Profile in Columbia Engineering magazine

From the profile by Allison Elliott:

As part of his continued engagement with Columbia, Jain decided to create the Jain Family Fellowship Fund to provide fellowship support to graduate students enrolled at Columbia Engineering, with a preference for students who have lived, worked, or studied in India. He chose graduate education because that is where he believes deep research and breakthroughs will come from.

“At the graduate level, students start to think more deeply about what they want to do,” he says. “That is what is going to drive frontier innovations. And, of course, Columbia Engineering is at the forefront of a lot of areas, in terms of what’s happening.” Along with supporting innovation, Jain has a more personal reason for contributing. “Education is what makes us; that’s what really helps the next generation of students,” he says. “I think we should do our best for the institutions that have made us, that have created who we are and made us what we are.”

Looking Back, Looking Forward (2025)

1

NeoMarketing

Continuing the tradition I began in 2020, this year-end series serves as a reflection on the past year and a look ahead to the future. [Previous years: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, and 2020.]

This past year has been rich in ideas—as every year is—but also revealing in its execution challenges. That is the gap I am determined to close going forward. The NeoMarketing vision must now move decisively from theory to reality, because the cost of delay is enormous. AdWaste continues to hobble brands, forcing them to pay recurring “revenue taxes” on every transaction—through rising CAC, marketplace commissions, excessive discounting, and increasingly, Agentic Commerce.

Sustainable, profitable growth demands a fundamental reset. Marketing must reclaim attention as a scarce, ownable asset, evolve intelligence from tools into agents, and rewire its economics to reward outcomes rather than activity. This is where Agentic Marketing—powered by marketing agents and AI Twins—meets email’s reinvention as an attention and engagement surface through NeoMails, Magnets, and Mu. Together, they enable deeper, enduring relationships with Best customers, while systematically recovering Rest and Test customers—without paying twice to reacquire them.

Equally important is fresh thinking on business models. Alpha, with its outcomes-aligned pricing, and ActionAds in Email point to a future where marketing spend becomes an investment, not a tax. These are the ideas I explored throughout the year—and the foundations on which NeoMarketing must now be executed.

Here are the 90 marketing essays I wrote in 2025 (in reverse chronological order):

NeoMarketing: The Infrastructure Layer That Completes the Stack
NeoMarketing: A New Architecture for Marketing
Marketing’s New Mission: Never Lose Customers. Never Pay Twice.
From Relationship Recession to Attention Renaissance: The Promise of NeoMails
Attention to Intention: Building Customer Agency with NeoMails and BrandTwins
NeoMails: Interactive, Incentivised, Individualised—Insta in the Inbox
NeoMarketing in 10 Numbers
The 80% Attention Churn Crisis—and How NeoMails Solves It
Marketing’s Two Magicians: Agentic and Neo
The NeoMarketing Map: Never Lose Customers, Never Pay Twice
Upstream and Downstream of the Martech Click: Why Attention Beats Interruption
World Models: An Overview and Marketing’s Future
The Brand Daily: Saving the 80% Marketing Ignores
The Segment Martech Forgot: Why Rest Customers Hold the Key to Profitable Growth
Mu Burn: Turning Attention into Value
Can Mu Make Email Invincible?
Circles: The Social Layer of Muniverse
Winning Email’s Next Era: Attention, Actions, Ads
Arc@de in the Inbox: From Digital Drudgery to Daily Delight
Muniverse and the Mailbox
From Profit Bleeding to Profit Recovery: The NeoMarketing Revolution
“Who Lost My Customers and Killed My Profits?”
Martech’s Post-SaaS, AI-First Trillion-Dollar Future
From Vibe Coding to Martech’s Reinvention
Customer Journey Algebra: Marketing’s Missing Math
BrandTwins and the Twin Factory Revolution
Solving Marketing’s Impossible Problems
Identifying Marketing’s Impossible Problems
Microdramas: The Next Wave of B2B Storytelling
Making Quizzing Cool Again: The QUEST Revolution
(T)Winning in Marketing’s Agentic Age
A New Email Inbox: From Digital Wasteland to Daily Destination
ZeroBase: A New Business Model for the Agentic Marketing Era
Marketing’s AI-Native Future: The Rise of Agentic Systems
Email’s Twelve: Architects of the Attention Revolution
QUEST: A Killer App for Attention—A Solution for AdWaste
Agentic Marketing Kernel: 10 Essential Engagements to Maximise LTV
Agentic Marketing: The Path to Superintelligence and Super Profits
Email Inbox Attention: Ideas and Innovations
Progency: Delivering Blue-Sky Growth for Marketing’s Mission Impossible
NeoMarketing: Profit Engineering for Rule of 40 and CMO Comeback
NeoMarketing: The ONLY Path to Systematic, Sustainable, Profitable Growth
Progency and the Long Tail of Customers
The Brand Daily: Moments of Magic
The Moat in Progency and NeoN
The Hidden Anatomy of eCommerce Profitability
News Media’s Renaissance: How NeoMails and NeoN Offer a Path to Revival
Progency: Marketing’s Hedge Fund Moment
Progency: Key Ideas Compilation
10 Innovations to Transform Emails into Profit Engines
Progency = McKinsey × Palantir: The Future of Marketing Execution
Progency: An Implementation Playbook
EAGLES: The Six Essential Metrics to Revolutionise eCommerce Profitability
NeoN: The Beta Efficiency Engine
Progency: The Growth Alpha Engine
NeoMarketing’s Mantra: Double the Best, Halve the Waste
Ending AdWaste: Progency for LTV, NeoN for CAC
From SaaS to Success: The Progency Proposition
From CMO to C-Suite MVP: How Progency Transforms the Marketing Leader’s Game
Progency’s Problem-Solving Prowess
NeoMarketing’s Triad: NeoMartech, Progency, and MarCo
Progency: The AI-First Agency of the Future
NeoMarketing’s 75 Theses
Two Marketing Moonshots for Retention and Profits: NeoN and Progency
AI-Native Martech: A ‘Department of One’ for the ‘Segment of One’
The Attention Recession: Solving Marketing’s $500 Billion AdWaste Dilemma
Progency: Fusing Martech, AI Agents, and Experts to Eliminate $500 billion AdWaste
From Dark Ages to NeoMarketing: How AI Will Eliminate $500B in AdWaste
NeoMarketing: The Marketing Enlightenment for Brands
NEON: How Emails can Print and Save Money
The Emergence Revolution: How Agentic AI Will Reinvent Marketing Teams
TradMails to NeoMails: Ending AdWaste, Unlocking Marketing Prosperity
Neovism: From Vision to Reality – The Path to Marketing Prosperity
NeoVisM: A New Vision for Marketing, An Antidote to AdWaste
AI and Neo: The Twin Engines of Marketing’s Future
NeoSearch: Reimagining Product Discovery for the AI Age
From Trad to Neo to One: Rethinking B2C Martech with Free-to-Brand Consumer Utilities
AI Twins in Action: Daily Allies for Smarter Marketing and Meaningful Connections
Brain Rot to Brain Gain: Can Microns in NeoMails be the Answer?
NeoMarketing’s Crux: Creating AI-Powered Micro-Moments That Amaze
How Martech Companies Can Usher in the NeoMarketing Era
From AAA to OOO: The NeoMarketing Revolution
NEON: Breaking Free from Big AdTech with an Open Collaborative Network
The NeoAdtech Symphony: 12 Innovations Orchestrating Marketing’s Next Era
MyTwin: The Agentic AI That Powers N=1 Personalisation
Can NeoAdtech create India’s First Trillion Dollar Company?
The NeoAdtech Roadmap: 8 Questions That Will Transform Digital Marketing
NeoAdtech: Breaking Big Adtech with NeoMails and AI Twins
How NeoMails can create an Adtech (and AdWaste) Alternative
AI Predictions for 2025
Only Once in Action: NeoMails, SmartBlocks, and AI Twins

