Founders on a Mission: How Two Innovators Connected the Dots

Engagespot was founded by a team of experienced and passionate entrepreneurs – Shiv Shankar M S, Anand Sukumaran, and Anandu Suresh. 

Shiv Shankar M S

Shiv Shankar M S serves as the Co-Founder and CEO of Engagespot. With a background in enterprise sales, product growth, and startup scaling, Shiv has a track record of launching and exiting successful ventures. Before Engagespot, he founded two startups in the communications sector and played a key role as a Consulting Partner at Agilite Group, where he supported the establishment of a development center focused on AI, big data, and blockchain. Shiv’s experience and leadership have been instrumental in guiding Engagespot’s strategic growth and positioning it as a leader in the notification solutions space. (Shiv Shankar M S)

Anand Sukumaran

Anand Sukumaran is Engagespot’s Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO), bringing a strong technical foundation in distributed systems, backend development, and computer science. Anand’s journey began early in his career as a software consultant and engineer, gaining experience as an architect and team lead. Before co-founding Engagespot, he launched Logidots, a successful custom application development firm, which he scaled from scratch. Anand’s technical expertise and innovation drive the development of Engagespot’s platform, focusing on creating efficient, scalable solutions for cross-channel communication. (Anand Sukumaran)

Anandu Suresh

Anandu Suresh, Co-Founder and product evangelist, rounds out the founding team with a deep commitment to user engagement and technical precision. Based in New York, Anandu leverages his background as a former co-founder of Logidots and his experience as a CEO in previous ventures. His passion for building impactful products has led to several advanced features within Engagespot, such as version control and scheduled notifications, which enhance the platform’s flexibility for developers. Anandu holds a Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science and is recognized for his agile project management skills, product insights, and dedication to customer experience. (Anandu Suresh)

Founding Story 

In 2015, the founders identified challenges developers face in building scalable notification systems. To address this, they founded Engagespot in Thiruvananthapuram, India. Their goal was to simplify multi-channel notification infrastructure, enabling developers to focus on core product development. 

A Push in the Right Direction: The Booming Notification Market

The notification software market has experienced significant growth in recent years, driven by the increasing need for efficient communication across various sectors. These systems enable organizations to deliver timely alerts and updates to employees, customers, and stakeholders through multiple channels, including email, SMS, push notifications, and in-app messages.

The push notification software market has experienced significant growth in recent years. In 2021, the market was valued at approximately USD 12.81 billion and is projected to reach USD 171.54 billion by 2032, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 26.6% during the forecast period. (Business Research Insights)

Key Drivers of Market Growth

Several factors contribute to this rapid expansion:

• Mobile App Proliferation: The widespread adoption of smartphones has led to an increase in mobile applications, which utilize push notifications to engage users.
• Enhanced User Engagement: Businesses leverage push notifications to deliver personalized messages, promotions, and updates, fostering direct communication with users.
• Technological Advancements: Integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning into push notification platforms allows for more precise targeting and personalization.

Regional Insights

North America holds a significant share of the push notification software market, driven by early adoption of digital technologies and a robust IT infrastructure. The United States, in particular, has been at the forefront, with businesses across various sectors integrating push notification software into their operations.

Challenges and Considerations

Despite the positive outlook, the market faces challenges:

• Data Privacy Concerns: As push notifications rely on user data for personalization, businesses must navigate stringent data protection regulations to maintain user trust.
• User Fatigue: Overuse of push notifications can lead to user disengagement or app uninstallation, necessitating a balanced and strategic approach.

The push notification software market is poised for substantial growth, driven by the increasing reliance on mobile applications and the need for effective user engagement strategies. However, businesses must address challenges related to data privacy and user experience to fully capitalize on the benefits of push notifications.

Spot On: Engagespot’s Mission, Vision, and Model

Mission

Engagespot’s mission is to simplify multi-channel communication for developers by providing a robust notification infrastructure. The platform enables businesses to engage users through a single API, unifying notifications across in-app, email, SMS, and other channels. Engagespot is committed to helping developers create efficient, user-friendly communication systems without the complexity of building infrastructure from scratch.

Vision

Engagespot envisions a seamless notification experience across platforms, allowing developers to integrate multi-channel messaging with minimal effort. The company aims to be a leader in notification infrastructure, empowering developers to focus on core functionalities while it handles the messaging needs across various channels.

Problems They Solve

Building a scalable, reliable notification system is challenging and time-consuming for developers. Integrating different notification channels like SMS, email, and push notifications often requires multiple APIs, creating significant maintenance overhead. Engagespot eliminates these issues by providing a single API that supports various channels, reducing complexity and cost. Additionally, it offers tools like real-time in-app inboxes, templates, and preference management, allowing developers to offer users a personalized experience.

Business Model

Engagespot operates on a subscription-based model, offering flexible pricing for businesses of all sizes. The platform provides a free trial to help users explore its capabilities before committing to a paid plan. Businesses can scale their usage based on needs, ensuring they only pay for what they use. This model allows Engagespot to support startups, small businesses, and larger. enterprises alike, adapting to each customer’s requirements for notification solutions.

