Founder of India Today's Online Business, Arun Katiyar Joins One97 Mobility Fund

One97 Mobility Fund (OMF), an initiative of One97 Communications has roped in Arun Katiyar, as a Venture Catalyst. Arun will actively engage with the leadership team of the companies that are a part of One97 Mobility Fund’s portfolio and mentor them on their business strategies. As venture catalyst, he will accelerate their growth through regular interactions and leadership management insights.

Arun brings with him over three decades of media business experience. He was the Founder & Chief Operating Officer of India Today’s online business venture and played key roles in various business initiatives of the group. He was part of the leadership team at Indya.com before moving on to head the country’s first private FM radio station, Radio City, in Bangalore. In 2005, he founded SEraja, a mobile-based event-centric service. He is currently involved in a project that aims at creating a framework to manage and measure business integrity that can be applied to Indian businesses.

One97 Mobile & Saif Partners have together committed $100 million investment fund for co-investing in Mobile Internet companies. It has been actively investing in early stage start-ups to provide them with the opportunity of marking a mark for themselves in the industry.

Commenting on his appointment, Arun Katiyar, said, “This is a significant opportunity to develop the telecom eco-system in the country while working with the One97 Mobility Fund and the leadership team of the companies that are a part of the fund. In addition, identifying and nurturing start-ups with the potential to make a difference to the lives of consumers is exciting. I look forward to the association with One97 and working with its dynamic team.”

Sharing his views, Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Chairman and Managing Director, One97 Communications said, “Arun has been my rock star. We have worked together in the past and the experience helped me understand how people, organizations and businesses function. I am happy that we can bring his expertise to our portfolio of companies. Entrepreneurs will love his depth of understanding and the problem solving style he brings from his background as an entrepreneur. It will be wonderful working together again.”