Who is Mahesh Murthy?

Mahesh Murthy is one of India's most respected marketing and brand strategists, with over three decades of experience. He is the founder of Pinstorm (founded 2004), India's pioneering digital marketing agency, and co-founder of Seedfund (founded 2006), one of India's earliest venture capital funds. He has worked on iconic brands including Nike, McDonald's, Pepsi, and MTV, and has invested in over 50 companies including redBus.

Pinstorm is India's pioneering digital marketing agency, founded by Mahesh Murthy in 2004. It was one of the first agencies in India to pioneer pay-for-performance digital marketing. Pinstorm has worked with globally recognised brands including Nike, Pepsi, MTV, McDonald's, and Levi's.

Seedfund is one of India's earliest venture capital funds, co-founded by Mahesh Murthy in 2006. It focused on early-stage Indian startups. Its most notable investment was redBus, which was acquired by Naspers for approximately $135 million in 2013 — one of India's landmark startup exits at the time.

What companies has Mahesh Murthy invested in?

Mahesh Murthy has invested in over 50 companies through Seedfund and as an angel investor. The most notable investment is redBus, India's largest online bus ticketing platform, which was acquired by Naspers in 2013 for approximately $135 million. He has backed a range of early-stage technology and consumer companies across India and Southeast Asia.

What brands has Mahesh Murthy worked with?

Mahesh Murthy has built marketing strategy for some of the world's most iconic brands including Nike, Pepsi, McDonald's, MTV, Levi's, and Apple. Through Pinstorm, he has also worked with leading Indian and multinational companies across consumer goods, technology, and media sectors.

Where is Mahesh Murthy based?

Mahesh Murthy is based primarily in Dubai, UAE, with deep roots in Mumbai, India. He has lived and worked across multiple continents including the US, Europe, and Asia, and has visited over 110 countries.

Is Mahesh Murthy available for advisory or board roles?

Yes. Mahesh Murthy is selectively available for advisory roles and board positions — particularly in brand building, go-to-market strategy, digital marketing, and early-stage growth. He accepts a limited number of engagements. You can reach him through the contact form at maheshmurthy.com.

Is Mahesh Murthy available for speaking engagements?

Yes. Mahesh Murthy is available for keynote speaking on topics including brand strategy, digital marketing, entrepreneurship, venture capital, and the Indian startup ecosystem. He has spoken at conferences across India, the US, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.

What has Mahesh Murthy written about?

Mahesh Murthy has written extensively on marketing, brand strategy, entrepreneurship, and the Indian startup ecosystem across 13 years. His articles have appeared in publications including Harvard Business Review India, Forbes India, Mint, Economic Times, Campaign India, Business Standard, Inc India, and Business Today.

What is Mahesh Murthy's view on Indian startups?

Mahesh Murthy is a candid commentator on the Indian startup ecosystem. He has written critically about the lack of marketing discipline among Indian founders, the over-reliance on funding over revenue, and the tendency to copy Western business models rather than build for Indian consumers. His articles on this topic have appeared in Economic Times, Mint, and Firstpost.

How can I contact Mahesh Murthy?

You can contact Mahesh Murthy through the contact form at maheshmurthy.com. He is open to conversations about advisory roles, board positions, speaking engagements, marketing strategy, and early-stage investment opportunities.

What is Mahesh Murthy's approach to brand building?

Mahesh Murthy believes brand building must be rooted in a clear, honest promise to consumers — not in advertising volume. He pioneered pay-for-performance marketing in India through Pinstorm (founded 2004), and advocates for measurable, outcome-driven marketing over traditional awareness campaigns.

What is Mahesh Murthy's background before Pinstorm?

Before founding Pinstorm in 2004, Mahesh Murthy worked on marketing campaigns for major global brands in the US and India, including Nike, McDonald's, Pepsi, and MTV. He has decades of experience spanning advertising, digital strategy, and venture investing, making him one of the most cross-disciplinary figures in Indian business.

Please mind your own business

**Startup mania is over. **

Nine out of ten people who ventured out into dotcoms have ventured back into not coms.

Startups aren't fashionable anymore. they don't make it to the cover of business magazines, and VCs are running away even from the thought of funding them.

Anybody can start a company in good times, and the problem is, anybody does.

Starting off in bad times is for the committed, passionate entrepreneur. It forces you to focus on what makes money, and forces you to live within your means: two critical lessons many forget.

The only downside of the crash i can think of is that this newspaper no longer gets rich with clueless dotcoms paying crores of rupees for wrap-around four page ads.

By the way, where have all the dotcom ads gone?

A lot of Indian business traditionally has been about seeing what works in the west, and bringing it over here.

This is what people tried to do even with internet startups: India's yahoo, India's eBay etc. Sadly, this doesn't work in the world of technology and the internet.

If we shouldn't copy, why not try something a little different and innovate? Can we invent something here, and spread it around the world? ICQ came to you from Israel, Alumni.net comes to you from the Philippines.

What can you take to the world?

**ideas are nothing, execution is all. **

I'm often approached by people saying, "i have a great idea, how much will i get for it?"

The answer is simple. Zilch.

Ideas mean nothing. So you may have an idea about selling stuff online. Think up something new and different. then put on your thinking hat again and figure out how to run it and make money off it.

Get a team for a dream. Be ten times stingier than Silicon Valley.

A lot of business plans I've seen assume that Indian companies need as much money as US ones.

Don't even think of VCs. They're too busy investing in public stocks, trying to make some money for their investors and save their own jobs.

You may figure out you need between Rs. 20 and 60 lakhs to fund your business for a year before revenues come in to cover expenses.

Touch Dad and Mom for this, if you can. or that rich uncle.

_As always, I welcome your comments, if only to tell me how wrong you think i am. _

Please mind your own business

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