X|Media|Lab: Vishal Gondal

Founder and CEO of Indiagames Ltd (Mumbai), Vishal Gondal is recognised as being instrumental in starting and growing the gaming industry in India.  His Big Idea for 2009 is cross platform social products. “People want to be consuming content and sharing with their friends across a multitude of devices they own.”

Vishal Gondal is one of the international speakers at X|Media|Lab, Commercialising Ideas, in Auckland from May 22-24. The lab is designed to help local digital media companies get their ideas to market.


What is exciting you most right now in the digital arena?

The big change in the digital space is the concept of 'People Participation' where ordinary people who are now generating their own news, deciding their own songs and socialise on virtual space.

What are some of the challenges of ‘commercialising ideas’ in the current economic climate?

In the digital business you have to always make bets on the future. Old products make you money and new products are investment suckers. In tighter economic climate the risk appetite of most of the players is considerably reduced.. and people want to stick to the present.

The biggest challenge is to balance between the present and future!

What is your “Big Idea” for 2009?

My Big Idea for 2009 is about cross platform social products. People want to be consuming content and sharing with their friends across a multitude of devices they own be it a PC, Mobile Phone, Console, Car, Music Player. One such idea I have invested in is instablogs.com which is providing citizen powered news from all over the world across a plethora of devices.

Vishal Gondal Bio

While most kids were grappling with the realities of growing up, Vishal took a head start and started his first company – FACT, soon after finishing school at the ripe young age of 16.   

In 1999, he founded Indiagames, then a five member team. Today he leads a global operation with over 300 employees and offices in Mumbai, Beijing, London and Los Angeles.  Indiagames is an award winning multi-platform games company, developing games for wireless, console and online gaming platforms, and works with top game publishers, handset manufacturers, Hollywood studios and mobile operators across the globe.
Vishal was part of The Nokia Advisory Council for Games and actively advises Nokia on wireless and gaming technologies and is a much sought after speaker at gaming and wireless technology conferences. Indiagames under Vishal’s leadership was featured amongst Red Herring Asia’s Top 100 companies in 2005.    

Amongst his other achievements and industry recognitions include being featured among the top 40 Indian entrepreneurs by Business Today magazine in 2001; an E&Y Indian Entrepreneur of the year award nomination in 2004 and most recently being listed among the top 50 executives in the mobile content space by the UK based Mobile Entertainment Magazine. This list featured the likes of Steve Jobs of Apple. Vishal also features among the 20 Fab Indians to watch out for in 2006 by The Week magazine. 

www.indiagames.com