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<ul><li><keyword id="308865" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Piyush-Kumar">Piyush Kumar</keyword>, co-founder and CEO of sports tech startup <keyword id="3756169" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rooter">Rooter</keyword>, started going to <keyword id="32462" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="therapy">therapy</keyword> in May 2020. </li><li>Near death moments are basically those times in a startup journey when because of any reason – the situation, product or funding you fear that you are nearing the end of your startup.</li><li>Here’s why Kumar recommends therapy to many other struggling founders out there.</li></ul>When Cafe Coffee Day founder V. G. Siddhartha took the extreme step and died by suicide, the Indian startup ecosystem sat up and took notice of the pressures of building a business. One year since that incident, and <keyword id="6354774" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mental-health">mental health</keyword> is still a hush-hush topic and going to therapy continues to be perceived as an option for only when you are ‘sick’. During the coronavirus lockdown, the need for therapy has only gone up with people stuck inside their homes feeling more anxious and uncertain about their future. But this entrepreneur doesn’t want to take mental health as a joke. Piyush Kumar, co-founder and CEO of sports tech startup Rooter, started going to therapy in May 2020, and his advice to fellow entrepreneurs is to start taking mental health seriously. Handling the near death moments When Piyush Kumar was starting up his sports tech startup Rooter, he read a quote by one of India’s startup leaders – every startup goes through three-four near death moments, and the startup that survives all of it, eventually goes on to be successful. While Kumar didn’t understand it then, in 2018 and 2019, he went through similar crisis situations. “Near death moments are basically those times in a startup journey when because of any reason – the situation, product or funding you fear that you are nearing the end of your startup,” Kumar told Business Insider. In 2018, Kumar went through a tough period for six-seven months where his startup wasn’t able to raise money and the product was not going in the right direction. “A good friend’s wife who is a psychologist recommended therapy. But I told her that I play a lot of sports – five days a week and spend a lot of time with my four-year old son, that should help me. But she told me then, that there will be a time when you’ll need more than this,” he said. How therapy helped When the coronavirus pandemic began, Rooter was just about to sign its funding term sheet with Paytm and the sports startup was left in a situation where sports had stopped. What followed was six weeks of stress, where Kumar was working for 18-20 hours a day – working on the product, ensuring a smooth transition to work from home for his team and concluding the investment discussion. While Kumar and his team managed to do it all and raised $1.7 million from Paytm, leAD Sports, Rockstud Capital and Founder Bank Capital, the startup founder realised therapy was important. “I started going for therapy when things were good, when we had successfully launched a new product and raised funding. I started because just like I concentrate on physical exercise, I wanted to pay attention to mental health as well,” he said. While in the West, entrepreneurs have been more open to therapy, that has not been the case in India. In the West, there are <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/18/21183555/co-founder-therapy-counseling-tech-bros-feelings-silicon-valley">even startups</a> that help other founders reach out for emotional well-being. Kumar, who had not been diagnosed with depression or sleep disorders, turned to therapy to handle the pressure of his job. “A lot of people think that if you have great friends or a great partner, they will be able to handle your mental pressure but most of the time that is not the case because anybody who knows you will have a certain bias. Therapy has helped me prepare for the future because as a startup founder, you know there will be those times in the future again,” he said. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/zomato-has-doubled-its-revenue-but-founder-founder-deepinder-goyal-says-covid-19-has-made-the-company-lean-and-mean/articleshow/76893760.cms">Zomato has doubled its revenue and founder Deepinder Goyal says COVID-19 has made the company lean and mean</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/unicorns-like-byjus-first-cry-and-zomato-got-a-big-chunk-of-startup-funding-in-2020/articleshow/76868237.cms">Unicorns⁠ like Byju’s, First Cry, and Zomato bagged one in every three dollars invested in startups this year</a>

This Indian entrepreneur started going to therapy and recommends it to startup founders to survive the ‘near death’ moments in business

<keyword id="6356028" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="sports">Sports</keyword> community platform Rooter on Monday said it has raised USD 1.7 million (about Rs 13 crore) in funding from Paytm, leAD Sports, Rockstud Capital and Founder Bank Capital. <keyword id="3851366" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Anthill-Ventures">Anthill Ventures</keyword>, Venture Catalysts, and a few more current angel investors also participated in the pre-series A round, Rooter said in a statement. Rooter is also entering into a strategic partnership with Paytm First Games, where both companies will collaborate to grow the ecosystem of cricket, fantasy sports, e-sports and gaming creating seamless integration across gaming and content, it added. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="75526547" title="From BigBasket to Swiggy to Nobroker⁠— top ten Indian startups that raised money in April amidst the coronavirus crisis" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> "The fresh round of funding will be used to grow Rooter's user base over the next one year and <keyword id="2264647" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="capitalising">capitalising</keyword> on the company's upcoming e-sports and gaming content and communities. This will add a new dimension to the unique positioning of Rooter which already has a very high engagement around its sports content," the statement said. The new content strategy will also allow Rooter to launch user monetisation channels, in addition to current advertising monetisation, it added. Rooter was founded by Piyush and Dipesh Agarwal in 2016 to connect fans with each other, and build a community. The platform was largely built around live sports gaming during its early days before it pivoted to content in 2019. Currently, it comprises sports content developed by users and professionals with a user base of more than 8 million. Rooter was selected by leAD Sports Accelerator (an Adidas Family backed Fund) and later secured its first funding from the entity in 2019. Rooter has raised over a million dollars in funding so far through Venture Catalysts, Bollywood actor <keyword id="31951" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Boman-Irani">Boman Irani</keyword>, Anthill ventures, and other marquee investors. "We started Rooter with the objective of creating a sports fan community and we are glad our pivot to content has found a strong product-market fit. Our engagement metrics and user growth have been excellent in the last two quarters," Piyush, Founder and CEO of Rooter, said. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="75527010" title="Between US-China bickering and earnings bummer from RIL and HUL, Sensex has lost over 4% in first hour of trading" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="75526401" title="Coronavirus cases in India inches towards 43,000 mark— with Maharashtra and Delhi seeing a continuous rise" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>

