ITV

Tag: CarDekho

  • Ritesh Gupta takes charge of ad sales at OLX India

    Ritesh Gupta takes charge of ad sales at OLX India

    MUMBAI: After nearly two decades of steering digital revenue growth across India’s top media and auto-tech brands, Ritesh Gupta has taken on a new challenge as head of ad sales (direct) and partnerships at OLX India.

    At CarDekho, where he spent over seven years, Gupta was instrumental in scaling the new auto business to contribute over 20 per cent of company revenue. He also built strong alliances with top automotive brands such as Toyota, Hero, Hyundai, TVS, Honda Cars, and Ather, while spearheading digital innovations like AI voice bots, AR/VR tools, and chatbots to enhance engagement.

    His diverse career spans leadership roles at The Indian Express, ABP Group, Connecting Dots Asia, Hindustan Times, Nielsen Digital, Business Standard, and The Times of India, where he honed his expertise in digital transformation, strategic partnerships, and sales excellence.

    In his new role at OLX India, Gupta will focus on strengthening the company’s advertising ecosystem through direct brand collaborations, strategic alliances, and innovative monetisation models.

    With his rich cross-industry experience and a flair for innovation, Gupta’s appointment marks a strong step forward in OLX India’s mission to accelerate growth in the evolving ad and partnerships landscape.

     

  • KlugKlug clicks with new funding as it eyes 10x growth and global reach

    KlugKlug clicks with new funding as it eyes 10x growth and global reach

    MUMBAI: From Klueless to Klug influencer intelligence just got sharper. Klugklug, the influencer marketing SaaS platform that’s already making noise across boardrooms and brand plans, has secured a fresh round of undisclosed funding. But this wasn’t just another cheque drop. The backers, a powerful mix of unicorn founders, ex-CXOs, ex-CMOs, and leading angel investors are joining not just as financiers but as co-pilots in Klugklug’s turbocharged growth ride.

    The Delhi-headquartered startup is aiming to scale its operations by 10x over the next two years, with much of the acceleration already kicking in during the first quarter of 2025. Its expansion roadmap now includes India, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), as it sets sail into newer markets with a strong tailwind.

    As part of its scale-up playbook, Klugklug has added some heavyweight marketing minds to its advisory panel: Lloyd Mathias (ex-HP, Pepsico), Amit Jain (Cardekho), Gaurav Agarwal (Tata 1Mg), and Indranil Chakraborty (Storyworks).

    The influencer game is no longer a gut-feel gamble.
    Klugklug’s software, powered by AI, parses and profiles over 300 million influencers across 150 plus countries and 160 plus languages, giving brands deep dives into audience demographics, engagement metrics, campaign ROI, and influencer authenticity. It promises 40 to 60 per cent efficiency gains in influencer-led marketing music to the ears of performance-obsessed CMOs.

    “We’ve seen seasoned marketers achieve campaign wins from day one using Klugklug,” said CPO co-founder Vaibhav Gupta. “More and more CMOs are using data as the starting point not the afterthought in influencer planning.”

    CPO co-founder and CEO Kalyan Kumar added: “The global influencer market is at an inflection point. There’s a growing demand for transparency, smart targeting, and measurable ROI. This round of funding will accelerate not just our global expansion, but also the tech that powers sharper decision-making.”

    Currently, KlugKlug counts 200 plus Indian and global brands among its clients, cutting across categories like FMCG, D2C, electronics, health, beauty, lifestyle and e-commerce.

    With influencer campaigns becoming more high-stakes and ROI-focussed, Klugklug’s mission is to replace mood boards with dashboards and add a little brain to the brawn of brand advocacy. And if this new cohort of investors and advisors is anything to go by, it’s safe to say that KlugKlug just became a smarter bet on the future of marketing.

  • Tanuj Luthra elevated as chief business officer at CarDekho Group

    Tanuj Luthra elevated as chief business officer at CarDekho Group

    NEW DELHI: Auto-tech platform CarDekho Group has named Tanuj Luthra as its chief business officer, (CBO) marking a significant leadership elevation for the digital veteran with over two decades of experience in media, digital, banking, and telecom.. 

