Pratilipi’s Loss Doubles To INR 196 Cr In FY22

Bengaluru-based self-publishing platform Pratilipi’s operating revenue surged 41.5X to INR 7.88 Cr in the financial year 2021-22 (FY22) from INR 0.19 Cr in FY21.

Pratilipi earns revenue primarily through sales of services, including content and premium subscription and brand advertising.

The platform earned INR 3.14 Cr from subscription services in FY22. Its revenue under this head was nil in the previous fiscal year. Brand advertising generated revenue of INR 2.31 Cr during the year under review as against INR 9.6 Lakh in FY21.

Total income, including other income, rose 2.5X to INR 14.36 Cr from INR 5.76 Cr in FY21.

However, the growth in revenue also resulted in an increase in the startup’s burn rate, hitting the bottom line. Pratilipi’s net loss surged 2.04X to INR 196.44 Cr in FY22 from INR 96.19 Cr in FY21, as expenses ballooned.

Total expenses surged 2.1X to INR 210.8 Cr in FY22 from INR 100.04 Cr in FY21, with other expenses accounting for the biggest chunk.

The startup’s other expenses, including business promotion, legal and professional fees, rent, IP development costs, more than doubled to INR 176.08 Cr from INR 82.34 Cr in the previous fiscal year.

Employee benefit expenses jumped 1.7X to INR 28.91 Cr from INR 16.82 Cr in FY21. Employee benefit expenses generally comprise employee salaries, PF, gratuity and other expenses for employee welfare. The rise in employee benefit expenses indicates that the startup increased its headcount during the year.

Founded in 2015 by Sankaranarayanan Devarajan, Rahul Ranjan, Sahradayi Modi, Prashant Gupta and Ranjeet Pratap Singh, Pratilipi connects readers and writers in 12 Indian languages, including Hindi, Tamil, English, Bengali, and Marathi.

The self-publishing platform allows users to publish stories, poems and books in various formats, including audio and podcast.

Pratilipi has raised a total funding of $80.6 Mn to date. It is backed by investors such as Omidyar Network, WEH Ventures, and Nexus Ventures Partners.

Bengaluru-based self-publishing platform Pratilipi, run by Nasadiya Technologies Private Limited, has reported 41.5X increase in its revenue from operations in financial year 2021-22 (FY22) to INR 7.88 Cr from INR 0.19 Cr in FY21.

The startup’s loss widened to INR 196.44 Cr in FY22 from INR 96.19 Cr in FY21, according to Nasadiya Technologies Private Limited’s filing with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

Pratilipi earned its operating revenue primarily through sales of services which include content and premium subscription services, as well as brand advertising services.Pratilipi introduced new monetisation features on the platform in November 2021.

It earned INR 3.14 Cr and INR 2.31 Cr from content and premium subscription services, and brand advertising services respectively.

The startup reported INR 14.36 Cr total income in FY22, as compared to INR 5.76 Cr in FY22, a 2.5X growth.

However, its expenses also grew significantly in the year along with its revenue growth. The Bengaluru-based startup reported INR 210.8 Cr total expenses in FY22, a 2.1X growth from INR 100.04 Cr in FY21.

Its other expenses including business promotion, legal and professional fees, rent, IP development costs, accounted for the highest share of overall expenses. Pratlipi’s other expenses surged 2.1X to INR 176.08 Cr in FY22 from INR 82.34 Cr in FY21.

The startup spent INR 28.91 Cr for employee benefits in FY22, an 1.7X increase from INR 16.82 Cr in FY21.

Founded in 2015 by Sankaranarayanan Devarajan, Rahul Ranjan, Sahradayi Modi, Prashant Gupta and Ranjeet Pratap Singh, Pratilipi is an Indian language self-publishing platform which operates in several regional languages including Tamil, Bengali, and Marathi.

It offers a self-publication platform which allows writers to write and publish their stories in different regional languages.

The startup has raised $80.6 Mn funding till date. It is backed by investors such as Krafton, Omidyar Network, WEH Ventures, Nexus Ventures Partners.