Rooter raises $1.7 million led by Paytm, leAD Sports and others

It used to be that government in America got things done.
Now, <a href="http://www.people-press.org/2014/06/12/section-1-growing-ideological-consistency/#interactive">as the chart below from Pew shows</a>, people in America's government - and most Americans - just root for their "team" and scream at each other.
Too bad.
We were a stronger country when we got things done.

If You Think American Politics Has Devolved To Two Teams Of Empty-Headed Rooters Screaming At Each Other, You're Right

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="6358963" type="DEFINITION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Warren-Buffett">Warren Buffett</keyword>'s deputy enjoyed a $264 million retirement account as of 2018, ProPublica reported.</li><li><keyword id="768988" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Ted-Weschler">Ted Weschler</keyword>'s best investments at his former hedge fund included Cogent and <keyword id="11538313" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="wr-grace-co">WR Grace &amp; Co</keyword>.</li><li>Cogent stock jumped 13-fold and WR Grace stock rose 11-fold between 2003 and 2011.</li></ul>Warren Buffett's deputy <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/warren-buffett-ted-weschler-roth-ira-retirement-account-taxes-propublica-2021-6-1030554771">grew his retirement account</a> from $70,000 to $264 million in under 30 years, <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/lord-of-the-roths-how-tech-mogul-peter-thiel-turned-a-retirement-account-for-the-middle-class-into-a-5-billion-dollar-tax-free-piggy-bank">ProPublica reported</a> this month. Ted Weschler hasn't disclosed the securities responsible for that monster gain, but two of his best investments at his former hedge fund suggest they weren't household names.Weschler, who has helped Buffett manage <keyword id="6362665" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="berkshire-hathaway">Berkshire Hathaway</keyword>'s stock portfolio since 2012, previously ran Peninsula Capital Advisors. The hedge fund first disclosed its stock holdings <a href="https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001265816/000091957403002306/0000919574-03-002306-index.htm">in 2003</a>, and filed its last portfolio update <a href="https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001265816/000091957411006377/0000919574-11-006377-index.htm">in 2011</a>. It held on to four of its original 13 positions during that period, and two of those were huge winners.Peninsula held 142,000 shares of <keyword id="11538314" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="cogent-communications">Cogent Communications</keyword> worth $159,000 at the end of September 2003. The internet service provider's stock price jumped from about $1 to over $13 over the next eight years, and Peninsula increased its stake to 3.8 million shares, boosting the value of its position to $51 million by the end of the third quarter of 2011.Weschler also won big with shares of his first employer, WR Grace &amp; Co. Peninsula held 10.8 million shares of the specialty chemicals and materials company worth $33 million in 2003. The stock surged from $3 to north of $33 over the next eight years, lifting the value of Peninsula's untouched stake by almost 11 times to $358 million.Peninsula's two other surviving holdings were DaVita, the dialysis specialist that Weschler later added to his Berkshire portfolio, and WSFS Financial, a financial-services company. DaVita's stock price nearly doubled in value between 2003 and 2011, while WSFS shares slumped by about 25% during that period.Weschler's hedge fund invested in other obscure companies such as Roto-Rooter, a plumbing specialist, and Wilsons the Leather Experts, a leather-goods retailer. Moreover, Buffett's deputy has <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/warren-buffett-deputy-ted-weschler-makes-gain-dillards-stock-2021-6-1030534902">personally quadrupled</a> his money on Dillard's, the humdrum department-store chain, over the past nine months.The investor's $264 million nest egg might bring to mind high-flying <keyword id="6354298" type="DEFINITION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Stocks">stocks</keyword> such as Amazon or Netflix, but the reality is probably far less exciting.

