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Grit Stories

Episode 

69

The most resilient Indian startup you haven’t heard of

Introduction to Amagi Media Labs

  • Amagi Media Labs, a SaaS platform established in 2008, allows TV networks and content owners to distribute and monetize content.
  • Despite its low-profile approach, the company has experienced significant success, posting  136% annual revenue growth in 2021.

Baskar Subramanian's Journey and the Genesis of Amagi

  • Baskar Subramanian, a seasoned entrepreneur, co-founded Amagi with the goal of disrupting TV advertising through technology
  • His early challenges, such as being left-handed and dyslexic, sparked his interest in computers and catalyzed his journey

Lessons from Impulsoft and the Beginnings of Amagi

  • From his experience with his first startup Impulsoft, Baskar learned the importance of focusing on the market before developing a solution
  • He had a vision of empowering local advertisers in over 3000 cities, a concept that was warmly received

Unique Experiences and Challenges

  • During Amagi's sales years, Baskar faced a range of unique challenges, including learning about gun licenses and negotiating with powerful individuals
  • He navigated the two-sided challenge of operating in a legacy industry and still managed to achieve his goals

Amagi’s 'Growth Hack'

  • The company found its 'growth hack' by purchasing 30-second ad spots and establishing an in-house studio to create ads.

The Year of Grit - 2017

  • In 2017, Amagi faced a tough period that required a pivot, layoffs, and realignment of the board to new goals and objectives. Despite these challenges, the company persevered and came out stronger.

Amagi Today and the Future

  • As the ecosystem evolved, Amagi adapted and succeeded in securing partnerships with major platforms like Roku and YouTube TV.

2:44 - 3:45: Baskars Story; Coming from a small time; being dyslexic but still finding a connect with the computers
3:45:20 - 5:14:09: First business stint in grade 11! Building financial products from small businesses!
07:45:23-09:19: Making the decision of leaving Texas Instruments although being a top coder there and thoughts on starting up
16:34-19:06: Amagi Story: Empowering the smaller players to advertise on TV!
20:30-22:36: Challenges faced operationally; Extensive traveling in tier-2 cities; facing the cable mafia and getting them onboard!
25:23-28:34: Facing the problem of scale and changing the targeting through research on larger brands
32:48-39:03: Friction with the TV channels; Broadcasters v/s Amagi
35:51-38:59: Changing the model and almost starting afresh; tough times as a founder!
41:16-44:22: Grit of continuing even during tough times; Unconditional support from the employees

“Work hard in silence, let your success be your noise” - Frank Ocean

Amagi Media Labs is a great example of fuss-free success in the otherwise chaotic world of startups. The first thing to note is that Amagi is a seasoned old veteran among its youthful peers - founded in 2008, Amagi is a SaaS platform that enables TV networks and content owners to distribute and monetize content across different platforms. 

In May 2021, they posted an annual revenue growth of 136%. 

In the latest episode of Grit Stories, I spoke with Baskar Subramanian, founder and CEO of Amagi. Baskar has been an internet entrepreneur and startup founder since before either of those terms were really a thing. Having started and sold his first startup in his mid 20s, Baskar, along with a group of friends, started looking for new problems to solve. 

The group set their sights on disrupting television advertising with technology, the startup that became Amagi.

In this podcast, Baskar talks about: 

  • His humble beginnings from Coimbatore, how being left handed and dyslexic had a huge impact on why he was drawn to computers in the first place. 
  • Lessons from Impulsoft, his first exit: why it is important to focus on the market instead of building the solution first, why it isn’t possible to sustain only with software and more.
  • The beginnings of Amagi: the vision of enabling local advertisers, that too at a scale of 3000+ cities, why and how this vision was embraced by the advertisers but not the everyone else. 
  • On the road experience during Amagi’s sales years - learning about gun licenses (yes you read that right), navigating a 2-sided challenge in a legacy industry, and negotiating with powerful people 
  • How they found their ‘growth hack’ : buying 30 second ad spots, and setting up a studio within to create ads 
  • Their year of grit - 2017, when they had to pivot, faced layoffs, and aligned the board to new goals and objectives 
  • The ecosystem evolving and Amagi now: what clicked so companies like Roku, and YouTube TV are now onboard 

The startup ecosystem, Indian or international, sometimes focuses too much on the loud and the noisy. But there’s another kind of startup, quiet, tough and resilient, focused on their business and their goals. It’s clear which kind Amagi is, and this was a great insight into the people behind it.

Amagi has been in the future since 2008, and we wish them the best with their rocket ship.

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Jennifer Phan
Co-founder and CEO, Passionfroot

We’re building Passionfroot 1, an operating system for creators to manage their business.

We’re based in Europe and raised our $ 3.4m pre-seed round from Creandum and US angels such as Vlad (Webflow) and creators like Ali Abdaal.As we’re creating a new category and as the creator economy is global and mostly online, we’re building from Day 1 a global company and product that helps creators monetize around the world.

This brings a lot of complexities especially in terms of payments and taxes as our early users are based both in Europe and the US and deal with cross-border transactions.What are Do’s and Dont’s for European startups who have a global ambition and build products for a global customer base from Day 1. Anything you would do differently?

Krish Subramanian
Co-founder, Chargebee

Thanks @pjbouten! Love how you’ve thought about incrementally shaping a category with a focus on product and service, and only then thinking about getting the message out there vs the other way around.

And totally agree on the distinctions and overlaps both self-serve and enterprise motions share.

Community/Editorial, Relay

Thanks, PJ, for taking the time to address questions from the great vantage of shaping Showpad into a global, enterprise SaaS brand!


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