Shabir Momin

ML, AI Are Data Hungry Functions: Shabir Momin

15 Aug 2021

Publication:-Telecom Talk ML and AI are data hungry functions and this forced digitisation actually has become a blessing in disguise for industries to be able to work on functions, optimisation, process changes, insights and a new lens of how the same world looks so different now. In the coming one or two years, things are bound to change very rapidly as the data that is being generated around the world is predominantly digital nowadays. According to Mr Shabir Momin, MD & CTO at ZengaTV.com & One digital entertainment, this will help all the Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) entrepreneurs in finding potential to play and fulfilling the gaps that exist in the market currently. Q1 - Tell Us About the Digital Transformation in the Business, Work Culture Etc Due to Pandemic. How Has It Impacted Entrepreneurs’ & Startups' Approach? I think during the first year of the pandemic, most entrepreneurs and startups focused on survival; uncertainty brings stress on cash flow, business cycles and leads to challenging the basic existence and viability of a business. Entrepreneurs are also humans and have emotions. I know they had to take hard decisions on cost-cutting, salary cuts and many other measures to just survive. Some took a very different stand of fighting back with extra efforts and didn't cut on expenses where they could avoid, specifically like salaries of employees. This change in business circumstances, cuts on expenses or no cuts but most of them jumped right onto digitising the communication, interaction and rapidly started building processes. Some were already using these but scaled it to the next level. It was do or die in the literal sense for businesses. Many I know also shifted business or focus market or focus industry. The digital transformation became an integral part of the business and changed forever.

HighFlyers 50 book

9 Apr,2021

Thrive with the crowd

23 Apr,2020

Publication:-The Times of India Back home, players such as Catapooolt, Ketto, Kickstarter and many others have helped several startups and small businesses raise funds. Last year, Amazon India launched an initiative called Amazon Wings to help its sellers raise funds through Ketto. Through the initiative, the company aims to help small sellers with early-stage ideas raise funds for product development. Catapooolt’s CEO and Co-founder, Shabir Momin, believes the time is perfect to validate ideas and jump to execution. “Adaptation is key to survival and in the current situation crowdfunding offers an opportunity of micro investment with potential good returns,” he said.

Indian Startup Funding Of The Week

01 Aug,2020

Publication:-Inc 42 Datstop: Hospitality company Datstop has raised an undisclosed amount of funding from Zenga TV’s CTO Shabir Momin, OneDigital Entertainment and many other ventures along with Digital Democracy’s Saurabh Pathak. It aims to advance its backend operations, speed up food research, space for another hostel, marketing, and strengthen team structure.

Floap raises undisclosed seed funding from global, Indian angel investors

04 Jun, 2019

Publication:-The Hindu BusinessLine Floap, a Bengaluru-based pet care tech company, has raised an undisclosed amount in seed funding from a clutch of global and Indian angel investors. The investors include Shabir Momin, serial entrepreneur and Managing Director and Chief Technology Officer of Zenga TV; Rohit Nanda, a Singapore-based equity investor; Priyadarshi Mohapatra, currently holding a senior leadership position at Microsoft, India and Saurabh Pathak, founder of Digital Democracy and Cafe Gurukul.

From the people, for the people

30 May, 2019

Publication:-The Times of India As is the norm these days, being women-centric has its own advantage. Desiredwings, a reward-based, women-only crowdfunding the platform helps women entrepreneurs raise money for their projects. Apart from helping women raise money, the platform also provides them access to renowned influencers, big investors and mentors besides keeping them apprised about various government announcements and schemes. "We don't really allow people to invest directly through the platform, but our Investor Zone function allows them to contribute and behave like a backer and monitor the entrepreneur and the project closely," said Shabir Momin

Foreign VC firms invest in travel-tech startup Guiddoo

13 Mar,2019

Publication:-VC Circle As is the norm these days, being women-centric has its own advantage. Desiredwings, a reward-based, women-only crowdfunding the platform helps women entrepreneurs raise money for their projects. Apart from helping women raise money, the platform also provides them access to renowned influencers, big investors and mentors besides keeping them apprised about various government announcements and schemes. "We don't really allow people to invest directly through the platform, but our Investor Zone function allows them to contribute and behave like a backer and monitor the entrepreneur and the project closely," said Shabir Momin

Budding tech startups that are utilizing the VR and AR space

04 Feb, 2019

Publication:-Mint-Hindustan Times

Holosuit is a startup focused on changing the way people learn and interact in the real and virtual world

A B2B platform, Mirrorsize uses the camera(s) on smartphones to get these measurements

Topics

Mirrorsize | Holosuit | Tech startup

We profile two enterprise tech startups that are using advanced technologies like augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to provide solutions in diverse areas

HoloSuit: Learning in virtual worlds
Holosuit is a startup focused on changing the way people learn and interact in the real and virtual world. It has developed a bidirectional, wireless and full-body motion capture suit. The full-immersion sensor-packed jumpsuit allows users to point, touch and feel 3D objects, creating a 4D immersive experience.

It contains options for multiple embedded sensors and haptic feedback devices dispersed across both arms, legs, and all 10 fingers.