And here are my interviews and talks:

Clearing the BLUR Podcast
Interview with Afaqs
Interview with IMPACT
Interview with Campaign India
Interview with Social Samosa
Agentic Marketing Talk at ET Martech
ET Retail Summit
On NeoMarketing: How AI is Redefining Martech and Adtech

Progress rarely arrives fully formed; it accumulates through iteration, doubt, and return. What emerged over the year was not a single insight, but a coherence that could not have been forced earlier. With the framework now visible, 2026 becomes less about searching for answers and more about building what this journey has made possible.

2

Reflections

Here are some interesting vignettes from 2025, in no particular order:

  • This was one of the first years in a very long time (except during the pandemic) that I did not make a US trip. In fact my international trips were quite limited – Indonesia in March (customer meetings), Bangkok in April for Netcore’s sales kick-off, and Sri Lanka (Colombo and Bentota) in July and November for customer events. I do miss the thrill of visiting new countries and places – hopefully I will do some more of it in the coming year.
  • Much of the travel was domestic this year: Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai – mostly for customer meetings and speaking at events, both of which I like. Preparing presentations every few months helps me refine my own thinking.
  • The best part of the year for me was the time spent with Abhishek when he was here in summer. We spent a lot of time watching OTT together – Severance, Slow Horses, Andor, Criminal Justice, Stick, Friends and Neighbors, and our old favourites, Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister. Among these, Slow Horses was a very pleasant surprise. Perhaps I was put off by the name and didn’t really read the reviews, but it’s something we should have watched much earlier!
  • One weekend pleasure is now the walk with Bhavana on the Coastal Road Promenade. I had never expected to see something like in my lifetime! The one thing about Mumbai: it’s constantly upgrading. Many infra projects are going on all across the city. As Manu Joseph wrote recently: “South Bombay is the only part of urban India where life has gotten better.”
  • My writing with the constantly improving AIs (Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini) has continued apace. I now use the AIs for helping me come up with new ideas and it does this quite well. AIs’ writing of course has improved dramatically – its almost poetic prose at times!
  • Deep reading is something I have fallen behind on. While I read my favourite thriller and mystery writers, I need to expand to other genres. I think of this regularly but never get around to doing it!
  • One thing I am happy about is that my gym training discipline (3 times a week) has continued well. I do think the muscles are getting stronger – at least from what I see in the weight training!

