The increasing availability of affordable Android smartphones coupled with inexpensive mobile data plans has enabled a significant rise in the number of social media influencers in India, with many now reaching audiences of tens of millions.

These individuals, often referred to as creators, regularly share personal vlogs, express opinions on diverse topics, and frequently collaborate with major brands to promote products to dedicated and specific consumer groups. Numerous businesses, including the e-commerce leader Flipkart, currently partner with these influencers.

However, the prohibition of TikTok, the popular Chinese short-video application that once boasted over 200 million users in India, in late June highlighted key challenges faced by these creators: an over-dependence on a limited number of platforms and a lack of structured professional organization.

A new company believes it has developed a solution to empower creators with greater control over their work. Several prominent entrepreneurs share this belief.

On Friday, Madhavan Malolan unveiled CreatorOS, a platform designed to help creators establish, manage, and expand their businesses. Approximately 1,000 creators, including short-film producers, educators, and consultants, have already registered, according to Madhavan, who established the company – previously known as Socionity – in January. Before CreatorOS, he held positions at companies such as Microsoft.

“We envision these creators evolving into entrepreneurs over the next decade. Therefore, we are developing the tools, connections, and infrastructure necessary for them to operate their digital businesses. Currently, many creators employ a broad, unfocused approach, producing content with the hope of achieving viral success and gaining industry recognition,” Madhavan explained in a conversation with TechCrunch.

A central feature of CreatorOS is an application-builder that allows creators to develop their own apps, distribute and monetize their content within them, and cultivate their own communities. Madhavan stated that CreatorOS has significantly simplified the app-building process, reducing it to a simple drag-and-drop operation.

The company announced today that it has secured $500,000 in funding from a group of well-known investors. These angel investors include Phanindra Sama (founder and former CEO of RedBus.in), Gaurav Munjal (co-founder and CEO of Unacademy), Kalyan Krishnamurthy (CEO of Flipkart Group), Sujeet Kumar (co-founder of Udaan), Vidit Aatrey (co-founder and CEO of Meesho), Vivekananda Hallekere (co-founder and CEO of Bounce), and Alvin Tse (GM of Xiaomi Indonesia).

Madhavan indicated that the confidence demonstrated by these established entrepreneurs in CreatorOS led him to decide against seeking venture capital funding at this time, allowing the company to concentrate fully on serving the needs of creators. He also noted that the TikTok ban and the subsequent efforts of numerous startups to develop competing short-video apps have created a substantial opportunity for CreatorOS.

The startup anticipates reaching a user base of over 5,000 creators by the end of the year. It is actively collaborating with creators to gain insights and develop additional features that will be beneficial to them, Madhavan added.