iWorld
Loco becomes global ‘Next Hottest Products’: report
Mumbai: Loco was named one of the “Next Hottest Products” by global product analytics company Amplitude in its Product Report 2022.
Products and businesses that have made the digital customer experience a key component of their business strategy are recognised on the list of the “Next Hottest Products.” According to data sent to Amplitude, these products have experienced at least a 40 per cent year-over-year growth in monthly active users despite the current economic climate.
Between 21 June and 22 June, Loco’s DAUs increased by 900 per cent , and live watch hours increased by 19x during this same period. This year’s “Next Hottest Products” list, which was expanded from last year’s original list, honours 30 rapidly expanding digital products from businesses in North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.
Commenting on the announcement Loco founder Anirudh Pandita, said, “We are delighted that Loco has made Amplitude’s “Next Hottest Product” List. As the global leader in product analytics, Amplitude, has great insight into the products that are growing the fastest across the globe. To be named to the Top 30 list globally underlines the tremendous growth we have witnessed at Loco over the last year. Product-led growth is the foundation for growing in any economic condition, but more so in the volatile economic environment that currently exists globally. At Loco, we have one of the best product and technology teams in the country, and this honour is a recognition of each individual who works in those teams. We put users at the centre of all our product efforts, and the organisation continues to deliver features at breakneck velocity! Our product efforts, coupled with our pioneering efforts in building the gaming community in India, have enabled us to become the leading independent game streaming platform globally.”
Dedicated to democratising gaming entertainment, Loco is an esports and live streaming platform. The platform has been a pioneer in the live game streaming and esports sectors in India, paving the way for gaming to go from a niche hobby to a mainstream national interest. Loco has maintained its position as the industry’s leading innovator by establishing India’s first NFT esports platform and growing to be the nation’s top sponsor of esports competitions. Additionally, Loco has seen a remarkable 511 per cent growth in MAUs over the past year.
The “Next Hottest Products” are chosen from monthly user data sent to the Amplitude platform over a 13-month period, from June 2021 to June 2022, that has been aggregated and anonymized. Products had to have a minimum of 10,000 monthly active users at the beginning of the analysis period to qualify for this year’s list. Every company included had to be privately held by June 2021.
Amplitude chief product officer Justin Bauer said, “Today every company leader is thinking about how to grow in an efficient and sustainable way. Your digital product is the answer. The companies recognised in this year’s Product Report have shown tremendous, lasting growth despite turbulent economic conditions. Product-led growth is a core part of many of their strategies, and for good reason. Product-led organisations can create experiences users love, acquire new customers at lower costs, and use data to ensure they’re making the right product investments. I am expecting big things from the companies on this list.”
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.