And here are a few things I am looking forward to in 2026:

  • Bringing the NeoMarketing ideas to life. What matters in 2026 is translating frameworks into working systems, experiments into repeatable playbooks, and concepts into outcomes that brands can see, measure, and trust. The goal is to move NeoMarketing from thought leadership to lived practice.
  • Scaling Netcore faster with Agentic Marketing and the new ideas. By embedding agents, AI Twins, and outcome-aligned models into Netcore’s core offerings, the focus shifts from incremental growth to compounding impact. 2026 should be about proving that this approach can accelerate growth while improving efficiency and margins.
  • Doing something different personally. I had made a list a year ago (Part 3) but didn’t do much. The one thing I would add to that list: Teaching. I want to create space for sharing what I’ve learned more deliberately. Teaching—whether through structured sessions, mentoring, or writing—feels like a natural next step, a way to codify ideas and help others avoid mistakes I’ve made along the way. It is also a discipline that forces clarity, humility, and continuous learning.

Every year brings with it a sense of freshness and anticipation, but there is something uniquely energising about the shift from 31-12 to 1-1. It is a reminder that while ideas may take time to mature, action always begins with a decision to start. I look forward to carrying that intent into 2026—with curiosity, focus, and a bias towards building.

Wish you all a Very Happy 2026.

Conferences Are Broken. Here’s How to Fix Them. (Part 6)

Conference Day

What would attending such a conference actually feel like? I asked Claude to imagine it.

8:47 AM – Registration

Priya checks her phone as she approaches the Jio World Convention Centre. The Marketing Next Nonstop app buzzes: “Your AI-matched networking suggestion: Arjun Mehta, VP Growth at InfinityBox. Shared interests: D2C strategy, retention analytics. Available for coffee 11:15-11:30 AM.”

She accepts the meeting. No awkward business card exchanges or hoping to bump into the right people—the algorithm had already done the work.

9:00 AM – Opening Session

The auditorium feels different. Round tables instead of theatre rows. Two podiums at opposite ends of the stage. A massive second screen displays real-time questions flowing in from the app.

Rajesh Jain, Netcore’s Founder, steps to the left podium. No lengthy bio, no corporate pleasantries.

“Stop paying 20-30% revenue taxes,” he begins, jumping straight into data that makes Priya sit forward. “Transform marketing from a cost centre to a profit engine. Here’s how…”

She is hooked. The 60-second test passes effortlessly.

9:15 AM – Seamless Transition

As Rajesh wraps his 15-minute session, a startup founder is already positioned at the right podium.

“Thank you, Rajesh. Now here’s Meera Nair from Wholesome Foods with a case study on how Agentic AI drove 300% conversion increase.”

No dead time. No ceremonial handshakes. The energy transfers seamlessly.

9:25 AM – Second Screen Magic

As Meera is speaking, on the second screen, audience members are already adding context:

“Which AI models are you using?”
“ROI calculations for agentic AI implementation?”
“We tried this approach—data quality is everything”

The conversation is three-dimensional. Priya adds her own insight about regional language content, watching it get upvoted by others.

10:15 AM – Coffee Without Chaos

No coordinated break announcement. Priya simply walks to the coffee station while a session on influencer marketing continues. Others are doing the same—some leaving, some arriving, the content flowing uninterrupted.

She grabs her Espresso and returns to her table. The Netflix model in action.

10:45 AM – Panel That Isn’t

Instead of five people on stage agreeing with each other, there’s a structured debate: “Traditional agency is dead” vs “Traditional agency is evolving.” Two experts, opposing views, 15 minutes of real intellectual combat.

The audience votes in real-time on whose arguments are more compelling. It’s engaging because there’s actual disagreement, actual stakes.

11:15 AM – Guaranteed Connection

Priya meets Arjun at the designated networking zone. Fifteen minutes, specific talking points suggested by AI based on their profiles, clear objectives. No small talk about the weather.

“I saw your comment about retention analytics,” Arjun begins. “We’re struggling with cohort analysis for our premium subscribers…”

It’s the kind of conversation that usually happens by accident at the bar after the event—except it’s happening deliberately, in the middle of the day.

12:30 PM – Lunch Window

The lunch spread is available for two hours. No stampede, no queues. Priya networks over biryani while sessions continue for those who want to keep learning. Choice, not dictatorship.

1:45 PM – Sponsor Session That Surprises

MagicSpot’s slot arrives. Instead of a product demo, their CMO shares raw data about what actually drives conversions in B2B SaaS. Real benchmarks, real failures, real insights.

Priya forgets she’s watching sponsored content. The brand association happens naturally—MagicSpot becomes the company that taught her something valuable, not the one that pitched her something she didn’t need.

2:20 PM – AI Enhancement

As each session ends, AI generates key takeaways that appear on her phone. The system has been tracking her engagement patterns and suggests three action items based on what she found most valuable.

It’s personalised learning at scale.

3:15 PM – Guaranteed Speaker Access

Priya’s 15-minute slot with Rajesh arrives. No crowds, no competition. Direct access to ask about Netcore’s retention strategies, get specific advice for her own company’s challenges.

It’s the kind of interaction that justifies the in-person attendance.

4:00 PM – The Test

A speaker begins rambling about “synergistic opportunities” and “paradigm shifts.” Within a couple minutes, a section of the audience has quietly left. The second screen shows engagement dropping in real-time.

The moderator intervenes: “Let’s get specific—what’s one actionable insight you can share?”

The 60-second test working as intended.

