Sunny Nagpal,Co-Founder & Managing Director, Httpool
Sunny Nagpal is a serial entrepreneur, an angel investor, seasoned digital advertising and marketing expert. He is also the co-founder and Managing Director APAC at Httpool, one of the largest international partners for major media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok and LinkedIn. As a digital growth specialist, he brings an innovative approach to product development and brand positioning. Under his aegis, the company has successfully completed thousands of campaigns across various channels of digital media for hundreds of global brands across all industries, supporting all top agencies and the ecosystem at large in Asia-Pacific.
Sunny’s forte lies in creating a regional footprint with India as a base, projecting capabilities of local resources and opportunities for cross border integration. Under his strategic leadership, Httpool won the mandate to become the authorized sales partner for some of the largest global media platforms. These include Facebook, Twitter, Quora, Grabads, Dailymotion, Outbrain, TikTok, Accuweather, Bukalapak, Opera, UcWeb, Adwizz, Groundtruth, Adara, Zeotap, Wittyfeed and Happn.
Based out of Mumbai, today Sunny manages operations for Httpool in markets of India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Bangladesh, Hongkong, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos. He’s also leading further expansion into Asia-Pacific through market launches and partnerships. Sunny emphasizes the importance of strong leadership and hiring top talent. A licensed pilot, he believes his time in the cockpit helps sharpen his appreciation for both. When we asked Sunny how his hobbies, including swimming, diving, playing snooker, writing poetry, help his leadership, he answered, “It has truly helped balance not only my time but my mind and spirit, making me a better person and leader.”
Building Httpool in Asia from $ 5000 to a Multi-Million-Dollar Regional Enterprise
This snowballing success story can be traced back to 2009 when the 27-year-old Sunny decided to start his own business. “The decision to start my own business before I got tired of learning through jobs was the turning point of my career,” he recounts. He quit his previous high-paying job and chased a vision, with adequate determination and patience.
When the Indian advertising industry was going through digital transformation in 2009, traditional companies struggled to stay afloat. Sunny re-imagined an opportunity to support them through a Joint Venture partnership with an emerging international cross channel digital advertising company—Httpool. This group was founded in 2000, headquartered in the UK, and was famous for its advanced proprietary technologies and efficient cross-channel advertising propositions.
With a capital of just $5000, Sunny established a joint venture with Httpool Group to address the pressing needs of publishers, advertisers, and ad agencies. He co-founded Httpool India in 2010, with regional headquarters in Mumbai. Since then, it has been growing immensely across APAC. There are now 11 offices in 9 countries that cover 14 Asian markets, replicating its successful business model of supporting global media platforms within the advertising ecosystem.
By bringing access to global platforms and best practices to the Asian advertiser, Sunny has successfully steered Httpool to become the leading player in APAC, connecting global media platforms to their audience and brands.
In 2017, Httpool achieved a major corporate milestone when Sony Pictures led IMS acquired majority stake in Httpool Group, including the Asian operations. This was one of the most prominent mergers and acquisitions deals in the media and ad tech industry then. Sunny played an instrumental role in realizing the shareholders’ value and trust.
Httpool: The Digital Growth Partner of Choice for Global Media Brands
Httpool is renowned as the largest international partner for major media platforms, supporting their growth and driving business results for traditional and native advertisers. Under Sunny’s leadership, Httpool has also established a regional leadership status in the APAC supporting top agencies, brands, and native advertisers.
Httpool actively represents some of the largest global and regional media platforms in Asia. The company supports global and regional media agencies with technology and access to the relevant global and regional media partners to ensure they achieve business and marketing objectives. Moreover, it is a strategic partner for hundreds of the largest global and regional app developers, gaming, blockchain, and e-commerce companies of Asia. It enables these partners to effectively connect with international audiences via its global media partners like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and others. Based on advanced technology and extensive know-how, it ensures that clients consistently exceed the return on investments and maximize potential.
Httpool advocates full use of technology, such as its proprietary Twitter certified API tool Wise. Blue, that allows greater support to agencies and brands with real-time insights and automation of their campaigns on major social networks for the optimal use of resources and best results. It, therefore, empowers advertisers to create capabilities that fully leverage the possibilities of new technologies and their impact by organizing training and workshops for knowledge transfer, as well as taking on an advisory role for brands and agencies.
A Trusted Authority in the Digital Advertising Space
Thus far, Sunny is becoming widely renowned for his expertise. He regularly speaks at global advertising events, writes for major publications, and he has been on jury panels of several leading industry awards. On his successful journey thus far, he acknowledges that the challenges he faced in life have always inspired him. He has come to see them as opportunities, and he has learned to face them directly.
Sunny views success in business as an approach combining three key pillars: a result-driven holistic execution methodology, leveraging technology (in this case advanced use of Ad Tech), and enabling seamless access to all the players of the ecosystem.
Sunny’s expertise in full-funnel optimization and expert execution of innovative strategies that encompass problem-solving, branding, lead generation, content strategy, acquisition and product marketing has helped Httpool stand out from the crowd and become a strategic growth partner.
Facing the Future as A Resolute Leader
For almost two decades, Sunny has been in the business of incredible digital transformation, helping brands meet customers on their platforms of choice. With an eye on the market trends and global digital marketing opportunities, he continues to bridge the digital divide in faster, relevant, and more innovative ways.
“Our plans are to consolidate our position as the largest player while sustaining our number one position. We are creating a framework that helps our clients grow globally and regionally and gain markets through a single contact point and a single contract,” Sunny explains. “For us to achieve our growth, we need to ensure that we invest and contribute towards the growth of the regional ecosystem and the people forming the industry. We endeavor to share best practices and learning from our other global markets, with the emerging markets of Asia,” he adds.
With an agile leadership style that’s a unique ensemble of authoritative and democratic, as well as autocratic and Laissez-Faire, coupled with a pragmatic approach, Sunny has been building the business and the market for over a decade now. He believes in empowering the ecosystem and people alike, by thrusting and engineering entrepreneurial sentiments in his team and peers. “Focus on the right solution for every requirement, ensure every recommendation has a strategic fit. Couple that with strong execution and that’s your recipe for success,” Sunny gives his advice to new and upcoming business leaders.