As one steps into the baronial space of Radikal tribe, one can definitely grasp the hard work and care put in by the folks. Brain child of Rudra Teja and Akil Karthik, the Tribe started to “Hunt, Cook & Serve!!!” since 2013. RTA m-Wallet app, winner of SKOCH Order of merit was developed by this startup. In conversation with Telugu360, Akil Karthik shares some insights about their journey so far and the way ahead…
Q: Can you quickly take us to a stroll down memory lane to see what your startup has been up to so far?
Rudra and I were working as software engineers in well-established software companies. Radikal Tribe is a wonderful stroke of luck for us. Social media usage was just growing in 2013-14. With General elections around the corner, our goal was to target politicians to establish digital presence across every available digital realm such as Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, YouTube. We made remarkable progress in the initial months itself in getting new clients.
Radikal tribe started as a social media advertising agency but sooner than expected, we expanded our services to digital marketing, website solutions and content marketing for established business, startups and government.
Q: Do you want to speak about any specific client?
We work with myriad of clients. I want to mention about ‘You & I’ magazine and Fernandez hospital.
For You and I magazine, we were vested upon the task of making their brand more visible online – We devised a 360-degree Digital Marketing strategy and helped in directing traffic to their website, performed SEO, Social media promotions, did a thorough trend analysis on what articles need to be published on their website. Radikal Tribe boosted the number of visitors by 20x, likewise, the website got a better ranking.
Fernandez hospital’s reputation was at stake due to a fake story which circulated. We were hired to handle their reputation which was a tough cookie. We ran several campaigns for 3months, interacted with various doctors and readdressed the positive reviews. Our approach was schematic, we built campaigns for their brand and ensured visual presence from online to on-ground.
Q: You worked with a government organization for RTA m-wallet and some international clients like Mandalula spa. Do you see difference in the styles of working?
It is different strokes for different folks. In the scenario where government is the client, we have to work under a specific set of pre-defined rules and always go through a thorough review of the work done, leaving no room for deviation from rules. Also I would say the design specifics for the government are more defined and we need to work on it. Work with private companies means you have more freedom and in few cases can completely take over the product. However, our turnaround time was same for both. Also, working with government is a blessing for the scale it allows us to bring a change in people’s lives with our solutions.
Q: What are the pros and cons of doing a government app?
I can hardly think of any shortcomings, there are lots of challenges but it is an amazing learning curve working with governments. NITI AAYOG released an annual booklet in 2016 which features RTA m-Wallet one among the ‘20 top smart governance initiatives’ in India. It is very difficult to get such recognition for a startup. I can summarize the advantages in just one sentence. You can call our company Radikal tribe pre-m-wallet and Radikal tribe post-m-wallet.
Q: Tell us more about your funding and profits
Initially, we started off with a very low investment but within 3 months the company started paying off for itself. Every year, we pump in some funds, whenever required and have turned a profitable organization ever since.
Q: When do you think you will become unicorn startup?
According to me startups mature at 4-5years. It feels nice to be called a startup and to be called unicorn is a good to-have, though our targets are not in terms of mere numbers but rather always in terms of what we want to do next.
Q: How big is your tribe?
We believe that compact teams are better in startups. We always have around 10 to 12 people working full time. At any given point of time we have 25-30 people who work with us as freelancers or on-project basis. Radikal tribe is a very good place for designers, content writers, social media enthusiasts. We are hiring and then there are internships as well.
Q: Who are your competitors?
There are a lot of ad agencies, but our strength lies in undertaking Technology as well as Advertising and Digital Marketing projects making us unique in our space for the kind of comprehensive end-to-end services we can provide to a client. We call ourselves unique because we do data analysis and strategic planning, create a cohesive communication strategy through effective content and attractive designs. We also align our creative energies and use multiple advertising channels.
Q: What’s keeping you hooked these days?
We have a lot going on our plate. We are currently working with Minority Finance corporation and Minority welfare department of government. Very soon, the apps Hawk eye, Lost Report, Live Traffic will all be integrated into RTA wallet too, because of its strong user base.
Q: Five years down the line where do you see yourself?
We will be doing more business and hope to increase our clientele by 10x. We are currently flirting with the idea of launching our very own product in the stream of advertising. We are planning to expand our horizons using this product.
Q: What is your advice to budding entrepreneurs?
Startup demands a lot of hard work and dedication and it is not as fancy as it sounds. Structured approach alone doesn’t suffice; the startups should know how to get customers. Moreover, a unique idea is not enough; it should be workable. Marketing is absolutely important. Our success mantra is we are always closer to the core of our business and I would say stay close to the core idea of your business in initial days and see how all other things will fall in place for your enterprise.