5:30 PM – Real-Time Feedback

As the final session wraps, Priya’s phone shows session ratings from throughout the day. The best speakers averaged 4.7/5. The worst barely hit 2.8 and won’t be invited back.

Quality control is visible and immediate.

6:00 PM – Departure

Priya leaves with something she’s never experienced before: the feeling that every minute was worth her time.

Her phone buzzes with connection details for the five people she’d met, session recordings already uploaded, and three follow-up meetings scheduled based on shared interests.

The app asks: “Would you recommend Marketing Next Nonstop to a colleague?”

She doesn’t hesitate: “Absolutely.”

Later that evening

Over dinner, her husband asks about the conference.

“It wasn’t a conference,” Priya replies. “It was something else entirely. I barely checked my WhatsApps and emails!”

Conferences Are Broken. Here’s How to Fix Them. (Part 5)

Ideas 13-14, and Postscript

  1. Conference as a Product

Treat conferences like SaaS products, not one-off events. Track daily active engagement, Net Promoter Scores, retention rates (return attendees), and usage patterns. Apply product thinking to session design and attendee journeys.

Measure what matters: connection conversion rates (how many introductions become ongoing relationships), content application (how many insights get implemented), and knowledge retention (what do people remember three months later).

Create feedback loops that improve the next iteration. The best conferences evolve continuously, learning from each session, each interaction, each moment of engagement or dropout.

  1. Additional Sections to Consider from AIs

Pre-Conference Preparation: Create mandatory pre-event briefings for speakers and moderators. Share audience profiles, key questions, and expected outcomes. Distribute reading materials or case studies that will be referenced. Set clear expectations about timing, format, and interaction styles.

Venue Design: Rethink physical spaces beyond round tables. Create multiple zones: focused listening areas, standing networking sections, quiet reflection spaces, and tech-enabled collaboration corners. Design for movement and choice, not just passive seating.

Post-Conference Follow-up: Build systematic follow-up into the conference design. Automated sharing of contact details for people who connected, session recordings available within hours, and structured next-step recommendations based on interests expressed during the event.

Feedback Loops: Implement real-time session ratings through the app. Use this data to adjust subsequent sessions, replace underperforming speakers, and reward standout presentations. Make quality control visible and immediate.

The 5-Minute Reset: After every 90 minutes, insert a structured, 5-minute “reset” (not a break): screen-led stretching or guided breathing, then attendees pair up and share one actionable takeaway from the last session. This combats fatigue without killing momentum.

The “Anti-Conference” Rulebook: Distribute a 1-page manifesto to all speakers and attendees with non-negotiable rules: no jargon (e.g., “synergy,” “disruptive innovation”), no slides with >10 words per bullet, no Q&A without audience upvotes (use the second screen to filter questions). This creates a shared culture of clarity and accountability.

Pricing Strategy: Create tiered pricing that reflects value delivered: basic livestream access, premium in-person attendance, and VIP packages with guaranteed speaker meetings. Align cost with experience level.

**

The Net Result

The modern conference can be more than just content delivery—it can be a stage for memorable ideas, deep connection, and real momentum. But this requires ruthless curation, bold design, and relentless respect for time and attention.

When we treat attendees as active participants—not passive note-takers—conferences transform. When every session is designed with urgency, clarity, and utility, magic happens.

The old conference model is dying. It’s time to build what comes next.

**

Postscript: From Frustration to Transformation

This essay was born from real necessity. Netcore’s marketing team is planning our flagship event later this year—the first time we’ll have complete creative and operational control. The question became urgent: “What would we do differently to create an unforgettable experience for attendees, whether in-person or virtual?”

I’ve endured too many conferences that overpromise and underdeliver. The cycle is predictable: exciting marketing, disappointing execution, polite applause, forgotten insights. We refuse to add another forgettable event to that pile.

Instead, we’re building something designed to outlast a single edition—a conference property that evolves, improves, and becomes essential rather than optional.

We’ll find out soon enough. And hopefully, inspire others to abandon the broken conference playbook and build something worth attending.

Conferences Are Broken. Here’s How to Fix Them. (Part 4)

Ideas 10-12

  1. Create Value for Physical Presence

If anyone can livestream the content, why show up? The answer: orchestrated human connections that can’t happen through a screen.

Deploy intelligent matchmaking. Attendees set their criteria—industry, role, interests, deal stage—and algorithms handle the rest. Skip the main session for 30 minutes, meet three strangers who could change your business. No more hoping for serendipitous lift conversations.

But here’s the real differentiator: guaranteed speaker access. Currently, speakers are VIP prisoners—whisked to green rooms, escorted to stages, then vanished. What if they stayed for structured one-on-ones?

Ten focused meetings per speaker. Every attendee guaranteed one. Fifteen minutes of undiluted expertise, direct questions, real answers. No crowds, no competition for attention, no hoping they’ll notice your raised hand.

This transforms speakers from distant performers into accessible advisors. It also keeps them engaged—they’re not just delivering content into a void, they’re having real conversations with people applying their ideas.

The maths works: a 200-person conference could deliver 100+ meaningful connections that simply cannot exist virtually. Physical presence becomes the premium tier of conference experience.

Livestream delivers content. In-person delivers relationships.

