Neel Kothari

Neel Kothari is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Founder of iZooto, a marketing automation platform primarily focused on helping publishers engage and retain their audiences through web push notifications. Under his leadership, iZooto has established itself as a significant player in the digital marketing space, serving over 16,000 clients, including publishers and e-commerce platforms. The company emphasizes building "owned audiences" to reduce reliance on major platforms like Google and Facebook for traffic.13

Professional Background

Kothari began his career in 2005 at Bharti Airtel, one of India's largest telecom operators, where he worked as a Product Manager until 2011. His responsibilities included managing value-added services and new product development. Following this role, he became the CEO of Applied Mobile Labs from 2011 to 2016, where he significantly expanded the client base and revenue before founding iZooto in 2016.123

Education

Neel Kothari holds a Bachelor's Degree in Commerce and Economics from Hansraj College, Delhi University, and a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management (PGDBM) in Marketing & Strategy from the Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode.13

Vision and Impact

As CEO of iZooto, Kothari is responsible for strategic direction and client engagement with leading news and media publishers globally. He has been vocal about the challenges faced by the publishing industry, particularly regarding audience engagement and monetization strategies. Kothari's approach focuses on leveraging first-party data to enhance user engagement while navigating the complexities of digital advertising landscapes.24

Kothari's journey reflects a commitment to innovation within the digital marketing sector, particularly through bootstrapped growth strategies that prioritize sustainability over external funding.2