Mygate founder Abhishek Kumar's journey in building a home security app

Gated communities are more than just secure homes—they’re evolving into thriving micro-economies. MyGate, a name synonymous with security and seamless community living, has been at the forefront of this transformation.

What started as a visitor management solution has grown into an operating system for gated communities, integrating security, payments, commerce, and home automation. In a recent Prime Venture Partners podcast, Abhishek Kumar, CEO of MyGate, shared insights on scaling a tech-driven community platform, overcoming trust barriers, and the company’s exciting next phase.

As one of MyGate’s earliest investors, Prime Venture Partners has been deeply involved in the company’s journey—from the initial idea to its current status as a category leader today. 

The Genesis: A Simple Yet Powerful Idea

MyGate was born out of a simple but deeply observed problem—how visitors, security guards, and residents interacted. The founding team—Vijay Arisetty, Abhishek Kumar, and Shreyans Daga—noticed a fundamental gap:

“Gated communities were becoming a theater of commerce, and security guards were managing a mini economy,” Abhishek recalled.

With Amazon, Flipkart, and BigBasket deliveries skyrocketing, security processes were breaking down. The solution? A tech-driven interface that seamlessly connected residents, security guards, and external visitors—giving residents more control while ensuring efficiency at the gate.

When MyGate was still in its early days, Prime Venture Partners recognised its potential. The Prime team, led by Sanjay Swamy, personally experienced the product in their own gated communities, which led to early conversations with the founders.

"One of MyGate’s first 20 communities was at my Partner Amit Somani’s, and another was at Shripathi's," Sanjay recalled. "How Mygate Founders worked as guards to understand the problem and that’s when we knew something special was happening." 

“Prime believed in us from day one, backing us at every stage of our journey,” Abhishek acknowledged. "Their continual support  helped us shape MyGate into what it is today."

This insight became the foundation of MyGate in 2016, and since then, the company has expanded to over 25,000 communities across India.

Breaking Barriers: How MyGate scaled adoption

Convincing Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) and security personnel to embrace a digital system wasn’t easy. The team knew that the real gatekeepers were the security guards.

“The weakest and the strongest link was the security guard. If they couldn’t adopt it, the product would fail,” Abhishek emphasised.

To ensure success, MyGate’s team worked as security guards for a month, studying their daily routines and pain points. This led to an intuitive, dial-based interface that mimicked their existing habits, making the transition seamless.

Their hyperlocal approach helped build trust, and word-of-mouth from early adopters fueled rapid expansion. Today, MyGate is a default choice for gated communities.

Monetisation and the road to profitability 

For the first few years, MyGate focused on adoption, but monetisation remained a challenge. The company moved through three key phases:

1. 2017-2019: Finding product-market fit, expanding across cities.
2. 2019-2021: Blitz-scaling, growing from 4,000 to 25,000 communities, but with near-zero revenue.
3. 2022-present: Monetization and profitability, proving long-term sustainability.

MyGate’s monetisation strategy evolved into a hybrid model, balancing affordability for RWAs with multiple revenue levers:

• SaaS-based subscriptions for communities opting for an ad-free experience.
• Advertising partnerships with brands, generating revenue while keeping the service free for most RWAs.
• Revenue-sharing with communities, turning MyGate into a profit center rather than a cost center for RWAs.
• Payments ecosystem: Processing ₹9,000 crore worth of invoices annually via the MyGate app.
• Strategic investments from players like Acko & Urban Company, unlocking new verticals.

By 2024, MyGate has become a cash-flow positive business, achieving its first profitable year while maintaining a growth rate of 50-60% YoY.

“This year will be MyGate’s first profitable year. We are running a sustainable, financially disciplined business,” Abhishek shared.

From gated communities to smart homes

While MyGate dominates gated community management, the next frontier is smart home solutions. The company recently launched MyGate Smart Locks, extending its expertise from community gates to individual home doors.

“We love solving problems at the intersection of security and convenience,” Abhishek explained. “If security increases, convenience drops—and vice versa. Our mission is to elevate both.”

Following a successful launch, MyGate Smart Locks became an Amazon Choice product within six weeks, setting the stage for a suite of new smart home solutions in 2024.

Building a legacy

Beyond product innovation, MyGate has cultivated a strong internal culture, rooted in ownership and accountability. Abhishek’s golden rules on building a great culture are:

• No hierarchy: The word "employee" is banned at MyGate - everyone is seen as a stakeholder in the company’s success.
• Promotion based on performance, not tenure
• Customer obsession: The company takes a “trust but verify” approach, ensuring leaders dive deep into customer issues.

“I will be very disappointed if we have to hire senior leaders externally,” Abhishek remarked, emphasising internal growth.

What’s Next?

“Every stage of our journey has shaped where we are today. The next few years will be about scaling profitably, sustaining 50-60% growth, and building a legacy,” Abhishek concluded.

What began as a simple security solution has evolved into a transformative community platform, redefining how urban India lives, secures, and connects.

As MyGate enters its next phase, its mission remains clear: to make community living smarter, safer, and more seamless than ever before.

Timestamps:

0:00 - Introduction

1:44 - Abhishek’s Background and Early Days of Mygate

3:54 - The Birth of Mygate

5:22 - Understanding the Problem in Gated Communities

7:15 - Shadowing Security Guards to Build Mygate

11:37 - The Three Phases of Mygate’s Growth

15:13 - Addressing Data Privacy and Security

19:50 - Monetization and Hybrid Business Model

23:28 - Strategic Partnerships with Urban Company and Acko

27:06 - Scaling Payments and New Initiatives

33:14 - The Launch of Mygate Smart Lock

37:15 - Leadership Transition and Company Culture

42:27 - Mygate’s Work Culture and Values

48:26 - What’s Next for Mygate