  1. Sponsor Presentations

Sponsor slots are where conferences traditionally die. Thinly veiled sales pitches masquerading as insights. Audiences mentally check out the moment they sense promotional content approaching.

Flip the script: make sponsor sessions the most valuable ones on the agenda.

When sponsors deliver genuine expertise instead of product demos, they build something far more powerful than brand awareness—they create authority. Audiences remember the company that taught them something profound, not the one that recited feature lists.

Smart sponsors understand this calculus. Share breakthrough case studies, industry data, strategic frameworks—anything that makes the audience smarter. The brand association happens naturally when value is delivered authentically.

Audiences aren’t naïve. They can distinguish between knowledge sharing and disguised advertising within minutes. Respect that intelligence. The companies that educate rather than promote earn genuine credibility that no amount of banner ads can buy.

The best sponsor presentations make people forget they’re watching sponsored content. Authority trumps advertising every time.

  1. AI Enhancements

AI can transform conferences from passive experiences into intelligent, adaptive events that get smarter in real-time.

Real-time content analysis: As speakers present, AI processes their key points and generates targeted follow-up questions instantly. No more generic “Any questions?” moments—the system surfaces specific, thoughtful inquiries that dig deeper into what was actually said.

Chat curation: Sift through the second-screen chatter automatically. AI identifies the most insightful audience comments, fact-checks, and questions, then elevates them for everyone to see. The noise gets filtered out; the signal gets amplified.

Dynamic matchmaking: Update attendee preferences and connection opportunities based on real-time interests. Someone asks a brilliant question about supply chain optimisation? AI flags them as a must-meet for others working on similar challenges.

Content synthesis: Generate session summaries, key takeaways, and action items within minutes of each talk ending. Attendees leave with distilled insights, not just memories and business cards.

AI doesn’t replace human insight—it amplifies it. Every conversation becomes richer, every connection more purposeful, every minute more valuable.

Conferences Are Broken. Here’s How to Fix Them. (Part 3)

  1. Two Podiums

Transitions kill conferences. The energy dies during extended thank-yous, ceremonial gift exchanges, photo ops, and lengthy speaker introductions. Each handoff is an invitation for audiences to check their phones—and once they’re scrolling, you’ve lost them.

Deploy two podiums at opposite ends of the stage. As one speaker wraps, the next is already positioned and ready. Quick acknowledgement, immediate pivot: “Thank you, Maya. Now, here’s Karan Kumar from XYZ with insights on AI regulation.”

No elaborate introductions—everyone has LinkedIn. No staged photography—save it for after. The goal is seamless flow, like a relay race where the baton never touches the ground.

This isn’t just efficiency; it’s survival. In an attention economy where distraction lives in everyone’s pocket, momentum is everything. Every dead moment between speakers is a micro-opportunity for mental checkout. String enough of them together and you’ve lost the room entirely.

Breathless, non-stop action isn’t just better—it’s essential when competing with infinite scroll.

  1. Second Screen

Most conferences treat audiences like passive consumers—sit quietly, absorb wisdom, clap politely. What a waste of talent.

Deploy a second screen that transforms spectators into participants. Real-time questions, live polls, instant fact-checks, crowd-sourced insights—all flowing through the conference app whilst speakers present.

Imagine a session on market trends where audience members share contradictory data, or a startup pitch where fellow entrepreneurs offer immediate feedback. The conversation becomes three-dimensional: speaker to audience, audience to speaker, audience to audience.

The collective IQ in any conference room often exceeds what’s on stage. A room of 200 professionals represents thousands of years of combined experience, diverse perspectives, and specialised knowledge that never gets tapped. Traditional formats ignore this goldmine.

Live interaction also creates accountability. Speakers can’t hide behind vague statements when the audience can fact-check in real-time. Bold claims get challenged instantly. Weak arguments get exposed immediately.

The second screen doesn’t replace the main content—it amplifies it. Think of it as the conference room’s nervous system, carrying insights in all directions simultaneously.

Smart people paid to attend. Make them participants, not witnesses.

  1. Livestream

Conferences lock knowledge behind geography. Attendees invest at least a day of travel time and thousands in expenses (for those coming from other cities) for a few hours of content. Meanwhile, countless others who could benefit—and contribute—are excluded by distance.

Break the location monopoly with parallel experiences:

Satellite gatherings: Organise viewing parties in major cities. Local communities gather around big screens, creating their own networking and discussion bubbles whilst consuming the main content.

Global livestream: LinkedIn Live, YouTube, Zoom—whatever works. Let people join from their offices, homes, or co-working spaces. Geography becomes irrelevant.

The livestream isn’t just passive broadcasting. Remote participants can feed questions into that second screen, vote in polls, and contribute insights through the app. Physical attendees don’t get diluted—they get amplified by a global audience.

Think bigger than room capacity. A 500-person venue can serve 5,000 remote participants. The same speakers, the same insights, but exponentially wider reach.

Why limit breakthrough ideas to whoever can afford a plane ticket? Knowledge scales infinitely—conferences should too.

Conferences Are Broken. Here’s How to Fix Them. (Part 2)

Ideas 4-6

  1. Say No to Panels

When I see 4-5 people lined up on stage, I know it’s time to tune out. Panels are where expertise goes to die.

