Srikanth Bureddy explores the future of digital, Martech, and Fintech industries

In conversation with Adgully, Srikanth Bureddy, Co-founder, Valueleaf, Buddy Loan, and Whistle, deep dives into the adtech, martech and fintech landscape in India, developments in performance marketing, the creation of Buddy Loan, a Loan Service Provider, and much more.

Could you tell us about your journey in the digital (ad-tech), Martech, and Fintech industries, and what inspired you to co-found these companies?

In the last seven to eight years, we thought that performance marketing would be a big game changer in the Indian digital marketing industry. Since then, we have been putting our energy, time, and money into building talent in the digital space for performance marketing.

We’ve consistently pursued this goal over the past seven years. During this time, we’ve executed performance marketing campaigns for over 500 brands in India and have played a role in educating marketing professionals on the potential of performance marketing to enhance their organisation’s marketing efforts.

Our approach has always been to evolve our strategies continuously. Through our experience in performance marketing, we’ve recognised opportunities to expand our services. Initially, we focused on the broader digital marketing space, and over time, we delved deeper into it. We began examining how digital marketing could make a difference for various types of brands. For instance, even online products like medicine started to have a digital presence with online sales. We identified that many brands were transitioning into the digital realm, understanding the pivotal role that performance marketing plays in growing their brand.

This realisation led us to explore sectors like Fintech. Traditionally, people would visit banks for loans, but the advent of digital lending platforms made the process faster and more convenient. This inspired us to create Buddy Loan, a Loan Service Provider that bridges the gap between borrowers and lenders. The entire concept of Buddy Loan was born from our experiences in digital marketing. Through this platform, we’ve been able to facilitate loan services for approximately 50,000 people every month; simplifying the loan process.

Buddy Loan’s core idea was to acquire customers at a lower, more cost-effective rate. This is where digital marketing and performance marketing play a crucial role. The synergy between these marketing strategies and the development of Buddy Loan was evident. Subsequently, we examined the various marketing platforms available in India.

Our approach involves leveraging solution providers and aggregators such as Google and Facebook. These platforms aggregate ads and provid evaluable insights into social media. As more brands join the world of direct and digital marketing, they invest significant resources in these platforms.

We relied less on traditional inventory sources and as a result, explored the possibilities and ventured into smart inventory solutions. It led to the development of our comprehensive Martech product, known as Whistle. Whistle is a platform for cost savings through SMS and other Messaging Services. It also provides a channel for marketing through WhistleFEED, the DSP Platform launched by us that enables advertisers to achieve their goals through Programmatic Advertising & facilitating the acquisition of high-intent customers for your brand. This is the first of our Martech products after Whistle messaging services.

Another significant challenge in the Indian market is tracking. While global tracking platforms are widely used, the Indian tracking system has received less attention. Typically, tracking platforms are adopted by affiliates and agencies. However, we recognised that brands also require robust tracking tools, especially as they delve into more aggressive performance marketing. To address this need, we introduced our marketing tracking platform, WhistleLOOP, as part of the Whistle suite of products.

In summary, our product portfolio includes Whistle, which represents the Martech category; Buddy Loan in the Fintech domain, and Valueleaf, which falls in the Adtech services industry.

Each product I mentioned here, is designed to cater to specific needs within the digital landscape.

Valueleaf Parallel Agency, Buddy Loan, and Whistle seem to operate in diverse niches. How do you manage the strategic vision for these companies and maintain a balance between them?

When you take an interconnected approach, you can avoid the need to develop distinct and separate intelligences for each venture. The need for manpower remains consistent, as the top-level intelligence and strategic principles are similar. Whether it is user acquisition for Buddy Loan, Valueleaf, or Martech, the core objective is to acquire users at a lower cost. The underlying intelligence and principles driving these activities are not substantially different. This unified approach allows us to efficiently manage and grow these companies without introducing unnecessary complexity.