HoloSuit is a wireless platform and comes with a SDK (software development kit) that provides developers with possibilities of creating real and virtual applications.

It is also compatible with Android, Windows, and iOS, Oculus and similar AR/VR /mixed reality (MR) platforms. “When the user is in the virtual world, they can virtually play and learn piano, golf, fly a plane, learn any skill, be in a virtual chemistry lab or physics lab, learn scuba diving," says Shabir Momin, co-founder, HoloSuit.

Mirrorsize: Fit to size using AR

On the face of it, this AR startup isn’t doing anything new. Many companies have worked on AR platforms that measure the human body to help e-commerce brands find the right fit for clothes. However, Arup Chakraborty, founder and CEO, claims Mirrorsize’s technology is more advanced than others. He says his technology can get a person’s measurement with an accuracy of one centimetre. A B2B platform, Mirrorsize uses the camera(s) on smartphones to get these measurements. The company has various solutions, tailored to a merchant’s requirements. GetMeasured is a solution for companies who make clothes according to the customer’s measurements. On the other hand, Size2Fit is a solution for those who sell ready-made garments.

The company also plans to launch a solution called Draping. This will allow clothes to be virtually sewn for a customer, meaning users will actually see themselves wearing the clothes through AR technology. Just over two years in the making, Mirrorsize was formed by Chakraborty, alongside two professors from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi—Subhasis Banerjee and Sudipto Mukherjee.

Health foods firm Clinical Nutrition secures angel funding

29 Nov, 2018

Publication:-Vc Circle Clinical Nutrition, a firm which offers functional foods and beverages, has raised an undisclosed amount in angel funding from a clutch of wealthy individuals.The firm said in a statement that digital video company Zenga TV’s managing director Shabir Momin and Singapore-based investor Rohit Nanda were among the angels who contributed.

Singapore focus: Diary of an entrepreneur

27 Oct,2018

Publication:-The Stack There are many cities an entrepreneur can choose to base themselves. None quite live up to the excitement, charm, and convenience of Singapore, writes Business World’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year Shabir Momin.

I wake up as an entrepreneur and go to bed a businessman, but no matter what hat I wear, Singapore is the pulsating backdrop to my day.

Singapore is an international country with ties all over. Many like myself choose Singapore as a base from which we can manage multiple time zones – I may wake up a couple of hours later than the hoards that flood the MRT, but this is all to make my businesses run more smoothly.

I then do some internal meetings with the team, build strategies, plan new tech solutions, and discuss current live projects. On a weekly basis, I visit each of my companies to catch up and review strategies going forward. When the day is over, I relish the chance to get some time with my kids and end the day with a good dinner and a movie to drain out the cache my brain has collected during the day.

I keep some of my month aside for working with new entrepreneurs who shouldn’t go through the same pain as I did starting up. They can learn from my mistakes, so I give them guidance and help them plan and strategise better. I get so charged up working with them as they are flowing with ideas but they usually don’t have focus. I do my best to try to get them there. With some, I invest time and money, with others I just help them reach the next stage.

Survival of the fittest

They, like most people in Singapore, are upfront, honest, and don’t beat around the bush. This is what I really appreciate about the country, and to my mind why it is has become a global hub of business and innovation.

Everywhere you look there is a very high sense of professionalism, no matter anyone’s walk of life. Unlike other cities where I have lived, there is an indefatigable hunger here: to build, create and make a difference. It might not be for everyone, but it is also a country which truly believes in the survival of the fittest, and a place where true genuine work is honoured and respected.

Singapore means business

For any entrepreneur and businessman, it’s very important to be in a pro-business environment, Singapore is a forward-thinking country that makes doing business easy, and there is no end to the support entrepreneurs like us can find.

In truth, there is not any one reason why entrepreneurs are drawn to the country. But integral is the simple regulations of setting up business, an accepting attitude towards foreigners, and an educated and hungry society. Taken together, these make the country a business magnet, where conducting a global, borderless, business is a breeze.

The beauty is that Singapore can be your headquarters while the world can be your playground to explore tech-driven possibilities. Apart from augmented reality, virtual reality, and renewable energy, I get driven by data mining, artificial intelligence, contextual marketing. These are the core fields which excite me most, and Singapore is a crucible of innovation for them.

Before basing yourself here you do need to familiarise yourself with the business rules and processes. But there is no grey area in Singapore about what’s allowed and what’s not, so you can embark on a journey here with confidence. Long term it’s important to know if it can work for you and your family. It didn’t take me long to realise Singapore ticks all the boxes. It’s impossible to get bored, and having kids makes it that much more enjoyable. I encourage my kids to love Singapore every day, but they don’t need much encouragement.

Life of its own

Singapore never ceases to surprise us with something new. It is a paradise for food, culture, innovation and business. While the world is evolving and getting progressive, Singapore has already achieved most of it and got way ahead of the curve.

