Meher Patel, Founder of Hector, is a visionary entrepreneur and AdTech innovator with deep expertise in E-commerce and Quick Commerce. From founding Neon Digital Media and leading it to a successful acquisition, to launching Hector—which surpassed INR 100 Cr in revenue within just nine months—Meher combines strategic foresight with technical mastery. Renowned for his data-driven approach to performance marketing, campaign optimization, and platform development, he offers insights on digital acquisition, building scalable systems, and driving the next wave of AdTech innovation.
You often talk about digital acquisition as both an art and a science. In your experience, how do you strike the right balance between creativity and numbers when building campaigns that truly connect with people?
Performance marketing thrives at the intersection of data and storytelling. Numbers guide us to where attention lies, but creativity determines whether that attention translates into trust and purchase. In competitive categories like beauty or consumer goods, targeting precision ensures reach, but narrative builds connection. At Hector, we have seen that testing creative variations against data signals produces campaigns that feel both personal and profitable. My approach is simple: treat data as the compass and creativity as the journey. Metrics ensure efficiency, but it is imagination that makes a brand memorable. The future of acquisition lies in scaling both together: art for resonance, science for repeatability.
You’ve built platforms that scaled really fast—what are some challenges brands and marketers face behind the scenes that don’t always make it into case studies?
Every success story masks unseen challenges. Marketers often wrestle with fragmented workflows, manual reports, siloed tools, and constant firefighting. In fast-paced categories like fashion or health supplements, agility is everything. Yet case studies rarely reveal the nights spent diagnosing conversion drops or sudden bid spikes. My journey as an agency founder, and later building Hector, taught me that repeatable growth demands systems: automation, unified data, and insight-led decision making. These may be less glamorous than the end results, but they form the bedrock of scale. Looking ahead, the winners in AdTech will be those who simplify complexity, allowing brands to focus on strategy rather than execution.
With so much data available today, how do you make sure your team focuses on the insights that actually matter, rather than getting lost in dashboards and metrics?
More dashboards do not equal better decisions. I urge my teams to ask: which insights move the business forward? For FMCG, it may be repeat purchases; for electronics, click-to-order efficiency. At Hector, we built anomaly detection into reporting, surfacing shifts like sudden conversion drops or inefficient spend. This reduces time spent staring at dashboards and increases time spent acting. The discipline is focusing on north-star metrics that connect directly to outcomes, not chasing every available number. Data should illuminate, not overwhelm. As the ecosystem grows noisier, clarity, not volume, will define competitive advantage.
For founders diving into the AdTech world, what personal habits or ways of thinking have helped you stay grounded while managing rapid growth?
AdTech growth is exhilarating but volatile. What keeps me grounded are three habits. First, discipline in focus: I start each week asking, what problem are we truly solving? Second, listening to operators on the ground, whose insights sharpen perspective. Third, intentional patience. At Hector, moments of rapid adoption were often followed by recalibration, teaching me not to overreact to highs or lows. Leadership in this space requires balance—pushing innovation without losing sight of fundamentals. For me, the anchor is remembering that we are not just building technology; we are shaping how agencies and brands succeed in a digital-first economy.
Marketing tools, algorithms, and consumer behavior are always changing. How do you experiment and innovate without losing sight of the bigger brand story?
Experimentation drives progress, but consistency sustains brands. When testing new bidding models or audience cohorts, we anchor every experiment to the core brand promise: trust, aspiration, or convenience. At Hector, we pilot features in controlled environments before scaling. This ensures agility without disrupting narrative. Algorithms may evolve daily, but consumer expectations of relevance and authenticity remain constant. The future lies in combining fast-paced experimentation with enduring brand stories. Innovation without narrative is noise, innovation aligned with narrative creates impact that lasts.
Looking back on your journey, what do you think has been your biggest strength as a leader—and are there any blind spots you’ve learned to watch out for along the way?
My strength lies in connecting operator insight with product innovation. Running campaigns built empathy, building technology created scale. This dual lens shaped Hector into a platform rooted in real advertising pain points. The blind spot, however, was speed. Early on, I tried solving every challenge instantly, but not every problem demands urgency. Some require patience, observation, or iteration. I have since learned that leadership is not about fixing everything, it is about prioritizing what matters and enabling teams to deliver. Looking forward, I believe the leaders who combine clarity with adaptability will define the next era of AdTech.