Feature Frenzy: The Full Scoop on Engagespot’s Toolkit

Engagespot offers a comprehensive suite of tools and services designed to streamline multi-channel notification management for developers. Here’s an in-depth look at its key features:

Multi-Channel API

Engagespot’s Unified API allows developers to send notifications across multiple channels, such as email, SMS, in-app, and mobile push, using a single endpoint. This unified approach simplifies complex workflows, enabling developers to communicate with users via their preferred channels without multiple integrations. (Multi-Channel API)

Key Features:

1. Unified Endpoint: Send notifications across multiple channels (email, SMS, in-app, push) through one API, reducing integration efforts.
2. Channel Routing Flexibility: Route notifications to different channels based on user preferences and predefined conditions, improving user engagement​.
3. Provider Integrations: Seamlessly connect with providers like SendGrid, Twilio, Firebase, and Expo, enabling quick, no-code provider swaps.
4. Interactive Notifications: Create actionable notifications with buttons and input fields for user engagement within the notification interface.
5. Template Editor: Use a provider-agnostic template editor to keep notification content out of source code, enhancing flexibility.
6. Real-Time Delivery and Data Residency: Supports real-time notifications and regional data storage for compliance with data residency requirements.

In-App Notification Inbox

Engagespot provides a real-time, in-app notification inbox that enhances user experience by centralizing notifications within the application. Users can interact with actionable items, reminders, and promotional content all in one place. The in-app inbox is customizable and easily integrates with frameworks like React, Angular, and Vue.js, making it adaptable for different frontend setups. (In-App Notification Inbox)

Key Features:

1. Real-Time Inbox: Embed a real-time, interactive notification inbox directly within your app, keeping users informed within the application.
2. Unified Notification View: Centralizes all actionable items, reminders, and promotional messages in one place, simplifying user experience.
3. Framework Support: Easily integrates with frontend frameworks like React, Angular, and Vue.js, making it adaptable to different tech stacks.
4. Customizable Interface: Fully customizable to match the app’s design, allowing developers to tailor the look and feel to fit their UI​.
5. No-Code Setup: Features a no-code editor to design notifications with interactive elements like buttons and input fields, streamlining development.
6. User Engagement: Supports actionable notifications that allow users to interact, respond, or complete tasks directly within the inbox.

Workflow Automation

The no-code Workflow Builder empowers developers to design notification flows that capture user responses, integrate with external APIs, and batch notifications. This feature supports complex use cases, like order confirmations or periodic digests, by automating interactions without requiring additional coding. Branching logic and sub-workflow triggers ensure personalized and modular notification experiences​. (Workflow Automation)

Key Features:

1. No-Code Workflow Builder: Design notification workflows without coding, ideal for tasks like order confirmations or automated follow-ups.
2. Conditional Logic and Branching: Use branching to split workflows based on conditions, creating tailored notification paths for users.
3. Sub-Workflow Triggers: Modularize workflows by triggering reusable sub-workflows, keeping workflow logic organized and scalable.
4. API Integration: Fetch or update data from external sources within workflows, allowing deep integrations with existing systems.
5. User Response Capture: Collect user responses from notifications and process them within workflows, enhancing interaction capabilities.
6. Batching & Digests: Consolidate multiple alerts into one notification to prevent user fatigue, or schedule digest notifications for periodic updates​.

Notification Logging and Analytics

To provide transparency and reliability, Engagespot offers a unified logging system. This dashboard tracks notifications across channels, showing delivery status, user interactions, and potential issues (like SMS delivery failures). This feature allows developers to monitor and improve notification effectiveness by analyzing detailed engagement metrics. (Notification Logging and Analytics)

Key Features:

1. Unified Tracking Dashboard: Monitor notifications across channels (email, SMS, in-app) from a single dashboard, simplifying performance tracking​.
2. Delivery Status Insights: View detailed delivery data, such as email opens, SMS undeliverable statuses, and in-app interactions, for precise notification tracking.
3. Error and Rejection Monitoring: Identify issues like undelivered SMS or rejected messages from providers (e.g., Twilio) to troubleshoot and improve reliability.
4. Engagement Metrics: Track user interactions, such as clicks or actions taken, to optimize notification strategies and user engagement.
5. Real-Time Logs: Access real-time logs of notifications sent, allowing immediate insight into notification flow and performance.
6. Consolidated Analytics: Analyze cross-channel notification effectiveness in one place to make data-driven adjustments to communication strategies.

Notification Preference Manager

The Preference Manager puts users in control of their notification settings. Users can specify preferences for receiving notifications across different channels, enhancing user satisfaction and reducing notification fatigue. This tool is particularly useful for applications with diverse audiences who may have varying notification preferences. (Notification Preference Manager)

Key Features:

1. User-Controlled Preferences: Allows users to customize notification preferences across channels (e.g., email, SMS, in-app), enhancing personalization​.
2. Easy Integration: Integrate preference management with APIs and SDKs to enable user settings in minutes, reducing development time.
3. Channel-Specific Controls: Users can opt in or out of specific channels, creating a tailored notification experience that respects user preferences.
4. Centralized Preference Management: Manage all user notification preferences from a single interface, simplifying backend administration.
5. Real-Time Updates: Instantly reflects user preference changes, ensuring notifications align with the latest user settings.
6. User Retention and Satisfaction: Minimizes notification fatigue by letting users control frequency and type, promoting a positive app experience.