AR/VR based startup, HoloSuit, receives undisclosed amount in funding

22 Aug, 2018

Publication:-The Economic Times

HoloSuit, an AR, VR, AI, ML based tech startup, hasraised an undisclosed amount of funding from three investor, Shabir Momin (serial entrepreneur), MD & CTO, Zenga TV, Rohit Nanda, Singapore-based established infrastructure sector focused equity investor and Sirajuddin, co-founder of Creators Gurukul & partner at Catapooolt. Harsha Kikkeri is the CEO o f HoloSuit .

The Dynamic Tech Innovant

21 July,2018

Publication:-coffeebytesindia.com

For decades, Indians have been playing a vital part in the world of innovation. They are an important cog in the giant technological wheel across the world. Truth to be told, world’s biggest tech and IT companies like Google, Microsoft, Adobe and Nokia are being driven by Indian origin CEOs like Sundar Pichai, Satya Nadella, Santanu Narayen and Rajiv Suri. Other than these, there are many who have made an ineradicable mark in the world of innovation and information technology.\

Odisha born Shabir Momin is one such dynamic tech entrepreneur who has created an identity in the global technology landscape. He has been the youngest CTO (Chief Technical Officer) in the Asia Pacific region at the age of 21 for a US based MNC pioneering in the CRM business and ranked 2nd in the world after Seibel. While technology is his core passion, innovations and opportunities feeds fire into his belly. As an aggressive entrepreneur, he is always on the move. His nerve wracking schedule of a month is, first 20 days he spends in stabilising and scaling up his existing business while the remaining 10 days he spents in brainstorming for new opportunities. To move ahead, he believes in his gut feeling, backed up by research and information. He challenges himself out of his comfort zone, always.

Team Coffee Bytes was happy to catch up with Mr. Shabir Momin to find out what it takes for him to turn his ideas into reality, his current ventures and his thoughts on back home.

For someone who started out as an employee in the BPO sector how did it feel to own the same Bpo?

I can’t explain the feeling, I think it’s a very different feeling all together. But normally when someone says employee in a BPO would usually mean a calling Agent, while I was not a calling agent, I was a CTO then building the BPO technologically.

Hailing from a tier 2 city how did you map your potential in the capital of India?

I just followed the passion in technology, I was anyway not good at studies (other subjects) I am sure many who know me will vouch on that. So, call it passion, that is what made me move forward. God has been kind to me, my parents did let me follow my passion and never pushed me to be a doctor or an engineer (may be deep down they knew I am not capable of being one). Lot of hard work, patience, determination and tons of friend’s support has got me where I am.

At a time when mobile phones were a novelty how did you think of streaming live cricket matches on mobiles?

Videos were not happening at that time due to multiple reasons such as bandwidth problems, phone memory and others. We developed a new technology, which could stream at a lower bandwidth. We were able to crack the technology code after two years of intense hard work and formed the company to build a consumer focused brand. I wanted to bring TV in the hands where anyone anywhere can enjoythe luxury of watching the most preferred sport, entertainment, news and other content anytime. That’s how it formulated further.

What are the current business you are working on?

My current ventures include; Zenga TV, one of the leading OTT services in India, One Digital Entertainment Largest, a Digital Entertainment company, OneAxcess.com, a unique self-serve multi-platform distribution and monetization video ecosystem with over few thousands of content owners, creators and brand advertisers on board, Innov Crowd Pte Ltd which owns two Crowd funding platforms- Desired Wings and Catapooolt focusing on reward based and equity crowd funding respectively, Rastey, a Cab Service, Wyze Bots, a chat bot company, Creators Gurukul, a chain of co-working space across India and a data science company, WoVoyage, a women only travel company, PSiamgone.com, an after death service and few more.

Five years down the line you had received the Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2013 by TIE and recently you received the ICFAI University Presents BW Business world #Young Entrepreneur Award 2017-18. How do you define success?

It feels amazing when you are being recognized for your hard work. There is no end to success, success for me is to spot the right opportunity at the right time and create value for it. The sense of achieving the desired end results should be the main goal for any business. Everything comes with pros and cons but how you and your team turn every opportunity in the favor of the business, is the main success for me. While this process will keep going, trying to help upcoming Entrepreneurs who are working in some new interesting concepts whether it’s a product or service is something I am really passionate about.
|
How do you keep yourself rooted to Odisha?

I belong to Odisha, it’s my home, I have amazing memories from there, I still have my family and friends there, I miss it a lot, I wish I could one day get back and do something from there. One day.

What do you miss about Odisha?

Everything, including the not so good things, specially the time spent with friends, my friends, not to forget the gupchups, chai, the bike rides to puri, the list is never ending.

Odisha then in 2000 and Odisha now. How do you perceive the growth in business opportunities?

The economic growth of Odisha has increased in the last few years. It has now become the most preferred investment destination for the Indian companies who are cost sensitive and are aiming to expand. Sectors including mining & amp; metal, renewable energy and many more are sprouting with great investment in Odisha. It is also promoting food processing business. The only thing I love and at the same time hate about us Odias, we feel we have enough and get content.
Lot of new sectors can be cultivated. I am hoping to bring a power project to the state sometime soon.

Considering your passion for technology how would you rate the future of Odisha in the technology space?

