iWorld
Collective Artists Network upgrades its organised creator marketplace Big Bang Social
Mumbai: Collective Artists Network has announced a major upgrade for its organised creator marketplace, Big Bang Social. As part of the expansion, new tech features and services will be made available to meet the needs of both creators and brands. The platform will now offer licensed products which brands can subscribe to in line with the upgrade.
For the brand’s side, this model will enable sustained engagement with a curated list of creators from more than 120k creators on the platform. The unique features of the product upgrade include easy connection and seamless messaging to influencers via WhatsApp, email, or calling directly through the platform. Another standout feature for brands is that multiple campaigns can now be seamlessly integrated across several platforms as part of the subscription model. In the discovery phase, brands will receive strategy support to search for the right audiences, map new creators, and review ideal platform recommendations depending on campaign briefs.
With the help of a data analytics dashboard, brands will get access to a deep insight tracking mechanism and a recommendation engine. A dedicated consultative team will guide brands and agencies through the process and provide offline support. Special access like trials and surveys of tastemakers of a category, i.e., the influencers, will be made possible. Through Big Bang Social, various qualitative and quantitative feedback from creators can be organized, which will help brands develop better products and campaigns.
Collective Artists Network CEO Vijay Subramaniam said, “We wanted to go beyond just offering a database of influencers and brokering. The Collective has a wealth of experience in identifying and incubating talent, which we felt could be effectively applied to the creator ecosystem. To be able to do justice to such a large and evolving market and capitalise on the potential of the creator economy, we need to bring in structure, sharpen focus and introduce effective processes at both the creator’s and the brand’s end.”
As a part of its new elevation strategy, Big Bang Social will help creators build their brand on three pillars, namely: content experiences, monetisation, and upskilling. Creators will get access to online training, learning, and masterclasses from industry leaders in a convenient way. Out of around 8 crore Indian creators, only about 1.5 lakh can monetize their services effectively, which makes up for less than 0.2 per cent as per a report by Kaalari Capital. Big Bang Social is working towards changing this reality by providing support to monetize assets and increase revenue streams for creator businesses.
Big Bang Social aims to streamline India’s largely unorganised creator economy using a tech-first approach. Several needs, like finding the right creators, gathering data, measurement, and analytics, exist in the industry. For creators, a lack of support to hone their skills, the need for better representation, and unfettered access to opportunities are still tricky. Big Bang Social aims to fill these gaps in need by bringing creators and marketers together with the ease of swift discovery, transparent costs, and real-time connection with the relevant parameters for an effective brand campaign.
Gaming
Roblox appoints Sunil Rao as India managing director to drive growth
Former AWS leader to lead creator ecosystem, partnerships and local strategy
MUMBAI: Roblox has appointed Sunil Rao as managing director for India, as the company looks to deepen its footprint in one of its fastest-growing markets.
Rao, who will join in May, will serve as the senior-most representative for Roblox in India, leading local strategy, partnerships and day-to-day operations. His mandate includes strengthening the platform’s presence, supporting the creator ecosystem and aligning India’s market needs with global priorities.
A key focus area will be nurturing India’s growing community of developers and creators, enabling local studios to leverage Roblox’s tools for scaling and monetisation. Globally, the platform’s creator community earned over $1.5 billion in 2025, underlining the economic potential of user-generated content ecosystems.
“Roblox is at the forefront of enabling a new generation of creators and games. India’s scale, creativity, and entrepreneurial energy present a massive opportunity,” said Rao. “I’m excited to build a vibrant and inclusive ecosystem that empowers developers and creators across the country. Ensuring child safety and aligning closely with India’s regulatory framework will be among my top priorities.”
Welcoming the appointment, Roblox vice president international Zhen Fang said India represents a high-potential market for the company. “Sunil brings deep expertise in building operations across diverse markets, and his passion for community-centric platforms makes him the ideal leader to drive our next chapter of growth in the country.”
Rao brings over two decades of experience across technology platforms, venture capital and developer ecosystems. He was previously part of the leadership team at Amazon Web Services, where he led strategy and corporate business development across Asia-Pacific and Japan. He also served as a partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners, working closely with startups and founders.
Earlier in his career, Rao played a key role in building developer ecosystems at Symbian, Nokia and Google, contributing to the growth of major mobile and internet platforms.
With India’s large youth population and rapidly evolving digital landscape, Roblox’s latest leadership move signals a sharper focus on long-term growth, local relevance and creator-led innovation in the market.