    Luthra, who joined CarDekho in 2023 as vice president – new auto, has since April 2025 (when he was named CBO) has been overseeing  the group’s entire business strategy, revenue leadership, and partnerships. His remit includes driving growth across digital ads, branded content, SaaS offerings, and white-label IPs, while accelerating the company’s digital transformation journey in the automotive space.

    A business engineer-turned-marketer with an MBA and a senior management programme from IIM Ahmedabad, Luthra has previously held key roles at Network18 and Star India, The Walt Disney Co, and Citibank. Known for cracking Rs 100-crore+ deals and pioneering brand-led content integrations, he has worked with top-tier brands including Dabur, Coca-Cola, Patanjali, and Alibaba.

    Industry insiders say Luthra’s mix of deal-making prowess, strategic acumen, and deep client relationships puts him in the driver’s seat to unlock the next chapter of growth for CarDekho.

    (If you are an Anime fan and love Anime like Demon Slayer, Spy X Family, Hunter X Hunter, Tokyo Revengers, Dan Da Dan and Slime, Buy your favourite Anime merchandise on AnimeOriginals.com.)

  • Amit Jain’s investment mantra on ‘Shark Tank Season 3’ through ‘Shark Tales’

    Amit Jain’s investment mantra on ‘Shark Tank Season 3’ through ‘Shark Tales’

    Mumbai: Shark Tank India embarked on a journey into the world of investments, offering a sea of opportunities for Indian start-ups. Since its inception, Shark Tank India has taken the country by storm as the featured Shark Tank judges and Shark Tank pitches have had a significant impact on the business landscape of Bharat.

    Committed to providing opportunities to young entrepreneurs, hailing from small towns, CarDekho founder and CEO Amit Jain joined this brand wagon in Season 2 and invested in ventures across sectors, narrating a unique story of determination, creativity and success. Some of the businesses Jain invested in the last season were Mopp India, Licksters, Maisha Lifestyle, Ekatra, and Gladful amongst others.

    Season 3 started with a bang, with three opening pitchers and Jain investing in a sustainable start-up- The Honest Home Company, highlighting the demand for eco-businesses in India.

    Read about Amit Jain’s learnings from the three opening pitches below:

    The Honest Home Company:

    First pitch of the season, and what a way to kick it off! Mayank from The Honest Home Company lives the essence of honesty in business, which aligns with my own value system as well. From plastic-free cleaning to sustainable paper products, his venture is not just about eco-friendly solutions but also about giving back to nature. Mayank’s enthusiasm, customer-centric and lean approach to building the business and dedication caught my attention, and I found my ‘Pehle Banda Fir Dhanda’ moment as I heard his pitch. His persistence to keep learning and improving despite 80 rejections from VCs is commendable. A great all-shark deal was on the table, but I chose to go solo as I believe I would be spending disproportionately large time with him to build this together. Glad that Mayank accepted my offer – looking forward to helping his venture scale heights that benefit the planet as well!

    AdilQadri:

    Adil, the face behind his premium perfume brand, presented a great pitch. With over 10 lakh orders processed, Adil’s entrepreneurial journey, from his backyard and a small town, is one of resilience and passion. The missing link for me was no visible brand leverage while scaling. I try to find founders who build 10x better products which get customer retention, which gets visible in the increasing profit pools and lower CAC over some time. The revenue growth was awesome but profitability was not increasing. This meant that the organic demand after trying the product was not getting visible in the numbers. Nonetheless, I wish him and Vineeta the best as they continue to leave a lasting fragrance in the market!

    Conscious Chemist:

    The founders from Rajasthan, Prakhar and Robin, brought a pitch for science-backed solutions to everyday skincare concerns. It is a large market with room for great effective products to be introduced and new brands to be built. While the packaging and products impressed me and all other sharks, I was looking forward to a deeper product innovation. To win, the obsession with creating great products which are visibly effective is critical in the skin care category. I am a mentor to one such company named “Be Minimalist” and have seen word of mouth play for them basis the great products they launched and the significant volume of repeat organic orders because of the effectiveness of the products. I was benchmarking with them in this pitch. I would have loved for founders to be passionate about building that 10x better product with a much closer consumer connection. Adding an accomplished R&D member to the team with deep expertise in skin care may help here.