Technology sector in Odisha is growing at a good pace and the future seems really bright. There are really sharp tech minds there who are taking leap in this sector. Lately a group of few students developed an AI based system to detect the faults in the railway tracks to refrain the accidents, which in itself is a great achievement and shows that the mind and the capabilities were always there, we just need a catalyst and a platform to catapult it. The state always had great education platforms, but it used to lack the platform for entrepreneurship or employment, I think that has changed significantly. Firms based out of Odisha, educational institutes, research centers, state government etc are all coming up with the new tech initiatives. Hence, the future seems really bright to me.

As a successful son of Odisha how do you intend to give back to your homeland?

I am looking for a chance to give back, haven’t got a good one as yet. I am hoping my new power project would be a possible opportunity for me to do something for the state, especially because I am bringing it to my home state first before taking it anywhere else.

Expert insights: How AI keeps you glued to your screen

29 Jun,2018

Publication:-TechWire Asia

TEN years ago, the world didn’t have enough engaging content – whether text, audio, or video.

However, with the proliferation of the internet, cheaper cameras, and a multitude of editing software, the world of content has exploded and audiences are just spoiled for choices.

Vying for attention has forced broadcast media to transform itself and in the process, led them to leverage AI and predictive analytics to re-invent their businesses.

In an exclusive interview with Tech Wire Asia ahead of the ConnecTechAsia summit in Singapore this week, Zenga MD and CTO Shabir Momin discussed the latest trends and developments in the industry.

“Broadcast media has one key big difference, it’s a race for masses. With many channels coming up and taking their niche, the industry is very fragmented. While everyone is trying to create interesting and engaging content, they’re limited by a 24 hrs cycle,” explained Momin.

It’s a non-interactive medium and is build on experiences. Therefore, mapping the right context and target audience from a brand’s perspective seems like a big challenge.

The rise of AI

Artificial intelligence (AI), predictive analytics, patterns, machine learning, and many other aspects of data science make it possible to actually recommend what the audience would like to watch, based on nature, likes and dislikes, time of the day, mood and behavior based and many other such patterns that they build.

“Using all these insights, crispier content can be created which can keep the viewers glued to the screen,” said Momin.

It’s also possible to recommend what kind of brands would get the best mileage out of a certain type of content and it’s viewers.

“It’s not a one-formula which fits all. It changes by geography, language, and many other factors,” explained Momin.

Doing so helps brands discover insights and recommendations about the kind of marketing engagement they should adopt and helps them better understand their audience.

If we stop following thumb rules and kind of let the science give it a shot from scratch, one would be surprised how different things are today from what we described it to be in the beginning.

Online mediums such as YouTube and Facebook who are able to give their users some contextual content and at the same time provide the right advertisements to drive engagement with the content benefit the most.

While advertising can keep riding on the shoulders of content, direct contextual advertising has a big market.

The reality is, there are hundreds of ways to use AI to transform video and engagement. The future belongs to content platforms that do it in a way that benefits viewers and advertisers simultaneously.

The rise of data driven-predictive analytics: Shabir Momin

11 June,2018

Publication:-E Gov magazine

The world is evolving faster than we know. Brands communication and sales approach are changing and now becoming more driven by data mined, predictive and AI based decision making. With this, data driven market is growing exponentially, brands these days are not just using the data driven information for predictive sale but also using it as a decision making strategy to position itself among its competition.

The data ecosystem is growing with a fast pace and will grow manifold in the near future resulting into the data explosion. With this, brands use the data for better outcomes if used strategically through predictive analytics which helps to understand the business insights.

Using the predictive analytics at business helps to stay ahead in this competitive era where this tool can gauge the competition pattern around which is useful for the strategic decision making prowess at the work place. The practice of using predictive analytics is also gaining a lot of popularity among brands resulting into more profitability in comparison to their respective competition. It ultimately helps to understand the most complex data available, go through all the intricacies, thereby enabling the expected performance.

To encash upon the usage of predictive analytics, one needs the apt infrastructure, resources to recognize the data driven discoveries which enables them to use the right data at the right time to formulate the right decision on the basis of these discoveries.

The challenge which the brands face is that they do not know how to recognize which data to collect and how to analyse the collected data. A lot of brands are facing the same issue. Predictive analytic is very robust and dynamic in nature if the right data is accumulated and the resources can analyze it for data driven discoveries to drive the right business strategy.

It is a matter of utmost importance for any business to drive its growth manifold therefore it is necessary to build the best data experience through collecting the right data along with the right analysis to build the expected business ecosystem with the best-in-class results. The data collected needs to align with the business objective therefore brands should pay extra heed to identify and incorporate the data which is valuable for the business growth.

This entire practice of identifying and evaluation is again a challenge for the business as they do not know which data source to concentrate to seek the complex business problem. They need the appropriate data to formulate the decision.

Brands need to understand that data driven culture is very important to build the effective data. It requires business objective message to be communicated to the employees to support their action.

This initiative at any work place will be ineffective if the resources lack direction and are clueless. If this process is not executed successfully then it would be a futile exercise for the business. Brands need to inculcate and seed their employees with data driven culture and make it a priority with the crystal clear strategy and drive it to the successful zone.

