Gaming
Gizmobaba joins hands with Franchise India to get a national presence
MUMBAI: Gizmobaba – Portal for innovative gadgets and gizmos – is looking for rapid expansions. In order to expand its national penetration, the portal has joined hands with Franchise India, one of Asia’s leading franchise and retail management consultancy.
By partnering with Franchise India, Gizmobaba is aiming to cross the penetration phase and get into the fast track growth phase. Gizmobaba.com was established in 2012, looking at fulfilling the needs of Indian consumers looking for the latest innovative gadgets and gizmos. Parallel to electronic industry growth, ecommerce has emerged as one of the biggest platform to sell gadgets.
Gizmobaba managing director Alok Chawla exults: “The brand has aggressive growth plans and intends to approach a standardised and benchmarked franchise strategy – A sustainable format for future growth that eases out operations, and ensures faster growth and a large brand presence. Thus, we have approached the business through a standardised franchise strategy on the basis of industry norms.”
Franchise India chairman Gaurav Marya asserts: “Considering the ‘Gizmobaba’ business model and the Industry, we have strategized a Franchise approach, UNIT Franchise which is a feasible option at this growth phase and the approach of Multi-Unit Franchise will be considered at the penetration phase of newer markets. Property should be ideally a Kiosk at a low rental place, but visibility factor should be considered.”
He further added, “We feel there exists high opportunity for the fantastic innovative products in the given segment offered by Gizmobaba and there is a shortage of such concepts which are customised as per end consumer needs. However, the model is most suitable with the franchise owned and franchise operated model targeting the tier-II and tier-III cities in the initial phase.”
Franchise India uses a stage wise approach has been formulated with the objective to create more realistic approach to franchising for the Gizmobaba business.
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.