Moderators robotically rotate the same question around the table, harvesting predictable responses. Real specialists get diluted by generalists. Everyone feels obligated to comment on everything, regardless of actual knowledge. And inevitably, one panelist hijacks the microphone whilst others sit in polite silence.

Panels feel democratic but deliver mediocrity. They’re designed for fairness, not illumination. If you want depth, give one expert the stage and let them dive deep. If you want debate, structure it like one—with opposing positions, not a friendly roundtable where everyone agrees whilst saying nothing.

The maths is brutal: divide the session time by the number of panellists, subtract moderator intros and rambling questions, and you’re left with 3-4 minutes of actual insight per expert. So why not do something different to harness the real knowledge of the panellists?

The audience deserves concentrated expertise, not diluted politeness.

  1. Moderator’s #1 Job: Punctuality

Sessions bleed into each other because nobody has the spine to pull the plug. Speakers ramble past their slots whilst moderators smile politely, unwilling to interrupt. This is where iron discipline becomes essential.

A moderator isn’t a host—they’re a timekeeper with absolute authority. Their job isn’t to be likeable; it’s to protect the schedule from every speaker’s natural tendency to overstay their welcome.

The best moderators are surgical: “We have two minutes left—what’s your key takeaway?” or “I’m stopping you there to preserve time for questions.” No apologies, no negotiation, no exceptions.

Speakers may feel cut short. Audiences will feel respected. The choice is obvious.

One person’s overtime becomes everyone else’s problem. A strong moderator prevents this cascade failure by making the hard calls in real-time. They serve the collective schedule, not individual egos.

A moderator has only one allegiance: keeping the entire conference on track, one ruthless intervention at a time.

  1. Nonstop: Kill the Scheduled Breaks

Conferences should abandon the tyranny of coordinated breaks. Instead, set up refreshment stations throughout the venue—coffee, tea, snacks always available. Make lunch a two-hour window, not a rigid slot. Let people fuel up when they need to, not when the schedule dictates. Make the seating in round-table format for easy entry and egress.

Keep the content flowing continuously. The current break system kills momentum at its peak, creates bottlenecks at lunch, and turns every return into a herding exercise. Half the audience trickles back late, speakers restart awkwardly, and the energy built evaporates.

Think Netflix, not television. People binge when they’re engaged. They pause when they need to. The moment you force a break on a captivated audience, you’re betting they’ll come back with the same energy. That’s an unwinnable bet.

Continuous programming respects both the engaged attendee who doesn’t want interruption and the restless one who needs to step out. It’s conference design for adults, not schoolchildren.

Conferences Are Broken. Here’s How to Fix Them. (Part 1)

Ideas 1-3

Conferences are broken. Speakers drone past their time slots. Fireside chats become monologues. Panels endlessly recycle tired talking points. Schedules collapse. Within minutes, audiences retreat to their phones—a more engaging alternative than whatever’s happening on stage. But what if conferences could grip attention like a Mission Impossible or James Bond thriller? What if attendees leaned forward instead of logging off? Here’s how to build it.

  1. Speaker Prep

Speakers carry a moral debt to every person in the room. Audiences invest time, money, and attention—the least speakers can do is prepare properly.

Yet too many wing it. They ramble past time limits, repeat tired anecdotes, or engage in unfocused conversations that meander nowhere. This isn’t authenticity—it’s arrogance disguised as spontaneity.

Solo speakers: Rehearse until you can hit your time mark within 30 seconds. Know your opening line, your key transitions, and your closing thought. Practice is a must even for the most experienced speakers.

Conversations: Meet your moderator days before, not minutes. Map out themes, identify tension points, agree on the flow. Great conversations sound effortless because they’re carefully architected.

Event organisers must be ruthless gatekeepers. Every unprepared speaker breaks the spell you’re trying to create. One rambling session can undo an entire day’s momentum, sending audiences straight to their phones.

The goal is a scripted show that feels unscripted—polished execution that appears effortless. When preparation is invisible, magic becomes possible. When it’s absent, mediocrity becomes inevitable.

Respect the room. Prepare accordingly.

  1. The 60-Second Test

Would you stay seated for the next 60 seconds of the session? If not, something is wrong.

Use this as the litmus test for content pacing. Speakers should hook audiences within the first minute—not with pleasantries or agenda overviews, but with a compelling insight, provocative question, or surprising statistic.

Encourage attendees to “vote with their feet” if sessions don’t engage them immediately. This isn’t rude—it’s feedback. Empty seats send clearer signals than polite applause.

The 60-second rule enforces speaker accountability whilst respecting audience intelligence. People know within moments whether content will be worth their time. Honour that instinct rather than trapping them in courtesy.

  1. Modularise Sessions

There’s a brutal truth about expertise: most of us have 2-3 genuinely valuable insights. After that, we’re padding—rephrasing the same ideas, adding tangential stories, filling time because the schedule demands it.

Why not design around this reality? Force speakers to distil their best thinking into concentrated bursts:

5-10 minutes: One big idea or case study. No setup, no context-setting, no throat-clearing. Jump straight to the insight.

15-20 minutes: Solo deep-dives or focused one-on-one conversations or even a debate between two people. Enough time to explore, not enough to meander.

That’s it. No 45-minute slots that guarantee bloat and where the gold gets buried under filler.