We have managed to build predictive, AI, and data mining algorithms which can not only understand the data correctly, it also provides analytics, insights and most importantly drives sales and improvements suggestions in the products and services that are being provided to the market by various brands for almost all verticals and industries.

We have taken this process to the next level by also doing programmatic sales and customer engagement without human interference. The program identifies the right customer with the right fit of products and provides the right discounts at the right time. This leads to extremely high conversation almost 90%+, unheard of in any industry. This also reduces cost for the brand and we no more need to spam people with tons or promotions and ads which are not relevant to them.

Rastey cab launches AI driven retail cab rental service in 120 cities in India

01 May, 2018

Publication:-Business World

Rastey cab has launched its retail cab rental service in 120 cities in India. Shabir Momin, CTO, Rastey, said, “We have designed this service keeping in mind the needs of urban commuters. We have ensured to leverage the technology to date to create a smooth operation for passengers, drivers and the operating team. I am blessed with an amazing team which has always been innovating. We believe that consumers have the right to have good experience and we would walk that extra mile to achieve that. We believe that our vision to see the hassle free, high tech driven ride hailing system will keep the experience smooth”.

The rise of data driven-predictive analytics/sales

May 2018

Publication:-Siliconindiamagazine

The world is evolving faster than we know. Brands communication and sales approach are changing and now becoming more driven by data mined, predictive and AI based decision making. With this, data driven market is growing exponentially, brands these days are not just using the data driven information for predictive sale but also using it as a decision making strategy to position itself among its competition. The data ecosystem is growing with a fast pace and will grow manifold in the near future resulting into the data explosion. With this, brands use the data for better outcomes if used strategically through predictive analytics which helps to understand the business insights. Using the predictive analytics at business helps to stay ahead in this competitive era where this tool can gauge the competition pattern around which is useful for the strategic decision making prowess at the work place. The practice of using predictive analytics is also gaining a lot of popularity among brands resulting into more profitability in comparison to their respective competition. It ultimately helps to understand the most complex data available, go through all the intricacies, thereby enabling the expected performance. To encash upon the usage of predictive analytics, one needs the apt infrastructure, resources to recognize the data driven discoveries which enables them to use the right data at the right time to formulate the right decision on the basis of these discoveries.

The challenge which the brands face is that they do not know how to recognize which data to collect and how to analyze the collected data. A lot of brands are facing the same issue. Predictive analytic is very robust and dynamic in nature if the right data is accumulated and the resources can analyze it for data driven discoveries to drive the right business strategy. It is a matter of utmost importance for any business to drive its growth manifold therefore it is necessary to build the best data experience through collecting the right data along with the right analysis to build the expected business ecosystem with the best-in-class results. The data collected needs to align with the business objective therefore brands should pay extra heed to identify and incorporate the data which is valuable for the business growth. This entire practice of identifying and evaluation is again a challenge for the business as they do not know which data source to concentrate to seek the complex business problem. They need the appropriate data to formulate the decision.

THE JOURNEY FROM CTO TO ENTREPRENEUR

30 April 2018

Publication:-Impact magazine
BY SHABIR MOMIN
MD & CTO, Zenga TV

Technology is something that has always intrigued me and I made up my mind at an early age to follow a tech-related career path. I started my journey at age 16 and became a CTO at 21. I had stints with various tech organizations before the entrepreneur bug bit me. My ventures include OTT service Zenga TV, digital content company One Digital Entertainment, multi-platform distribution and monetization video ecosystem Oneaxcess.com, crowd-funding platforms Desired Wings and Catapoolt. Then there were Rastey Cabs, a corporate and retail cab service, prediction and AI company, and Creators Gurukul, a co-working company, among other companies I have created or helped build.

Apart from augmented reality, virtual reality and renewable energy, I am driven by data mining, artificial intelligence and contextual marketing. These are some of the core driving factors which keep me going. I believe that the world is evolving faster than we can keep up with, and this determines the way we interact, react, choose and engage with information and advertisements. I remember once visiting a town in rural India as a kid, where some big brands would drop leaflets from a helicopter and the kids would go running to collect them and bring them to their parents. We have now moved from an era of billboards, newspaper advertisements and leaflets, to a time of smart advertisements delivered through smart devices which are not only used to build engagement, but also to collect data, user behaviour, likes and dislikes and most importantly contextual marketing.

We live in an era where we think, eat, breathe, and sleep digitally. Marketers actively use this platform to leverage the opportunity to market the product to their respective TGs. With this comes the boom in the customer engagement space - contextual marketing. Indeed, this has become a catchphrase around the world and is quickly gaining momentum, with consumers’ shopping patterns, interests, requirements, etc, being a few key elements of contextual marketing. Consumers are well aware of their choices, and more engaging, customized marketing stands a better chance of grabbing eyeballs. The cultural shift from traditional marketing to contextual marketing shows the shifting consumer buying patterns.

