LIVSTO: Bridging Trust Gaps in Social Commerce, One Live Stream at a Time

In the crowded lanes of India’s digital bazaars, where WhatsApp groups and Instagram pages double as storefronts, a silent struggle plays out. Small sellers hustle to convince hesitant buyers. “Why should we trust you?” is the question they hear most often. For one determined entrepreneur, that recurring doubt sparked a movement—and LIVSTO was born.

From Side Hustles to Startup Vision

Before founding LIVSTO, its solo founder spent nearly a decade navigating the world of informal e-commerce. Through her clothing brand, Secret Attire®, she sold products directly via WhatsApp and Instagram, building relationships one message at a time. Alongside this, she ran a digital marketing setup called WSbulk, providing tools such as WhatsApp marketing software and CRM systems to B2B clients. These two parallel tracks gave her a rare, comprehensive view of both the chaos and the potential in India’s social commerce space.

Despite offering great products, she faced numerous hurdles, including repeated buyer scepticism, failed influencer collaborations, and the devastating loss of multiple social media pages due to platform issues. Each setback underscored a deeper market truth—without credibility and consistency, even the most enterprising sellers struggle to convert interest into income.

The LIVSTO Solution

Launched as a live-streaming commerce platform, LIVSTO aims to organise and professionalise the informal selling ecosystem. Sellers can go live, interact with buyers in real-time, demonstrate product authenticity, and close sales, all within a structured, intuitive interface.

What sets LIVSTO apart is its dedicated 3-app ecosystem tailored for sellers, influencers, and buyers. It's not just a marketplace; it's a community-building tool designed for women entrepreneurs in small towns who often lack access to high-end tools or technical expertise.

Team, Structure, and Ethos

LIVSTO runs with a lean but impactful team: a web developer, a legal and compliance officer, product and marketing interns, and a seller onboarding coordinator. The founder leads every vertical, from vision to partnerships, ensuring alignment with LIVSTO’s mission: to empower.

When hiring, the focus isn’t just on skill sets but on mindset. The founder looks for team members who operate with a sense of ownership, aligning passion with purpose.

Institutional Support and Early Traction

Supported by respected incubation programs such as NSRCEL (IIM Bangalore), CIIF (Chitkara University), AIC-GGSIPU, and IGDTUW Anveshan Foundation, LIVSTO has received valuable mentorship, structured feedback, and strategic guidance that have shaped its direction. To date, the platform has onboarded 10 influencers and 5 sellers, conducted five successful live sessions with an average of over 250 viewers each, generated more than 400 WhatsApp inquiries, and completed 40 orders, resulting in total sales of ₹50,000 and an average order value of ₹1,000.

Revenue Model and Scalability

LIVSTO currently operates on two primary revenue streams:

1. Direct Selling/Dropshipping: Products are sourced from manufacturers and sold with a 20-30% profit margin.
2. Commission-Based Sales: Sellers use the platform and pay an 8-10% commission on each successful sale.

As the user base grows, the platform plans to introduce premium listing fees, subscription models, and sponsored brand campaigns. Fashion, being an evergreen and engagement-driven category, aligns naturally with the live commerce format, enhancing LIVSTO's scalability and long-term growth potential.

Market Opportunity and Positioning

Targeting women-led small businesses from Tier 2/3 cities, LIVSTO taps into a market brimming with untapped energy and digital aspiration. With India’s live commerce sector projected to hit $5 billion by 2027, and over 20 million micro-entrepreneurs ready to digitise, LIVSTO is well-positioned to lead.

Its buyer base—price-sensitive, trend-aware shoppers—values trust and transparency, both of which are built seamlessly into LIVSTO’s live-stream model.

Founder's Grit and Learning Curve

Behind LIVSTO lies a story of grit. From losing intellectual property to being blackmailed by a tech agency after paying ₹1.77 lakh without a contract, the founder learned the hard way. Add to that the emotional toll of societal expectations, like waiting for marriage to pursue a career, and her resilience becomes even more striking.

She bootstrapped the venture using personal loans and even her gold. What emerged wasn’t just a startup, but a testament to what self-belief and persistence can build.

For aspiring founders, the message is clear: start smart, protect your IP, and build a network. Most importantly, don’t wait for permission; start on your own terms.

"The right time never comes unless you create it." That’s the belief that powers LIVSTO. And it’s turning belief into business.

Future Roadmap

Onboard 1,000+ women sellers, 200,000+ app downloads in 6 months, scale influencer partnerships & empower 500 new women sellers. Long-term: Lead live commerce for women entrepreneurs, expand globally, & offer advanced tools for user success, nurturing a community of confident women entrepreneurs