As humans, we’re wired to keep growing, striving for more and sometimes forget to value what we’ve already built. But when I reflect on this journey, I feel immense gratitude. I’ve grown personally and professionally, and I’ve been lucky to have a founding team that’s still with me. Touch wood, we’ve stayed together through everything, and I hope that continues for life. What’s also special is that we’ve managed to pass on that same sense of value and energy to our team.
With nearly 300 people at iCubesWire today, many have been with us for the long haul. That shared synergy is powerful. And of course, none of it would have been possible without our customers, from early partners like Snapdeal and Myntra to Kotak Bank, Central Park, Ambience, Flipkart, and many more. If I start naming everyone, I’d probably run out of breath. After celebrating 15 years recently, it hit me, it’s been quite a journey.
During the 15 year celebration, iCubesWire organized a family day where employees’ families were invited. What inspired this initiative? What impact did it have on the team dynamics?
At iCubesWire, we’ve always been a culturally rooted organization. Not just for the world to see, it’s something we live every day. When we began planning the 15-year celebration, the leadership team agreed we didn’t want a typical pub night or resort getaway. We wanted to create something deeply meaningful and lasting. That’s how the idea of Family Day was born. We kicked things off by welcoming every employee with garlands and dhol at the office entrance. 
Then came the Biryani Fest, powered by our client Dawat, followed by a Founders’ Kitchen — where all nine co-founders cooked and served lunch to the team.
For Family Day, I personally signed letters and sent them along with chocolate boxes to the parents of every employee. To my surprise, over 100 family members attended — some traveled from Patna, Mumbai, Noida, and beyond. Seeing parents, spouses, and children fill our space with joy and pride was incredible. It turned into one of the most heartfelt days we’ve had. There were games, pottery-making, and moments we’ll never forget.
We’re now unveiling our “Wall of Gratitude” featuring 300 mugs signed by customers across cities. But for me, Family Day was truly the soul of the entire celebration.
What was the original market gap or problem you set out to solve when launching iCubes wire?
I think to really understand the market gap we set out to solve, you have to visualize the digital landscape back in 2010, it was raw to the core. Smartphones weren’t widely used, WhatsApp didn’t exist, and internet-based messaging wasn’t common. Brands were just beginning to recognize digital as a potential marketing channel.
At that time, digital mostly meant display ads. Even Facebook hadn’t properly arrived yet, we were still on Orkut, which eventually faded away. The options available to marketers were extremely limited, and that’s where email marketing played a crucial role.
We saw a gap in how brands could use email as a performance-led channel. Snapdeal, for instance, was then a daily deals platform, not a marketplace. They’d send millions of emails every morning city-specific deals for Bangalore, Mumbai, Gurgaon and within hours, they’d sell thousands of vouchers.
We built a sophisticated email marketing platform that didn’t just send emails, but delivered data intelligence who opened, who clicked, what they engaged with. Brands used it to create targeted cohorts, and it worked well.
From there, we evolved into performance media, full-service digital, and now influencer marketing and tech products. But the core remains: we don’t just solve clients’ problems, we solve the problems they face in connecting with their consumers. That philosophy continues to guide our evolution.
In a saturated digital marketing space, what’s your sharpest edge?What makes iCubes truly stand out?
In a saturated digital marketing space, I believe what sets iCubesWire apart is our constant evolution based on what our customers need. Over the years, we’ve continued to adapt, but in recent times, I’d say our sharpest edge lies in tech innovation.
We proudly stand out as the only player offering pin-code level, hyperlocal influencer marketing backed by multilingual intelligence a capability no one else has at the moment. We’ve had the first-mover advantage here, and while others may follow, this is one of the clearest examples of how innovation gives us an edge.
We have an exceptional servicing team, and our committed founding team ensures everything runs smoothly. But if I had to give one sharp, distinct answer, it would be our product innovations. Even back in our email marketing days, we were building audience cohorts with a level of precision that few others attempted.
Now, with over 1.2 million influencers on our platform, we’re able to deliver personalized, vernacular, and hyperlocal campaigns like no one else. The intelligence and scale we bring to influencer marketing today is genuinely second to none and that, I’d say, is our biggest differentiator.