Several brands have started using data mining, behaviour mapping, insight building, AI, prediction, and bots, to build user profiling, enabling them to pitch to the consumer at exactly the right time. For example, I purchased a drone from eBay a few months ago and ever since then, I am being re-targeted from multiple websites selling drones. Yes, I am a potential customer who might fit all the criteria; however, I have already bought a drone. Selling me accessories for the drone would probably be more effective than trying to sell me a drone yet again. While such marketing techniques are highly regarded as best industry practices, the effectiveness of it is not for every industry. If I donated to a cause once and am retargeted, it would still make sense. However, knowing the reason or circumstances owing to which I made a donation – say an emotional video, or a relatable story, is more important, Reaching out to me thereafter with the right contextual product or service is the ideal marketing scenario.

As part of my entrepreneurial journey, I love spending time with younger entrepreneurs who I help guide inspired by their energy.

Regional content will bring the next big wave in the OTT industry: Shabir Momin, Zenga TV

23 April 2018

Publication:-socialsamosa One of the early entrants in the OTT industry, ZengaTV has managed to earn loyal through an array of original and acquired content pieces. Social Samosa gets in conversation with Shabir Shabir Momin, MD & CTO, Zenga TV, to understand his view on the present day OTT industry and what can be expected in terms of trends.

Momin sheds light on the dominance of regional content, OTT distribution strategies and more. Excerpts below.

From an OTT market perspective, how was 2017? Which were the major trends?

2017 was a great year and has seen a huge consumer growth on video streaming pace. The OTT market is bound to grow and keep growing, this is inevitable. While the viewership is shifting from linear viewing to either playlist viewing (which is the new linear), especially for those who do not want to search content and video on demand especially for the content made internet. TV market has evolved over the period of time ranging from the limited options of one TV channel with limited show to genre specific channels available today. OTT adding internet focused content to the equation is changing the game. OTT players are mushrooming across the world and gaining not just consumers’ acceptance but also popularity among the patrons. It shows that it is here to rule for long. Different players in the space are taking different approach, so there are many trends, the good news is all of them are great and heading to a common goal of getting more users aware and changing their content consumption behaviour.

Please shed light on the changing content consumption patterns

With the increasing penetration of smartphone, there is an upsurge in the content consumption pattern. OTT content has left no stone unturned to capture the video consummation market. With its high demand, it is growing exponentially. It has been observed that patrons are consuming web based OTT content at large scale and it has been increasing with a great pace. Consumers are swamped with the varied data packs from service providers which indeed are boosting OTT market. Consumers are quiet aware about their choices available and but still want the OTT services free of subscription fee

How would you position Zenga TV in the OTT market? What is the USP that keeps the platform ahead of its competitors?

I believe that Zenga TV has carved the niche in the OTT space quiet successfully so far. Infact, after delivering IPL exclusively on Zenga TV, it has evolved in many ways, from reaching to multiple screens to multiple types of content and also focuses on all segments of users of the market. Our unique technology which could stream at a lower bandwidth surprisingly is still relevant even though we are at 4G and heading to 5G now. We have moved from just few hundred users to over 40 million users globally now. We have a good repeat user base and the freedom of no registration, no fee, and also no app as a must has been a great hit with the users. We have also launched personalized, video discovery and recommendation chatbot on Facebook last year to reach users across platforms, understand their content consumption patterns, and help them get what they want in a conversational manner. Competition is always healthy, it not only shows we are in the right space but also distributes the burden of creating awareness in the market and It only helps grow the market

What are the major challenges faced by OTT players in India?

There are and will always be challenges in terms of patches which doesn’t have good connectivity, sometimes content owners have unrealistic expectations, but these are just about time before it gets reduced. We have seen the time from where even getting an email downloaded to a phone was a big challenge to an era where my kids would say how was that even possible

How well is the Indian market prepared to meet the increasing demand for regional content?

Lot of new things are happening in the regional content space, while some are using subtitle to make it compatible to a larger audience, the others are making more content in that particular language. Addition of channels in different languages by different players is a clear attempt to reach out the maximum regional audience. Basically there is a major chunk of patrons from tier II and III cities who prefer the content in their native language in order to get emotionally connected with the content. Consumers like to see entertainment in their first language. I see a huge growth in the regional market, it is a next big wave in this industry

Original content is said to be the core crowd pooler, how do you plan to incorporate this trend in your strategy?

In today’s scenario it is not just important to have original content but the content should have substance to grab the eyeballs. Consumers are quiet aware of their options and choices these days that they prefer to watch smart cinema. Therefore it is equally important to show content which is unique and different from the mundane content. People tend to get bored so soon and to keep their interest intact with the content is a challenge of another level. We believe in the same strategy and therefore our company, One Digital Entertainment curates the original content for the consumers. It has just made the award winning web series titled ‘SOS’- Survivors Of Suicide. The series brings forth stories of people who have put on a brave face and fought to overcome prejudices and struggles that plague our society when it comes to mental stress. With this series, the network aims to spread awareness about mental stress issues and stamp out the stigma associated with it. The other few digital shows include Hitched, India’s digital superstar, Spice traveler etc.

What kind of distribution strategies are OTT players adapting to, to enhance the reach of their content?

