Info Edge founder Sanjeev Bikhchandani, in a post on X, revealed how India’s compliance maze quietly shapes startup behavior. “If you are broke and are starting out in Q4, you do the work but incorporate on April 1,” he wrote, framing it as life advice from “Swami Complianceananda.”
The goal? Delay income tax filings and audit fees by an entire year — a small hack in a system where every rupee matters. It’s a move as old as the uncertain birthdates many Indians grew up with, and as relevant today as it was when Naukri.com quietly came online just weeks before April 1, 1997, he wrote.
Bikhchandani’s post wasn’t just about paperwork hacks. It was also a walk down memory lane—and a tribute to the curious coincidence of April 1 being launch day for some of India’s most enduring tech companies.
“Naukri was launched on April 1, 1997,” he wrote. “Indiamart was launched a year earlier on April 1, 1996 and Makemytrip three years later on April 1, 2000 if I remember correctly. It is Makemytrip’s twenty fifth anniversary – congratulations [sic].”
He added, “It’s like in the old days you didn’t know your actual date of birth. You took the date of birth as what your father told the school when he admitted you. My father’s official date of birth was May 2, 1926. However he estimated his actual date of birth would have been 18 months earlier.”
The post sparked a wave of reactions from startup watchers and internet veterans alike.
“All 3 category creators and survived for over 2 decades and thriving is a rare feat in itself [sic],” one user noted.
Another quipped, “April 1 should be made National Startup Day in that case. Interesting fact [sic].”
Others celebrated the companies’ long-standing impact: “Congrats Naukri, Makemytrip and IndiaMart has come long way making a mark in India’s Internet Industry [sic].”
“Survival rate of online companies launched on 1st April is very high [sic],” added another.
Bikhchandani himself drew admiration too. “You are a johari master on picking up gems,” one user said, referencing his early bets on Zomato, Makemytrip and Policybazaar. “Master of creating tech companies… how did you do that consistently would be good to know that, . Cheers & many more come [sic].”
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