The Starter Labs, a D2C-Focused Marketing Startup, Acquired by Zoo Media
- ByStartupStory | February 20, 2023
Zoo Media, an advertising firm based in Mumbai, has acquired marketing startup The Starter Labs for an undisclosed sum, bolstering its direct-to-consumer (D2C) capabilities as part of its upcoming global expansion plan.
Zoo Media has announced that The Starter Labs’ founders, Pratik Gupta and Suveer Bajaj, will become managing partners of the Mumbai-based advertising firm after the acquisition. Meanwhile, The Starter Labs’ staff will work out of Zoo Media’s offices in Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Gurgaon. Specialising in tailored digital media and advertising offerings, including influencer marketing and video solutions, Zoo Media provides services to companies around the world. The Starter Labs was established in 2020.
Zoo Media, which has just acquired The Starter Labs, now owns a total of 11 agency brands. These include FoxyMoron, Mammoth, TCM, and Pollen, among others. With Indian startups having raised a whopping $42 billion in 2021 across various industries, this acquisition is a major opportunity for Zoo Media to capitalize on the consumer brand ecosystem and team up with startup founders at the early stages of their business life cycle. Suveer Bajaj expressed his delight in having The Starter Labs as Zoo Media’s partners, while their clientele list comprises prominent names like P&G, Netflix, and Kellogg’s, among others.
The Starter Labs was established in 2016 by Rehan Dadachanji and Kartik Khanna, providing performance marketing, marketing strategy and optimization, tech solutions, and digital content services to businesses with a focus on direct-to-consumer (D2C) marketing. The startup has a team of 60 employees and has collaborated with over 250 brands, including Pahadi Local, Cosco, Bummer, DSP Mutual Fund, Cartoon Network, BookMyShow, and Captain Zack.
Kartik Khanna, one of the founders of The Starter Labs, expressed his philosophy of partnering with brands to drive their growth throughout various stages of their life cycle. He further added that through the acquisition, the startup can utilize Zoo Media Network’s expertise to support growth-oriented brands and help them achieve sustainable scalability. In the Indian advertising industry, Zoo Media competes with prominent players such as McCann Erickson India, Mullen Lowe Lintas Group, and FCB Ulka Advertising, while The Starter Labs faces competition from various D2C-focused marketing firms like Voxturr, Commerce Centric, and Socio Labs.
According to the report, the advertising and marketing market in the country is estimated to be worth $12.6 billion in 2023. Meanwhile, a report by Expert Market Research predicts that the industry will experience a substantial growth rate of 32.1% CAGR during the forecast period, reaching a whopping $24.1 billion by 2028.
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