The establishment of the India in Indian Influencer Governing Council that aims to bring structure to the creator economy. So what gaps did you identify that led to this initiative
The Indian Influencer Governing Council (IIGC) has quickly grown into a movement. While it officially launched about three and a half months ago, the idea had been in the works for quite some time. The response has been overwhelming from brands, influencers, media, and platforms alike.
The core inspiration was simple: influencer marketing has become a mainstream channel, yet there’s no neutral, structured body guiding the space. There are no defined standards that align the interests of all stakeholders – influencers, consumers, brands, and platforms like Meta and Google. That’s the gap IIGC is working to bridge.
We’ve already launched codes of standards for influencers and consumers, both of which were very well received. Next, we’re rolling out the brand code. The goal is to create a level playing field and drive conversations that lead to lasting value for everyone involved.
Over 100 leading marketers are already onboard as advisors, alongside top influencers and founding members. Importantly, IIGC isn’t anti-influencer, it’s about strengthening the ecosystem and enabling long-term, responsible growth.
We’ve had successful chapters in Gurgaon and Mumbai, and we’re now heading to Bengaluru on June 28th. And yes, several exciting initiatives are lined up in the coming weeks, and they’re all aimed at bringing deeper value and cohesion to India’s creator economy.
What’s that one recent campaign of product innovation that in your view defines the next phase of iCubes Wires?
The one recent campaign that truly defines the next phase for iCubesWire is our latest product innovation in hyperlocal influencer marketing, a first-of-its-kind initiative in the market. Launched just a month ago, it has already created significant traction. Over 50 industry professionals have experienced it, and 20 are actively using it. We’ve entered conversations with brands we previously couldn’t have imagined engaging with at a depth and intensity that’s remarkable.
This innovation doesn’t just stop at matching brands with influencers, it dives deep into pin-code-level targeting, vernacular content creation, and multilingual intelligence. We’ve even applied for a patent, which is a proud milestone for us. If you ask me where the future lies, this is it.
Our CTO and Co-founder, Mr. Vineet Sharma, who has been part of the journey for over 14 years, has done a phenomenal job building this solution. The goal is to scale this innovation into multiple layers beyond its current capability.
This product empowers brands to precisely understand who to work with, where their audience resides, what language they speak, and what kind of influencers truly resonate with them.
What are your future plans for iCubes’s wire?
The future plans for iCubesWire include expanding our presence in key markets. We’re already well-established in India especially in Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore. We’re growing rapidly in the Middle East, with strong bases in Dubai and Riyadh, and a backend in Cairo. One of the markets we’re considering re-entering is Jakarta. Our first attempt there didn’t go as planned, but I strongly feel Jakarta is a gateway to the broader Southeast Asia region, and it deserves a second shot.
Right now, our focus is to deepen our impact in the markets we’re already in, especially with the tech innovations we’re rolling out. These are opening new doors and allowing for more value- and IP-driven conversations with brands.
We’re still a privately held company after 15 years, and I think we’ll continue that way for a while. While we do foresee opening up to investor relationships in the future to further fuel growth, for now we’re capital-efficient and happy to grow organically.
So, geographically and strategically, that’s where the future of iCubesWire is headed.
Reflecting on your journey, what is one advice you would offer to the entrepreneurs starting in the digital marketing space?
One insight that has really stayed with me is, “Always test in the market and truly listen to your customers.”
Often, we sit in conference rooms and brainstorm endlessly, drawing out big ideas on whiteboards. But once you step into the real world, the reality can be completely different. Especially in the digital space, where things move fast, and assumptions don’t always hold. So for entrepreneurs entering this field, my advice would be—yes, innovate, but do it based on real-world input.
There’s always going to be a war of commoditization at the bottom, but the top layer is where innovation thrives. Some of our smartest innovations—ones that gave us a bigger market share—came from casual conversations with customers over breakfast or dinner. That feedback was gold. So, get out of the boardroom, meet your customers, listen deeply, and build with them. Because the market’s perspective is often very different from what we imagine inside a fancy office.
