ITV

Tag: Jason Kothari

  • Mythik names Preeti Vyas president to steer content and partnerships

    Mythik names Preeti Vyas president to steer content and partnerships

    MUMBAI: Mythik, the tech-first entertainment upstart styling itself as the “Disney from the East”, has hired Preeti Vyas as president of content strategy, partnerships and consumer products.

    Vyas, who previously served as president and chief executive of Amar Chitra Katha, brings three decades of experience across publishing, retail and entertainment. At Amar Chitra Katha, she engineered the heritage brand’s revival, taking it from nostalgia act to profitable modern player while driving readership tenfold to over 6 million globally.

    Her career has spanned founding Fun OK Please publishing, the company behind children’s favourites like Toto the Auto, to senior stints at Future Group, Sony Music, Toys R Us and Crossword. She also piloted transmedia adaptations of franchises such as Tinkle and built licensing deals that expanded their reach.

    At Mythik, she will spearhead efforts to package mythology, history and folktales from the East for a global audience, tapping into new-age distribution and consumer products.

    Mythik, founder and chief executive, Jason Kothari called Vyas “a rare combination of strategic acumen and creative vision” and said her track record of transforming heritage brands would be key to realising the company’s global ambitions.

    Vyas herself described the role as “an opportunity to present stories from our ancient past at a scale never attempted before”.

    Alongside her corporate career, she sits on industry bodies including the Media & Entertainment Skills Council and the Advertising Standards Council of India, giving her a perch at the intersection of policy, talent and content. 

  • Mythik names Sid Kedia COO to drive its ‘Disney from the East’ vision

    Mythik names Sid Kedia COO to drive its ‘Disney from the East’ vision

    MUMBAI: From Marvel fan to myth-maker, Sidharth Kedia is now set to script his own epic. Entertainment start-up Mythik, which has declared its ambition to be the “Disney from the East,” has appointed the seasoned media and gaming leader as its new chief operating officer. Kedia isn’t just another boardroom name, his résumé reads like a saga of scaling. At Nodwin, South Asia’s largest esports company, he grew revenue 10x, expanded the business from 1 to 8 countries, raised 50 million dollars, and boosted valuation a staggering 28x. At Jiogames, he spearheaded the growth of Reliance’s gaming arm. As chief strategy officer at Viacom18, he helped expand regional TV and strengthened OTT play.

    His career highlights also include leading Mukesh Ambani’s project management office during Jio’s telecom launch, overseeing Network18’s integration into Reliance, and co-founding Ambit Pragma Ventures, where he raised 150 million dollars for media and entertainment investments.

    Armed with a Chartered Accountancy degree, a six sigma black belt from GE, and an MBA from NYU’s Stern School of Business, Kedia brings both precision and creative flair to the role.

    Mythik’s founder and CEO Jason Kothari, called Kedia a “rare combination of disruptive strategist and operator” with the breadth to reimagine how Eastern mythology can capture global audiences.

    For Kedia, the mission is personal. “Since childhood, I’ve been captivated by these stories my grandparents told me. As a Marvel fan, I’ve often wondered why our superheroes never got the global spotlight they deserve. We plan to change that at Mythik,” he said.

    With Kedia at the operational helm, Mythik isn’t just betting on myth, it’s gearing up to make Eastern legends the next big pop-culture phenomenon.

  • Snapdeal brings in Housing.com exec as strategy officer

    Snapdeal brings in Housing.com exec as strategy officer

    MUMBAI: Snapdeal has announced the appointment of Housing.com’s CEO Jason Kothari as its chief strategy and investment officer.

    He will work alongside co-founders, Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal, in this key leadership role and will be joining Snapdeal on 16 January. As chief strategy and investment officer for Snapdeal, Kothari’s responsibilities will include leading strategy; corporate development, including all investments and strategic partnerships; raising new capital for the Company; and portfolio management, overseeing companies Snapdeal wholly owns or has invested in.

    Most recently, Kothari was the CEO of Softbank-backed online real estate company Housing.com, where he led the successful turnaround of the Company from a position of distress to a market leader in one and a half years using organic and inorganic growth.

    Under his stewardship, Housing.com changed its business strategy and plan, hired a new experienced management team, restructured and reduced operating costs by 70 per cent going from 2,500 to 900 employees, raised an additional $20 million from lead investor Softbank, and achieved key operating results, such as increasing revenue by 400 per cent, customer visits by 200 per cent to 4.1 million per month and homes listed by 450% to 630,000 homes, becoming the most popular platform for buying and selling homes in the country.

