microsoft Azure also meant that
ZingHR could now target seamless global expansion. Data
residency or data security concerns will no longer worry their
clients.
Substantial cost reduction
Best‐in‐class 128 bit SSL encrypted, firewalled data
connections with the office network devices. Add Azure to the
mix and what you get is a solution that is without equal in its
security capabilities.
Insights
By examining data and looking for patterns, Machine learning
with Azure helps Zing HR unlock powerful, actionable insights
that can drive transformational benefits including intelligent
predictions and greater efficiencies.
6. 9/24/2016 ZingHR Startup Story | Microsoft India Stories
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Microsoft and the startup industry
Microsoft helps startups grow in all stages of funding, whether they're bootstrapping, crowdfunding,
talking to angels or going through their first Series A. With free access to Azure, startups have a
secure, reliable, open‐source‐friendly platform to deploy apps, store data and create virtual
machines as they develop their solutions.
And go‐to‐market support and networking with Microsoft customers help startups grow around the
world and navigate a funding landscape that's changed over the years. Gone are the days when
startups went directly from friends and family to venture capitalists. These days, startups have access
to many more funding types, with accelerators, crowdfunding platforms, angel investors and angel
groups.
"We want to be the platform that India innovates
on."
Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft
Depending on scale, requirement and stage of a start‐up, Microsoft has various channels to
empower startups:
Accelerator
A global initiative
empowering
entrepreneurs
around the world
on their journey to
build great
companies. We
provide later‐stage
startups with the
tools, resources,
connections,
knowledge and
expertise they need
BizSpark
A premier program
offered exclusively
through select
accelerators designed
to help startups
succeed by giving free
access to Microsoft
Azure cloud services,
software and support.
Eligible startups are
able to scale their
business with up to
Ventures
Microsoft Ventures focuses
on start‐up investments. It
is an active, strategic
partner at key stages of a
startup's growth, typically
investing between Series A
and D. It focuses on
technologies enabling a
mobile‐first, cloud‐first
future, spanning business
SaaS, productivity
applications, security, AI &
7. 9/24/2016 ZingHR Startup Story | Microsoft India Stories
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Startups to watch out for
to become
successful
companies.
$120,000 of Azure
cloud services per
year.
machine learning, and
cloud infrastructure, among
others
How BizSpark Works
iBot
iBot is a technology startup focused on helping organizations turn physical assets into
digital services using IoT and the cloud. They help businesses and people generate
intelligence through more interconnectedness. iBot is working towards creating the
world's first DIY for the Internet of Things, targeted at consumers, manufacturers and
operators globally.
Shephertz
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Starting for the global arena
Working with startups is a key component of Microsoft's mission to empower every person and
organization on this planet to achieve more. As a trusted startup partner, Microsoft bridges the gap
between innovation and security concerns. Our work with startups support the government's Digital
India vision‐a vision that believes in digital inclusion and empowering lives with technology, and the
Make in India initiative. It is a historic juncture for India's tech startups as they are poised to take
their ideas not just to India, but the world at large.
Shephertz
ShepHertz is a leading player in the PaaS ﴾Platform‐as‐a‐Service﴿ space and provides the
complete cloud ecosystem for apps on the mobile, web, social media, gaming and on
television. It helps apps developers on the cloud, irrespective of the technology or the
platform on which they are developing.
Cloudcherry
Cloudcherry is a customer experience management and feedback software that helps
brands track, measure and improve customer loyalty, customer delight and profitability.
It provides a complete solution for enterprises looking to improve customer Engagement
by mapping customer journeys across multiple touchpoints and discovering actionable
customer insights.
Knolskape
Featured among the Top 20 Learning Gamification Company in the World consistently,
Knolskape is an award winning immersive gamification and simulation software company
focusing on talent transformation. Using experiential learning products, it helps
organizations attract, grow and retain talent.
