Electronics and IT minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw recently said that India must transition beyond being only a services nation to a product nation in both software and hardware. He made this observation at the ministry’s Chips2Startups awards ceremony, where Zoho’s Ulaa browser won first prize in the Indian Web Browser Development Challenge. Known for its strong security and privacy features, Ulaa was launched in 2023 after a decade of research and development. Unlike many browsers, it blocks tracking, supports multiple platforms, and prioritises user privacy. Sudipta Deb, product manager of Ulaa, in an interview with Padmini Dhruvaraj, shares insights into the browser’s unique approach, business model, and future plans. Excerpts:
Q. What differentiates Ulaa from other web browsers?
A. Ulaa stands out by striking the right balance between privacy and usability. Some browsers focus on extreme anonymity, which can lead to poor user experience. We ensure that privacy features do not hinder convenience. Ulaa also offers productivity-enhancing features such as built-in annotators, a distraction-free reading mode, and multiple browsing modes, options that are not commonly available in other browsers. While some browsers allow multiple profiles on desktops, Ulaa extends this feature to mobile devices, enabling users to switch between personal and work browsing effortlessly. As an Indian browser, Ulaa adheres to strict data sovereignty principles. When an Indian user installs Ulaa, all browser interactions comply with data minimisation policies, ensuring that only essential data is collected. Moreover, any data collected remains within India, as our data centres are located within the country. This ensures that everything, from browser downloads and updates to synchronisation, is managed securely on Indian servers.
Q. Unlike major browsers like Google Chrome, which rely heavily on advertising, what is Ulaa’s business model?
A. Ulaa operates on a completely different business model. Our primary goal is to provide a browser focused on privacy, and we have no intention of entering the ad business. Monetising a browser is a challenge for many players, and even those that started with a privacy-first approach have eventually shifted toward advertising. However, Zoho has a clear stance against ad-based revenue. Our monetisation strategy revolves around offering premium security and control features for enterprises. Ulaa Enterprise is a separate product built on Ulaa’s infrastructure, allowing organisations to manage employee browsing activities, restrict access to unsafe websites, block extensions, and implement data loss prevention (DLP) policies.
Q. How do you plan to attract and retain users in a competitive market dominated by well-funded rivals?
A. Ulaa was officially released to the public in 2023, but it had already been in use internally at Zoho for years. From 2021 to May 2023, it was available in a limited release before going public. Our strategy focuses on sustainable, organic growth rather than aggressive advertising. While many competitors rely on paid promotions, our approach prioritises delivering a high-quality product and marketing its real benefits to users. Though this may result in slower growth compared to ad-driven strategies, we believe in long-term, steady expansion rather than rapid but unsustainable spikes in adoption.
Q. What is the underlying technology stack for Ulaa? What is it built on?
A Ulaa is built on the Chromium engine, similar to popular browsers like Chrome. However, our approach differs in that we integrate additional privacy and security layers. We also use several open-source technologies, all of which are credited on our browser’s credits page. The rest of our technology stack is proprietary and developed in-house, ensuring complete control over security and performance.