Vishal Gondal
Encyclopedia
Vishal Gondal, is an India investor and entrepreneur. He is the founder and CEO of Indiagames, a global computer games
developer and publisher in India
. He was featured among the top 40 Indian entrepreneurs by Business Today
in 2001.
Indiagames is primarily engaged in publishing and developing games across various platforms like Internet, PC, broadband, mobile phones, PDAs, handheld gaming devices and consoles.
Considered the most important gaming developer and publisher in India, Indiagames controlled in 2005 a 60% share in India's game-related wireless value-added services market. In 2009, Indiagames had over 300 employees and offices in Mumbai
, Beijing
, London
and Los Angeles
.
In 2005, he sold a majority of stakeholds (adding up to 76,29% of the company) to TOM online Games a subsidiary of TOM Online Inc.
although he kept his position as CEO. In December 2007, the Indian company UTV Software Communication acquired a majority stake in Indiagames.
In 2008, he launched Sweat and Blood Venture group in order to invests in startups at a seed level. So far, the Venture group has invested in three start-ups Mumbai-based Gama Entertainment Systems, a developer and manufacturer of entertainment hardware and software products for the retail industry, Instablogs, a blogging community, and Kyko, a start-up currently in stealth mode.
In 2011, Indiagames was acquired by Disney for around $100m. At the time of acquisition, Indiagames was making a profit of $400,000 on revenues of $11 million as reported by various publication.
He has been part of the Nokia
Advisory Council for Games and actively advices Nokia on wireless and gaming technologies.
magazine.
Indiagames was featured amongst Red Herring (magazine)
Asia’s Top 100 companies in 2005.
Gondal is also known as the “Gaming King” in India.
Computer Games
"Computer Games" is a single by New Zealand group, Mi-Sex released in 1979 in Australia and New Zealand and in 1981 throughout Europe. It was the single that launched the band, and was hugely popular, particularly in Australia and New Zealand...
developer and publisher in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He was featured among the top 40 Indian entrepreneurs by Business Today
Business Today
Business Today may refer to:*Business Today , an American, non-profit student organization*Business Today , an Indian fortnightly business magazine* Business Today...
in 2001.
Early life
Gondal was born in Mumbai, India. He stepped into the world of games when he was 13. He sideline studies to learn videogame development. He studied commerce in college.Career
Gondal started his first company FACT at the age of 16. In 1999, he founded Indiagames, then a five member team.Indiagames is primarily engaged in publishing and developing games across various platforms like Internet, PC, broadband, mobile phones, PDAs, handheld gaming devices and consoles.
Considered the most important gaming developer and publisher in India, Indiagames controlled in 2005 a 60% share in India's game-related wireless value-added services market. In 2009, Indiagames had over 300 employees and offices in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
In 2005, he sold a majority of stakeholds (adding up to 76,29% of the company) to TOM online Games a subsidiary of TOM Online Inc.
although he kept his position as CEO. In December 2007, the Indian company UTV Software Communication acquired a majority stake in Indiagames.
In 2008, he launched Sweat and Blood Venture group in order to invests in startups at a seed level. So far, the Venture group has invested in three start-ups Mumbai-based Gama Entertainment Systems, a developer and manufacturer of entertainment hardware and software products for the retail industry, Instablogs, a blogging community, and Kyko, a start-up currently in stealth mode.
In 2011, Indiagames was acquired by Disney for around $100m. At the time of acquisition, Indiagames was making a profit of $400,000 on revenues of $11 million as reported by various publication.
He has been part of the Nokia
Nokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
Advisory Council for Games and actively advices Nokia on wireless and gaming technologies.
Awards
Vishal Gondal was chosen E&Y Indian Entrepreneur of the year award nomination in 2004 and in 2005. He was listed among the top 50 executives in the mobile content space by the UK based ‘Mobile Entertainment’ Magazine. He was also featured among the 20 Fab Indians to watch out for in 2006 by The WeekThe Week
The Week, styled as THE WEEK, is a weekly news magazine.-History:It was founded in the United Kingdom by Jolyon Connell in 1995. In April 2001, the magazine began publishing an American edition; an Australian edition followed in October 2008. Dennis Publishing publishes the U.K. and Australian...
magazine.
Indiagames was featured amongst Red Herring (magazine)
Red Herring (magazine)
Red Herring was a technology business magazine, which flourished during the dot com boom, with global distribution and bureaus in Bangalore, Beijing, and Paris. It also sponsored conferences designed to bring venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, and technologists together. But the magazine went into...
Asia’s Top 100 companies in 2005.
Gondal is also known as the “Gaming King” in India.