MAM
Happy mcgarrybowen appoints Mahendra Bhagat as National Creative Director
Happy mcgarrybowen, the creative and design agency from the house of Dentsu Aegis Network, has further strengthened its creative prowess with the appointment of Mahendra Bhagat as National Creative Director.
With over 20 years of experience in the industry, Mahendra has worked with agencies like Enterprise, SSC&B Lintas, JWT and FCB, where he created some iconic campaigns for brands like Titan, Britannia, Times of India, Godrej and Unilever. He has been the recipient of many National and International awards including Cannes, Clio, New York Festival, London Festival as well as AME (Advertising & Marketing Effectiveness) and has been on the Jury of several prestigious Advertising awards.
Additionally, Mahendra parallelly dabbles in various aspects of Art. He has created some intriguing pieces spanning across corporate installations, video and digital art, mixed media, contemporary paintings and sculptures. His work has been widely acclaimed by audiences in several countries.
Commenting on his appointment, Agnello Dias, Creative Chairman, Dentsu Aegis Network India said, “I have worked with Mahendra during my last stint at an agency, and always felt he had a calm, collected, creative mind without the tantrums that some creative people have. He is keen to understand the brand’s point of view and apply his undoubted creative skills to find a solution. He has a keen art and design eye as well. I’m sure Happy mcgarrybowen will forge a great partnership with him and their clients. I wish him all the best.”
Soumitra Karnik, Chief Creative Officer, Happy mcgarrybowen added, “I am thrilled to have Mahendra in our team as we plan to take Happy mcgarrybowen to the next level. He is a rare creative talent who is on top of the game as far as craft is concerned, and who has managed to use the new media platforms really well. Above anything else, he is a lovely person to work with and I am quite certain that we couldn’t have found a better leader than him. Happy mcgarrybowen is now happier with him around.”
Speaking on his appointment, Mahendra Bhagat said, "The future of advertising lies in marrying creativity with technology. Instead of relying on traditional mediums, Happy mcgarrybowen is constantly in an exploratory mode; finding a new age communication solutions. Being a relatively young agency, it is buzzing with new ideas and energy. I look forward to channelizing that energy in creating some path breaking work for our clients.”
Commenting on Mahendra’s appointment Samarjit Choudhry, President, Happy mcgarrybowen said, “Mahendra brings to the table the varied experience that is much needed in today’s world and also the freshness that comes from his being an artist. With him as the NCD I am sure we will become a lot more stronger as a creative solution provider to our clients.”
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.
