NITISH MITTERSAIN (38), FOUNDER AND MD, NAZARA TECHNOLOGIES Leveraging on its technology, Nazara has become a mobile gaming company with significant global presence, by expanding across 61 countries. On staying at par with such technological developments, Mittersain says, “Till date, we have not made any significant investment in hardware such as servers, data centers or disaster recovery centers. However, we have instead outsourced these non-core operations to third-party providers and relied on cost-effective alternatives like cloud infrastructure.” This ensures that the company is not dependent on any one operating system or technology platform and continues to stay agile with technological changes. Today, it conducts business across emerging markets such as India, the Middle East, Africa, South East Asia and South America, and derives a substantial amount of its revenues and profits from international sales, particularly from Africa and South East Asia. Its subscription model is operated in partnership with over 113 telecom companies.
Recently, Nazara acquired two companies to further expand its cricket mobile offerings. Talking about future acquisitions, Mittersain says, “We intend to continue to selectively acquire and invest in businesses, assets, and technologies that complement our existing business, including game developers, game publishers, advertisement networks, offline gaming companies and real money gaming companies.” Going forward, Nazara Games will be the first Indian gaming company heading for an IPO, eyeing a valuation of Rs 3,000-3,500 crore. It recently filed a draft red herring prospectus.
LAUNCH: 1999 in Mumbai MONTHLY ACTIVE USERS: 8.66m SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES: 130.43m monthly visitors DOWNLOAD: 44.49m HEADCOUNT: 213