Varun Bali

About

I'm a recent graduate in Bachelors Computer Science and currently pursuing Startup Leadership Program from Mesa School of Business. Jumping into entrepreneurship straight after school, I founded Bookvala 0-1, securing $180K in funding. Additionally, I've worked as a business development associate at TBMS India and was a Thiel Fellowship Semi-Finalist in 2021. I'm passionate about building and scaling things to make a lasting impact. When I'm not working, you can find me on the basketball court or playing FIFA.

Experience

• Co-founder · Bookvala05-01-2021 – 02-01-2023

  Launched a startup where students can invest in cryptocurrency by selling their senior secondary school books Key Achievement Recognised as the Top Emerging Startup 2022 by AIC SNU under Niti Ayog led by Government of India Product, Tech and Innovation 1- Define pricing strategy and business model by leading primary market interviews of 4500+ students 2- Develop an MVP website, let integration with messaging app to create a one stop instant book trading solution 3- Built an app- define product roadmap, conceptualized customer journey- with 4.9 rating on both Apple & Play Store 4- Achieved DAU of 150+ & 85% CSAT with organic campaigns & prioritizing new features as per customer feedback Leadership and Fundraising 1- Generated INR 90K revenue in <4 weeks by driving GTM & engaging with 330+ customers across universities 2- Setup both the tech & business team from scratch by leading hiring and growing the team by 3x within 30 days 3- Secured INR 1.5 Cr at a valuation of INR 15 Cr by driving lead generation to conversion from 4 angel investors 4- Received grant (5 among 5000+ applicants) from GOI; deployed funds for team setting & app development

• Business Development Associate · TBMS06-01-2020 – 04-01-2021

  Spearheaded growth, demand generation & operations for the clothing brand by singer, filmmaker Babbu Maan Key Achievement Recognised with Youngest Leader Award for exceptional contribution to business overall 20% increase in revenue Business Strategy and Growth 1- Generated INR 1 Cr in revenue by setting and enabling go-live for 6 franchise stores within 6 months 2- Drove lead generation and conversion, set up supply chain and led performance marketing to drive demand 3- Achieved over INR 4L+ in sales within 3 weeks for KAN - a 24/7 cafe, clothing and grocery store Devising GTM that included implementing barter system with influencers, bundling & premiums for promotion 4- Achieved a 40% increase in user retention within 6 months by identifying consumption patterns and behavior- Implemented a loyalty program across a network of over 17 stores in Punjab and Haryana 5- Increased followers from 5,000 to 20,000, a 4x growth, by defining content generation strategy through user need

Education

• Chitkara UniversityBE, CSE
• Mesa School of BusinessStartup Leadership Program

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