If TED speakers can deliver breakthroughs in 18 minutes, why are we giving conference speakers longer to say less? Constraint breeds clarity. When speakers know they have limited time, they cut the fat and serve the meal.

Short sessions also mean more speakers, more variety, more chances to stumble onto something brilliant. And if a session bombs? It’s over quickly.

Five Blog Years

As March draws to a close, I mark a significant milestone: five years of daily blogging. This journey began on April 1, 2020, amid the uncertainty of India’s first Covid shutdown. While this wasn’t my first foray into blogging—my previous blog had flourished for 12 years (2000-2012) until my political work demanded full attention—what I thought would be a brief pause stretched into an eight-year silence. Only upon returning to blogging did I realise how profoundly writing had shaped my identity, my intellectual framework, and the very fabric of my life.

These five years of consistent blogging—a practice I maintain purely for self-expression—have been transformative in crystallising my ideas. The discipline has yielded tangible results: a book on entrepreneurship and over 150 essays exploring fresh perspectives in marketing. Unlike the cacophony of other social platforms, I find solace in the blog’s simplicity, unburdened by metrics of followers, reposts, or comments. My ritual is straightforward: weekend mornings at home in Mumbai are dedicated to writing, maintaining a buffer of content for at least a month ahead. A curated list of potential themes serves as my compass, ensuring writer’s block remains a stranger.

**

When I restarted blogging in April 2020, here is what I had written: “I have never been comfortable with Twitter or the other social media platforms. I was one of the early bloggers. I liked the free-format style of just writing one’s thoughts without the constraints of letters or worries about followers. I wrote for myself. The empty text box of Movable Type first and then WordPress opened me up. And during these trying times of Covid-19 sitting at home in Mumbai, I decided that I needed an outlet once again. I hope to write daily. Something new everyday. I want to make the blog a mirror for my thoughts – as it once was.” And that promise (to myself) I have fulfilled!

I expanded on my thinking in a post a few months later: “When I look back on the years that I stopped writing, I realise that it was a mistake. I should never have let my writing cease, because that came at a cost of limiting my own thinking. And so, I am happy now that I have started blogging again. The same format, the same mindset. The discipline of publishing a new post daily ensures that I have to keep the writing – and thinking – flow going. For an entrepreneur, writing is a big positive because it helps clarify one’s own thinking and also communicate ideas to others. I don’t worry about whether the ideas are perfectly formed. My aim is to get them out there – because it ensures that I read and think about them. There will always be time for a new series later to improve on the initial ideas.” [August 2020]

Six months on, I wrote: “It is amazing how well the discipline of a new daily post works. I don’t wait for ideas to be perfected – because that day may never come. I write as I think – let the thoughts flow. I may have better ones a few weeks or months later. In that case, there will be another series. This commitment to a daily update has ensured that I always have a bank of ideas to write on – I am in constant thinking mode which makes me read more and which drives my writing.” [October 2020]

A couple years on, I wrote: “In today’s attention-starved world, blogging seems very old-fashioned. People want tweets and pithy LinkedIn or Facebook posts, not longer musings – all of which I am incapable of. Because I believe that making a good point requires more than 140 or 280 characters. Length is important to understand a person’s viewpoint to appreciate the point being made. Of course, the same can be said as a series of tweets, but I still prefer the undistractedness of blogs where there is no pressure to like, reply or forward. I like the simplicity and cleanness of how a blog page looks…Blogging has become a great outlet for my thinking. I cannot now think of stopping. The rhythm of having something new to be posted daily has created just the incentive for me to ensure the cycle of looking at the world around with curiosity and imagining a better tomorrow in my mind and words does not stop… I don’t think I am ever going to run out of topics to write on. We live in exciting times – so much is happening around us. And as long as I keep my own spirit of being open with my ideas and thinking, this blog will continue.” [December 2022]

Blogging has helped me think better. The discipline of publishing something new daily makes me practice what I have called “Iteriting”: “For me, iterating is about writing, making public my ideas via my blog, and then working to them better through times to come. I don’t worry about perfection in the first go. Since I am writing for myself, I like to put the ideas out there, then share and discuss with others, and think through improvements via conversations and feedback. If I don’t write, then I cannot get inputs and criticism – and without these, I cannot refine my ideas and writings. My approach thus is to create a ‘permalink’ that I can send to others so they can comment and challenge. My determination to ensure one post daily also helps; I don’t wait for the ideal essay – instead I put it out there knowing fully well that I will make a better version in the future.” [May 2023]

A year ago, I wrote: “By removing the desire to write for others, I have freed up my own thinking. Its just me and an empty page to be filled when I start. All I need to do is to get the first few words going, and then the rest of the story starts coming together. Blogging lets the imagination roam free – I can imagine new worlds, new themes in marketing, and new futures. There is no one to please, no likes to count, no comments to respond, no metrics to track. Its just me, my mind, and the ideas that flow through.” [April 2024]

AIs have helped me write more and better, as I wrote last year: “In the past year or so, one big change in my writing has been the use of AIs. I use a combination of ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini to help with several tasks: exploring ideas, summarising my past writings, expanding and improving on briefs, helping write stories from my ideas, and preparing briefs to encourage others to read what I have written, critiquing what I have written, and adding new ideas to what I have written. Working with AIs has been the biggest change in my blogging process, and one that has helped make the process faster and better. It is almost as if I am working with a co-blogger: one who understands my thinking and works interactively with me. More than my specific voice (which is of course always there), what I want is to ensure a proper and full exploration of the ideas I am writing about. This is where the AIs excel.” [July 2024]

