MAM
Ashish Khazanchi says forget the trophies, chase truth and craft instead
MUMBAI: Ashish Khazanchi took the stage at Goafest 2025 with neither glitter nor gloss—just a blunt reminder: advertising isn’t about awards, it’s about expression. Delivering his keynote titled “Ignite Your Mind”, the Enormous managing partner reminded attendees that the work must speak before the metal does.
“Self-expression, not awards, is the true reason to enter advertising”, he declared, dismantling the decades-old belief that awards define success. According to Khazanchi, awards are nothing but the inevitable byproduct of solving real problems with genuine passion.
He emphasised that modern judging panels don’t have time to savour slow-burn brilliance. “Immediate impact is key—judges don’t have time for nuance”, he said, urging creatives to cut through the clutter with speed and surprise.
Craft, originality, and clarity formed the holy trinity of his talk. “Craft and surprise make ideas stand out”, he added, nudging creators to resist the temptation of safe bets. Khazanchi pushed the idea that creativity thrives not on briefs but on boredom. “Great ideas often come from proactive, self-initiated work”, he said.
He advised attendees to never settle for their first idea. “Always explore multiple executions”, he said, adding that lazy storytelling is the fastest route to forgettable work. The real win, he noted, comes when the message lands with both the jury and the janitor.
For those chasing visibility, Khazanchi had a pragmatic tip—amplify. “Use LinkedIn and media to get your work noticed”, he quipped, reinforcing the need for creators to be their own hype machines.
From dissecting campaign anatomy to elevating originality, Khazanchi’s keynote was less a creative sermon and more a survival manual. His final rallying cry? Keep the story clear, the spark original, and the execution bold.
Brands
SatLeo Labs raises $5.5m seed funding led by Unicorn India Ventures
Fresh capital to power thermal satellite mission and AI data platform
MUMBAI: SatLeo Labs has raised $2.2 million in a fresh seed round led by Unicorn India Ventures, taking its total funding to $5.5 million as it steps up efforts to scale its space-based thermal intelligence platform.
The funding round also saw participation from existing backers including Merak Ventures, Java Capital, IIMA-CIIE and deep-tech investor Manish Gandhi.
The capital will be used to accelerate SatLeo’s flagship thermal satellite mission and further develop its AI-powered platform designed to deliver high-resolution thermal and visible data from low Earth orbit. The company aims to turn this data into actionable insights for sectors ranging from climate monitoring to urban planning.
Over the past year, SatLeo has scaled rapidly, growing its team from 8 to 30 specialists across satellite engineering, thermal sensing and AI-led geospatial analytics. It has also achieved a key milestone with the development of its first experimental payload, TAPAS-1, which reached near flight-ready status within six months and is now positioned for launch.
On the ground, the startup has begun translating its technology into real-world use cases. Pilot projects in cities such as Ahmedabad and Tumakuru have focused on monitoring urban heat islands and air pollution, impacting over 400,000 citizens. At the same time, its commercial pipeline has expanded sharply, with letters of intent rising from around $15 million to over $42 million within a year.
SatLeo Labs co-founder and CEO Shravan Bhati said, “Sustainability has become imperative amid accelerating climate change and rapid urbanisation. This fundraise represents a critical milestone as we move into the execution phase of our next mission.”
He added that the company is focused on scaling its satellite constellation and enhancing payload performance to deliver thermal intelligence at a global level.
Backing the startup, Unicorn India Ventures managing partner Bhaskar Majumdar said, “Space is an arena where the next wave of technological innovation will emerge. SatLeo’s ability to combine thermal and visible satellite data into real-time insights positions it strongly for long-term growth.”
Looking ahead, SatLeo plans to focus on launch readiness, expanding commercial deployments and scaling its technology stack over the next 12 months.
As demand for climate and environmental intelligence grows, SatLeo’s latest fundraise signals rising investor confidence in space-tech solutions that bring data from orbit down to everyday decision-making.