In the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing and technology, how do you ensure that Valueleaf Parallel Agency stays at the forefront of innovation and continues to provide value to clients?

Our primary goal is to find ways to increase or maintain user numbers while managing it cost-effectively. We achieve this by constantly expanding our inventory and introducing brands to new marketing opportunities. When we acquire the new solution provider, we ensure that both our team members and our brand representatives receive training on how to utilise the product effectively. This educational component is crucial in maximising the value of the tools and technologies we introduce to our clients.

Buddy Loan is in the Fintech sector. What innovative solutions and strategies have you implemented to help individuals access credit more conveniently and efficiently?

Our initial focus in the Fintech space, particularly with Buddy Loan, was to address the challenge of connecting the right lender with the right borrower. Rather than employing a forceful approach, we aimed to understand the problem deeply. The problem wasn’t just about finding any lender; it was about finding the most suitable lender for a specific user. This lender could be on a global, national, state, or city level – the key was to match the borrower’s specifications with the right lender.

We developed a highly integrated system that could provide borrowers with information within seconds. Within as less as 10 seconds, our system could inform the borrower that their loan request had been “soft approved” by a selection of lenders. This soft approval indicated that the borrower’s profile met the lender’s initial criteria. However, the lender might still need to conduct further checks and gather additional information from the borrower before finalising the loan.

Simultaneously, we shared the borrower’s information with the lender, informing them that this individual was seeking a loan and that their criteria and policies aligned with the borrower’s profile. This real-time exchange of information between the borrower and the lender facilitated the matching process, ensuring that both parties were informed and engaged in the loan application process.

Whistle is another of your ventures that stands out in the Martech industry. Could you share some insights into the key challenges and opportunities in this niche and how Whistle addresses them?

Whistle is currently experiencing growth, with Whistle Feed being a particularly promising product. The overarching concept behind this entire Martech solution, featuring various products, revolves around two core objectives. The first is focused on cost-saving for brands, which is a significant part of our unique selling proposition (USP). Simultaneously, we emphasise on the importance of creating the right content using our system.

To clarify, we don’t engage in content writing for brands. Instead, we encourage and guide brands to craft content that adheres to specific structural constraints that we’ve put in place. For instance, we might limit them to using only 50 words or 50 characters, compelling brands to think strategically about their messaging.

Our system provides a framework for creating content that ensures brands stay within defined parameters. The outcome of this approach benefits both brands and publishers. Crafting creative content deeply resonates with their audience and empowers brands to generate more revenue. Publishers, on the other hand, experience higher engagement because the content is not overwhelming or spammy. Through this structured technological approach, we encourage both parties to engage in activities that align with the system’s guidelines, ultimately improving the quality of content and its reception.

With the rapid growth of digital marketing and Fintech, data security and privacy have become paramount. How do your companies, especially Buddy Loan, prioritise and address these concerns?

Buddy Loan operates as a Loan Service Provider in the lending industry. When we source borrowers, we have a highly integrated system in place. This system involves integration with credit bureaus and incorporates rigorous audit checks. Our primary objective is to source and collect borrower data, which is then shared with potential lenders. As an aggregator, our responsibility ends with providing this data to the lender.

Once the data is in our possession, we prioritise its security, as we don’t have any direct involvement in the lending process. We aren’t privy to the specific loan amounts, subsequent transactions, or the lender’s operations beyond our data-sharing function. All these aspects are handled by the lender, and their environment is responsible for safeguarding and managing this data.

In essence, data protection is a crucial element of our operations, and we ensure the security of the data until it is handed over to the lender, who takes it from there and manages the borrower’s lending journey.

Collaborations and partnerships often play a crucial role in the success of tech companies. Could you share any notable partnerships or collaborations that have been instrumental in the growth of your ventures?

Brands are indeed very smart when it comes to collaborations. They are more likely to engage in collaborations when they perceive that the solutions provided are meaningful and can benefit their operations. However, when I think about our collaborative efforts, they have predominantly revolved around Martech, with some engagements in Fintech.