    This season’s first episode proved that passion, purpose, and authenticity can win over even the toughest Sharks. And the season is just getting started. Stay tuned for more Shark Tales!

  • Shark Tank India mein sabse important kya?

    Shark Tank India mein sabse important kya?

    Mumbai: In a hilarious turn of events, the seasoned Sharks found themselves caught in a lively debate over who truly reigns supreme in the entrepreneurial waters. Surprisingly, the contenders were not budding business tycoons but the unsung heroes of the set—the iconic door, the plush seating area, and the prestigious podium—all vying for the spotlight in their own unique ways.

    Amidst laughter and the sweet banter, these set elements boldly declared, “We are the stars here!” The Sharks responded with a proposal that left everyone in stitches—”why not turn this backstage showdown into a venture by auctioning off these scene-stealers?”

    Get ready to witness these Sharks in the tank! As they are not just investing in groundbreaking pitches but are selling the elements of the stage for success!

     

     

    The panel of season three includes – CarDekho Group – InsuranceDekho.com CEO & co-founder Amit Jain, Shaadi.com – People Group founder & CEO Anupam Mittal, SUGAR Cosmetics co-founder & CEO Vineeta Singh, Lenskart CEO & co-founder Peyush Bansal,

    Emcure Pharmaceuticals Ltd executive director Namita Thapar, boat co-founder & CMO Aman Gupta, Zomato founder and CEO Deepinder Goyal, Inshorts co-founder & CEO, Azhar Iqubal, OYO Rooms founder & CEO Ritesh Agarwal, Edelweiss MF MD & CEO Radhika Gupta, ACKO founder and CEO Varun Dua, UpGrad co-founder and chairperson Ronnie Screwvala.

    Watch Shark Tank India 3 from 22 January on Sony LIV!

  • Edelweiss Mutual Fund’s Radhika Gupta joins Shark Tank India 3 as judge

    Edelweiss Mutual Fund’s Radhika Gupta joins Shark Tank India 3 as judge

    Mumbai: The newest addition to the Shark Tank India 3 judging panel, Radhika Gupta, MD and CEO of Edelweiss Mutual Fund is the perfect blend of elegance and ambition. Sharing inspiring thoughts from her simple observations of day-to-day life, Radhika is ready to collaborate with India’s one of the most loved shows – Shark Tank India for Season 3. Celebrating Radhika’s unapologetic self and fierce approach we bring instances that had all of us thinking.

    Lauding the elegance of the most beautiful piece of clothing, a saree, Radhika supports Indian traditional attire and promotes Indian handloom and artisans. She brings her conversation into her attire by donning a beautiful peach saree with the Indian Rupee and investment symbol drawn all over it. She combined her feminine side to her finance background with the brilliance of fashion and styling, sending a powerful statement that women can reach great heights, generate substantial wealth, and bring about positive change in the world.

    Radhika was drawn by the unparalleled popularity and the influence Shark Tank India has on the new-age entrepreneurs. She wants to educate the people of India about the importance of investing and mutual funds by bringing her years of experience in analyzing Indian companies to this national stage. Radhika wants to encourage the undiscovered potential of the youth across cities to build businesses of 5 cr to 100 cr and more. Through this new season, our newest shark, Radhika, is pumped and excited to back its unique and thoughtful business.

    All set to stream on Sony LIV from the 22 January, the lineup of sharks this year includes Aman Gupta (boAt co-founder and CMO), Amit Jain (CarDekho, and InsuranceDekho CEO and co-founder), Anupam Mittal (Shaadi.com – People Group founder and CEO), Namita Thapar (Emcure Pharmaceuticals ED), Vineeta Singh ( SUGAR Cosmetics co-founder and CEO), Peyush Bansal ( Lenskart.com founder and CEO), Ritesh Agarwal ( OYO Rooms founder and CEO), Deepinder Goyal (Zomato founder and CEO), Ronnie Screwvala (Upgrad co-founder and chairperson), and Azhar Iqubal (Inshorts co-founder and CEO). The show is hosted by comedian – Rahul Dua.

    Watch Shark Tank India 3 from 22 January on Sony LIV!

