In an era of unprecedented information consumption, many of us have come to question our ways of consuming news and other crucial media. Are we consuming the right content? Are we consuming real news or fake? How much time do we spend in a day reading from a variety of sources?
This series of concerns has further led us to a big question; is news in the digital age full of inaccuracies, biases, hyperbole, and propaganda?
Maanas Mediratta, CEO of the NITL app, apparently has the right answer to this question.
The following conversation takes on the importance of bringing out fact-checked news to the readers, the role of technology in helping us frame clear and transparent opinions, and NITL’s future plans of scaling to more developed countries.
Please brief our audience about your company, its USPs, and how it is currently positioned as a leading name in the media and entertainment industry.
We want to create mass action and awareness on issues that we face as a society. Our startups focus on bridging the gap between empathy and action in the news so that people feel that they are making a difference in what they care about.
Additionally, we were awarded the best app in 2020 https://bestmobileappawards.com/app-submission/nitl. Our readers also love us as they see this as the easiest way to stay socially conscious.
Tell us more about your offerings, through which you have ascertained your stronghold within the media and entertainment space.
Use technology to provide a snackable way for our readers to understand what happened and enable readers to make an impact on what moves them.
Being an experienced leader, share your opinion on why adopting modern technologies is necessary for the media and entertainment industry and how you have leveraged these technologies to deliver your offerings?
Modern technologies are a necessary instrument for us to tackle global issues. The key difference between what we do vs others is using ethical technology for the people. Our platforms facilitate action on the news without tracking readers or pushing them any ads to buy products and services. We have used AI to create concise content for people to become aware and our data science to understand how we can provide impact-driven actions on news that readers care about!
Considering the COVID-19 pandemic, what challenges did you face, and how are you currently sustaining operations while ensuring the safety of your employees?
The biggest challenge has been building the team. It’s important to make sure people are motivated towards the vision. Having said that, the biggest thing I am proud of is the awesome team we have been able to build.
What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into the media and entertainment space?
Think about what problem are you trying to solve and stick to one problem. There are a plethora of problems in the news space and it’s important to create a solution for something that people care about – whether it be bias, misinformation, or lack of action – which is something we are passionate about.
How do you envision scaling your company’s operations and offerings in 2022 and further?
We hope to access more and more geographies in the next three quarters. Our philosophy is simple. We want to serve people who want to take social action and bridge their gap of empathy and positive action. Most of the developed world really cares about taking action on the news – we plan to go from the nations where social action is of prime importance such as the UK, Scandinavian nations, US, and then scale to more developing nations.
What is your opinion on the future of the media and entertainment industry post the pandemic?
The future of media, post the pandemic is going to be challenging. People have been exposed to so much negativity that many are taking a conscious choice of avoiding media altogether. But for a society to function well, we must all be aware of what is happening so that we can choose and move towards a positive future. Thus, for the media industry needs to empower its reader, it’s important for us to give readers the tools to take some form of action and measure the impact of those actions.
About the Leader
Maanas Mediratta is the CEO of the venture and has had one previous exit. He has a history of building products and strategies. His articles have also been featured in newspapers from time to time.
Maanas Mediratta, CEO, NITL