Warren Buffett's deputy snowballed his retirement account from $70,000 into $264 million. Here are 2 of Ted Weschler's best investments

<ul><li>India has banned 118 Chinese apps including Tencent's PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) as border tensions with China continue to flare up. </li><li>We speak to Indian gaming apps and digital experts to understand what it means for the industry. </li><li>They believe that it is time for Indian Gaming Companies to capitalise and use this opportunity to win the game. </li></ul>In the wake of mounting border tensions between China and India, the government of India ordered a ban on Battle Royale title game PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) yesterday. According to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, PUBG has been banned along with the other apps under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, on grounds that they engage in activities which are prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India, defense of India, the security of the state and public order. As of May, Tencent’s PUBG had been downloaded 34.2 million times of which India accounted for 35.8% — 12.24 million installs, according to data provided by Sensor Tower. It has seen a global revenue gain of $1.3 billion, which is nearly Rs 22,457 crore with the highest number of downloads in India. The gaming industry in India is also at its peak right now. As per ‘The Power of Mobile Gaming in India,’a report released by the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) and Kantar IMRB in association with POKKT, the mobile gaming industry in India is projected to reach $934 million in 2022 and the number of gamers is expected to swell up to 368 million by 2022. While gamers took to social media to mourn the loss of the game, experts are rejoicing at the government’s decision. They said that there are plenty of fish in the sea to fill PUBG’s void and the move will only bring India-made games to the forefront. They also said that it may be a setback for gamers who made a living from that platform but they will eventually find another home like former TikTokers have. Here is what experts had to say about PUBG’s ban: Roland Landers, CEO, All India Gaming Federation: Any decision taken by the government in order to protect the safety, security and sovereignty of the Indian cyberspace is welcome. The move would safeguard the interests of Indian mobile and internet users while presenting a great opportunity for indigenous homegrown game development studios to showcase their talent and create exciting game formats as part of the #Vocalforlocal and #Aatmanirbhar initiatives. We are confident that games like Rogue Heist, a multi-player online shooter game, designed and developed entirely in India and many others similar to this will fill the gap. Anirudh Pandita, Founder, Pocket Aces (Owner of Loco): The Indian gaming industry has been seeing rapid growth with users from across the country taking to esports and mobile gaming in a big way. We are seeing talented gamers showcase their skills through games such as PUBG, Call of Duty, Freefire and more. We’re confident that the recent ban on PUBG has been made by Government after much deliberation and with good reason. That means streamers and gamers now have to develop their skills on other games. We are confident that our gaming community will rise to the challenge and that our great nation will produce even better and bigger talent. Loco is more determined than ever to serve the Indian gaming community. We stand by our streamers and are working hand in hand with them at this moment to chart out a new course for Indian gaming. Our platform empowers users to stream games and showcase their talent to India. 100% Made in India, Loco will amplify its efforts towards making India a gaming superpower. Yash Pariani, CEO, Indian Gaming League (IGL): This may seem like a loss to the Esports community, however, in the interest of national security, the country must take whatever precautions they deem necessary. There are plenty of other games to fill the void for PUBG and IGL have started capitalising on the recent surge of demand for these other games as soon as the ban was announced. Games such as Call of Duty (COD) Mobile, Free Fire and Fortnite may see a surge in users in India. While we may see some players move to other platforms such as PUBG PC, the majority who prefer the mobile version will be sticking to similar games on the same platform which would be COD Mobile. This will affect millions of gamers, it will have the same effect as it did when TikTok was banned for the influencers that had made a living from that platform, however, for the time being, we will see PUBG influencers and players switching to other games to make a living, it may be a set back for them but eventually, their audiences will also respond to the change. With this ban in effect, we may even see a version of the game that the audiences have grown to know and love, be developed here itself from India. Piyush, CEO &amp; Founder, Rooter: We welcome this move by our government to safeguard Indian users' data and protect the country against the potential threat these apps pose to our national security. This ban opens up tremendous opportunities for the Indian gaming ecosystem to align their businesses with the government’s Atmanirbhar Bharat strategy and also enable gaming and eSports platforms to grow faster." Stating that the company anticipated the ban and kept investing in other games, he said, "Most of the users and content creators on our platform engage in games other than PUBG. Rooter had less than 10% PUBG streamers and it was a conscious effort on our part to ensure that we focus more on other games like Free Fire and Call of Duty. Both the games have strong engagement on Rooter and most of their top streamers are part of our user base. That said, in the last two and a half months, Rooter has witnessed unprecedented growth by adding nearly 3 million users. This ban will further fuel the growth, which will help us become a dominant player in the market. Sowmya Iyer, Founder &amp; CEO, DViO Digital: Online gaming in India is at a very interesting threshold where it’s gaining a strong foothold as a subset of the Entertainment Industry. With a combination of deep mobile phone penetration, an increase in active internet users &amp; the youngest population at hand, we are seeing that the interest in gaming &amp; the number of gamers is on an exponential rise. Perhaps as a testament to this growing gaming fever in India, the digital ad spends of such games have also grown exponentially, sometimes even surpassing the actual cost of making the game. And as for marketing on these platforms, gaming has revolutionized the way we consume content &amp; has brought forth a whole new world of engaged &amp; engrossed users which is a gold mine for brands and marketers. Leading the computing &amp; online gaming movement in India, we had PUBG but with the ban, we can see the potential for the Indian Gaming Companies to fill in very well. Players like Games 24X7, Nazara Technologies are pushing the boundaries in terms of providing Indian gamers with fantastic gaming options and content. As we see a huge surge in people adopting games and engaging with games as an entertainment medium, the big shot OTT platforms like Disney, Flipkart, Amazon, etc are also taking gamification as a focus area. Statistics show India went from having just 25 gaming companies in 2010 to grow more than 250+ companies in a decade’s time which means we have the potential to create engaging content &amp; conquer the gaming industry. Now that PUBG successfully hooked a whole generation to the gaming scene in India, it’s time for the Indian Gaming Companies to capitalize &amp; use this opportunity to win the game! GD Prasad, Associate Vice President, Dentsu Webchutney: PUBG has permeated the digital media ecosystem in a way that no other game being played in India has. This is a game that has as many people watching gameplay footage on YouTube and Instagram as it does actual players. It has helped catapult a fresh set of influencers with millions of followers and subscribers and a streaming community with as many viewers. Money and politics aside, it will be interesting to see how this community adapts to the situation. I believe, we will see many changes to mobile gaming in India as a result of this move. PubJio in the making? Well, you never know! Shradha Agarwal Co-founder &amp; COO, Grapes Digital: The banning of more than 100 additional apps by the indian Government with any linkages to China, is certainly going to create unrest and affect the livelihoods of many. These apps, including PubG was not only a gaming platform but a subsistence. For PubG, India was its largest market with content creators in the universe of gaming. PUBG has helped the hardcore mobile gaming market in India to grow exponentially in all 3 metrics — users, usage and monetisation. For the first time in India, we were seeing sizable in-app purchase revenues from a single game and the ban of PUBG amongst all the other apps, will directly impact the business model for many, thereby affecting their livelihood. The ripple effect will also be felt by event organizers, marketing agencies and influencers who were using PUBG and game streaming to optimize and monetize their livelihood, surely had become a way of life and existence. With a quarter of lifetime PUBG installed in India and more than 40 million monthly active users in the month of July, according to one of the top mobile insight firms, will lead to immense uncertainty with the overnight ban of these apps. However, this move by the government was expected to come anytime soon, following the ban of TikTok. Karan Gupta, Managing Director, Zirca Digital Solutions: The Ministry's move to ban the 118 China-backed apps, while keeping in mind India's national security, will no doubt come as a shock to gamers, especially those on the PUBG platform. PUPG has been extremely successful in the country because of its mobile-first strategy, captivating the youth and attracting huge advertising revenue opportunities over the past year. The gaming market will undoubtedly see the rise of various alternative gaming apps (including some homegrown ones) which will fill the void that the ban has brought about. Though it may bring about further fragmentation in the mobile gaming industry in the short term, Indian gamers will definitely find alternate gaming apps and advertising money will follow them. MPL Spokesperson: Every such development can be an opportunity for our ecosystem. We have a very strong game developer ecosystem here in India. We have partnered with close to 30 already and the number is only growing. Rogue Heist, India's first home-made Battle Royale game, has already been called a "PUBG rival" and has been doing well on our platform for over three months now.

