2024 Recap: A Year of Milestones

Swirl Reflects on a Year of Growth: Seed Funding, Global Expansion, and Innovative Partnerships. In 2024, Swirl secured $1.1M in seed funding, expanded into new markets like Oman, and joined prestigious programs like SaaSBoomi's Caravan. Explore how Swirl is leveraging AI and video UGC to revolutionize the e-commerce landscape.

Kaizad Hansotia
December 30, 2024
8
Mins Read
In this blog, learn about

As we wrap up 2024, it’s incredible to reflect on how far we’ve come. This year has been transformative for Swirl, marked by innovation, collaboration, and expansion. Here’s a look back at some of our biggest achievements and milestones from the year.

Secured $1.1 Million in Seed Funding

In 2024, we successfully raised $1.1 million in a seed round led by Shastra VC (formerly Veda VC), with participation from an esteemed group of angel investors across India, the Middle East, and the USA. These include notable names like Aakrit Vaish (CEO, Haptik), Shan Krishnasamy (Ex-CTO, Freshworks), and Mohammed Dewji (CEO, MeTL), among others.

What it means for us:

1. This funding marks the beginning of our expansion into the US and Middle East markets. We're doubling down on AI-driven innovation, particularly by integrating user-generated video reviews (UGC) and ratings into our platform. Features like AI-generated video transcripts and sentiment analysis help enhance trust and engagement.

2. As Venus Dhuria, Partner at Shastra VC, said, "Swirl taps into the trillion-dollar global video commerce market with a unique approach, positioning itself to scale globally."

Selected for SaaSBoomi’s SGx Caravan Program

This year, Swirl was selected in SaaSBoomi’s SGx Caravan Program spanning 16 weeks, providing opportunities to learn from seasoned SaaS founders, refine our strategies, and build connections within the SaaS ecosystem. 

The program included a 5-day session in the US, where we gained invaluable insights into GTM strategies, product-led growth, and AI integration. The experience has been instrumental in shaping Swirl’s product roadmap and global expansion.

Expanded into Middle East’s Thriving Market

One of the highlights was our collaboration with Al-Futtaim Group to launch BYD electric cars in Saudi Arabia and UAE through 2 live-streamed events—a groundbreaking moment that showcased the potential of video commerce in the automotive industry.

2024 also saw Swirl making its mark in Oman, a new geography for us, when we onboarded Forthing Oman for livestreaming. This expansion is a significant step in our mission to empower brands worldwide with the power of video UGC. 

We’re excited about the opportunities this market holds and look forward to driving success for our partners in the GCC region.

Showcased Swirl at Major Global E-commerce Events

We showcased Swirl’s capabilities at some of the biggest retail and e-commerce events worldwide:

1. In January, we participated in SaaSBoomi's TechBridge in Dubai, connecting with key players from prominent companies

2. We showcased our innovative AI-powered features at Seamless Middle East in Saudi Arabia and Dubai, engaging with industry leaders and attendees eager to explore new ways to enhance customer interactions.

Launched ‘The Commerce Connection’ 

This year, we introduced our knowledge hub, The Commerce Connection (TCC). Through podcasts, newsletters, and blogs, we’re sharing actionable insights to help brands build authentic connections with their audiences. TCC has become a valuable resource for marketers and brands, offering insights from industry leaders and practical guides on video commerce and live streaming. We've had the pleasure of hosting podcasts with:

Dharmendra Mehta, former Business Head of E-Commerce at the Lals Group

Abhay Tandon, Co-founder of Monet and former Digital Innovation Officer at TVS

Shashi Kant Oraon, Product Manager, and Shivalini Verma, Assistant Manager at Vivo

Sandip Agarwal, Head of Engineering at Traya

Ending the year with a revamped look and launching video UGC

We ended the year on a high note with several exciting updates:

We’ve introduced video user-generated content (UGC) for reviews and ratings. Swirl combines videos, search, chat, reviews, and recommendations into one interactive experience, with an AI purchase agent that simplifies decision-making and streamlines the purchase process. As video continues to drive engagement, this move sharpens our focus on helping brands create meaningful connections with their audiences.

We’ve given our website a fresh new look that focuses on Swirl’s new perspective of growing bigger and better with much more in store for our enterprise clients. 

Looking Ahead

2024 has been an extraordinary year for Swirl, but as we often say, this is just Day 0. There are miles to go and many mountains to climb as we work toward our vision of global leadership as an ecommerce video solution. Thank you for being part of our journey. Here’s to an even more exciting 2025!

Conclusion
Kaizad Hansotia
Founder & CEO

Kaizad Hansotia, a 3-time founder, has spent 6 years scaling eCommerce and retail globally, mastering the nuances of the consumer journey from India to Europe.

Frequently Asked Questions

Couldn’t find the question you have? Delve deeper and schedule a call for a personalized discussion.

Schedule A Call

Explore More Blogs

15 minutes can transform your brand

Find out all you want to know about engaging customers.