    Prior to joining Housing.com, Kothari was the CEO and vice chairman of character-based entertainment company Valiant Entertainment, where he led the successful acquisition out of bankruptcy, and turnaround of the Company resulting in a record return in the industry and media recognition calling the Company “Marvel 2.0”.

    Snapdeal co-founder and CEO said, “Jason is a strong business leader & entrepreneur who has already been the CEO of two successful companies. Rohit and I warmly welcome Jason to the Snapdeal family and believe we will achieve even greater heights with his addition.”

    Kothari said, “I’m excited to join Snapdeal which is on its way to building one of India’s best companies, and I look forward to helping in making that potential a reality.”

  • Snapdeal brings in Housing.com exec as strategy officer

    Snapdeal brings in Housing.com exec as strategy officer

    MUMBAI: Snapdeal has announced the appointment of Housing.com’s CEO Jason Kothari as its chief strategy and investment officer.

    He will work alongside co-founders, Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal, in this key leadership role and will be joining Snapdeal on 16 January. As chief strategy and investment officer for Snapdeal, Kothari’s responsibilities will include leading strategy; corporate development, including all investments and strategic partnerships; raising new capital for the Company; and portfolio management, overseeing companies Snapdeal wholly owns or has invested in.

    Most recently, Kothari was the CEO of Softbank-backed online real estate company Housing.com, where he led the successful turnaround of the Company from a position of distress to a market leader in one and a half years using organic and inorganic growth.

    Under his stewardship, Housing.com changed its business strategy and plan, hired a new experienced management team, restructured and reduced operating costs by 70 per cent going from 2,500 to 900 employees, raised an additional $20 million from lead investor Softbank, and achieved key operating results, such as increasing revenue by 400 per cent, customer visits by 200 per cent to 4.1 million per month and homes listed by 450% to 630,000 homes, becoming the most popular platform for buying and selling homes in the country.

    Prior to joining Housing.com, Kothari was the CEO and vice chairman of character-based entertainment company Valiant Entertainment, where he led the successful acquisition out of bankruptcy, and turnaround of the Company resulting in a record return in the industry and media recognition calling the Company “Marvel 2.0”.

    Snapdeal co-founder and CEO said, “Jason is a strong business leader & entrepreneur who has already been the CEO of two successful companies. Rohit and I warmly welcome Jason to the Snapdeal family and believe we will achieve even greater heights with his addition.”

    Kothari said, “I’m excited to join Snapdeal which is on its way to building one of India’s best companies, and I look forward to helping in making that potential a reality.”

  • Amazon business head join Housing.com, to strengthen full-service transactions

    Amazon business head join Housing.com, to strengthen full-service transactions

    MUMBAI: Housing.com has appointed Vivek Jain as chief product and technology officer to focus on strengthening the product and engineering aspects of the business to help steer Housing.com towards its goal of becoming a full-service transaction player.

    Housing.com CEO Jason Kothari said, “Our goal is to become the most trusted and the leading end-to-end real estate transaction platform in the country, and robust product and technology innovation will be important for us to achieve that. Vivek comes with best-in-class product and technology leadership experience, global exposure and an entrepreneurial mind-set, which is a unique mix, and one that blends seamlessly with the thinking and culture at Housing.com. I believe Vivek’s addition to our senior team will greatly benefit us in realizing our vision for the Company.”

    Jain is an industry veteran with over 14 years of experience in the technology and digital domains in India and the US. In his last role at Amazon, he was the business head for the cloud division where he helped define the value proposition, differentiation strategy, pricing and feature roadmap to create a sustainable competitive advantage for the company.

    “As technology continues to play an increasingly important role in our day-to-day lives, Housing.com has managed to bring the benefits of technology to the real-estate segment through path-breaking product innovations. As the company gears-up for the next phase of growth and transformation, product and engineering will define the contours of success, and with an immensely talented team, I believe Housing.com is well-poised to fulfil the potential.” added Jain.

    He started his career as an early member of Texas-based start-up Ashley Laurent and later joined Motorola Mobility, a division of Google. While in the US, Jain was associated with the US Department of Commerce where he reviewed business plans at Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) to help assist President Obama and the Federal Government deliver on the promise of economic recovery (ARRA) through the $7.2 Billion Recovery Act’s BTOP & Broadband Initiatives.