OTT players have widened their reach through multi-screen to reach out to the audience. They are showcasing all types of content on smartphone, TV, laptop, pc etc to give user a different viewing experience as per their convenience. Collaboration with operators to embed the app in the smart television is also one of the attempts to reach out. Content on different genres are produced keeping in mind the interest of the target audience. Producing content in the regional language is also another way to keep it going.

Do you plan to partner other OTT networks as a distribution channel for their original content?

We believe in content collaboration. We already have a lot of content partners from different genre with whom we share the common vision. It is necessary to sync with the partners to drive it together. We are open for all kind of content tie-ups as a content partner. We would like to welcome all in this case, Omni presence is the key to success in this industry.

Brahma Kumaris & their media wing Godlywood studio award Shabir Momin for his achievement & excellence in media at the International Conference-cum-Cultural Festival

06 March 2018

Publication:-MENAFN
(MENAFN Editorial) New Delhi, March 6th, 2018:- Brahma Kumaris & their media wing Godlywood studio award Shabir Momin for his achievement & excellence in media at the International Conference-cum-Cultural Festival. The International Conference-cum-Cultural Festival on Gods Plan Yoga for World Peace, Health and Happiness was organized by Brahma Kumari & its media wing Godlywood studio at Abu Road, Rajasthan. This five day event highlighted the importance of Rajyoga (King of yoga) in changing the lifestyle and creating positive consciousness around. It witnessed many VVIPs including top Industrialists, Nobel Laureates, Scientists, Top Media Personalities, and other eminent people from different sectors like art and culture, social, sports etc. across the world along with central and state ministers. Brahma Kumari also awarded some key achievers in different fields at this event.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Shabir Momin, MD & CTO, Zenga TV and many other ventures said, I feel honored to receive this award from a global body like Brahma Kumari, which is spreading the much needed global peace and love. I had a wonderful experience to come & visit their global headquarters and also see the significant work they are doing. I wish them luck on bringing the goods of people together to make the world more peaceful.

We believe that recognizing good work done by professionals like Mr. Shabir Momin, is important, they also serve the world in their own way. We believe in self-discovery and to add to that we recognize people so that the process can be accelerated, said Bk Nirwair, Secretary General, Brahma kumaris and Godlywood studio.

The event witnessed many outstanding performances on music, dance, theatre, light and sound show and many more with the theme focused on mankind and humanity.

About Brahma Kumari & Godlywood studio

Brahma Kumari operates out of 140 countries with one vision of bringing peace and togetherness in people. Godlywood is a media wing of Brahma kumaris, It facilitates television programme to revolutionize the impact of media on the individual and collective consciousness. It produces different talk shows and spiritual programmes in English, Hindi and 20 other languages. It provides additional performances in larger quantities which allow viewers to enjoy spiritual uplifting programs.

About Shabir Momin

Started working at a very early age and became the youngest CTO at the age of 21, he was also awarded as the Entrepreneur of the Year in 2013 by TIE and Young Entrepreneur award by Business World in 2018. Shabir has had a successful track record in various technology and business positions at a CXO level for few years before he became an entrepreneur. He has successfully exited few ventures in the past and his current ventures that he has founded and co-founded are Zenga TV, one of the leading OTT services in India, OneDigital Entertainment Largest, a Digital content company, OneAxcess.com, a unique self-serve multi-platform distribution and monetization video ecosystem with over few thousands of content owners, creators and brand advertisers on board, InnovCrowd Pte Ltd which owns two Crowd funding platforms - DesiredWings and Catapooolt focusing on reward based and equity crowd funding respectively, Rastey a Cab Service, Wyze Bots, a chat bot company, Creators Gurukul a chain of co-working space across India and a data science company etc are among the few of his ventures. He has further investments in renewable power and few other industries. He is a successful entrepreneur and a professional with an excellent track record in technology innovation especially in the digital media and convergence technology. Contact Information.

Co-working space provider Creator’s Gurukul raises fresh round of funding

02 Feb,2018

Publication:-VCCircle


Cricketer Yuvraj Singh-backed co-working space provider Creator’s Gurukul has raised an undisclosed amount of funding from existing and new investors. Existing investors Rohit Nanda, who is based in Singapore, and Smarak Bhuyan, who is based out of Bay Area, California, among others, participated in the latest round. Sandeepan Senapati, a London-based investor and promoter of technology training initiative TechBridge labs, also came on board as investor.

The changing face of brand integration in online video

31 Jan 2018

Publication:-afaqs Shabir Momin, managing director and CTO, ZengaTV, thinks things have changed to the extent that brand marketers are now asking for "subtle" marketing and product placement over 'slapping' logos onto videos. "That's how it starts," cautions skeptically. Soon enough, 'subtle' gives way to demands that resemble two-decade-old formats. "They say things like 'Looks nice, but can I change the colour to my brand colour?' and 'Can I zoom into the product and show the logo clearly?' and 'I like this but my boss may not,'" he shares.

He has observed another pattern: marketers often start out on the integration route as a brand building exercise but somewhere along the way start demanding sales and conversions from the association. "If you suddenly start worrying about sales, then you're too confused," he says, predicting that technology will play a big role in sales conversion whereas online video integration will help the brand building aspect.