Blogging has become a core part of my weekend. As I wrote a few months ago: “The one routine I cherish most—and which has deepened significantly this year—is my weekend writing ritual. Every Saturday and Sunday, starting at 5 am, I dedicate those tranquil early hours to crafting essays for my blog. On average, it takes me about three hours to complete an essay, but during that time, I enter a state of absolute focus and creativity—what many describe as “the zone” or “flow.” I usually begin with a title and a rough outline, which gradually evolves as the ideas take shape. Words flow into sentences, sentences into paragraphs, and paragraphs into cohesive sections until, finally, the essay emerges. By the time I finish, not only do I have a completed piece, but I often uncover a couple more ideas or topics to explore next. This harmonious cycle of creation and discovery has become the rhythm of my weekends, energising my passion for writing and keeping the well of ideas perpetually replenished.” [December 2024]

And finally, this: “Weekends have evolved into sacred spaces of solitude. With Abhishek away at university, the rhythm has shifted from bookstore visits and dining out to something more introspective. My (still) makeshift home office has become a cocoon where writing, thinking, and reading flow together in a meditative communion.” [January 2025]

**

This five-year journey is the chronicle of my intellectual evolution, a testament to the power of consistent reflection, and a sanctuary where ideas find their voice. My blog has become a living archive of my growth as an entrepreneur, thinker, and human being. As I look ahead to the next chapter of this journey, I’m reminded that every post isn’t just a collection of words, but a stepping stone in my ongoing quest to understand, innovate, and share.

That in a nutshell is the story of my blog, my ideas, and me.

Looking Back, Looking Forward (Part 3)

Next

If 2024 was the Year of Ideas, then 2025 must (finally) become the Year of Execution. It feels like embarking on a startup journey all over again, armed with bold ideas to transform martech and disrupt adtech. The excitement is palpable, and I often find myself reflecting on the early years of IndiaWorld—venturing into uncharted territory with little certainty but immense hope of creating something innovative and impactful.

These ideas have been years in the making, and their emergence has been anything but linear. It feels like climbing a series of peaks, only to discover more “mountains beyond mountains.” With each idea that is thought through, the next horizon comes into view. What began as concepts like Martech 2.0 and Email 2.0 has evolved and expanded into an interconnected vision of NeoAdtech, NeoMartech, NeoESP, NeoMails, and NeoSaaS. (Somewhere along the way, I must admit, I’ve developed a fondness for the word ‘neo’!)

But ideas alone aren’t enough—they need to be brought to life. Converting this vision into products, revenues, and real-world impact is my defining challenge for 2025. It’s a daunting task, but also an exhilarating one. Just as those early days with IndiaWorld required grit, creativity, and perseverance, this next chapter demands the same. And with these ideas as my compass, I’m ready to take on the climb.

As I look ahead, there are a few aspirations, reflections, and challenges I’d like to take on:

  • Building Netcore into an enduring, great company: I believe we’ve made great strides, but we still have a way to go. I keep asking myself, What does AI-first marketing truly look like? What defines an AI-first B2C or D2C business? And, most importantly, Can we enable brands to create profipolies—profitable monopolies built on retention and sustainable growth? These questions will shape much of what I focus on in the coming year.
  • Writing my next book: The idea of starting another book has been on my mind. It feels like the right time to distil and share my thoughts, weaving together the themes of innovation, entrepreneurship, and marketing for a new era.
  • Spending more time with friends: I’ve come to realise that I spend far too much time in my own company. While introspection has its place, I should also focus on nurturing relationships with friends. I often think of the closing line from the poem I love: “I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.” While I find solace in my own company, perhaps it’s time to strike a better balance.
  • Learning something unexpected: I’d like to challenge myself to learn something completely outside my comfort zone—something I’d never have imagined pursuing.
  • Travelling more: It’s been too long since Bhavana, Abhishek, and I have taken a real vacation together. I’d like to make time for meaningful travel that allows us to explore, reconnect, and create lasting memories.
  • Exploring high-quality fiction: While I do a lot of reading, it’s largely focused on business and thrillers. I’ve realised I’m missing out on the depth and richness that great fiction can offer. Expanding my reading horizons could bring fresh perspectives.
  • Listening to podcasts—and perhaps starting one: Podcasts are such a powerful medium for storytelling and knowledge-sharing. I’d like to make time to listen to some great ones, and perhaps even consider starting my own.
  • Giving back in a systematic way: I feel it’s time to think about how I can contribute meaningfully to society. Giving back has always been important to me, but I want to make it a more deliberate and structured part of my life.
  • Reviving the ideas of Nayi Disha and Dhan Vapasi: Sometimes, I wonder if I could bring these ideas to life, creating a pathway toward a truly free and prosperous India. They remain close to my heart, and I feel there’s potential for them to inspire real change.

These thoughts form the essence of what I want to explore in the coming year—balancing professional goals with personal growth, relationships, and impact. It’s an exciting, slightly daunting, but ultimately fulfilling set of challenges that I’m eager to take on.

As always, lots to look forward to. Wish you all a Very Happy 2025.