  • Amazon business head join Housing.com, to strengthen full-service transactions

    Amazon business head join Housing.com, to strengthen full-service transactions

    MUMBAI: Housing.com has appointed Vivek Jain as chief product and technology officer to focus on strengthening the product and engineering aspects of the business to help steer Housing.com towards its goal of becoming a full-service transaction player.

    Housing.com CEO Jason Kothari said, “Our goal is to become the most trusted and the leading end-to-end real estate transaction platform in the country, and robust product and technology innovation will be important for us to achieve that. Vivek comes with best-in-class product and technology leadership experience, global exposure and an entrepreneurial mind-set, which is a unique mix, and one that blends seamlessly with the thinking and culture at Housing.com. I believe Vivek’s addition to our senior team will greatly benefit us in realizing our vision for the Company.”

    Jain is an industry veteran with over 14 years of experience in the technology and digital domains in India and the US. In his last role at Amazon, he was the business head for the cloud division where he helped define the value proposition, differentiation strategy, pricing and feature roadmap to create a sustainable competitive advantage for the company.

    “As technology continues to play an increasingly important role in our day-to-day lives, Housing.com has managed to bring the benefits of technology to the real-estate segment through path-breaking product innovations. As the company gears-up for the next phase of growth and transformation, product and engineering will define the contours of success, and with an immensely talented team, I believe Housing.com is well-poised to fulfil the potential.” added Jain.

    He started his career as an early member of Texas-based start-up Ashley Laurent and later joined Motorola Mobility, a division of Google. While in the US, Jain was associated with the US Department of Commerce where he reviewed business plans at Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) to help assist President Obama and the Federal Government deliver on the promise of economic recovery (ARRA) through the $7.2 Billion Recovery Act’s BTOP & Broadband Initiatives.

  • Housing.com bets on advertising dollars from the real estate industry

    Housing.com bets on advertising dollars from the real estate industry

    MUMBAI: Earlier in May, real estate portal Housing.com had stirred up the market after announcing a 200 percent revenue growth month-on-month with a target to hit USD 10 million by the end of this financial year. For those who have been following the company’s progress since its inception in 2012, the figures show a great improvement since the start-up’s nationwide launch in 2015.

    After co-founder Rahul Yadav’s exit from the company made several headlines last year, a cloud of uncertainty was hanging over the real estate tech giant. Acting quickly to counter this and wave away any doubts from investors, the company made a slew of upper management changes – right from the CEO to the CMO of the company.

    Along with this came a sharp shift in the company’s business strategy. Housing.com users could no longer look apartments for rent on the site; it was solely dedicated to buying and selling of properties.

    “We never thought of ourselves as a classifieds company or a mere listings aggregator. We are much more than just a search and discovery platform. We are a true product and tech company which is using technology to solve the real estate buying and selling problem in India,” clarified its chief marketing officer Nikhil Rungta, who joined Housing.com in November last year.

    This new focus on buying and selling strengthened the portal’s opportunity to monetize itself through advertising. With close to 4 million visits per month, Housing.com is now one of the largest online platforms in India. If the figures shared by the company are to be believed, Housing.com has a larger reach than many English dailies in the country. So naturally there is an opportunity for the real estate companies to use this platform to promote their brand and their projects amongst a target audience, which has a very high intent towards buying property.

    The company launched a series of digital advertising products for developers and brokers to provide maximum customer exposure and return on investment for their home sales efforts.

    The new strategy seemed to have clicked for the company, to churn out 200 per cent growth in revenues each month. “We are delighted with the response we are seeing in the market and are confident about the company’s revenue position in the future. To achieve such a strong performance when the real estate sector is going through tough times is a testament to the value that Housing.com as a company and platform is delivering to stakeholders,” said Housing.com CEO Jason Kothari.

    Divulging on the types of different products Housing.com has to offer to its client, Rungta shared, “From products which help in brand building to performance products which drive leads and sales. For example, we recently launched India’s first ‘Privilege Price Card’ (PPC) for the real estate sector. It is a unique product that helps buyers get access to some of the best deals and special prices on properties across India enabling them to buy their dream home. We believe that the PPC has the potential to transform the way homes will be bought and sold in India, both, for homebuyers and developers.”

    In addition, the company offered customized digital marketing services to large developers to more effectively and efficiently drive home sales and build developer brand equity. There are also new innovative products being piloted that are slated to launch next quarter.

