Hike Messenger has begun laying off 20-25% of its workforce, with a significant portion of the affected employees coming from its two acquisitions — hardware maker Creo and social networking venture InstaLively — that it announced last year.

According to a source with knowledge of the matter, the total number of retrenchments could range between 50 and 75 employees across locations.

Hike Messenger spokesperson confirmed the layoffs but did not comment on the numbers. “We made a few acquisitions last year that skyrocketed the team size, mostly in Bengaluru. We’re integrating and streamlining these teams."

The layoffs are expected to be across functions, including human resources, accounting and finance, among others.

Employees, according to the source cited above, are being provided with a severance package, starting with two months salary and upwards.

Prior to that, in February 2017, it acquired social networking app Pulse, which was owned and operated by InstaLively, also for an undisclosed sum.

According to a source with knowledge of the matter, the total number of retrenchments could range between 50 and 75 employees across locations

The latest developments come about five months after the Delhi-based company, founded by Bharti Airtel scion Kavin Mittal, unveiled a brand new mobile operating system, Total, that offer services, such as, messaging and recharging without using data, targeting the lower end of smartphone users to take on leader WhatsApp in a better way.

In 2016, Hike Messenger became the fastest and the youngest startup in Indian to be bestowed the Unicorn status, after it closed $175 million in funding led by Tencent and Foxconn, and which valued the-then four-year-old company at $1.4 billion.