Glance, Collective Artists Network form JV to help celebrities, creators launch brands

Glance, a part of SoftBank-backed InMobi Group, on Tuesday said it has formed a joint venture with talent management agency Collective Artists Network to co-create and operate brands in partnership with celebrities and social media influencers.

The JV company - Glance Collective - will co-create and operate multiple unique brands in partnership with top celebrities and social media influencers. Glance will hold majority ownership in the JV firm.

Mansi Jain, General Manager, Roposo and Commerce at Glance, said the joint venture combines Glance and Roposo's technology and global reach with Collective Artists Networks' deep understanding of the celebrity and influencer world.

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"This new entity will generate massive scope for creators to earn revenue through part ownership of the brands, while also giving them access to global markets, through Glance and Roposo's combined worldwide user base," she told PTI.

Glance delivers artificial intelligence-driven personalised content to screen zero of smartphones. When a Glance user wakes up their phone, their lock screen has new visual and interactive content that is personalised for them. Roposo, on the other hand, operates a video platform.

"Our aspiration is to create 100 brands over the next two years. In terms of product categories, we are starting with lifestyle as a key category with apparel, beauty, etc. I think we want to extend it to other categories like health and fitness, food etc," Jain said.

The company will also partner with manufacturers for getting these products made, she added.

Jain said the JV will also look at tapping into international markets - starting with South East Asia in the next few weeks, and followed by the US next year.

While the creator-led, interactive and LIVE commerce segment is still at a nascent stage in India, it is expected to become a USD 40 billion opportunity in the country by 2025.

This format has seen tremendous success in China, where it now accounts for around 20 per cent of the country's total ecommerce market, as per estimates.

Glance Collective will leverage this emerging mode of shopping to drive sales of its brands, primarily on the Glance lock screen and the Roposo app.

Earlier this month, Glance had announced the acquisition of full-stack ecommerce firm Shop101 as part of its foray into an influencer and celebrity-driven mobile commerce.

The end-to-end supply chain and technology platform gained through this acquisition will be leveraged for operational support to Glance Collective.

"Glance Collective is dedicated to influencers at its very core. It will be a legitimate house of influencer brands, with the potential to bolster the monetisation strength of the influencer economy and pop culture via commerce, Vijay Subramaniam, Group CEO and co-founder of Collective Artists Network, said.

The joint value proposition will effectively benefit the end-consumer and an ever-growing community of influencers.

Collective Artists Network's clients include A-list celebrities across pop culture, including Bollywood and South entertainment industry, as well as top social/digital media influencers.