For instance, one of our significant collaborations in the Fintech sector involved partnering with a credit bureau company. This collaboration streamlined the operations of Buddy Loan by providing us with a clearer user profile and enabling more informed decision-making regarding loan approvals.

In the realm of Martech, when the product is strong and effective, its adoption tends to be straightforward. Little training is required, and our integrated publishers, who are vital stakeholders in our ecosystem, feel comfortable. We invest significantly in technology, going beyond basic functionalities to create a more seamless and efficient experience for all stakeholders involved. This includes publishers, advertisers, our own company, and even the end-users. This substantial investment in technology has earned the trust of prominent publishers in India, which is a significant achievement for a growing company. Building trust with such established partners can take time, but our commitment to technology has played a key role in fostering these collaborations.

What do you see as the future of the digital, Martech, and Fintech industries, and how do you envision your companies evolving to stay relevant and continue to make an impact in these sectors?

It’s clear that for the next five years, our focus will remain on designing all our products in a way that adds value to digital brands. In India, we have observed significant growth and evolution in various sectors over the past seven to ten years. One notable example is the Fintech space, which has transformed from relative obscurity into a thriving industry with various categories, including payment solutions and UPI.

Looking ahead, we anticipate that the D2C brand landscape will continue to develop and expand over the next five years. This growth is driven by the increasing ease of purchasing products, and streamlined product delivery, and simplified product selling processes facilitated by digital solutions. The digital environment is making it more convenient for both consumers and businesses, and we aim to contribute to and leverage this ongoing transformation to add value to digital brands across different sectors.

What do you see as the future of the digital, Martech, and Fintech industries, and how do you envision your companies evolving to stay relevant and continue to make an impact in these sectors?

It is evident that this year has been a year of significant growth for our company. We’ve experienced 100% year-over-year growth and this is a testament to the market’s receptivity to our services. We are servicing a market that appreciates “what we offer”, thus making us the most dedicated partners of our clients; adding value to our clients’ growth!

As we move forward, we have ambitious goals. In terms of client servicing and value addition, we aim to make substantial improvements compared to what we accomplished in the previous year. Specifically, we are targeting a 100% increase in our ability to provide value to our clients. Our primary focus is on ensuring our clients benefit significantly from our services.

Additionally, we are committed to nurturing talent in the industry. Last year, we introduced and trained over 500 interns in the digital space through our organisation. Looking ahead, our objectives for the year revolve around achieving a 300% increase in our client base, and delivering 100% more value to our clients, expanding our team size by at least 300%, and continuing to contribute to the growth of talent in the digital world. These goals underscore our dedication to further enhancing our impact and supporting the growth of both our clients and the industry as a whole.

You’ve also focused on the international market quite a bit. Are you quite strong in those markets?

We currently have a limited internationall focus. Buddy Loan operates exclusively in India, and our diversified efforts are concentrated in the region. However, we see significant potential for Buddy Loan in the US market, where we recently launched the service, although we are still at a relatively small scale in the US. We’re also open to exploring opportunities in other markets. Despite these international initiatives, our main focus is on India, where we believe there is substantial untapped potential. We see plenty of room for further expansion and deeper market penetration, as well as opportunities for providing a wider range of services.

What do you think the competition has that you think you need to bring to the table?

At the moment, it feels like we’re operating at the peak of our knowledge and capabilities. When I assess the competition and consider what they offer that we do not, it’s clear that there are areas where we may not be experts. For instance, many suggest that we venture into lending in the Fintech sector. However, lending is not our forte, and we’re well aware of that.

Instead of attempting to be all things to everyone, we prefer to focus on what we excel at and configure our operations accordingly. While we may take inspiration from our competitors and learn from their practices, we are selective in what we choose to adopt, always keeping our core strengths and expertise in mind.