The Better India

What The Better India does

The Better India is a private, India-based digital media company founded in 2008 and headquartered in Bangalore, operating a horizontal, web-first publishing platform under the domain thebetterindia.com. Its editorial proposition is constructive and solution-oriented journalism, surfacing stories about changemakers, sustainability, startups, culture, travel, parenting, farming, gardening, wildlife, food, innovation, history, education, healthcare, civil service and young achievers, in deliberate contrast to mainstream negativity. The product surface comprises long-form written stories, visual web stories (thebetterindia.com/web-stories) and a video library (thebetterindia.com/videos) linked to a YouTube channel, with lightweight user features such as bookmarks, reader profiles, email newsletter sign-ups and social sign-in (Google, Facebook).

Underlying technology is a standard web publishing platform with video embedding; no proprietary APIs, SDKs, integrations or AI features are disclosed, and the company has no mobile app presence. Revenue is generated entirely through two advertising-related streams: a self-serve 'Advertise With Us' inventory and bespoke 'Brand Campaigns' (thebetterindia.com/brand-campaigns) that package sponsored storytelling to advertisers seeking association with positive narratives. There is no reader paywall or direct subscription pricing; content is free at point of consumption. On the demand side, the customer base splits between a broad Indian consumer readership (the audience product) and advertisers/brands (the monetizing customer), with the latter reaching the platform through its digital sales surface.

The company has raised modest disclosed funding across three rounds totalling roughly $3.67M (a 2015 seed from the Intellecap Impact Investment Network of approximately $159,000, a 2016 grant from the Independent and Public-Spirited Media Foundation, and a 2019 Series-equivalent of approximately $3.5M led by Elevar Equity with TPG Growth). Leadership consists of founder and CEO Dhimant Parekh and co-founder Anuradha Kedia. Reported firmographic headcount of 1–10 is anomalous for an active publishing operation and likely reflects only core staff; the platform continues to publish daily content and remains in active operation.

Name

The Better India

Legal name

The Better India

Website

https://thebetterindia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Better India is a Bangalore-based digital media company that publishes positive, solution-oriented journalism across more than a dozen topical verticals and monetizes its audience through display advertising and branded content campaigns aimed at Indian readers and brand advertisers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Media and Publishing

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (5162), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621)

akta.pro primary industry

Online Article & Blog Publishing Platforms (MPAJAMAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Online News & Magazine Publishing Platforms (CMS & Hosting) (MPAJAMAC)

Keywords

• Positive news media
• Digital storytelling platform
• Branded content campaigns
• Inspirational journalism India
• Online video content

Headquarters

HQ city

Bangalore

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Advertising: The platform generates revenue through advertising, as indicated by the 'Advertise With Us' section on the website. Brands can partner with The Better India to reach their engaged audience of readers interested in positive stories.
2. Brand Campaigns: The Better India offers brand campaigns as a revenue stream, allowing companies to create sponsored content that aligns with the platform's positive storytelling format.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Better India is a digital media platform that publishes positive, solution-oriented news stories and inspirational content across diverse categories including sustainability, changemakers, startups, culture, travel, education, healthcare, and innovation. It monetizes its audience through advertising, sponsored brand campaigns, and video content distributed via website, YouTube, and social media channels. The platform offers free content to readers while providing brands with paid storytelling and advertising opportunities.

Product overview

The Better India is a digital media platform that publishes positive, inspirational stories and news content across diverse categories including sustainability, changemakers, startups, culture, travel, farming, gardening, wildlife, food, innovation, history, education, healthcare, civil service, and young achievers. The platform operates through multiple content formats: long-form article stories, visual web stories, videos, and brand campaigns. Content is organized by topic areas with dedicated sections for each category, and the platform offers user features including bookmarks, user profiles, and newsletter subscriptions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Better India Content Platform A digital media platform publishing positive news stories and inspirational content across multiple categories including sustainability, changemakers, startups, culture, travel, farming, wildlife, food, innovation, history, education, healthcare, civil service, and young achievers. Targeted at Indian readers and the Indian diaspora seeking uplifting content.
• Visual Stories Web-based visual story content published under the web-stories section, covering topics like innovation, food, wildlife, travel, and culture through a visual-first storytelling format. Targeted at mobile readers of The Better India.
• Videos Video content featuring inspiring stories, changemakers, hobbies, films, and society topics, including cricket-related videos showcasing Indian sports achievements. Distributed via the platform's website and YouTube channel.
• Brand Campaigns Branded content and advertising services for brands to reach The Better India's engaged audience through authentic, value-aligned storytelling. Targeted at advertisers and brand marketers in India.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Homegrown: Homegrown is an Indian digital media platform covering culture, creativity, and positive stories from India. It shares thematic overlap with The Better India's culture and changemaker verticals and targets a similar urban, English-speaking audience with brand-campaign monetization.
• SheThePeople: SheThePeople is an Indian digital media platform focused on women's stories, changemakers, and positive narratives. It overlaps with The Better India on impact-driven content and targets a similar advertiser base seeking purpose-aligned environments.

Broad incumbents

• NDTV: NDTV is one of India's largest legacy news broadcasters with a significant digital presence. As a broad incumbent, it competes for general advertising and audience share, though its news-centric format contrasts with The Better India's positive-only positioning.
• The Quint: The Quint is a large Indian digital news platform with broad coverage including positive and impact-oriented stories. As a broad incumbent, it competes for overall digital ad budgets and audience attention, though it does not specialize in the changemaker niche The Better India occupies.
• India Today Group (digital): India Today operates one of India's largest multi-platform news brands with extensive digital verticals. As a broad incumbent, it competes for advertising dollars and audience attention across topics where The Better India also publishes, particularly lifestyle, health, and culture.

Direct peers

• Storypick: Storypick is an Indian lifestyle and inspirational digital content platform running on advertising and branded content. It competes directly with The Better India for female-skewed online audiences and brand-campaign revenue.
• The Logical Indian: The Logical Indian is a direct peer — an Indian digital media platform focused on positive news, changemakers, and constructive journalism. Its audience and content mix closely mirror The Better India's positioning, and both compete for the same purpose-driven advertising and brand-campaign budgets in India.
• Humans of Bombay: Humans of Bombay is a direct competitor producing human-interest and inspirational stories from India, monetizing through brand partnerships and content licensing. Its audience and storytelling format overlap significantly with The Better India's changemaker content.
• YourStory: YourStory is an Indian digital media platform covering startups, changemakers, and positive impact stories, sharing the same horizontal content-marketing and brand-campaign monetization model as The Better India. Both platforms compete for engaged urban Indian audiences and brand-campaign sponsorships.
• ScoopWhoop: ScoopWhoop is an Indian digital media and content platform producing shareable articles, videos, and brand campaigns. It competes with The Better India for digital advertising budgets and a similar young, English-speaking Indian online audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@TheBetterIndia
• Xx.com/thebetterindia
• Facebookfacebook.com/thebetterindia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Better India