The advent of low-cost Android smartphones and the world's cheapest mobile data has paved the way for millions of social media influencers in India to amass a following of tens of millions of users in recent years.
These influencers, also known as creators, share their daily vlogs, thoughts on a wide range of issues, and some interact with big brands to help sell their products to a niche and loyal audience. The e-commerce giant Flipkart and dozens of other companies today work with these influencers.
But India's ban on TikTok, the Chinese short video app that reached more than 200 million users in the country, in late June brought to light some of the biggest problems these creators face today: they rely too much on a handful of platforms and their work. the structure is not well organized.
A new startup believes it has built the platform to help creators take more control over their work. And a number of high-profile entrepreneurs agree.
On Friday, Madhavan Malolan announced CreatorOS, a platform that allows creators to create, manage and grow their businesses. About 1,000 creators, including a number of short film directors, teachers and consultants, have already joined the platform, said Madhavan, who co-founded the startup, formerly known as Socionity, in January of this year. Prior to CreatorOS, he worked for several companies, including Microsoft.
"We believe these creators will become entrepreneurs in the next decade. So we're creating the tools, connections and infrastructure they'll need to run their digital businesses. Currently, there's a lot of splashing and praying from the creator. They're producing videos in the hope they go viral so more people in the industry find them out, "Madhavan said in an interview with ProWellTech.
The selection tool on CreatorOS today is an app builder that allows creators to build their own apps, push and sell their content, and create their own communities. Madhavan said CreatorOS has excessively reduced the effort required to create a drag and drop app.
The startup claimed today that it has also raised $ 500,000 from a number of high-profile names. Some of the angel investors include Phanindra Sama (founder and former CEO of the online ticket booking platform RedBus.in), Gaurav Munjal (co-founder and CEO of the online learning platform Unacademy), Kalyan Krishnamurthy (CEO of Flipkart Group), Sujeet Kumar (co-founder of the business-to-business market Udaan), Vidit Aatrey (co-founder and CEO of the social e-commerce Meesho), Vivekananda Hallekere (co-founder and CEO of the mobility company Bounce) and Alvin Tse (GM of Xiaomi Indonesia).
Madhavan said the trust so many established entrepreneurs have shown in CreatorOS convinced him that he didn't need to interact with VC companies yet and instead focused his entire attention on serving the creators. TikTok ban said and the way so many startups are trying to scale their short video apps has created an immense opportunity for CreatorOS.
The startup expects to have more than 5,000 creators on its platform by the end of the year. He is working with creators to understand and build more features that could benefit them, Madhavan said.
