AHMEDABAD: A bootstrapped startup from the city has just made global waves. SocialPilot, a social media management platform used by over 13,000 businesses worldwide, has been acquired by Sweden-based tech firm, group.one, for over $50 million (over Rs 400 crore), say industry sources. Co-founders Jimit Bagadiya and Tejas Mehta confirmed the acquisition, though the deal size remains officially undisclosed. The acquisition is being described as “one of the biggest exits by a bootstrapped startup in India” and “a landmark moment for Gujarat’s IT sector”, which has largely remained behind metros like Bengaluru and Pune in high-value acquisitions.Started in 2014 with no outside investment, SocialPilot has grown steadily over the past decade into one of India’s most successful self-funded tech ventures. Group.one, which serves more than 2 million small and medium-sized businesses across 15 countries, said the acquisition will help deepen its reach in the social media marketing space.For Bagadiya and Mehta, the decision to sell was driven by a vision to scale. “We decided to sell our entire stake to Group.one,” said Bagadiya, CEO. “My partner is based in the US, and after running SocialPilot for over a decade, we reached a stage where the business was profitable, growing steadily, and operating at scale. But we also recognised that to unlock the next phase – expanding into new markets, deepening the product, and accelerating distribution – we needed stronger leverage, either through funding or a strategic partnership.“Interestingly, the tool was originally built for e-commerce sellers struggling to promote products on social media. “While working on e-commerce projects for clients in the US and Europe, we recognised that e-commerce sellers were unable to promote their products effectively on social media. So, we built SocialPilot. It evolved into a platform for marketing agencies and SMBs, helping manage, schedule, and analyse posts across platforms,” he said.
