A Small-Town Dreamer Who Redefined Communication
In the peaceful tea-scented air of Dibrugarh, Assam, a teenager named Kishan Bagaria sat at his desk, teaching himself to code. He didn’t have access to a fancy startup accelerator, Silicon Valley mentors, or a college degree in computer science. What he did have was curiosity, patience, and a laptop that became his window to the world.
Fast-forward a few years, and that same kid built Texts.com, an app that changed how millions manage their digital communication. It unified all your messaging platforms — WhatsApp, Instagram, Signal, Telegram, Twitter DMs, and more — into one sleek, privacy-first hub. What started in a small town in Assam ended up being acquired by Automattic, the parent company of WordPress, for $50 million (₹416 crore).
That’s right — one self-taught Indian coder built something the world’s biggest tech firms took notice of.
How It All Started: A Problem Everyone Ignored
By 2020, most of us were drowning in notifications — switching between five different apps just to stay connected. Conversations were scattered, attention spans were broken, and privacy was practically non-existent.
Kishan spotted this everyday frustration and decided to fix it. He started building Texts.com, an all-in-one messaging app that allowed users to access every chat in one dashboard.
Here’s what made Texts.com revolutionary:
- Unified Messaging: It combined platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram, Twitter, and Slack into a single interface.
- Privacy-First Design: Unlike most apps, Texts.com stored all your messages locally on your device — meaning your data was yours and yours alone.
- Productivity Tools: It allowed users to mark messages unread, schedule replies, search across chats, and even summarize conversations using AI.
- No Ads, No Distractions: Kishan built Texts.com with a clean interface and a subscription-based model — around $15/month — instead of selling user data.
In a world addicted to clutter, Kishan built calm.
The Rise of Texts.com: From Side Project to Silicon Valley Sensation
Without a single investor, entirely bootstrapped or team, Kishan launched Texts.com independently in 2021. The app quickly caught fire in tech communities on Twitter, Reddit, and Hacker News, where people praised it for its simplicity and privacy features.
Here’s where things got interesting:
- Within months of its release, Texts.com had thousands of paid users and a growing global waitlist.
- The product drew attention from tech journalists, creators, and developers worldwide.
- The revenue model was lean but profitable, with recurring subscriptions sustaining its growth.
Kishan wasn’t chasing venture capital — he was focused on building a solid product. That single-minded discipline paid off when Automattic came knocking in 2023.
The $50 Million Acquisition That Shocked the Tech World
In late 2023, Automattic, the billion-dollar company behind WordPress, Tumblr, and WooCommerce, officially acquired Texts.com for $50 million (₹416 crore).
Automattic’s CEO, Matt Mullenweg, called Kishan “a generational product builder.” The acquisition wasn’t just about buying software — it was about investing in Kishan’s vision of open, private, and efficient communication.
Today, Kishan leads Texts.co from San Francisco, still working under Automattic to scale the platform and expand its integrations. From a small-town coder in Assam to a leader in Silicon Valley, his journey has become one of India’s most inspiring startup stories.
Kishan’s estimated personal profit from the acquisition is reported to be in the tens of millions of dollars, but he remains known for his modest lifestyle and strong focus on engineering over fame.
Lessons from Kishan’s Journey
His story offers timeless lessons for aspiring founders and tech enthusiasts:
- Solve real problems. Great startups don’t start from investor pitches; they start from frustration and curiosity.
- Privacy is the future. Users will increasingly choose apps that respect their data and attention.
- You don’t need a big city or a big team. Kishan built a $50 million startup from a small town in Assam — proof that geography means nothing in the digital age.
- Execution beats funding. Focused effort and consistent improvement can outshine even the most well-funded competition.
- Stay independent-minded. Kishan turned down funding offers and built at his own pace — a rare kind of patience that paid off.
A Legacy Built on Code and Courage
Kishan Bagaria’s story is proof that innovation doesn’t care about where you come from — it only cares about how hard you’re willing to build. From the banks of the Brahmaputra to the boardrooms of San Francisco, he’s shown that passion, focus, and persistence can rewrite destiny.
In a startup world obsessed with funding rounds and hype, he stands as a reminder that simplicity and authenticity still win.
About Marketing Mirrors
At Marketing Mirrors, we spotlight real stories of entrepreneurs who dared to dream differently. From small-town innovators to global disruptors, we explore the journey behind every milestone — the grit, the strategy, and the unfiltered truth of what it takes to succeed.