    “Our builder and broker partners get access to high intent homebuyer audience on Housing.com. This makes their marketing very targeted and helps build the brand consideration amongst people who are relevant and are looking to buy or sell a home,” Rungta added.

    The CMO also pointed that a shift in the mind set the otherwise traditional real estate industry has also helped Housing.com to penetrate further into the market.

    “While the industry is traditional but the mind-sets are becoming very modern. Builders and brokers have realized the importance and role of digital in the homebuyer’s journey and they do not want to miss out on this key touch point. Even Google pointed out recently that over 50 percent of the prospective buyers start their search online,” he shared.

    While Housing.com is busy finding advertising solutions for its clients, it hasn’t been farsighted about its own marketing strategy. Earlier heavily visible through OOH medium, the portal launched its first TVC, which was later continued on the digital platforms as well.

    “We recently launched a set of video stories called ‘Yeh ghar meri jaan’ stories. 70 percent of our budget is directed towards Digital, 20 percent towards traditional media and 10 percent is for experimentation on new / emerging media,” explained Rungta on the breakup of its advertising budget.

    With the ambitious target of USD 10 million, Rungta assured that Housing.com will continue to pay keen attention to three core areas while marketing, namely: attracting the right and high intent audience, Engaging them with relevant products and listings, and retaining them by becoming their trusted partner in their journey of buying a home.

  • Housing.com bets on advertising dollars from the real estate industry

    Housing.com bets on advertising dollars from the real estate industry

    MUMBAI: Earlier in May, real estate portal Housing.com had stirred up the market after announcing a 200 percent revenue growth month-on-month with a target to hit USD 10 million by the end of this financial year. For those who have been following the company’s progress since its inception in 2012, the figures show a great improvement since the start-up’s nationwide launch in 2015.

    After co-founder Rahul Yadav’s exit from the company made several headlines last year, a cloud of uncertainty was hanging over the real estate tech giant. Acting quickly to counter this and wave away any doubts from investors, the company made a slew of upper management changes – right from the CEO to the CMO of the company.

    Along with this came a sharp shift in the company’s business strategy. Housing.com users could no longer look apartments for rent on the site; it was solely dedicated to buying and selling of properties.

    “We never thought of ourselves as a classifieds company or a mere listings aggregator. We are much more than just a search and discovery platform. We are a true product and tech company which is using technology to solve the real estate buying and selling problem in India,” clarified its chief marketing officer Nikhil Rungta, who joined Housing.com in November last year.

    This new focus on buying and selling strengthened the portal’s opportunity to monetize itself through advertising. With close to 4 million visits per month, Housing.com is now one of the largest online platforms in India. If the figures shared by the company are to be believed, Housing.com has a larger reach than many English dailies in the country. So naturally there is an opportunity for the real estate companies to use this platform to promote their brand and their projects amongst a target audience, which has a very high intent towards buying property.

    The company launched a series of digital advertising products for developers and brokers to provide maximum customer exposure and return on investment for their home sales efforts.

    The new strategy seemed to have clicked for the company, to churn out 200 per cent growth in revenues each month. “We are delighted with the response we are seeing in the market and are confident about the company’s revenue position in the future. To achieve such a strong performance when the real estate sector is going through tough times is a testament to the value that Housing.com as a company and platform is delivering to stakeholders,” said Housing.com CEO Jason Kothari.

    Divulging on the types of different products Housing.com has to offer to its client, Rungta shared, “From products which help in brand building to performance products which drive leads and sales. For example, we recently launched India’s first ‘Privilege Price Card’ (PPC) for the real estate sector. It is a unique product that helps buyers get access to some of the best deals and special prices on properties across India enabling them to buy their dream home. We believe that the PPC has the potential to transform the way homes will be bought and sold in India, both, for homebuyers and developers.”

    In addition, the company offered customized digital marketing services to large developers to more effectively and efficiently drive home sales and build developer brand equity. There are also new innovative products being piloted that are slated to launch next quarter.

    “Our builder and broker partners get access to high intent homebuyer audience on Housing.com. This makes their marketing very targeted and helps build the brand consideration amongst people who are relevant and are looking to buy or sell a home,” Rungta added.

    The CMO also pointed that a shift in the mind set the otherwise traditional real estate industry has also helped Housing.com to penetrate further into the market.

