Hike, which was valued at $1.4B in 2016 and has since pivoted from a messaging app to a real-money gaming app, shuts down following India's ban on such apps — Hike, once one of India's most valuable startups with unicorn status, has become the latest casualty of New Delhi's recent real-money gaming ban …, Hike, which was valued at $1.4B in 2016 and has since pivoted from a messaging app to a real-money gaming app, shuts down following India's ban on such apps Jagmeet Singh / TechCrunch: Hike, which was valued at $1.4B in 2016 and has since pivoted from a messaging app to a real-money gaming app, shuts down following India's ban on such apps — Hike, once one of India's most valuable startups , The numbers tell a fascinating story. 2012: Kavin Bharti Mittal launches Hike, positioning it as India's answer to WhatsApp 2016: Hike raises $175M from Tencent and Foxconn, reaching a, Messaging app Hike has raised $175 Million from firms including Tencent and Foxconn at a valuation of $1.4 Billion. Read on for more details., SAN FRANCISCO (Diya TV) — India’s answer to the popular messaging app WhatsApp, named Hike, today announced it has closed a $175 million funding round led by new investors Chinese internet giant Tencent and manufacturing firm Foxconn., .