Can Indian games fill the void that PUBG will leave behind? Experts tell us their thoughts

New Delhi, June 29 (IANS) After the Indian government banned 59 Chinese apps over national security concerns, desi app developers on Monday hailed the move, saying this will help the Indian app ecosystem prosper. The Indian government banned popular Chinese apps like TikTok, WeChat, UC Browser and Xiaomi's Mi Community and more to safeguard the interests of crores of Indian mobile users. "This is a welcome move from the government against platforms that have had serious privacy, cyber security and national security risks. We expect the government to continue their support for the Indian startup ecosystem," Berges Malu, Director, Public Policy, ShareChat, told IANS. ShareChat is an Indian video creation app similar to short-video making app Tiktok. The app allows users to communicate and interact with other users on the platform. ShareChat currently serves more than 60 million monthly active users in 15 different Indian languages. Most of its active users hail from tier-2 and tier-3 cities (like TikTok), with the majority of them relying on 2G networks. Naveen Tewari, Founder and CEO, InMobi Group said that this is the digital 'Aatma Nirbhar' moment that most Indians have been rooting for. "As the number one top video app on the Google Play Store, Roposo is very well positioned to lead this movement. Roposo will continue to build on the trust and love that 55 million Indian users have placed in us," said Tewari. The government banned the Chinese apps after it received complaints from various sources including several reports about misuse of some mobile apps available on Android and iOS platforms for stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users' data in an unauthorised manner to servers which have locations outside India. "Banning Chinese apps is a great initiative to ensure privacy of the Indian users' data and to protect the country against the potential threat these apps pose to our national security," said Piyush, CEO &amp; Founder, Rooter. "The Indian technology ecosystem has come a long way in the last 5-6 years and is at par with the capabilities of any other startup ecosystem in the world," he added. Other Chinese apps in the banned list are Club Factory, SHAREit, Likee, Mi Video Call (Xiaomi), Weibo, Baidu, Bigo Live and more. --IANS na/vd

