Reach the NRIs who are actually moving back.
backtoindia is the planning home for high-intent returnees - already deep into schools, housing, banking and tax decisions. We let a small set of category-leading brands meet them there.
Up to 3 vetted partners per category - or one Exclusive Partner. Not every brand is a fit, and that's the point.
Partnered with
By the numbers
Small audience. Concentrated intent.
We don't compete on reach. We compete on the fact that the people on this platform are deciding things your category sells - this quarter.
Updated quarterly · last refresh this quarter
Why this audience
A small audience that's worth more than a big one.
Decision-stage, not awareness
Tickets booked. City picked. School admissions, leases, banking, shipping - all live decisions.
A narrow, expensive window
Most returnees move in 6–18 months - then they're done. Catching them here beats a year of cold retargeting.
Trust flows through the community
Returnees ask other returnees before they ask Google. Be the verified brand inside that conversation.
The demand is already there
Every day, returnees ask for the exact brands you sell.
These are real asks from the R2I groups. Right now, those questions get answered by chance. As a partner, you're the answer - under your verified brand badge.
"Need a CPA who actually does US-India returns - anyone?"
- community post · this week
"Looking at ICSE vs IB in Bangalore - recommendations?"
- community post · this week
"Best NRE/NRO setup before landing? Don't want to deal with branches."
- community post · this week
What you get
Native placements. Real surface area.
Your brand sits inside the planning tool returnees use every week - on the exact task page where your category is being decided.
Inline with the user's plan. Above the fold.
Your card lives inside the actual task the returnee is working through - not buried in a banner, popup, or sidebar they'll never see.
- Decision-moment contextShows on the exact task your category serves - e.g. a US-India tax advisor on the tax planning step.
- Above the fold, nativeSits inline with the user's plan on mobile. No interruption, no ad-blocker-bait.
- One-click intentA single Start CTA opens your booking flow, deep-link, or landing page.
Inside the partner portal
You log in. The community is already asking.
Partners get a dedicated portal where the questions returnees ask in the app are routed to your team. You answer once - that answer lives in the community forever as a verified, branded response.
What they're asking, today
Real questions from the community.
Verbatim from our WhatsApp, Facebook and Telegram groups. Names shortened, the rest is exactly how it came in. This is the demand your category placement sits next to.
Moving back in Aug. Have RSUs vesting both sides of the move. Anyone got a CPA who actually handles US-India dual filing? Most folks here only do one side.
Daughter is in Y6 IB right now. Looking at IB continuum schools in HYD. Oakridge vs Glendale vs CHIREC - anyone with kids actually enrolled? Admission timelines?
Closing my Singapore accounts in 3 months. Which Indian bank actually has a usable NRE app and a real RM, not a call centre? HDFC vs ICICI vs Kotak - real experiences please.
Want to keep investing in US ETFs after moving back. GIFT City route vs LRS - someone please explain in plain English. Also any advisor who genuinely understands both sides?
3-bedroom worth of stuff + 1 car. Got 4 quotes ranging from $6k to $19k for door-to-door. How do I tell who's actually going to show up vs vanish at customs?
Husband has a heart condition, on meds. We need a primary doctor in BLR who actually replies on WhatsApp and a hospital with proper executive health checks. Recos?
Renting first 6 months in BKC / Powai before buying. Which broker doesn't waste your time? Last time we landed I saw 12 flats and 11 were nothing like the listing.
If I land in India mid-November, am I a tax resident this FY or next? Need a CPA call before I sell some long-term holdings. Calendar this week?
Live availability
Where the seats are open this quarter.
Up to 3 partners per category. "Taken" means an Exclusive Partner has locked the category - when that happens, you join the waitlist for the next slot.
How it works
From application to live, under two weeks.
Form, WhatsApp, or email. 25-min call to test fit.
Brand profile, targeting, placements, team seats. Live in a week.
Placements appear in matched returnees' plans. Your team replies in the portal.
Monthly report: impressions, clicks, bookings. Renew quarterly - or don't.
Brand assets, targeting, UTMs, booking embed wired up.
Placements live. Your inbox starts moving.
Bookings, calls, CRM events tagged back to source.
Full report. Renew, expand cities, or exit clean.
The math
Compare it to whatever you're spending now.
Quick napkin: at the Anchor tier you'll typically see an effective CPM of ₹400–700 per 1,000 in-context impressions of a planning-stage returnee in your category. Plug your blended Meta NRI CPM next to that - and remember ours also comes with replies, a verified badge, and a permanent answer in-app.
Pricing
Ranges, not riddles.
Quarterly fee. No auction, no annual lock-in. The final number depends on category demand and cities - but you'll know within the range before the call ends.
