A nation of 1.3 billion people. 450 million (35%) of them connected to the internet. Rising incomes, cheapest internet access in the world, and increasing interest from the population in going online. This makes India a formidable market for all kinds of businesses who are either digital, internet first, or want a piece of the pie.

Broadly speaking, there are three major players competing for the ₹₹₹ that Indian consumers represent when it comes to their wallets, time spent on internet, or their data. These players are Indian internet companies, US based internet companies, and Chinese internet companies. We aren’t talking about VC firms here — they are investing someone else’s money and hoping that it works. We are talking about companies willing to invest their own money.

Out of the three, India companies are either relying on VC money or hoping that either US or Chinese companies will fund them. Not all of them, but a lot of them fall into this category. Therefore, the real competition is between US and Chinese companies to see who can win the long-term battle of unlocking the value of hundreds of millions of Indians coming online and spending their money, time, and data — whatever that can be monetised.