It is digital 'Aatma Nirbhar' moment: Indian app makers

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/reyes-chow/2554468210/in/photolist-4TJjpm-5KUoPG-d9Kcse-2X8dxV-EgRJU7-5LdgfT-5FmNob-5LPfEX-5KUt7L-5SoMED-Ej5fgX-oxnds-62uG83-5P9Xvo-2LdmKF-5FmFxo-5xAMoR-5LPffp-DTPonZ-5P9XpG-d9KccB-3jNDHm-5SoM9M-d9Kcww-3dBotZ-EsiMKi-d9Kc98-6g5DE2-diCJQq-2XcEK7-5LTsRd-FbBq6C-oPfvrm-RWvDj1-pYGkHi-pGEhpR-kto6Xt-8SXcLJ-cXNxJE-6H9wpo-ZfNLnQ-JXbz-hjjLg6-SWcCn-2sysfB-p8dysZ-3ERr82-pFVBC8-TFXPFn-spYj9t">Bruce Reyes-Chow/Flick</a></div></div></div><ul><li>Black Friday is the busiest day of the year for plumbers, who receive up to 50% more calls than they do on a normal Friday.</li><li>Clogged sinks are the most common problem, since people try to improperly dispose of food scraps.</li></ul> Plumbers like buying discount TVs as much as anyone, but don't expect them to join you in much Black Friday shopping.For plumbers, the day after Thanksgiving is "Brown Friday."Roto-Rooter, the largest supplier of plumbing, sewer, and drain services, says Black Friday is busiest day of the year for plumbers. Calls for services increase <a href="http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161121005741/en/Avoid-Holiday-Plumbing-Disasters-Thanksgiving">by up to 50%</a> compared to a normal Friday, and up to 27% over a regular Friday-to-Sunday period.But don't blame the human waste that follows a hearty Thanksgiving meal."It's not even close," Paul Abrams, director of public relations for Roto-Rooter, <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Business/black-friday-plumbers-busiest-day-year/story?id=17792651">told</a> ABC. "The number one reason for calls is kitchen sink drains and garbage disposals."When in the throes of cooking a Thanksgiving feast, it may seem okay to wash wads of potato skins, bits of turkey, or oily drippings down the drain. But Roto-Rooter advises people to throw all solids and oils away, and never to use the toilet to dispose of scraps that don't fit down the sink."This time of year, homes have extra occupants in the form of holiday guests who are taking extra showers and flushing more toilets," Abrams <a href="http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161121005741/en/Avoid-Holiday-Plumbing-Disasters-Thanksgiving">said in a statement</a>. "That alone puts additional stress on many residential drain systems."Adding in other bulky objects only raises the chance that your Black Friday will turn brown. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/unboxing-the-lol-surprise-big-suprise-the-hot-toy-of-2017-christmas-holidays-dolls-whats-inside-2017-11">The 'L.O.L. Surprise! Big Surprise' is the hottest toy of 2017 - here's what it is and what's inside it</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

Black Friday is the busiest day of the year for plumbers - but not for the reason you think

