Rahul S Jayawant: Results-driven Entrepreneur Passionate about Innovation

Rahul S Jayawant

As of today, July 2023, there are 7.33 billion mobile phone users in the world which translates into nearly 91% of the world’s population. Of which, 6.8 billion people are smartphone users and the tribe is expected to grow to 7.1 billion by the end of 2024.

For a marketeer reading this, the numbers translate into opportunities to reach out to those 6.8 billion people. Mobile phones represent an opportunity for companies to customize their offerings for the targeted users through engaging creatives that can hook them and convert them into customers.

However, the problem is, how do you engage a customer whose mobile is full of apps, probably of rivals, and whose attention span is less than 6 seconds?

For Rahul Jayawant-led Eureka Mobile Advertising, this isn’t a problem, but an opportunity to which they have patented solutions!

The Company

Eureka Mobile is a ‘last mile’ solution to deliver content on the mobile. It is an experience-led Customer Engagement Platform. The company is based in the UK and provides elevating engaging experiences on the mobile. ​The underlying digital technology is patented.

Eureka delivers content directly to the mobile’s idle screen, ensuring a guaranteed view. Viewers can choose to tap to see more, save for later, mark it as a favorite, or swipe to dismiss. This is how it helps businesses:

  • As per Google’s research, less than 50% of the content on the mobile is ever viewed. Eureka’s Technology ensures 100% Viewability. 
  • The mobile screen is cluttered with dozens of apps and the content will get lost in the forest of apps on the subscriber’s home screen. Eureka’s Solution ensures the Brand’s content stands out and an unmissable copy of the content is served ‘out of app’ – timed and targeted – to the target audience/subscriber resulting in an elevating engaging experience. 
  • As per experts, page loading times could vary from 3s – 11s.  Eureka’s solution ensures the content is served instantly (no latency). Video is the most popular format on the mobile. Buffering is a spoiler. Eureka’s Technology ensures Zero Buffering. 

The Start of it All

In the early nineties, a young Rahul kicked off his professional journey after his Bachelor in Technology in Manufacturing on the Foundry Shop floor as a Management Trainee in Kolkata in India. He had a great time dabbling in production, quality control, operations, and blue-collar workforce management (which was very demanding and a completely different kettle of fish). However, he soon got bored by the monotony of factory life and decided to move to the much-romanticized Sales arena. 

He then moved on to selling Castolin’s cutting-edge industrial consumables for sustainability. It gave him a unique ringside view of the technological landscape across a myriad of Industries including – Automobiles; Steel; Chemicals; Paper & Pulp;  Ship Repairs; Cement; Mining amongst others. It gave him an opportunity to create numerous innovative applications which were globally useful for the Company. Work took him to Singapore and the time spent was fantastic in terms of opportunities, entrepreneurial DNA of the Nation, and positive work culture. 

Then Y2K happened! The world was taken over by the doomsday scenarios of ‘what if’ the computer software tripped as the millennial clock went past midnight into the 21st Century. Rahul too was swept away by the euphoria and was pulled into the fascinating world of the possible – Software Technology. He was handpicked by the Chairman (of Larsen & Toubro Group) to move to the UK to lead the S.I. business for the company. The next decade was spent working in various Business Development roles for leading System Integrators including Larsen & Toubro Infotech, Accenture, and HCL amongst others based out of London. 

A chance meeting with one of the greatest Techno marketers of the 21st Century changed Rahul’s trajectory of life, forever. He met John Sculley at the London Hilton in 2008. Across the breakfast table, literally at the back of the paper napkin, he shared his vision of ‘customer engagement’ on the mobile. John instantly liked it and told him that he thought it was innovative and pioneering. 

Rahul reflects, “Looking back, I think John inspired my entrepreneurial zest. The entrepreneurial journey has been exhilarating, to say the least. The countless meetings with investors, the ecstasy of the patents being granted, and above all the ‘EUREKA’ moment of the customer, once they experience the elevating engagement power of the platform. A game changer for their business!” 

Out-of-the-box Thinker and Leader

As the Founder and CEO of a startup with patents to its credit, Rahul has been setting the pace at the company with his big-picture-driven attitude. He leads from the front and ensures that his vision is shared and understood by everyone in the company. 

Rahul is adept at leveraging emerging technologies to drive innovation and stay ahead of a competitive market. He is skilled in building and nurturing high-performing teams, fostering a culture of collaboration, and delivering exceptional results. He excels at establishing network connections and has a reputation for forging strategic partnerships and securing lucrative business opportunities. He has an aptitude for maintaining corporate governance standards while ensuring regulatory compliance, and driving sustainable organizational growth. 

Rahul believes the Post Pandemic World represents an opportunity for the sophisticated use of technology solutions for changing business models. Through Eureka, he is enabling businesses to communicate with their customer or employee directly in a meaningful and personalized way as a powerful route to increasing engagement  and in turn improving productivity. Back of their customer engagement platform on the go, they are creating pioneering businesses across Media & Entertainment: eCommerce and Future of Work amongst others for:

  • Fan engagement and monetization of fan-base
  • Off-Peak Breaks to recharge the workforce
  • The digitalization of the High Street towards achieving sustainability and carbon reduction goals in the local community

Innovation is the bedrock of all of Eureka’s businesses. Their ‘last mile’ mobility patent underpins their Customer Engagement Platform on the go. Every use case of their business is unique and pioneering anywhere in the world.

The company believes in diversity and makes a conscious effort to support diversity and inclusion in every business activity both within and across its partnerships. “Our focus is on the attitude of the individual. We are looking for out-of-the-box thinkers with high integrity working at speed and above all a positive mindset,” says Rahul.

Overcoming Challenges

Rahul believes, variety is the spice of life and that time is the most precious commodity, a perishable to be used wisely. Speed and Mundanity have been the biggest challenges in his career. Initially, he tried to move across business verticals in search of variety, including Manufacturing, Application Sales, System Integration Services, and Digital. In search of speed, he moved from Mumbai to Singapore to London. 

“Then the ‘penny dropped’ and I realized I was shackled by corporate bureaucracy and yearned for the freedom to perform. Thus began my journey into the world of entrepreneurship. It has been exhilarating, liberating and above all fulfilling!”, he confesses.

As for the industry, Rahul feels that the current challenges include Climate Change, Cybersecurity, IP theft, and Talent War (exacerbated by the rapidly changing technological landscape). He feels that these four major challenges need to be addressed jointly by the FORTUNE 100 companies as an existential challenge across the world.

Getting Future-Ready

As an inventor, Rahul is passionate about innovation and the art of possibly leveraging technology for good. Metaverse feels Rahul, is a game-changer and that marketing strategy will never be the same again. As it matures and proliferates it will be more persuasive, purposeful, and personalized ensuring a significant ROI to the Brand.

At Eureka, his team will keep striving to create unique ‘Customer Engagement’ solutions across diverse businesses including Fan Engagement; eCommerce; Future of Work, and OTT (Streaming Services) in the coming years.

Message for the Budding Entrepreneurs:

“It’s an exciting and fast-moving world full of opportunities. Should you want to make a difference, entrepreneurship is the best vehicle to achieve it. Have a purpose and be passionate about your venture. Entrepreneurship is  a journey enjoy it!

The sense of achievement is unique and incomparable to anything else. However, it is not for the faint-hearted. Be prepared for the marathon – mentally, physically, and financially. Look for experienced mentors and ensure the team is focused, sharp, and honest. Go for it!” concludes Rahul.

Quote:  ‘Variety is the Spice of Life!’

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