iWorld
Blogmint launches #BloggersDreamTeam with Harsha Bhogle
MUMBAI: Blogmint, India’s automated marketplace that connects brands and bloggers, and a part of TO THE NEW Ventures, has launched the #BloggerDreamTeam campaign with Harsha Bhogle. The campaign aims at discovering and recognizing the emerging blogging, vlogging and micro-blogging talent in India.
Bhogle, a cricket expert and a sports evangelist, joined hands with Blogmint to acknowledge the budding social influencers in India and hand-pick his #BloggerDreamTeam. With Cricket World Cup 2015 fever gripping India, the campaign provides bloggers a platform to channelize their opinion around all aspects of the game – from fashion statements made by today’s cricketers to the impact of technological enhancements on the game.
Bhogle said, “The internet and social media have thrown up opportunities like never before and have allowed skill to meet opportunity. Blogmint is the perfect platform to empower bloggers and showcase these skills.”
Social media has become ubiquitous with young India and with that we are witnessing a new set of social media stars. Influencer Marketing, which was driven by Bollywood and sports celebrity endorsement, is now being increasingly driven by Social Influencers, which includes celebrity bloggers, YouTubers and Twitteraties. However, there aren’t any platforms in India, which connect these celebrities with brands in an automated and transparent fashion. “This is the gap that Blogmint aims to fill. Dream Team with Harsha Bhogle is an excellent opportunity for Bloggers to express opinions on the on-going cricket World Cup and at the same time showcase the versatility of their writing talent by combining cricket with themes including food, technology, lifestyle amongst others. #BloggerDreamTeam is one of the many initiatives that Blogmint plans to launch in order to engage the social influencers in India,” said Blogmint CEO Irfan Khan.
Bloggers can participate in the contest by visiting the following page – https://www.blogmint.com/HarshaBhogleDreamTeam.
“Dream Team with Harsha Bhogle is an excellent opportunity for Bloggers to express opinions on the on-going Cricket World Cup and at the same time showcase the versatility of their writing talent by combining cricket with themes including food, technology, lifestyle amongst others. #BloggerDreamTeam is one of the many initiatives that Blogmint plans to launch in order to engage the social influencers in India” he added.
“I am delighted to be associated with Blogmint’s Blogger Dream Team initiative. It’s a perfect platform for Bloggers which empowers their writing skills” asserted Harsha Bhogle.
Bloggers can participate in the contest by visiting the following page – https://www.blogmint.com/HarshaBhogleDreamTeam.
Gaming
MTG gaming chief Benninghoff joins NODWIN board as esports firm primes for IPO
The Gurugram-based esports firm is pursuing a public listing, has returned to profitability and is growing revenues by 42 per cent
GURUGRAM: NODWIN Gaming is moving fast. The Gurugram-based gaming and esports company has launched a pre-IPO fundraising round, appointed UBS as lead adviser for both the round and a subsequent public listing, and landed a heavyweight board director, all in one go.
The new board member is Arnd Benninghoff, executive vice president of gaming at Stockholm-listed Modern Times Group (MTG), who has overseen the group’s strategic investments and portfolio growth since 2014. He is no stranger to building things: Benninghoff has founded and built fifteen companies, served as chief digital officer at ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG, managing director of SevenVentures, and chief executive of Holtzbrinck eLAB. He began his career as a journalist at Deutsche Presse Agentur and various TV networks, holds a Diplom-Kaufmann in business and administration from the University of Münster, and previously sat on the board of Edgeware AB.
The numbers back the ambition
NODWIN is not pitching a story without substance. The company has returned to EBITDA profitability and posted a 42 per cent year-on-year revenue surge, reaching $58.5m in the first nine months of FY2026. The pre-IPO round will combine a primary issuance to fund global expansion through organic growth and acquisitions, alongside a secondary sale to give existing shareholders some liquidity.
Akshat Rathee, co-founder and managing director of NODWIN Gaming, said Benninghoff understands “the entire lifecycle of the gaming and media ecosystem, from the boots-on-the-ground reality of building startups to the strategic complexity of managing multi-billion dollar global portfolios.”
Benninghoff, for his part, said the company “sits at the intersection of sports, entertainment, and technology, making it one of the most exciting players in the global gaming landscape today.”
A portfolio built for the global south
Founded in 2014 by Rathee and Gautam Virk, NODWIN has quietly assembled one of the more compelling esports portfolios outside the Western hemisphere. Its properties include DreamHack India and Comic Con India, and it recently acquired StarLadder, the Ukraine-based tournament organiser behind premier events in CS:GO and Dota 2. The company also serves as a long-term strategic marketing partner for the Evolution Championship Series (EVO), the world’s most prominent fighting game tournament, helping push it into new geographies.
Its geographic focus spans South Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Backers include Nazara Technologies, KRAFTON, Sony Group Corporation, JetSynthesys, and the founders’ investment vehicle Good Game Investments.
What comes next
With UBS running the books, a board freshly reinforced with European media and gaming expertise, and revenue heading in the right direction, NODWIN is laying the groundwork deliberately. The esports industry has burned investors before with big promises and thin margins. NODWIN’s return to profitability, combined with a real portfolio of owned intellectual properties across gaming, music and youth culture, gives it a more credible runway than most. The IPO clock is now ticking.