    “While the industry is traditional but the mind-sets are becoming very modern. Builders and brokers have realized the importance and role of digital in the homebuyer’s journey and they do not want to miss out on this key touch point. Even Google pointed out recently that over 50 percent of the prospective buyers start their search online,” he shared.

    While Housing.com is busy finding advertising solutions for its clients, it hasn’t been farsighted about its own marketing strategy. Earlier heavily visible through OOH medium, the portal launched its first TVC, which was later continued on the digital platforms as well.

    “We recently launched a set of video stories called ‘Yeh ghar meri jaan’ stories. 70 percent of our budget is directed towards Digital, 20 percent towards traditional media and 10 percent is for experimentation on new / emerging media,” explained Rungta on the breakup of its advertising budget.

    With the ambitious target of USD 10 million, Rungta assured that Housing.com will continue to pay keen attention to three core areas while marketing, namely: attracting the right and high intent audience, Engaging them with relevant products and listings, and retaining them by becoming their trusted partner in their journey of buying a home.

  • Housing.com appoints KPMG’s Dilip Tuli as strategy and new business initiatives SVP

    Housing.com appoints KPMG’s Dilip Tuli as strategy and new business initiatives SVP

    MUMBAI: Housing.com has appointed  former KPMG director Dilip Tuli as Strategy & New Business Initiatives  SVP to assist with strategy and oversee new business initiatives, such as transaction facilitation and fulfilment services. The appointment of Dilip Tuli closely follows the recent addition of Vineet Singh, ex-business head of 99acres, who joined the company in a senior advisory role and invested an undisclosed amount into Housing.com.

    Dilip brings with him nearly 15 years of consulting experience of working across many different businesses. Over the course of his experience, Dilip has been involved in over 100 projects in various industries, including some of the leading real estate developers and brokerage firms, where he gained strong real estate sector knowledge and expertise. During the last two years, Dilip was a senior member of the sector team responsible for logistics and industrial markets at KPMG. 

    Dilip started his career at PwC, in the audit and process improvement team and transitioned to the deal advisory practice before moving to KPMG. 

    On the development, Housing.com CEO Jason Kothari said, “Housing.com is rapidly growing in popularity as a platform and in revenue generation, and Dilip will be focused on developing new business initiatives to fuel growth further.  He is a seasoned leader who brings strong business strategy and model development capabilities, results-oriented managerial skills, deep knowledge of the real estate space, and a passion to build a revolutionary real estate company in line with Housing.com’s vision.” 

    “In the recent months, Housing.com has witnessed an exciting transformation and is aggressively growing in line with its dynamic business model focused on buying and selling homes. I look forward to working closely with Jason and the rest of the team to build new revenue streams and accelerate the momentum of business growth even further,” Tuli added.

  • Housing.com appoints KPMG’s Dilip Tuli as strategy and new business initiatives SVP

    Housing.com appoints KPMG’s Dilip Tuli as strategy and new business initiatives SVP

    MUMBAI: Housing.com has appointed  former KPMG director Dilip Tuli as Strategy & New Business Initiatives  SVP to assist with strategy and oversee new business initiatives, such as transaction facilitation and fulfilment services. The appointment of Dilip Tuli closely follows the recent addition of Vineet Singh, ex-business head of 99acres, who joined the company in a senior advisory role and invested an undisclosed amount into Housing.com.

    Dilip brings with him nearly 15 years of consulting experience of working across many different businesses. Over the course of his experience, Dilip has been involved in over 100 projects in various industries, including some of the leading real estate developers and brokerage firms, where he gained strong real estate sector knowledge and expertise. During the last two years, Dilip was a senior member of the sector team responsible for logistics and industrial markets at KPMG. 

    Dilip started his career at PwC, in the audit and process improvement team and transitioned to the deal advisory practice before moving to KPMG. 

    On the development, Housing.com CEO Jason Kothari said, “Housing.com is rapidly growing in popularity as a platform and in revenue generation, and Dilip will be focused on developing new business initiatives to fuel growth further.  He is a seasoned leader who brings strong business strategy and model development capabilities, results-oriented managerial skills, deep knowledge of the real estate space, and a passion to build a revolutionary real estate company in line with Housing.com’s vision.” 

    “In the recent months, Housing.com has witnessed an exciting transformation and is aggressively growing in line with its dynamic business model focused on buying and selling homes. I look forward to working closely with Jason and the rest of the team to build new revenue streams and accelerate the momentum of business growth even further,” Tuli added.