Video Factory: having dynamic team of 30+ women animators

The steam engine commenced the industrialization of the world.

The scientific-military-industrial complex changed the lives of every inhabitant on earth in terms of how they lived, worked and made economic decisions. While developing countries still based their economies around agriculture, as time went by, there was no stopping the engine of liberalism and its principles of free markets and globalisation from increasing disposable incomes in the hands of people, especially hailing from India and China.

But challenges still remain.

As we enter the second decade of the second millennium, it is becoming increasingly apparent that businesses and individuals view the environment around them as being either full of unlimited possibilities or full of challenges, compounded by the fragmentation in the media landscape, the role of data-driven decision making and major changes in the lifestyles of consumers, who themselves are rattled by the changes taking place around them.

As we begin to rely more and more on the internet for major decisions and allow algorithms to understand us, sales and marketing teams across the globe need to change their pitch to their prospective consumers. With smartphone users in India slated to reach 800 million plus in the next four years according to Cisco, the digital medium is set to witness the battle for the attention of India’s people. While the written medium went hand in hand with television for decades, the rise of the internet gave a massive impetus to video consumption. While YouTube led this transformation, today all companies and individuals with aspirations of building their brands prefer video to get their messages across. This is the market that Video Factory is going after.

 

Give a brief info about your startup?

Video Factory is a 3-years old, explainer video specialist with a dynamic team of  30+ women animators, digital strategists, graphic designers, content writers and business development professionals.

We empower businesses to drive sales and build the best performing teams in today’s digitally-led, experience-driven economy.

What made you start your startup and what problem does it solve?

80% of the internet traffic today is video and a customer is 65% more likely to buy a product or a service after watching a video. Moreover, the human brain processes video information 60,000 times faster than text. Technological giants like Google and Facebook are constantly pushing video content and mobile tech and apps are advancing its delivery. Moreover, the preference for video consumption over other content types continues to grow with customers. This makes video the most powerful form of communication today.

Back in 2016, we were amazed with the startup boom and always wanted to be part of the ecosystem. We also realised our strengths were in content marketing and video marketing was the need of the hour. We channelised it – and all the pieces of the puzzle fit together perfectly to form Video Factory.

Our videos help businesses convert complex information into easy to digest solutions, which in turn helps in increasing customer engagement and conversions, improving learning and development, adding personality to the brand, and improving search engine optimisation, reducing website bounce rates and drive sales. These videos are particularly very useful for Healthcare, Education, IT and Startups of all kind.

 

Tell us about yourself, your previous jobs/ventures? What were you doing before this startup?

Ever thought of the art of making compelling videos as a seamless transition of the yin and yang? Video Factory’s founders Rashika and Mansi enthuse the right and left brain tactics to precision with their moving pictures. As sisters, we empower businesses in their journey towards success, enterprise and collaborations at the macro and micro level. In industry 4.0, as young women entrepreneurs, we add a digitally enabled creative spurt to power industries in the Internet of things, and more.

Rashika Jain, an electrical engineer and MBA gold medalist, is undoubtedly the left brain of Video Factory. A stint at Bharti Airtel led Rashika to entrepreneurial waters with Video Factory in 2016. Making inroads into the competitive business arena, her think-tank of images and content aspires to enhance industries and create a body of work that can add to their business goals and revenues.

Tall, serious minded with irreverent humour, she constantly pushes the envelope with her analytical and pragmatic skills, and wishes to make the world progressive and data-driven. Rashika is leadership committee member of Young Indians Kolkata (initiative of CII), TiE, Rotary and Nasscom 10k Startups, apart from being a whiz at yoga, handwriting analytics and a movie buff.

Mansi Bihani is a design storehouse, and predictably the right brain of Video Factory. Her creative bent of mind saw her helm leadership roles in brand and marketing communications for ten years. The aesthetics of a video can only be seen by an artist, and Mansi’s design philosophy is an inherent part of Video Factory. She dreams of enhancing and enabling the most ambitious brands.

A NIFT graduate, and recipient of the “Most Creative Collection” award by the Ministry of Textiles., she dabbles in PR, linked to revenue. She brings an international perspective to her work with her stint as Marketing Lead at MyJobs in Myanmar, a top online recruitment company. With her innate understanding of human behaviour and unbridled desire to attract, engage and delight consumers, Mansi can turn a drab look into something spectacular.

 

Where is your startup based out of? Why do you think that is the best place for you?

We have offices in Bangalore and Kolkata. With Bangalore being the “Silicon Valley” and  “Startup Capital” of India and Kolkata, the “Cultural Capital” known for its arts and creativity, the combination gives us the best of both worlds.

Besides, both are India’s popular metropolitan cities with budding businesses and new talents. We know, videos are for all, from SMEs to Fortune 500 companies.

 

As a startup founder, what are you paranoid about? What keeps you awake at night?

We have been extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to serve some of the biggest enterprise customers and empower some of our budding women entrepreneurs, but the quest to achieve more and empower more doesn’t not end.

In fact, this is just the beginning!

There are so many dreams that keep us up at night. Dreams of empowering larger enterprises and supporting their greatest challenges . But most importantly dreams of emancipating women and growing together with our team.

 

Who are your competitors and how are you better than them?

3 years ago, we started off with 3 employees and today we are a team of 30+ experts with 1000+ success stories for 600+ international and national enterprises such as the WHO, Reserve Bank of India, Indian Army, and Fortune 500 companies like GE Healthcare, Ola, Olam International, Uber, Cisco, Grab, Times of India, Oyo Rooms, Dr Reddy’s Lab. It is safe to say that Video Factory is its own competitor. We constantly strive to improve and become better.

 

How hard is it to have a work-life balance as a startup founder and how do you manage it?

As a women entrepreneurs and homemakers, there is always a lot to do and balance personal and professional life, home and family.

But we frankly think it can all be done quite easily. It starts from taking the reins in your hands and wanting a sense of individuality. Once you are sincere and committed towards your work, those around you will start to support and everything will fall in place. It’s time we stop making excuses to ourselves first. What might look challenging in the beginning then becomes extremely rewarding in no time!

 

Have you raised funding? If yes, then we would like to know the details. If no then please tell us if you are looking to raise.

We are 100% bootstrapped.

 

What gets you excited about this company?

One of the greatest accomplishments for us personally is to see our team evolve. Meeting our team, brainstorming together, coming up with unique ideas every day and solving their problems, gives us a deep sense of fulfilment.

Tell us about your team and how did you meet each other?

We were both lucky enough to have been each other’s first childhood friends to business partners today. Throughout the different roles, the trust and understanding we have had is indelible and definitely a strength we can be grateful about. We hope to continue to inspire and empower each other and those around us.

 

 

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