<ul><li>As the government banned 59 Chinese apps around talks of data privacy and security, many influencers and brands have been left in the lurch.</li><li>Since apps like <keyword id="6762469" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="TikTok">TikTok</keyword> have a huge influencer community and brands also have their marketing monies invested on the platform, we spoke to experts to understand how things might pan out in the near future.</li></ul> For a while now, there have been increasing debates around <keyword id="145060" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="data-security">data security</keyword> and privacy in India. Amidst these conversations and also mounting tensions between China and India, the government of India on Monday announced the ban of around 59 Chinese apps. These apps include popular video-sharing social networking platform TikTok, WeChat, UC Browser, SHAREit, Baidu Map, Shein, Helo and Likee, amongst others. The government, in its official announcement said, “The Ministry of Information Technology, invoking it’s power under section 69A of the Information Technology Act read with the relevant provisions of the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking of Access of Information by Public) Rules 2009 and in view of the emergent nature of threats has decided to block 59 apps ( see Appendix) since in view of information available they are engaged in activities which is prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order.” Hours after the announcement was made, TikTok India’s head <keyword id="47432" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nikhil-Gandhi">Nikhil Gandhi</keyword> released a statement.It read, “The Government of India has issued an interim order for the blocking of 59 apps, including TikTok and we are in the process of complying with it. We have been invited to meet with concerned government stakeholders for an opportunity to respond and submit clarifications. TikTok continues to comply with all data privacy and security requirements under Indian law and have not shared any information of our users in India with any foreign government, including the Chinese Government. Further if we are requested to in the future we would not do so. We place the highest importance on user privacy and integrity. TikTok has democratized the internet by making it available in 14 Indian languages, with hundreds of millions of users, artists, story-tellers, educators and performers depending on it for their livelihood, many of whom are first time internet users.” TikTok enjoys a huge following in India and has a dedicated fan base as well as innumerable users who have become influencers on the platform. India accounts for a huge chuck of TikTok’s global installs. According to estimates by Sensor Tower, when TikTok crossed 2 billion global downloads, India was at the forefront of this growth. The country accounted for 611 million lifetime downloads or 30.3% of the total. This opened up the opportunities for both content creators and brands who started looking at the platform as an effective way of reaching out to audiences. We saw quite a few brands come up with innovative campaigns on the platform. TikTok has also been strengthening its offerings for advertisers. However, this ban will put a lot of things on hold. We wanted to understand the impact of this ban on the influencer community and reached out to a few experts. Here is what they had to say: <keyword id="2705387" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Shamsuddin-Jasani">Shamsuddin Jasani</keyword>, Group MD, Isobar South Asia We don't know how long this ban is going to last for. But if it lasts for a few months it certainly is going to have a big effect on the curated video space, YouTube for sure will be the big gainer as well as Indian apps on the space. Ashutosh, CEO and Co-founder, Buzzoka The ban on Tik-Tok definitely calls for brands to rethink their influencer marketing strategies. Undeniably, the platform saw a spike in interest in the recent past however it must be noted that it formed only a part of brands' influencer marketing spend. On the contrary, mature platforms like Instagram and YouTube have always had an edge over the former. As a result, the impact of its ban will be lesser on brands and more on the content creators who were only present on Tik-Tok. I believe there's always a silver lining. Disruption will take place in the market. There is no dearth of platforms hence, brands will increasingly turn to them to reach similar audiences. Similarly, influencers will be able to make new identities on other platforms as far as they are good and confident about their content creation. Moreover, this will create new avenues in the ecosystem for emerging Indian platforms like Mitron and Chingari and will encourage them to invest more in enhancing their respective platforms and see rapid growth from here. Premkumar Iyer, National Operations Head, Gozoop This ban is a very big move for Indian M&amp;A. It will be interesting to see how the whole ban eventually plays out. Of all the apps banned, TikTok ranks highest on potential due to its hinterland dominance, which led brands to make investments on the platform, both in terms of time and money. Brands will probably press pause and see how this culminates before attempting any major course correction. However, the real game here is for the influencers who have built strong communities on the platform. We are witnessing a shift as most are moving towards Instagram as it is natively closest to what TikTok enabled for these creators. Cross promoting communities have always been the norm for influencers and since the ban was announced creators have started posting content asking their community to follow them on Instagram and YouTube so that if the ban continues fans can still watch their content. What's going to make this even more interesting is if Instagram's Reels and Facebook's Lasso short video format app launches in India as the timing could not be better.I think for most it is going to be like JayZ says “On to the Next One”. Harikrishnan Pillai, CEO and Co-founder, TheSmallBigIdea Digital platforms across the world are facing tremendous pressure from governments and advertisers to bring in more data transparency and content filtering. This move is led by public outrage and both, the government and brands are quite conscious of their imagery basis their stance. The 150+ brand boycott of Facebook or the Chinese platform bans are clear indicators of this phenomenon. The question is what does it mean to the advertisers, agencies and platforms. In a short to medium term, advertisers and agencies will look at alternate platforms to help them meet their marketing goals. Some of the banned platforms are sizeable, so it would be difficult to find an immediate apparent replacement. In this case, a combination of replacements or an increase in presence in existing platforms can be an option. Also, the ban is still a little unclear from an implementation standpoint. The downloaded apps are still running, though new downloads are at a halt. If the government calls for a complete ban, things will go south for these platforms. Even then, I don't believe brands will advertise on these apps, fearing public outrage. For influencers, from a short term POV, the business will be affected if they have had a single platform