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In early 2022, Pratik Ghela, who has substantial experience in web technologies and data management, delved into the domain of data collection tools. 

During his exploration, he identified significant gaps in the tools available in the market: privacy concerns and lack of data security for users and lack of options for complex data collection needs.  

While stringent compliances (such as SOC 2, ISO, and HIPAA) were reserved for enterprise clients, regular users had to expose themselves to data theft and privacy concerns. Existing tools, Ghela felt, were also too basic and could not handle complex data collection needs. 

“Existing form builders were too simplistic, lacking the flexibility to handle complex data collection needs. Companies had to resort to custom development for features like mobile number or email address verification—a cumbersome and recurring process,” Ghela tells YourStory.

These deficiencies in the market led Ghela to conceptualise a secure and customisable form builder, thus leading to the birth of MakeForms.io in March 2022. 

MakeForms is a SaaS (software-as-a-service) tool to build custom forms such as contact forms, feedback forms, surveys, job application forms, and quizzes for websites. It promises to prioritise security and compliance in data collection and storage.  

Ghela, a web developer, began his professional journey at the age of 18, which includes entrepreneurial stints. He has launched two products–MakeStories, a web story builder tool, and MakeForms. The products together cater to 1.5 lakh users globally, including the markets of India, the United States, and Brazil. 

A secure unified data solution

MakeForms is a B2B and B2C online form builder that offers tools to create forms and surveys for various purposes, including customer and employee feedback, and registration forms. It can be used by enterprises for large projects and individuals for small-scale projects. 

Its features include advanced form formats, conditional logic and workflows, custom branding, embedding and sharing, analytics, user-friendly domain mapping, and email-filing options. 

The form builder also allows team collaborations, wherein many members can work on the same form simultaneously, and customisable settings, such as one-question-at-a-time, comprehensive all-at-once, and step forms. 

The advanced form formats allow users to choose the style that best suits their requirements, while the analytics feature allows users to track form performance, understand responders’ user behaviour, and derive insights from collected data. 

Users can embed forms into their websites or share them through various other channels, providing flexibility in form distribution and access, says Ghela. 

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MakeForms Website

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MakeForms prioritises data security and compliance for all users, adhering to standards such as SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and GDPR. The platform also ensures the security of sensitive data through features such as data encryption, password protection, captcha, and IP blocking.

It provides enterprise accounts with 128-bit data encryption, storing data on a cloud-based server, and ensuring it is not shared with third-party services.

The company employs a hybrid cloud infrastructure for enhanced security and data protection, performance optimisation, workload distribution, and mitigating potential data handling and storage risks.

“We have designed it to be a one-stop solution for basic to advanced data collection, with an emphasis on data security and privacy standards,” emphasises Ghela. 

Business model

MakeForms operates on a SaaS-based billing business model, and users subscribe to different pricing tiers based on their specific needs. 

“The tiered pricing model is designed to cater to a diverse user base, from individual users with basic requirements to larger enterprises with more extensive data collection needs,” Ghela explains.

Pricing ranges from $29 to $149. The enterprise plan is customised as per needs. 

Market play and growth 

According to Verified Market Research, the global online form builder software market, valued at $3,650.9 million in 2021, is projected to reach $9,163.7 million by 2030, with a CAGR of 11.18% from 2023 to 2030.

MakeForms competes with players such as Spain-based Typeform, Google Forms, and San Francisco-based Jotform. 

On what sets MakeForms apart from other online form builders, Ghela says MakeForms seamlessly integrates into digital environments, prioritises data security and privacy, and offers innovative features like ‘Fill within Email’.

Ghela has invested around $200,000 from personal savings in the development of MakeForms.

MakeForms has recorded $90K in revenue and has more than 7000 registered users in India, United States, and Canada. Its enterprise clients include Vedantu, Tata Motors, Folha, Hollywood Life, America’s Test Kitchen, L’Oreal, Dunkin Donuts, The dodo, Reckitt, Thrillist, Toppr, Softonic, BMW, and ELLE. It aims to reach $1 million in revenue by the end of FY24.

The startup plans to focus on product development, market expansion, strategic partnerships, and investments in security and compliance in the next two years. It is integrating a CRM system for enhanced sales and marketing. 

The company is expanding in the North American market and is looking to hire a team with diverse skill sets. 

MakeForms was part of TechSparks 2023, YourStory’s flagship tech startup event held recently in Bengaluru, and made it to YourStory’s Tech30 list, as one of the 30 most promising Indian startups of 2023.