Surat has more than 2,530 businesses, according to data from Tracxn, 164 of which are SaaS-based startups that provide services including financial administration, export-import management, and cloud-based solutions. They have thus far raised over $224 million together.
“In 2021, we had a little beginning. According to Vishal Virani, creator of Dhiwise, a programming platform where developers can translate their designs into developer-friendly code for mobile and web apps, the company currently has more than 50,000 customers worldwide and generates 60% of its revenue in the US.
“I got inspired by Girish (Mathrubootham, founder and CEO of Freshworks). How he built the entire community sitting in Chennai and went for a US listing. It had a trailblazing effect… I’m building my playbook in a similar manner. We are, in fact, the first company in Surat to have grabbed the attention of VCs like Accel and Together fund,” says Virani.
Those who visit Surat will quickly notice that it is a hub for many things. To name just two, it is the world’s largest diamond manufacturing centre; it is also a textile powerhouse, home to India’s largest synthetic fabric market. And now, inspired by the brilliant minds in the southern jewel that is Chennai, it is fast becoming a hub for Software as a Service (SaaS) startups, home to entrepreneurs such as Virani.
Among the prominent SaaS startups in the city are Dhiwise, Trezix, Ezee, VideoSDK and Wishbook. They have clients in markets stretching from Gujarat and Chennai, to the UK and the US. In all, some of these fledgling companies employ about 150-200 people. Many of these employees are graduates of the local National Institute of Technology, so the companies do not have to cast a wide net to draw in developers.