India’s independent creative and digital-first agency landscape is being shaped by founders who are rethinking how brands connect with audiences. From integrated creative and technology solutions to meme marketing, creator-led media and culture-driven campaigns, these entrepreneurs are building businesses that go beyond traditional advertising. Agencies such as Schbang, White Rivers Media, Social Panga, GOZOOP Group and WLDD reflect the growing diversity of this ecosystem, each bringing its own approach to creativity, digital innovation and brand building. Here’s a look at the founders behind these agencies and the businesses they have built.
1. Schbang
Founded in 2015 by Harshil Karia, Sohil Karia and Akshay Gurnani, Schbang has grown into an integrated creative, media and technology agency serving brands across India and international markets. The agency brings together advertising, digital marketing, performance media, design and technology to build connected brand experiences. Its portfolio includes work for Jio, Fevicol, Swiggy, Britannia and Amazon, reflecting its approach to combining creative storytelling with digital innovation and business-focused solutions.
Harshil Karia – Founder & CEO
Harshil Karia founded Schbang with the ambition of building an independent agency that combines creative advertising, media and technology under one roof. Under his leadership, the agency has expanded into an integrated marketing business serving brands across categories and international markets. Its work includes Tata Capital’s #StopBlamingHer campaign, which generated over 193 million views across platforms, and initiatives for brands such as Fevicol, Jio and Swiggy. Karia has continued to push Schbang towards full-service capabilities, including AI-driven solutions for brand strategy and client servicing.
Sohil Karia – Co-Founder & Chief Design and Technology Director
Sohil Karia has played a key role in building Schbang’s design and technology capabilities. He helped establish and train the agency’s design and web teams, supporting its evolution beyond conventional digital advertising into a business offering integrated creative and technology solutions. This foundation is reflected in Schbang’s work across digital experiences, websites and technology-led campaigns, including Jio’s AR/VR cricket activation and the interactive gamification work for Switch Mobility. His role brings design thinking and technological execution together within the agency’s broader brand-building approach.
2. White Rivers Media
Founded in 2012 by Shrenik Gandhi and Mitesh Kothari, White Rivers Media has grown into an independent integrated digital creative agency working across entertainment, FMCG, sports and other sectors. Its portfolio includes campaigns for Dettol, Swiggy Dineout, Astral, Netflix, Hershey’s and Amazon miniTV. The agency’s work spans digital storytelling, entertainment marketing and culture-led brand campaigns.
Shrenik Gandhi – Co-Founder & CEO
Shrenik Gandhi has helped build White Rivers Media into a recognised independent digital agency, with a focus on business growth and culture-led brand storytelling. His leadership spans campaigns such as Dettol’s #DettolProtectsTomorrow, Swiggy Dineout’s Great Indian Restaurant Festival and Astral’s World Water Day initiative. These projects reflect the agency’s work across digital engagement, entertainment and purpose-led communication. White Rivers Media’s recognition as Independent Agency of the Year at ICMA 2024 further reflects its standing in the content marketing industry.
Mitesh Kothari – Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer
Mitesh Kothari leads White Rivers Media’s creative function, helping shape the ideas and storytelling behind its digital-first campaigns. The agency’s portfolio includes entertainment-led marketing for films such as Jawan, Brahmastra and Oppenheimer, alongside brand campaigns for Hershey’s, Reliance Jewels and Swiggy Dineout. Its Daughters of Piplantri campaign for Astral Foundation also demonstrates the agency’s use of storytelling to bring social and environmental themes to a wider audience.
3. Social Panga
Founded by brothers Himanshu Arora and Gaurav Arora in 2014, Social Panga has built its presence as an independent, integrated creative and digital marketing agency. Its work combines digital storytelling, social media, performance marketing and brand experiences for clients across sectors. Notable projects include Manipal Hospitals’ Guardians of the Heart and Cult.fit’s We Are Cult anthem, created to welcome members back to its centres.
