A deep desire to create something from nothing and the thrill of making it big continue to motivate makers of world class apps

Annie Mathew

With the great pool of intellectual capital, emerging markets such as India are faring above average in technological innovation, especially the app development space. While the segment is still niche, Indian app developers are very well-equipped and skilled to create mobile apps powered by the latest technology and superior content. These apps originating from India have captured global fancy and the universal appeal has been engineered into them. Apps like Iris, World Newspapers and Parking Frenzy, created in India have captured the world?s imagination. In fact Iris is one of the most talked about products to come out of India, with over 68% downloads in the US alone! And, as they say, this is just the tip of the iceberg.

So how different are mobile app developers in India from their peers in established markets like US and Europe? In a diverse country like India with a population of more than a billion, a scorching pace of telecom growth and a young bright demography, Indian app developers have an uphill task. A deep desire to create something from nothing and the thrill of making it big continue to motivate makers of world class apps. They have to ultimately cater to motivation?with the aim to create a product that captures users hook line and sinker, solves problems, creates a business that makes money change?transcending geographies. And all this is influenced to a great degree by the phenomenal growth of smartphones across the world, especially in India.

Smartphones offer several lifestyle benefits to their users thanks to the different apps. People are using smartphones to make smarter choices. Experts predict that by 2016, the number of mobile apps downloads will reach 44 billion and the worldwide online app market will grow from approximately $6.8 billion in 2010 to $25 billion by 2015. Decision makers now see that apps increase productivity, reduce paperwork, and increase revenue in ways which other devices simply cannot. Office productivity apps that integrate with cloud services help users to manage their work while on the go. The Apple App Store already boasts 700,000 mobile apps with downloads totaling more than 25 billion. Google Play hosts 600,000 apps and sees 1.5 billion app downloads every month.

While the segment is still niche within the country, Indian app developers are very well-equipped and skilled to create mobile apps powered by the latest technology and superior content. Moreover, app developers in India are much in sync with global smartphone trends and therefore their apps cater to audiences across the globe. With their ability and intelligence Indian app developers have also found multiple avenues for monetisation.

Funding for app development is no longer difficult to procure; angel investors and start-up incubators are keenly monitoring the sector. There were eight major investments in Indian app firms in 2011, totaling $31 million, says data from Venture Intelligence, which tracks the private equity and venture capital firms.

Cutting across India, companies developing apps are mushrooming everywhere. According to estimates made by Convergence Catalyst, a research firm, there are about 9,000 of them in India at present, all seeking a slice of the $8.5 billion global app revenue pie. Another estimate puts the number of app developers in India at 250,000. Internet majors Facebook, Microsoft and Yahoo! are aggressively wooing Indian app developers to build their next gen products. Faced with a shortage of product developers in the developed world, these companies are eyeing a range of them from college students to software firms to chart their future strategies.

Apps have become a phenomenon in India?with low entry barriers even rank outsiders stand a chance. Unlike traditional software products, apps do not need a sales force either to market them: they can put the app up at online marketplaces or app stores, and if followed up with some smart social media buzz or related activity, usually ensures a flurry of downloads.

In keeping with this trend, BlackBerry set up its first ever innovation zone now popularly known as ?Rubus Labs? in 2012 to achieve the goal of providing infinite opportunities to Indian students to bring life to their ideas early in their lives.

Rubus Labs, set-up in the Start-Up Village in Kochi, rides on the philosophy of bringing concepts to life. It is BlackBerry?s way of supporting students by helping translate their ideas into products by providing adequate resources such as training programmes, BlackBerry devices, technical support such as providing SDK toolkits to list a few. Rubus Labs also regularly conducts BlackBerry Hackathons and Bar Camps to maintain the excitement and involve the students at every level to innovate and showcase their ideas.

BlackBerry has provided a platform for young entrepreneurs with relevant opportunities and resources, empowering them to bring their concepts to life. As these candidates also form an integral part of BlackBerry?s existing user base it would also be interesting to see how they redefine the consumer?s needs and create the best solutions for people at large.

The writer is director alliances and business development, BlackBerry India