focus. From a long term perspective, Indian apps have a great opportunity to grow. ‘Revenge Download' will lead to a sudden spike of Indian apps. Whether they manage to be sticky and effective, time will tell. <keyword id="7372416" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Viraj-Sheth">Viraj Sheth</keyword>, Co-founder and CEO, <keyword id="9491005" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="monk-entertainment">Monk Entertainment</keyword> The TikTok ban, if it stays for perpetuity, will prove to be a big dent in the life of many young and budding influencers. TikTok has given rise to an incredible number of influencers who rose to stardom through the platform and earned their bread and butter due to the audience earned from the app. While most of the established TikTokers will see a dip in their branded content earnings because of this ban for a few months, they've been smart enough to build their audiences on platforms like Instagram &amp; YouTube. When brands divert their spends from TikTok to other platforms, this ban will not affect their earnings over a period of time. TikTok had been a huge catalyst in enabling talent from the farthest nooks and corners of India. The ban will leave a gap in the market for Indian short video platforms to come through and make their mark. I hope they make their moves right. Neel Gogia, Co founder, IPLIX Media This step will impact thousands of Tiktok influencers who are dependent on brands for their survival. Brands will be impacted as well. They have already started reaching out to us to understand how they can realign their strategies to reach similar audiences. It will be interesting to see how influencers and brands change their strategies to adapt to the other platforms. We feel in 5-6 months influencers can build their audience in these platforms (if they create relevant content). Ankit Agarwal, Founder, Do Your Thng The ban is more of a statement right now - a comma rather than a full stop. That’s evident from the clarification updated by TikTok India. If, and that’s a big if, the block becomes permanent, it has the potential to change the influencer landscape significantly. Right now, for marketers, TikTok is the space to target Gen Zers as 41% of its users fall in this age bracket. I feel it is one reason why brand custodians place it in the top 3 three platforms for influencer marketing [Instagram (94%), TikTok (52%) and YouTube (52%)]. On top of it, the app has higher engagement rates and average time spent per day than Instagram. When you take away something so effective, brands are bound to feel the pinch. To compensate, they’ll redirect their influencer marketing efforts to other platforms – trigger the said change. On the creator side, the impact will be more substantial and devastating. As Nikhil Gandhi correctly points out, TikTok gave a voice to hundreds of creators generating vernacular content in India. While most creators are savvy enough to diversify to other platforms, there will be few who stand to lose their entire body of work. But all this is contingent on a permanent block, which in my opinion will most probably not happen. Not just because TikTok has been given a chance to submit clarifications, but because executing a ban is not simple with plenty of workarounds available. Honey Singh, CEO &amp; Co-Founder, #ARM Worldwide Content creators have already started nurturing their other platforms like Instagram and Youtube. After this ban, I feel there will be a significant spike on Instagram. These content creators will also face monetary losses since brands have already started pausing their planned TikTok activities for now. At the moment, we are already in touch with many content creators and figuring out how to finish ongoing campaigns. Lastly, this ban will also allow these content creators to think about building a uniform fan following. Post anti-China sentiments have already started depleting the wallets of influencers. After the ban, all the scheduled campaigns from the brands are on pause until further clarity from the government. Creators having large followings on other channels like Instagram/Youtube may recover, but there will be a significant loss for them. The silver lining is that content creators should realize that nothing is permanent. They should start working on an omnichannel presence. Aside from nurturing an audience on a platform, a community beyond a single rented house is a must. The thumb rule for any brand is to know exactly where their audience is. Long-term solutions can include developing platforms such as forums, websites, blogs &amp; newsletters to nurture their audience beyond a single platform. Sandeep Sreekumar, Managing Director, Media Moments Over the years, apps like TikTok, Helo and the likes had caught the eye of various brands and had developed into strong marketing mediums. Now, with the recent update, there will be a shift in the platforms used by the influencers while the overall approach will remain the same. This move will also open new opportunities for many Indian apps.And it will be interesting to see how Indian apps like Chingari, Mitron and Roposo will come into the foreplay and cash in the situation. For instance, many apps experienced a massive increase in the download rates soon after the announcement. Having said that; thorough understanding, planning and research will be required before associating with these apps to deliver right message and content. But as long as quality content is being created, audiences will follow and as long as audiences are there, brands will invest regardless of the platform. Piyush Kumar, CEO &amp; Founder, Rooter We have seen a 250% increase in new users joining Rooter in the last 12 hours and we are estimating 1 million new users on our platform in the next 15 Days. This surge will be organically driven by our users and content creators. The ban on Chinese apps like TikTok opens up a huge opportunity for Indian apps to come to the forefront. There will be a huge drop in user acquisition costs as Chinese apps may no longer invest their money in our homegrown apps money. Moreover, the advertising business for the Indian apps will also increase in the absence of TikTok. TikTok might have been a source of income for thousands of content creators, but there were only 1-1.5% of users creating content on it. The rest were the consumers. With the emergence of alternate local platforms, creators will automatically shift their content dais, enticing the brands to partner with them for engaging with the audience. It will be a win-win situation for both. Divanshi Gupta, Director, The Marcom Avenue The recent geopolitical events on Indo-China borders have resulted in the Indian government banning TikTok and other 58 apps in the light of protecting the privacy and sovereignty of its residents. This action may have its repercussions on both the governments, but it is definitely going to have a significant impact on the brands and advertisers who had set aside the quarter budget for influencer marketing campaigns on TikTok social media. This short-form content media app had begun to attract a considerable number of users. And now, the advertisers will have to undeniably shift their strategy and focus on creating long-form content on platforms, like YouTube and Instagram, with already established and known faces by bidding adieu to TikTok influencers.

