WeddingWire, the leading global online marketplace connecting engaged couples with event professionals, announced today it has entered the next phase in its expansion into India by opening its country headquarters, located in Gurgaon. India's market, growing aggressively at 25 to 30 percent per year, is responsible for more than one quarter of all weddings per year globally, and is poised to be the youngest country in the world by 2020.
Founded in 2007 near Washington, D.C., USA, WeddingWire employs a global staff of more than 900 people across 15 countries. WeddingWire (weddingwire.in) launches with an initial focus on Delhi NCR and has aggressive plans to expand pan-India. As the established global leader in the wedding industry, WeddingWire will ignite the local market with its proven marketplace platform, suite of innovative mobile applications and desktop planning tools. Engaged couples in India and abroad will benefit from WeddingWire's industry expertise and extensive research in developing a robust hyper-local platform that caters across India's diverse cultures and customs. WeddingWire India will make it simple for brides, grooms, parents and family members to make well-informed wedding decisions which result in targeted, high-quality leads for wedding professionals.
"WeddingWire is thrilled to contribute to a market as exciting and robust as India," said Timothy Chi, CEO, WeddingWire. "We are committed to leveraging our company's strengths into new international arenas and we believe that India provides the quintessential opportunity to deliver innovative technology and transparent services to couples and creative professionals."
Mr. Ankur Sarawagi will serve as Country Manager, India, for WeddingWire. He is responsible for leading local operations, hiring for key positions, and will be working closely with WeddingWire's Co-Founder and CMO, Sonny Ganguly, to accelerate regional growth. Prior to joining WeddingWire, Mr. Sarawagi was the co-founder and co-Chief Business Officer at Nearbuy (formerly Groupon India), where he grew and scaled a team to more than 400 employees. He began his career as a consultant at Bain & Company in Delhi.
"WeddingWire is an innovative and trusted industry leader that has arrived in India at a time of incredible opportunity," said Ankur Sarawagi. "I admire the company's localized approach to the wedding market and the international expansion playbook they've refined over the past decade. I'm very excited to help lead WeddingWire's continued growth right here at home."
About WeddingWire, Inc. WeddingWire, Inc. is the leading global online marketplace connecting consumers with event and creative professionals. Operating within a $200 billion industry, WeddingWire, Inc. hosts 10 million monthly unique users across its mobile and web platforms. Consumers are able to read over 4 million vendor reviews and search, compare and book from a database of over 400,000 businesses. Globally, it provides these businesses the technology they need to serve their clients through advertising, marketing and business management tools. Founded in 2007, the WeddingWire portfolio of sites serves couples and businesses across 15 countries in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia, making it the worldwide leader in weddings with brands including WeddingWire.com, Bodas.net, Casamentos.com.br, Matrimonio.com and more. The company employs more than 850 and maintains global headquarters in Washington, DC, USA and international headquarters in Barcelona, Spain.
