"The next decade will see Indian-led marketing networks rise globally"

As Indian brands go global, the narrative shifts to homegrown agencies. In this interview with BW Businessworld's Group Editorial Director Noor Fathima Warsia, Yaap Founder and Director ATUL HEGDE discusses why Indian-led marketing networks will define the next decade. Edited excerpts

- Noor Fathima Warsia

Yaap is now in its ninth year. What would you say were some of the key highlights or decisions that shaped your entrepreneurial journey?

The most significant decision was how we structured the organisation. When Yaap was founded, there were already over a thousand digital agencies in India. We had to be different. Instead of following a typical agency model, we built a partnership structure to attract entrepreneurial talent. We introduced a 'senior partner-partner model', with no CEO. Partners lead either a geography or a service line.

In large network agencies, managers often lack empowerment. Decisions made elsewhere can hurt local teams, even when they perform well. We took inspiration from consulting and law firms, where partners are true entrepreneurs. We created a holding structure in which senior partners hold equity and manage their own profit and loss statements (P&Ls) under a unified balance sheet. This was a fundamental shift, and it's worked.

Another key decision was making the right acquisitions. Every founder we acquired continues with us. Structuring Yaap this way has made a big difference.

The third factor is access to capital, something rarely discussed. From the outset, we ensured that capital was readily available, enabling our partners to concentrate on clients, talent, and growth, rather than on funding pressures. More importantly, it was smart capital, available when needed to support bold, audacious moves.

You attributed the 400 per cent jump in Yaap's bottom-line last year also to acquisitions. Can you elaborate on this?