VidStatus parent QuVideo onboards Sowmya Keshava to lead and expand India ops

QuVideo Technologies, which owns and run apps Vivavideo, Vivacut, Sideplus, and Vidstatus, among others, has announced the appointment of Sowmya Keshava as its India Partner to lead operations and drive growth initiatives in the India market.

Prior to this, Sowmya has worked for large organisations and startups. She had also started a boutique consulting firm in 2013 that helped early-stage startups with design, marketing, and business strategies.

Later, she went on to work with Kyron Global (now acquired by Techstars), and a Korean advisory firm that invests in India startups before joining Quvideo.

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Speaking of her appointment, Sowmya said,

"The big opportunity now is the next billion users, understanding their needs and how to engage with them. My exposure being on the VC side as well as being an entrepreneur will come in handy to understand these emerging markets and their user behaviours."

"My stint with companies such as Zynga and Kalaari were great inflexion points to understand how product companies and VC firms drive each other to incredible performance," she said.

Headquartered in Hangzhou, China, QuVideo Technologies, specialises in internet video services and development. While Vivavideo, Vivacut, Sideplus are present globally, Vidstatus is an India-exclusive app.

VidStatus is a video social and content network for vernacular users that allows users to download and create 30-second videos in their preferred regional language. The editing tool allows users to trim, cut, copy, and merge videos and photos with ease, and add animated texts, themes, posters, filters, transitions, music to videos, and share as the WhatsApp status. 

The app started in 2017, is now available in 15 Indian vernacular languages. It claims to 10 million monthly active users. It caters to the diverse Indian vernacular audience using social media, especially WhatsApp.

Co-founder and CEO of QuVideo Technologies, Sheng Han said, "We are looking forward to building a strong team in India with local talent. We are delighted to have Sowmya join us at this important phase, where the company is focussing on growth, monetisation, and new launches,"

"Sowmya's years of experience in being part of the investment sector and startup ecosystem will further support our fundraising, talent acquisition, and, most importantly, strategic partnerships. We have recently appointed Head of Product who joined us from Xiaomi India, as we believe the focus for Product is better understood when it is built locally," added Sheng.

Speaking on her aim for Vidstatus, Sowmya said that her immediate focus would be on building a strong team that can work on the new goals like, product launches, and monetisation. 

Next year, Vidstatus will be seen participating at campus placements across premium institutions in India.

"Our new internship programme, called 'Qu Shala', will pivot the student community to get a closer and more in-depth understanding of this emerging sector," said Sowmya. 

(Edited by Saheli Sen Gupta)

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