Why Hyderabad start-up Socionity could be the alternate content platform you've always wanted

If there is something that Sriharsha Karamchati always knew it is that he wants to be in the content creation space. After completing his Master's in Computer Science by Research at IIIT Hyderabad, he took up a job with the software company Intuit in Bengaluru only because he wanted to ensure that there was nothing he wanted more, he was just eliminating other options. So he quit in about a year and went right back to content creation by making a short film. He had already made two while studying at IIIT-H, one of which crossed 2.1 million views. So this time, with the help of his professor Vineet Gandhi, he made the first short film edited by Artificial Intelligence (AI).

"He was already working on the algorithm when I was studying at IIIT-H and it was used to edit only single-frame videos like dance performances," explains the 26-year-old. After tweaking the algorithm to shoot what he had in mind, they released the short film Kala in August 2019 and it became the first AI-edited short film on YouTube. It might not have raked in views but it did get the attention of Rana Daggubati's KWAN Talent Management Agency, who wanted to understand the workings of the algorithm and its potential.

Creators often underprice their content which is a major issue, he says  

Currently, what the Hyderabad-based youngster is doing is helping content creators through Socionity, a start-up that he founded with his friend Madhavan Malolan. Through their app builder, they build a progressive web application (an application software delivered through the web) for any content creator in five minutes flat and that too for free! This helps content creators avoid the 30 per cent cut that App Store or Google Play charge to be listed with them and gives the user the option of downloading the app or using it as a website. "The Indian market is not open to paying for entertainment online yet, but they are open to paying if they get to learn something," says the entrepreneur. Through their own platform, these creators can control their own revenue and content.

Their very first client Somya Luhadia - a YouTuber, fitness influencer and Zumba instructor - launched her fitness application GGT Fitness on January 11, 2020. And guess what? The revenue generated on the very first day was a whopping Rs 1.23 lakh and till date, it has amassed about Rs 8.4 lakh. "And that's just her share," says Sriharsha with a smile. Other exciting influencers joining hands with Socionity are Taskeen Fatima from The Urban Fight and many others, we are told. In the next 20 days, they will have 20 creators on their platform and by April, they intend to have at least 100.

Sriharsha Karamchati | (Pic: Socionity)

But why would content creators want their own portal when they have other avenues like YouTube and Instagram? "What they earn through other platforms comes from advertisements, our portal helps them earn through their own content," says Sriharsha. "I want content creation to be taken seriously as a profession and be a source of stable income for creators," explains the youngsters when we ask him his purpose behind starting such a platform.

Sriharsha has worked for Vijay Devarakonda’s brand Rowdy for a while  

Sriharsha is also an ace mimicry artist and these are the accolades he has won:
- Central government scholarship holder for Mimicry (CCRT) from 2006
- Secured national-level awards for mimicry like Bala Ratna (2002, 2004), Bala Kireetam (2002), Bala Medhavi (2002) and many more
- First in the 36th Lion Club's state-level mimicry competitions in 2004
- First in the World Mimicry Day celebration in 2005

Screengrabs from Socionity

For more on them, check out socionity.com