Himanshu Arora – Co-Founder
Himanshu Arora has helped shape Social Panga’s business development and digital marketing capabilities, drawing on his early experience in online branding and performance-led marketing. Under his co-leadership, the agency has expanded its integrated offering across creative, media, production and influencer marketing. Its work includes digital campaigns for brands such as Myntra, Mamaearth and 3M.
Gaurav Arora – Co-Founder
Gaurav Arora has helped steer Social Panga’s evolution from a digital marketing agency into an integrated brand-solutions business. His focus on creative problem-solving has supported the agency’s expansion beyond social media into production through The Yellow Shutter and influencer marketing through The Viral Union. He has also emphasised building creative capabilities that address broader brand and business needs, rather than treating digital as an isolated channel.
4. GOZOOP Group
Founded in 2008, GOZOOP Group has grown from a digital-first marketing company into an independent integrated marketing group with operations spanning India and the Middle East. Co-founded by Ahmed Aftab Naqvi, Rohan Bhansali and Dushyant Bhatia, the group has expanded its capabilities through acquisitions and the development of specialist businesses. Its portfolio includes brands such as Dell, Asian Paints, Taj Hotels, Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians. More recently, its work has included Tim Hortons India’s #BeYouAtTimHortons campaign and YES Securities’ #InvestKaroApneStyleSe.
Ahmed Aftab Naqvi – Co-Founder & Global CEO
Ahmed Aftab Naqvi has been central to building GOZOOP from a digital-first startup into an integrated marketing group with an international presence. As CEO, he has focused on global expansion, strategic acquisitions, key client relationships and broadening the group’s service offerings. During his leadership, GOZOOP expanded beyond India into international markets and built partnerships with major brands. His role in steering the group’s international growth has helped strengthen its position as an independent Indian agency network.
Rohan Bhansali – Co-Founder & Chairman
Rohan Bhansali has played a significant role in GOZOOP’s business development, expansion and evolution into a broader marketing group. Drawing on his early experience in investment banking and technology entrepreneurship, he helped build the company’s business foundations and expand its capabilities through acquisitions, including Red Digital and iThink Infotech. His leadership has supported GOZOOP’s growth across advertising, media, technology and communications, helping the independent group serve established brands.
5. WLDD
Founded in 2018 by Arihant Jain, Jaidev Kesti and Vivekanand Kilari, WLDD began as a meme-marketing agency and has expanded into a broader creator-led media and marketing business. Its ecosystem now includes Solo, a creator-marketing platform; Meme’d, focused on short-form content distribution; ScoopWhoop, a digital media property; and LIT School, a creator-enabled business school. The company has also expanded its capabilities through acquisitions, including Imagined Studio, strengthening its presence across content, technology and brand-building.
Arihant Jain – CEO & Co-Founder
Arihant Jain has led WLDD’s evolution from a meme-marketing startup into a broader media and creator-led marketing business. Under his leadership, the company has expanded its capabilities through initiatives such as Solo, its creator-marketing platform, and acquisitions including ScoopWhoop and Imagined Studio. WLDD’s work now spans creator partnerships, short-form content, digital media and brand-building for clients including Amazon, Spotify and Netflix. Jain was also featured in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Asia 2025 list.
Jaidev Kesti – Co-Founder
Jaidev Kesti co-founded WLDD, helping build a business around the growing influence of memes and online communities in brand communication. He has been part of the company’s expansion from meme marketing into a wider ecosystem spanning creator platforms, content production, media and distribution. This evolution includes the development of Solo and Meme’d, alongside the acquisition of ScoopWhoop, reflecting WLDD’s ambition to help brands build relevance within digital culture.
Vivekanand Kilari – Co-Founder
Vivekanand Kilari has helped shape WLDD’s approach to meme-led marketing and digital storytelling. As a co-founder, he was part of the team that identified memes as a way for brands to connect with online audiences through culturally relevant content. He has also spoken publicly about the company’s development of digital media properties and its expanding creator ecosystem. Today, WLDD’s work extends beyond memes into creator marketing, branded content and community-led distribution for brands including Amazon, Spotify and Netflix.