  • WATConsult wins creative & social media mandate for CarDekho

    WATConsult wins creative & social media mandate for CarDekho

    MUMBAI: An Isobar company and the globally awarded hybrid digital agency from Dentsu India, WATConsult has bagged the creative and social media mandate for CarDekho, India’s biggest digital automotive solutions provider. The account was won following a competitive pitch process and will be managed by the agency’s Delhi office.

    As per the mandate, WATConsult will be responsible for social media management, digital creative designing, content marketing, and ORM for the brand.

    CarDekho SVP marketing & content Charu Kishnani said, “We’re thrilled to partner with WATConsult as our creative and social partners. This engagement will help us elevate our brand presence with the right strategy, ideation and creative thinking. We are looking forward to creating some good and memorable work. Welcome aboard, WATConsult.”

    Speaking on the collaboration, Isobar India group CEO Heeru Dingra said, “CarDekho is a one-stop destination for new as well as second-hand cars. The brand’s auto and non-auto business is expanding, and we are so excited to embark on this journey with them.”

    WATConsult managing partner Sahil Shah commented, “We are happy to have the opportunity to partner with CarDekho and we can’t wait to build a dynamic brand presence for them. Our strategy is to enhance the top of the mind recall that the brand has created by applying creative, new age thinking and a strong storytelling narrative.”

  • CarDekho appoints Parthasarathy VS as independent director

    CarDekho appoints Parthasarathy VS as independent director

    Mumbai: Auto-tech company CarDekho Group has appointed Parthasarathy Vankipuram Srinivas as an independent director. The appointment is in line with the company’s objective of strengthening its board and overall corporate governance within the CarDekho Group. The company is gearing up for its IPO (Initial Public Offering) in the next 12-14 months.

    A seasoned business leader with 36+ years of experience in globally reputed organisations across a wide range of sectors, Parthasarathy has worked with the Mahindra Group in leadership positions for over two decades and with Xerox for 14 years. He currently serves as the non-executive non-independent vice-chairman of Allcargo Logistics, an Independent Director of recently listed Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), Imperial Auto Industries, IAI Industries, Greencell Mobility, and serves as Director of Rudi Multi Trading Company, Kids Clinic India (Cloudnine) and ECU Worldwide.

    CarDekho Group co-founder and CEO Amit Jain said, “We are delighted to have Partha join our board. His diversified rich experience will help us further strengthen corporate governance as we prepare for our IPO and the next phase of growth.”

    A chartered accountant from ICAI and ICAEW, UK, and an alumnus of Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program (2011), Parthasarathy is also the chairman nominee on the board of governance at the National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE).

    On his new role, Parthasarathy V S said, “CarDekho’s enduring vision, unparalleled track record and leadership position across various technology driven auto solutions have given it a great position in the market across India and abroad. I look forward to contributing in building on this success further.”

    Parthasarathy previously held several industry forum positions as a chairman of Sustainable Council of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) – 2021, president – Bombay Chamber of Commerce & Industry (2019-2020), chairman of Association of Finance Profession of India (AFPI) (2015-2020), besides working closely with ministry of finance through CFO Board, and on global advisory boards for CISCO/ SAP.

  • CarDekho appoints Sharad Saxena as CEO of used car business

    CarDekho appoints Sharad Saxena as CEO of used car business

    Mumbai: Homegrown auto-tech company CarDekho Group has appointed Sharad Saxena as CEO of the used car business. He will operate out of the company’s Gurugram office and will report to CarDekho Group CEO and co-founder Amit Jain.

    In this role, Saxena will oversee the pan-India used car business of the company, team development and work on strengthening the organisation’s business offering through retail and dealer relationships, said the company in a statement.

    “Sharad’s proven track record of scaling up varied businesses profitably in demanding circumstances, team development and strategic thinking will be immensely beneficial as we embark on CarDekho’s next growth phase,” stated Amit Jain. “His deep knowledge and expertise will enable us to supercharge the Used Car business while we continue delighting our customers.’

    With 16+ years of experience in various globally reputed organisations across a wide range of sectors, Saxena has built and nurtured several high-performing teams and businesses. He is a well-respected business leader with expertise in strategic business management, large-scale business transformation, and people leadership.

