Interactive Avenues Being Funded By Sequoia Capital

You’re reading it here first: ContentSutra has learned from sources that Online marketing agency Interactive Avenues is being funded by Sequoia Capital India. The funding is being led by Sequoia Capital MD Sandeep Singhal. Interactive Avenues plans to integrate across the value chain and launch a digital marketing network to complement their agency initiatives, sources tell us. Apparently, a mobile marketing initiative is also a part of the plans. Interactive Avenues was formed by former Connecturf COO Ratish Nair, following a top management exodus from Connecturf. The company currently has offices in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.

Of late there’s been a lot of talk about advertising moving online, as well as mobile marketing initiatives. Barring perhaps Group M, most of the mainstream agencies in this space – Mudra, Lintas, Neo@Ogilvy, Tribal DDB and others – are better at creative than at technology or online implementation, and often co-pot with existing online agencies. An acquisition of an interactive agency by a predominantly creative agency is possible exit for a VC. At the same time, given the competition in the space, it’s probably better to be an ad network than an agency. Currently, the Smile Interactive group has an interactive agency Quasar, as well as an ad network Tyroo.