First test of the channel · 1 city, 1 placement
- 1 city · 1 task-page placement
- Shared category - up to 3 partners
- Verified partner badge
- Brand inbox · 2 seats
- Monthly impressions + clicks report
Scaling a working channel · 3 cities, full category presence
- Up to 3 cities · all task pages in your category
- Shared category - up to 3 partners
- Brand inbox · 5 seats · 48-hr reply SLA
- Booking embed (Calendly / Cal.com) inside placement
- Monthly report + raw event CSV
Owning the category nationally · first-look on every renewal
- All eligible cities
- Hero placement on dashboard for matched users
- Quarterly co-marketing slot (webinar or guide)
- Right of first refusal on renewals
- Custom attribution: UTM, phone routing, CRM webhook
- Upgrade to Exclusive Partner (sole brand in category) on request
One-quarter pilot available on every tier. Exit at the end of any quarter, no questions.
Measurement & trust
You'll know what you bought. Down to the booking.
Every impression and click tagged with your source / medium / campaign. Drops cleanly into GA4, Mixpanel, your CRM.
Calendly, Cal.com, HubSpot Meetings - book a call without leaving the planning step. End-to-end attribution.
We hand out a tracking number per city or per task. You get the recording, the source, and the lead.
Impressions, clicks, replies, bookings - by category and city. Raw event log on request.
One partner per category. No banner takeovers, no programmatic. You're never sitting next to a competitor - or worse.
We never sell, share, or hand over PII. Leads come to you only when the user opts in by clicking, replying, or booking.
Fit
Who this is for - and who it isn't.
- Relocation & shipping companies
- Banks, NRE/NRO & wealth managers
- International & boarding schools
- Real estate in BLR, HYD, PNQ, MAA, MUM, NCR
- Cross-border tax & CA firms
- Healthcare networks for executives
- Career & exec-search firms
- Commodity ads, affiliate networks, MLM
- Anything not directly built for returnees
- Brands not ready to staff the partner inbox
- More than one partner per category, per city, per quarter
If your product makes a returnee's move materially easier in the first 12 months, you're a fit. If it's a generic ad spot, it isn't.
Up to 3 brands per category. Or one Exclusive Partner.
We cap each category at three vetted partners - never an open auction. If you want the category to yourself, the Exclusive Partner slot locks out the other two seats for the duration of the engagement. That's how the badge stays meaningful and your placement keeps converting.
Who's on the other side
You're talking to the founder. Not a sales team.
MK built backtoindia after his own move back from the US. Every partner is personally interviewed by him - because one mismatched brand erodes trust for every other partner on the platform.
On the call you'll get a straight read: whether you're a fit, where your category sits, and what a realistic quarter looks like. If it's not a fit, he'll say so - and often point you to who is.
FAQ
Questions founders usually ask.
How much does it cost?+
Monthly or quarterly. Pilot ₹1L/mo (or ₹3L/qtr), Anchor ₹2L/mo (or ₹5L/qtr), Category Lead ₹3L/mo (or ₹6L/qtr). Exclusive Partner - the option to be the only brand in your category - is priced separately on the call.
How many brands share a category?+
Up to 3 vetted partners per category. If you want the category to yourself, upgrade to Exclusive Partner - it locks out the other two seats for the duration of your engagement.
How is success measured?+
Impressions, clicks, replies, and bookings - per category and city - delivered monthly. Optional Calendly/Cal.com embed and call-tracking numbers give you end-to-end attribution to revenue.
Do you share user data?+
No. We never sell, share, or hand over PII. Leads only reach you when the user opts in - by clicking, replying, or booking through your placement.
Can we run a one-month or one-quarter pilot?+
Yes. Both cadences are short commitments. Exit at the end of any month or quarter, no questions.
What's brand safety like?+
Capped at 3 partners per category. No programmatic, no banner takeovers, no surprise competitor adjacency. Exclusive Partner removes even those two neighbours.
How fast do you turn down brands?+
Inside one working day after the call. If we're not a fit, MK says so directly - and usually recommends who is.
Do we control our messaging?+
Yes - tagline, CTA, brand assets are yours. We only push back if something doesn't serve returnees.
What if our category gets crowded later?+
The 3-partner cap holds. Incumbents get first right of renewal, and we'll tell you before any new partner joins your category and city.
Why an application?+
Because seats are limited. A misfit costs every other partner - and the community.
Apply
Tell us about your brand. We'll tell you if it's a fit.
A short form is enough. Mention your category, the cities you serve, and what a great returnee customer looks like for you.
MK personally replies within one working day.