Meet the Founders: VTION
Finalists in the TCF Market Research Innovation Awards
The Tony Cowling Foundation is proud to celebrate innovation in market research through the Market Research Industry Innovation Award. As part of our ‘Meet the Founders’ series, we introduce you to the visionaries behind some of the most innovative projects reshaping the industry.
Today, we spotlight VTION, one of the award’s finalists. Below, Manoj Dawane, founder of VTION, shares insights about the project’s journey, the challenges they’ve faced, and the innovations they bring to the market.
For our readers who might be unfamiliar with your work, can you provide a brief overview of what your project does and the problem it aims to solve?
VTION combines the power of technology and consumer insights with a privacy-first, fully opt-in methodology to understand how consumers spend their time digitally. The insights gleaned from this data help brands plan their digital activation strategies, implement them using audience cohorts from the same source, and measure the impact of these campaigns on mind measures and actual category engagement on e-commerce platforms.
What was the inspiration behind this project? Was there a particular moment or experience that sparked the idea?
In 2016, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India released a consultation paper about the possibilities of measuring FM radio utilisation. This set off a thought process for me, leading to the invention that I eventually patented in India and the United States. I designed a methodology to pick up events on smart devices that could help the ecosystem understand user behaviour.
Every startup has its ups and downs. Can you share one significant challenge you have overcome and a triumph that you are particularly proud of?
When we first began coding the algorithm, we tried to use a SaaS service, but soon realised that as we scaled globally, it would generate enormous costs. We made the difficult decision to build the technology in-house, owning the intellectual property. In hindsight, it was one of the best technical decisions we made. Today, we are in a position to license our technology on a SaaS basis worldwide—proof that life truly comes full circle!.
Where do you see your project in the next five years? Are there any new features or innovations you're particularly excited about?
We began with FM radio measurement and expanded into media spaces like audio and video OTT platforms. From there, we moved to social media ad measurement, e-commerce journey mapping, and cart additions, providing a full consumer view from top funnel to bottom funnel. In the next five years, we plan to extend our product from smartphones to connected TVs, and also expand geographically across the globe.
Beyond the business aspect, what personal motivations or passions drive you in this venture?
Jeff Bezos’ framework of regret minimisation greatly influenced me. Once I embraced that philosophy, I knew I had to take the entrepreneurial plunge. Another personal driver is the fact that I named the company after my daughter, which represents a deep commitment to ensuring the company has a meaningful existence.
Looking back, is there something you wish you'd known when you started?
While I had experience with venture-oriented companies, I had never fully owned one. I wish I had been more aware of the challenges in managing investors and consistently reporting progress against milestones. In a startup, plans often don’t go exactly as expected, and you need to hustle to keep things afloat. Managing investor expectations and staying aligned with them is something I wish I had mastered earlier.
In an ever-evolving tech landscape, how do you stay ahead of the curve in terms of features and offerings?
Staying ahead primarily comes from extensive reading and keeping up with global developments. The key is to distil the right pieces of information that matter to our company’s roadmap, whether it’s related to product development or geographic expansion. Also, having a team that stays updated on technological and economic shifts is crucial.
Every startup has a unique culture and set of values. Can you describe your company culture and how it contributes to your success?
Our core value is transparency, and it manifests in three ways: transparency with our panelists through full consent and disclosure, transparency with our customers by reporting accurate numbers even when they don’t align with expectations, and transparency with our employees and investors by presenting honest performance updates. Our culture emphasises knowledge-seeking, collaboration, and maintaining a warm, supportive environment.
Founding and running a startup is notoriously demanding. How do you and your team manage work-life balance, and how do you ensure your team does as well?
In the early stages of a startup, there can be a tendency toward overwork or hyperactivity. However, as the company grows and becomes more disciplined, the energy balances out. Today, we focus on open communication within the team and prioritisation to ensure we don't burn-out. It's crucial to recognise that in early-stage startups, work-life balance can lean more heavily toward work, but the goal is to ensure long-term sustainability.
What would you say is the single most compelling reason people should choose VTION?
VTION offers a unique framework for measuring consumer behaviour across all stages of the marketing funnel—from ad exposure (top funnel) to intent (middle funnel) and eventual purchase (bottom funnel). We do this through a single-source platform, and soon, we will be expanding this to connected TVs, making our offering even more comprehensive.
To learn more about VTION and their work, visit the website here.