iWorld
Spotify offers a new talent platform for women podcast creators
Mumbai: With a goal to spotlight and nurture India’s growing audio community, Spotify has launched ‘Sound Up’, a global program created to identify underrepresented communities. It enables participants to hone their podcast skills through training, mentoring, workshops, and full-program support provided by the audio streaming platform. In India, Spotify will focus on women as an underrepresented community, with the hope to bring more female talent into India’s thriving audio ecosystem.
The facilitators for this free program include renowned radio presenter, journalist, podcast producer, and audio content & production consultant – Mae Mariyam Thomas and an eminent writer, producer, and original content creator – Riya Mukherjee. Ten finalists will be chosen to attend the program later this year.
Spotify global lead-Sound Up, Natalie Tulloch said, “Since its launch in 2018, Sound Up has successfully supported the voices of underrepresented communities with an aim to tackle inequity. The program seeks to identify opportunities for new talent, and we are eager to find and represent unique female storytellers from India. Ultimately, we want to create a cascading effect where, as we support more women, they in turn act as role models and empower other women in their network to dial up the female voice in the audio industry.”
“And to ensure everyone has equal access to resources and technology, Spotify will provide computers, internet access, and podcast recording equipment to the Sound Up participants,” she added.
Earlier this year, Spotify launched AmplifiHer in India, a sustained initiative that includes women across music and podcasts, inspiring upcoming talent through their own career paths and stories of success and failure, and EQUAL, which caters to female artists and podcasters, by featuring them prominently on the platform.
In the past, Sound Up has been offered to women and non-binary people of color in the US, UK, Ireland, and Sweden; young people of colour from the Periferias in Brazil; and members of the LGBTIQA+ community in Germany.
Interested candidates above the age of 18 can now apply online until 26 July, with more details available at soundupindia2021.splashthat.com/.
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.
