28 TRAVEL + LEISURE / JANUARY 2017
Sameer and his
partner Venkat
raised US$18 million
for Culture Machine
in second round of
funding in 2015. It was
the largest investment
in the multi-channel
network space
in Asia.Mumbai Mavericks
This month, we meet two visionaries in the
City of Dreams who are reaching for the stars with
their business acumen and ambition.Business As Usual
ENTREPRENEUR>>
SAMEER PITALWALLA
CEO, CULTURE MACHINESameer quit a high-profi le job at
Disney India to start his digital
media company with ex-Google
Venkat Prasad. A momentous
decision, for their multi-channel
network Culture Machine has
crossed 600 million monthly views
on YouTube and the network’s
channels like Being Indian,
Put Chutney, Awesome Sauce, and
Blush are being lauded for their
thought-provoking content.
CITY HANGOUTS^ Escobar (199,
4 th Floor, VN Sphere Mall, Linking
Road, Bandra West; +91-22/2640-
7070) and Olive Bar & Kitchen
(olivebarandkitchen.com).
PARISIAN DIARY “I went
backpacking in Paris in my
early 20’s, walked the streets
while listening to Doors, ran
amok in Bastille, poured myself
into Picasso, Dali, Rodin, the
Parks, Morrison, and the Velvet
Underground. Now, whenever
I visit, I see the city through the
same rose-tinted lenses of those
times.”
CULTURE MACHINE FAVOURITE
The Indian Dalit by Being Indian.
TRAVEL BUCKET LIST^
Scandinavia and Galapagos islands.PHOTOGRAPH BY RYAN MARTIS—APEKSHA BHATEJA