PhonePe-backed Indus Appstore's CEO Rakesh Deshmukh steps down: What's next
Rakesh Deshmukh, co-founder of the PhonePe-owned Indus Appstore, has stepped down as CEO after leading the company for a decade. This change comes as the company is gearing up to launch its Android mobile app marketplace, aiming to compete with Google's Play Store. Although Deshmukh's next steps are uncertain, he mentioned in a LinkedIn post that he is "taking a moment to recharge and prepare for the next impactful journey."
Indus Appstore's journey and upcoming launch
Established in 2013 by Rakesh Deshmukh, Sudhir Bangarambandi, and Akash Dongre, Indus OS (now called Indus Appstore) focused on creating an operating system for Indian regional languages. The team developed the Indus App Bazaar, which supports 12 Indian languages and has attracted over 200 million users. In July 2022, PhonePe, a Walmart-owned company, acquired Indus OS and is now opening its mobile app store to Android developers. Unlike Google's 15-30% fee on in-app purchases, the marketplace will charge no fee.
Partnerships and support for developers
The Indus Appstore will enable developers to list apps in 12 local languages and provide round-the-clock support through email or chatbot from India-based representatives. Additionally, the platform will offer dedicated account managers. In November last year, Indus Appstore announced the onboarding of apps from real-money game developers such as Dream11, Mobile Premier League (MPL), Nazara Technologies, and Gameskraft. The company has also partnered with device manufacturers like Lava and Nokia to integrate the app store into their devices.
These developers are also heading to the store
Developers such as A23 (Head Digital Works), RummyTime, Junglee Rummy, Rummy Passion, CardBaazi, Taj Rummy, and Rummy Culture will also onboard their apps to the app store. The store supports languages like Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, and Kannada.