    Before joining CarDekho, he was working with McKinsey & Co India as a senior advisor serving large pharma and healthcare clients on business strategy, commercial excellence, and digital transformation. Before McKinsey, he was working with OYO Rooms as COO for their flagship hotels franchise business in South Asia. His other professional experience spans different marquee organisations (ITC Ltd, Max Healthcare, Ranbaxy) in various strategic capacities.

    He is an alumnus of IIT Delhi and IIM Ahmedabad.

    “I am very excited to be a part of the CarDekho Group and lead the used car team, which has achieved several milestones in the recent past,” said Sharad Saxena. “I look forward to working with the team to provide an exceptional experience to our customers, execute the organization’s growth plans and create exponential value for all the stakeholders.’

    With a presence in over 100 markets across India, CarDekho is on track to launch its flagship CarDekho Mall and mega refurbishment factories across multiple cities throughout the country, said the statement.

  • CarDekho empowers Product and Tech leadership teams

    CarDekho empowers Product and Tech leadership teams

    MUMBAI:  The CarDekho Group has fortified its leadership team through five engineering and product leadership appointments at their Gurgaon office.

    Sandeep Singh and Mayank Kapoor joined as vice presidents – Engineering, Manjeet Dahiya is vice president – Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Data Sciences, Dharmesh Gandhi joined as vice president – Products, and Aditya Kumar as vice president – Product Strategy and Analytics. They will all report directly to CarDekho Group’s chief product & technology officer, Vivek Srivastava.

    On the new appointments, CarDekho Group chief product & technology officer Vivek Srivastava said, “Customer delight and innovation are at the core of CarDekho. We are aggressively strengthening our product and tech teams to build world class technology products. We are strategically getting the right talent to achieve our vision of CarDekho. We welcome Sandeep Singh, Mayank Kapoor, Manjeet Dahiya, Dharmesh Gandhi, and Aditya Kumar to the CarDekho group.  Their experience and ability in anticipating market dynamics to create new products and segments will help us drive innovation at a higher velocity.”

    Sandeep Singh has 14 years of experience in building deep technology and highly scalable products. He possesses a unique combination of technical, business and analytical skills and has a rich experience of working in technology companies where he has built products from scratch. In the past, he has led products, grown teams and scaled up user base by hundreds of millions of users. Earlier, he was with Walmart Global Tech as director of Engineering in San Francisco. Sandeep is also a former entrepreneur and has also worked with Yahoo, AT&T and is an IIT Kanpur alumnus.

    Mayank Kapoor has more than a decade long experience in building and managing technology products. An engineering graduate from IIT Delhi and an MBA holder from MIT Sloan, Mayank has worked with Reliance Jio as VP, Engineering, where he led Cloud Consumer Products, Services and Cloud Platform. He has also worked at Apple, Amazon and Alstom Power. Mayank is highly experienced in engineering leadership, business expansion and project execution. He has developed large-scale products that are used by millions of people across the globe.

    With over 14 years of experience, Manjeet Dahiya is an expert in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Data Sciences. Before joining CarDekho he was the Head of Data Science and Machine Learning at Airtel Digital. Manjeet is skilled in studying data and deriving qualitative results from it that can help in forming result-oriented strategies by the company. Manjeet is a PhD in Computer Science from IIT Delhi and BTech from IIT Kanpur.

    Dharmesh Gandhi has over 16 years of experience in product management, marketing and engineering roles for e-commerce, digital advertising, video and smartphone products. Dharmesh has previously worked in product leadership roles at Rentomojo, Uber, Amazon and Cisco, where he took products from concept to market, covering aspects of monetization, product design, customer development and marketing. Dharmesh is an IIM Bangalore and IIT Kanpur alumnus.

    An IIM Ahmedabad and IIT Kanpur alumnus, Aditya Kumar has 13 years of experience in business strategy, data strategy, and operations strategy. Aditya was a co-founder of CliffJumper Technologies where he built a proximity marketing and sales platform for SMBs. He specializes in conducting research and building strategy with a data-led approach. Aditya has also worked with Gartner, IDG Ventures and A.T. Kearney.