Short answer: Think9, founded by Ashni and Avni Biyani with Santosh Desai, has acquired Whoppl, one of India’s fastest-growing creator and digital-first marketing companies, and launched Nova9. Nova9 is a culture-led storytelling engine that blends Whoppl’s creator-first DNA with Think9’s brand-building expertise to help brands move at the speed of the internet.
In a move aimed at building future-ready, culture-first brands, Think9, founded by Ashni and Avni Biyani, daughters of entrepreneur Kishore Biyani, along with Brand Evangelist Santosh Desai, has acquired Whoppl, one of India’s fastest-growing creator and digital-first marketing companies.
The acquisition marks the launch of Nova9, a specialised unit built to power high-velocity, culture-driven storytelling systems for the attention economy.
Why did Think9 acquire Whoppl?
With this acquisition, Think9 brings together Whoppl’s creator-first DNA and its own strategic, brand-building capabilities to create Nova9, a next-generation cultural intelligence and storytelling engine.
The deal strengthens Think9’s ecosystem of consumer-first ventures and marketing solutions, placing the group at the front of India’s fast-evolving, fragmented, culture-driven digital landscape. Think9 owns brands like Superyou, Foodstories, Broadway and Goodbug, among others.
What is Nova9 and what will it do?
Nova9 will combine creative direction, strategic planning, meme fluency, cinematic storytelling, platform-native expertise and real-time data analytics to help brands operate as modern media companies. Its focus is building narrative systems that respond dynamically to culture, communities and conversations, so brands can participate meaningfully in the digital zeitgeist.
Santosh Desai, Co-Founder, Think9 Consumer Technologies and CEO, Futurebrands India, commented:
“The launch of Nova9 marks a significant shift in how brands will approach digital marketing, moving beyond campaign-based communication toward culture-led narrative ecosystems that are native to platforms and communities.”
“Nova9 will expand its capabilities by hiring across multiple disciplines, including cultural strategists, creative storytellers, meme and community specialists, platform-native content strategists, and AI data analysts focused on real-time cultural signals. The goal is to build a multidisciplinary team capable of decoding culture and translating it into high-impact brand narratives,” Mr. Desai added.
How does Whoppl fit into the Nova9 vision?
Ramya Ramachandran, Founder & CEO, Whoppl, said:
“Over the past few years, we’ve seen a fundamental shift in how brands earn attention, moving from broadcasting messages to building stories that people want to engage with and co-create. At Whoppl, we built a creator-powered ecosystem designed for this new reality. Partnering with Think9 allows us to scale that vision exponentially. With Nova9, we are building a culture-first storytelling engine that enables brands to move at the speed of the internet, creating narratives that are not just seen, but shared, remixed, and lived.”
Nova9 will also work closely with The Foundery, Think9’s entrepreneurial platform, which brings together founders, operators and investors to build and scale new-age consumer brands. The platform draws on the experience of leading entrepreneurs and creates a bridge between traditional brand-building and emerging internet-led business models. Ramya will play a central leadership role in shaping Nova9’s vision and growth.
Founded in 2019 by Ramya Ramachandran, Whoppl offers content creation, influencer marketing and social commerce solutions. The company optimises social media selling and offers access to a network of influencers, through a framework built on content, creators and commerce.
FAQs about Think9, Whoppl and Nova9
Who founded Think9?
Think9 was founded by Ashni and Avni Biyani, daughters of entrepreneur Kishore Biyani, along with Brand Evangelist Santosh Desai, Co-Founder of Think9 Consumer Technologies and CEO of Futurebrands India.
What brands does Think9 own?
Think9 owns a portfolio of consumer brands including Superyou, Foodstories, Broadway and Goodbug, among others. With the Whoppl acquisition and the launch of Nova9, the group is expanding further into culture-led marketing and storytelling.
Who founded Whoppl and when?
Whoppl was founded in 2019 by Ramya Ramachandran. It operates as a provider of content creation, influencer marketing and social commerce solutions, built on a framework of content, creators and commerce.
What is Nova9’s focus as a storytelling engine?
Nova9 is designed to combine creative direction, strategic planning, meme fluency, cinematic storytelling, platform-native expertise and real-time data analytics. It will help brands operate as modern media companies and build narrative systems that respond to culture, communities and conversations in real time.
What is The Foundery and how does it link to Nova9?
The Foundery is Think9’s entrepreneurial platform that brings together founders, operators and investors to build and scale new-age consumer brands. Nova9 will work closely with The Foundery, and Ramya Ramachandran will play a central leadership role in shaping Nova9’s vision and growth.