Momin is also the co-founder of a company called One Digital Entertainment, a YouTube certified premium Multi Channel Network that works closely with content creators and artistes looking to find an audience online. Has the conversation with brands moved from betting on a script or a story to betting on individual content creators? "Yes, it is fair to say that's one big change. Today everyone wants to do 'influencer marketing'," he says. After all, influencers bring in a lot of organic reach, as Foxymoron's Gupta points out.

What kind of integration do marketers prefer - being part of the content or appearing during ad breaks on OTT platforms? Gupta says, "As long as the frequency (of the commercial message) towards the same audience is high, they're not concerned with whether it's before or during or after (the content)." Unlike TV shows, online videos are not structured to be interrupted at a 'high point'. "We need a standardised process to create content such that the flow is not lost (when breaks are inserted)," he says.

Owning up to being part of the problem, Havas' Joshi says, "We are not able to convince the client that we will be able to deliver relevant, contextual content that is subtle, as opposed to in-your-face branding. Consequently, a decision is taken in favour of disruptive, non-engaging content."

Lamenting about the lack of means to measure the efficacy of brand integration, Voot's Banerji says, "These are continuous discussions we have with the brand guys." Integrations he appreciates include Red Bull's famous 2012 'Stratos' video (in which Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner jumped from the stratosphere; the parachute surface was heavily branded) and Voot's 'Stupid Man Smart Phone', a reality show in which contestants navigate the hostile outdoors using just a smartphone (Motorola) and a data network (Vodafone). "We didn't change the story narrative to talk about pugs..." Banerji asserts.

What's the brand marketer's biggest grouse when it comes to brand integration in digital video? Overall verdict: ROI, measurability.

Breaking Barriers, Again and Again

18 Jan 2018

Publication:-Business World magazine One of the youngest entrepreneurs in the country, Shabir Momin doesn’t believe in resting on his laurels

At a time when his peers were chalking out their future prospects, Shabir Momin had already assumed charge, becoming the youngest CTO of a global company.

Momin always had a knack for identifying new opportunities with technology as his core passion. The bouquet of his achievements includes building Zenga TV, the largest OTT service in the country; One Digital Entertainment, the largest digital content company; Oneaxcess.com, an online trading platform and two crowd funding platforms Desiredwings and Catapoolt.

The upsurge in the digital content consumption was well anticipated by Momin, who launched his most successful venture Zenga TV, a mobile TV service with live video streaming for TV channels, entertainment and reality shows and news content, back in 2009.

In fact, the concept of watching cricket matches live on mobile was Momin’s brainchild and Zenga TV became the exclusive mobile, live video streaming provider for IPL T20 in 2009 where Zenga streamed matches live and managed delivery across 140 countries. This at a time when videos on mobile were still struggling to gain traction.

“Videos were not happening at that time due to multiple reasons such as bandwidth problems, phone memory and others. We developed a new technology, which could stream at a lower bandwidth,” explains Momin, who was able to crack the technology code after two years of intense hard work and formed the company to build a consumer focussed brand.

Momin was soon to realise that subscription was not the right game to survive in this business. So, he moved towards a profitable advertising-based model, despite facing criticism. He later launched One Digital Entertainment, bringing together 1,900 content creators and partners, which further led to artist and celebrity management. Momin then launched Oneaxcess.com, putting 20-odd digital products under a single roof. New modules and concepts are constantly being added in this space everyday, to help the video ecosystem grow.

“I am trying to build a full lifecycle business. While we have our own production houses, distribution, OTT services, we also work with Zenga’s competitors in various services like Saavn, Hungama, YouTube and Facebook,” says Momin. “Therefore, everything starting from content creation to distribution, monetisation, analytics, we are doing on our own, while also partnering with others,” he says. Through these ventures Momin is also giving comfort to his competitors by giving them both partnership and competition within different businesses.

Indeed, the entrepreneur’s track record is impressive and inspiring. So, what drives Momin? It is his hunger to excel and his past experience. For instance, before turning a full-fledged entrepreneur, Momin held top leadership positions in companies across the globe and successfully strategised the launch of new technologies not only in the Indian market but also around the world. His talent lies in identifying the gaps in the market and tapping opportunities with innovative products.

Momin has a unique way to keeping himself motivated. He constantly keeps himself in the startup mode, despite having created 24 businesses so far. He keeps 20 days to review his existing businesses and the remaining 10 days for new opportunities.

“While one business is growing and becoming profitable, I would have already started something else and would again enter the startup mode, facing all sorts of struggles,” explains Momin (40) about his drive to do more. “Therefore, no matter how much money my one business is making, the new business would always make me feel I don’t have money. That hunger helps you create and innovate,” he says.

So, what is Momin’s next big disruption? “Content as a format of video will continue to remain as the king. However, the engagement models would change. Chatbots are the next big disruption in the market which would replace the existing websites and mobile applications.”

Growth potential: With upsurge in Internet speed and smartphone penetration, OTT space seems to grow at a pace of 35-40 per cent y-o-y growth. Frost & Sullivan says OTT video market was nearly $210 million in 2016, driven by advertising and is likely to grow at a CAGR of over 80 per cent till 2020.