Splitsub, The New Way To Stream

By: Shrisha Gupta

Countries frequently going in and out of lockdown has had undesirable effects on both small businesses and their customers. Businesses are continuously having to shut down, and customers have to find other places to shop. Moreover, people are looking for a way to enjoy their lives, while remaining in the safe quarters of their home. In the midst of this situation, being at home has also allowed some companies to let their creativity shine through. One of the most recent fintech startups that really got creative with their ideas is Splitsub.

As the years go on, choices for streaming services become abundant. The list of services seems never ending, and it is daunting to try and find the right show. Splitsub works to address the issue of having far too many streaming services to choose from. In an attempt to “have it all”, many people have decided to share accounts, but asking your boss to pay up, often leads to an awkward conversation. Ankur Solanki and Dhruv Goel, the founders of Splitsub, realized that the perfect solution would be to create a group sharing platform where users can decide with whom they want to share certain subscriptions. At the same time, users can discover new online subscription groups that they can join to access other digital services.

While the idea may seem great, executing it was a long process, especially as the world is still under the hold of COVID-19. First came the challenge that all startups must face, appealing to customers. But due to the pandemic, there were many more obstacles Splitsub had to overcome. The team couldn’t meet face to face so much of their work had to be done online. Since all their marketing was done online, it was hard for Splitsub to have a reputation as customers were forced to trust what they saw online. Especially for a startup company, reputation is everything. Nonetheless, the team at Splitsub overcame these challenges and built a good reputation for their company.

Splitsub was then met with immediate success. After its beta launch on April 1st, 2020, Splitsub got 10,000 new signups. It was clear that many people appreciated the ease Splitsub allowed them to have while sharing services. Currently, Splitsub allows over 7,000 users to share streaming services in an organised manner, as opposed to the current unsystematic approach. This helps consumers save the extra cost of individually paying for each service. Overall, Dhruv and Ankur took a common solution and transformed it into something extraordinary.

Works Cited

Agarwal, M. (2021, March 05). Netflix, prime video, Or HOTSTAR? This fintech startup lets you watch what you want WITH SUBSCRIPTION-SHARING. Retrieved March 28, 2021, from https://yourstory.com/2021/03/fintech-startup-splitsub-digital-subscription-sharing

Splitsub aims to reach every household by making all subscriptions accessible by splitting and saving money. (n.d.). Retrieved March 28, 2021, from https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/other/splitsub-aims-to-reach-every-household-by-making-all-subscriptions-accessible-by-splitting-and-saving-money/ar-BB1eMFcW

Splitsub. (n.d.). Retrieved March 28, 2021, from https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/22705