Exclusive: Rainmaker-backed YAAP makes second acquisition

Content marketing startup YAAP Digital Pvt. Ltd has acquired Soinsi, run by FFC Information Solution Pvt. Ltd, an influence marketing and celebrity engagement firm, to give a boost to its content discovery. Financial details of the transaction were not revealed.

YAAP Digital is backed by Mumbai-based early-stage venture capital fund Rainmaker Ventures. In September, YAAP Digital had acquired Brand Planet Consultants India Pvt. Ltd, a branding and design firm, for $3 million in an all-cash deal.

"Content is critical to the success of any brand today and we utilize it to reach, convert and engage relevant target audiences. Now, as part of YAAP we will further bolster our service line and reach out to newer markets across Asia," Seeraj Katoch, founder of FFC, told Techcircle. Katoch will join the YAAP senior management team as a partner. Katoch founded FFC in 2011. The startup provides influencer marketing solutions to deliver quality brand experiences, creating the requisite buzz, increasing intent to purchase and fulfilling strategic business goals. The company's clients include Dow Jones, Reed Elsevier, Sify, UB Group, Tata Group, Casio, Asus and Reliance Digital, among others.

After this acquisition, YAAP Digital will be launching its proprietary influence marketing platform.

"This acquisition fast tracks YAAP's content discovery service line. With the fantastic tech platform that FFC is launching, YAAP will create a very large ecosystem of online influencers and in turn will help influencers collaborate with brands. We now want YAAP to quickly take this platform global," said Atul Hegde, co-founder of Rainmaker Ventures. The company is planning to launch its offering across Asia and US by next year.

YAAP Digital was founded by digital media professionals Nikhil Bapat and Manan Kapur. The company provides services such as branded content, digital show formats, syndication, brand and visual identity, influencer identification, outreach and channel partnerships.

Rainmaker Ventures invested $5 million (Rs 33.5 crore) in YAAP Digital in July. The company said it is open to acquiring companies in the branding and visual identity space, automated content distribution platforms and content creation platforms.

Hegde was a digital marketer before he founded Rainmaker Ventures with industrialist Sudhir Menon. The Mumbai-based early stage fund received capital commitments of $50 million in December last year.

While Menon is chairman and managing director at Mumbai-based chemical manufacturer Dorf Ketal Chemicals India Pvt. Ltd, Hegde was previously chief executive at Ignitee Digital Services Pvt. Ltd, an advertising and marketing agency.

Rainmaker made its first investment of $1 million in Mumbai-based Raftaar Technologies that operates bus aggregator Limo in May. At the time of the launch, Rainmaker Ventures had said it would focus on startups in the space of financial technology, education, healthcare and FMCG.