Founded in 2006, Valueleaf Group has emerged as a trailblazer in the Indian tech landscape with their flagship products like Whistle and Buddy Loan. The Bangalore-based group has expanded its footprint globally through its work in diverse sectors, including AdTech, MarTech, Banking & Finance, Real Money Gaming, Matchmaking, Healthcare, Automobiles, E-commerce, Foodtech, OTT, Edtech and Insurance.

“We take pride in offering tailored in-house solutions that deliver unparalleled value to our partners,” explain the co-founders of ValueLeaf -Satish Saraf and Srikanth Bureddy-when asked why they call their firm a parallel agency.  

The duo brought in some powerful brand strategies that quickly produced results. They've also engaged in a wide range of marketing activities, including market research, campaigns, promotions, partnerships, and communication efforts.

Their startup, Buddy Loan, a personal loan aggregator which they call an ethical fintech platform for social welfare, is offering quick loans ranging from Rs 500 to Rs 50 lakh to SMEs, startups and individuals. With hundreds of daily loan applications, Buddy Loan offers collateral-free personal loan options from India's top lenders on its digital platform. 

exchange4media caught up with them to understand their entrepreneurial journey, how they are transforming the Indian MarTech landscape, their expansion plans and impact of AI among others. 

Excerpts: 

Srikanth and Satish, can you please share your entrepreneurial journey with us that took off in 2006 and crossed several milestones in less than two decades? Also, why do you refer to it as parallel agency? 

Srikanth: We started off in 2006. It may look like we crossed multiple hurdles, right? But it was never a hurdle to us because we started with the thought and then slowly one thing led to another. I don't think you can plan so much. I think as Steve Jobs mentioned, it is always possible to connect the dots backwards.

Entrepreneurship is not a new thing for India. Hence, becoming an entrepreneur is not a big deal. In India, whoever has a drive can become an entrepreneur. It is more about how you deal with it and what kind of contribution you are making.

We decided to add value as much as we can in terms of growth of the product, growth of the people and growth of the nation. Entrepreneurship should add value 360 degrees, not just in one area. 

We wanted to build a performance-led agency in India, and we want to educate all the brands on performance development. Marketing is one of the biggest aspects of any brand or any company. We thought of performance marketing the way the US is modelling it. There was an already established digital space and digital agencies already existed in India. So, we wanted to create an identity through the performance aspect in every brand. That's why we thought of the identity of a parallel agency. 

What were the initial challenges and how did you tackle them? 

When we started, we didn't even have money to buy a printer. Actually, if a bill had to be issued, I had to literally take my bike to a cyber cafe and get a printed copy of it. There were multiple challenges in terms of business. We both were first-time entrepreneurs. We were learning things. We made mistakes. 

We had a strong belief that instead of building bank balance, we need to build the risk appetite. It is like building an asset. If you don't have a risk appetite, that is one of the biggest challenges. Companies grow if they add value to their customers life. We had a very strong mindset, so we never felt challenged. We enjoy what we do. We knew it right from day zero: If we are not adding value to our customers life, we would be out of business any day.

How is Buddy Loan helping India become a financially inclusive country?

There are multiple money lenders available in India. If you log into your Facebook or you go anywhere, you see multiple people trying to offer you multiple nondescript loans. We were on a trip to the US where we saw multiple payday loan ads. While returning, we both were talking about it. After all, lending is the second oldest business or occupation in the world. Yet, most of the people are not able to take a loan from a regulated entity. 

The idea behind Buddy Loan was to create a loan gateway for the borrowers who are not part of the mainstream lending. We simplified the lending process, just as food aggregators. Buddy Loan has one of the highest disbursal rates.

We have about 30 million plus users at this moment. Looking at the success in India, we thought why not replicate the same in the US. We have already done a small pilot there. It is just the beginning. Our focus is to make Loan Buddy a household name for the lending purpose.

How does Valueleaf ensure its clients receive tangible returns on their marketing investments? Could you share any notable case studies?

The mantra for us is that anything we do should lead to value addition. There is no business in the world which has become big without adding value to their customers. Agencies charge you a certain fee on your overall expenses. Either it can be in the form of a retainer shape, or in a percentage of your expense.

The risk and reward are one sided. Most of the time the reward is not symmetrical. The agency running the ad will always be rewarded with fees, but the brand may not be rewarded. But we revamped the model. We charge brands on performance. So, we are also risking our money. If we are rewarded, both of us get rewarded. Otherwise, it is zero risk for the brand. So, we ensure there is performance. 

We try to ask the last question first, right. And then we start working backwards to protect our exit. Today we have about 500-plus people.

How do you think AI will affect the ad industry in the next two years?

I have no clear answer to this question today. But I still tell you that it will increase the options.

When it comes to performance of the inventories, we don't have any clarity. Most of that industry today works on machine learning. AI may replace email but we but I am not sure about it.

What is the biggest challenge before marketers to cater to Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities today?

Many marketers making decisions for tier 2 and tier 3 cities may not have lived in these cities, leading to a lack of understanding of local culture and consumer behaviour. This gap hampers market research and affects marketing strategies. Additionally, there's a need to tailor promotions to diverse ethnicities and educate consumers about products and services. The evolving landscape requires marketers to research, adapt and innovate, considering factors like education levels and spending habits across different regions, from major cities to rural areas.

What should ad agencies do to catch up with the incessantly shifting industry?

Digital agencies should educate CEOs and founders about the benefits of digital technologies. It's crucial to create a community and demonstrate how digital tools can enhance products and reach customers. Additionally, beyond traditional, social channels like Facebook or Instagram should explore other possibilities such as payment gateways. By embracing diverse use cases and integrating digital strategies into daily operations, agencies can contribute to the growth of the digital marketing landscape in India.

Can you share your expansion plans? Do you have any plans to launch more Ad Tech or MarTech tools in near future?

We offer tech-based services, product-focused marketing, and fintech solutions. These segments aim to bridge the gap between consumers and advertisers or service providers. It's our continuous effort to add value across industries and educate the ecosystem.