Batched Notifications API

Engagespot’s Batched Notifications API allows developers to consolidate multiple alerts into a single notification. This feature reduces notification overload for users by grouping updates and sending them together, thus ensuring that users are informed without being overwhelmed​. (Batched Notifications API)

Key Features:

1. Consolidated Alerts: Combines multiple notifications into a single alert, reducing notification overload and improving user focus.
2. Periodic Digests: Schedule and send digest notifications with grouped updates, ideal for reducing the frequency of individual notifications.
3. Customizable Batching Logic: Define rules to determine which notifications are batched together, offering flexibility for various use cases.
4. Improved User Experience: Helps prevent notification fatigue by streamlining the number of alerts users receive.
5. Time-Based Batching: Set specific intervals for batch notifications, ensuring users receive updates at predictable, convenient times.
6. Flexible API Integration: Integrates seamlessly into existing systems, allowing developers to implement batching with minimal adjustments.

CLI and Integration Tools

Engagespot supports a CLI tool for seamless integration into CI/CD pipelines, enabling developers to manage notification workflows, publish changes, and roll back updates directly from their development environment. The CLI tool simplifies deployment and ensures consistency across development, staging, and production environments. (CLI and Integration Tools)

Key Features:

1. CI/CD Integration: Seamlessly integrate Engagespot into CI/CD pipelines, enabling notification workflow management directly from the development environment​.
2. Workflow Version Control: Track and manage unpublished workflow changes, allowing for testing and adjustments before deployment.
3. Rollback and Migration: Easily revert to previous workflow versions or migrate workflows across development, staging, and production environments, enhancing deployment flexibility.
4. Command Line Management: Manage notification changes, publish updates, and monitor workflows directly via command line, streamlining developer operations.
5. Environment Consistency: Maintain consistency across multiple environments by using CLI commands for environment-specific configurations.
6. Quick Setup: Install the CLI tool with a simple npm command (npm install -g @engagespot/cli), making setup fast and user-friendly for development teams.

Making an Impact: Partnerships, Profits, and a Path to Success

With over 850 million notifications delivered and more than 3.7 billion API requests managed each month, Engagespot’s robust infrastructure handles vast amounts of traffic, ensuring reliable performance even under heavy loads. Engagespot’s uptime of 99.98% highlights its commitment to stability and service quality.

Engagespot serves a vast client base, with thousands of companies using its notification infrastructure to streamline user engagement and communication. Its clients include technology-forward organizations, such as Growcoms, Stripes, MEDPG, Sameday, Charter and many more. 

Integration with Notification Providers

Engagespot integrates with various notification providers such as mailjet, mailsender, firebase, Gupshup, Plivo and more, allowing users to connect existing services seamlessly. Engagespot also maintains an open-source repository on GitHub, offering examples and SDKs in various programming languages. 

Collaboration with Accubits Technologies

Engagespot has partnered with Accubits Technologies, a channel partner, to extend its reach and offer integrated solutions.

Participation in Techstars Accelerator Program

In March 2024, Engagespot joined the Techstars New York Accelerator Program, receiving $120,000 in funding. This partnership provided mentorship and resources, accelerating Engagespot’s growth and innovation in the notification infrastructure market.

Seed Funding

In March 2024, Engagespot raised $20,000 in a seed funding round led by Techstars. Engagespot’s acceptance into the Techstars New York Accelerator Program in 2024 was a significant milestone. This program offers mentorship, resources, and networking opportunities to promising startups. (Tracxn) 

Revenue Growth

Engagespot has demonstrated substantial revenue growth. During the 15-week Techstars Accelerator Program, the company reported a fivefold increase in revenue and achieved operational profitability. Also, Within 11 months of its launch, Engagespot attracted over 2,000 developers globally. The company secured annual contracts exceeding $100,000 with clients such as Veho, Sameday, and Nivoda.  (Times of India)

Spotting Success: The Takeaways from Engagespot’s Journey

Engagespot is transforming how developers manage notifications. By providing a unified platform, Engagespot streamlines multi-channel communication, making it easy for developers to integrate in-app messages, emails, SMS, push notifications, and more. This approach saves time, reduces costs, and allows developers to focus on building core features while ensuring effective user communication. With solutions like template management, real-time inboxes, and interactive notifications, Engagespot empowers businesses to deliver seamless, personalized user experiences.

Engagespot has made a significant impact, serving thousands of developers worldwide. Its growth trajectory highlights its value to clients in sectors ranging from logistics to e-commerce. Backed by funding from Techstars and trusted by clients like Veho and Nivoda, Engagespot is set to continue its journey of innovation and growth.

Take inspiration from Engagespot’s story. With determination, a clear vision, and innovative solutions, you can create products that meet market needs and capture attention. To learn more about startups, innovation, and market insights, check out other articles on Venture Kites. Explore stories, advice, and trends that will inspire your entrepreneurial journey.