How TikTok’s ban in India might impact influencers and brands

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra is a UC Berkeley alumnus who was there when the school scored a stunning upset football victory over rival Stanford in 1982.</li><li>The legendary game, featuring what is still referred to as "The Play," was one of the early high points of his journey as an immigrant from India - and his rise as a pioneering Silicon Valley chip industry technologist and executive.</li><li>Mehrotra sat down with Business Insider for a look back on his career, starting with the game that he said taught him the importance of being able to "move fast, adapt fast."</li><li>It's an important lesson for a pioneering executive who now leads the fourth-largest semiconductor company in the world.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/prime?module=article&amp;area=summary">Click here for more BI Prime stories.</a></li></ul>In college football lore, it is known simply as "The Play." And Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra still remembers it with passion, the dramatic finish of the 1982 game between Stanford and UC Berkeley, his alma mater, which he said helped define his Silicon Valley journey.Mehrotra's eyes still light up when he recalls the dramatic final play, which <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYhn2CGFQ9I">you can watch in this 2012 Bay Area TV broadcast</a> marking its 30th anniversary. "I was there, and it still gives me goosebumps," he told Business Insider. "It was extremely exciting, an unbelievable finish."The Golden Bears were on the verge of defeat with only 4 seconds left in the game, when Cal pulled off a miraculous win with a kickoff return which they managed to keep alive with five lateral passes before scoring a touchdown.The thrilling finish ended up setting the tone for the 61-year-old Silicon Valley veteran's journey, which has also featured quick and decisive pivots amid major market changes.The most jolting shift hit during the Great Recession in 2008-2009 which he recalls as "a time of chaos for many businesses." That included SanDisk, which he was then leading as CEO, and which reeled from slumping demand amid severe market uncertainty."We needed to scramble," Mehrotra said. "Our ability to quickly adapt and find a path forward was a major shift that ultimately transformed SanDisk."Now, Mehrotra is leading a chip giant with its own history of surviving and thriving during times of crisis. Eight years ago, Micron, which began in a dentist's office in Boise, Idaho in 1978, suffered a serious blow when it's well-regarded CEO Steve Appleton in a plane crash."Micron weathered the storms for decades," Mehrotra said.<h2>'Move fast, adapt fast'</h2>"It absolutely takes the entire team to be able to move fast, to think fast to adapt fast," he said. "This happens in business as well. It takes many turns that are not planned, that you are not prepared for, but you have to be able to adapt and respond."That's been an important lesson for Mehrotra, a pioneer of the semiconductor industry who has led two important memory chip companies. Mehrotra was a cofounder and CEO of SanDisk, which blazed the trail for a type of memory chip called NAND, which made it possible for data to be stored in devices even when they are turned off. SanDisk, which had been a major competitor of Micron, was acquired by Western Digital in 2016. The following year, Micron hired Mehtortra as its new CEO.He now leads the fourth-largest chipmaker in the world at a time when the semiconductor market is going through rough times. Chipmakers have been reeling from sudden demand shifts that have led to sudden drops in average selling prices.<h2>World's 4th largest chipmaker </h2>Total annual semiconductor revenue fell 12% in 2019, with memory chip makers posting the biggest drops, according to Gartner. Micron saw its sales plunge 33% to $20 billion.But things have been looking up for the company lately. Micron was upgraded to buy by UBS analyst Timothy Acuri, who said the company "is in a much stronger position in a structurally better industry."Despite the cyclical nature of the chip market, Mehrotra is upbeat about the opportunities ahead. "It has actually been a great opportunity for memory," Mehrotra said. That's because new tech trends, led by the cloud, AI and Internet of Things, are based on the generation and processing of huge amounts of data. And this in turn has sparked enormous demand for data storage systems and memory."I think the market opportunities are so huge," he said. Having Mehrotra at the helm gives Micron an advantage since he's lived through the major upheavals in tech since graduating from Berkeley about 40 years ago.<h2>A father's tenacity</h2>What's ironic is that he would not have been able to go to Berkeley, where watching a dramatic football match underscored for him the importance of perseverance, had it not been for another person's tenacity, his father.Mehrotra was accepted at Berkeley in 1976 but he faced a problem: the US Embassy in New Delhi denied his visa application - thrice. But his father refused to give up. He and Mehrotra waited in the embassy lobby for the consul to show up, and pressed relentlessly for a visa for his son. "My dad for 20 minutes, pretty much nonstop, with much love, much emotion, much passion" argued that "there was no logic to denying my applications," Mehrotra recalled.The consul eventually was convinced, and Mehrotra got his visa. "It absolutely changed the course of my life," he recalled.(Mehrotra said he has tried to find the consul "just to thank him." But he's been unsuccessful.)Mehrotra had just turned 18 when he arrived in Berkeley. It was not an easy transition - he didn't have a permanent place to stay and had to lobby hard to get a room in the campus dorm for international students."And I have to tell you that that is another example of tenacity," he said. "I used to be in that residence office every day, asking, 'Please, give me space.'""My early days were hard," Mehrotra said. "I was very excited to be there. It was a tremendous opportunity." But "learning to adapt, both academically as well as socially, in a foreign land, in a very different community was challenging."One of the things he had to adjust to was football, which was an unfamiliar game for Mehrotra. "When I came to Berkeley, I had zero idea about American football," he said. But his dorm was next to the stadium where the games were held. He could hear the cheers and the noise during the games."I wondered: what is that all about? And I decided that I want to see it too," he said. Mehrotra became a regular Cal Bears fan, even after finishing his studies.He had already finished his graduate studies when he joined an old roommate to watch his first Big Game, as the annual football showdown between Berkeley and Stanford is known, in 1982."I was in the student rooter section, the best place to watch," he said. "You shout, you scream, you yell and cheer for the team. It's a wonderful atmosphere."Got a tip about Micron or another tech company? Contact this reporter via email at bpimentel@businessinsider.com, message him on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/benpimentel">@benpimentel</a> or send him a secure message through Signal at (510) 731-8429. You can also <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-tip-business-insider-securely-guide-signal-securedrop-2017-6">contact Business Insider securely via SecureDrop</a>.

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