Unlu: Himanshu Periwal is Building India's Premier Launchpad for the Creator Economy

January 5, 2026 12 min read

In the traditional world of arts and entertainment, the journey from being a talented individual to a professional creator has long been blocked by high walls and gatekeepers. While India boasts over 100 million potential creators, less than 0.1% of them are able to meaningfully monetize their skills. Himanshu Periwal, Co-founder of Unlu, saw this staggering disparity not as a failure of talent, but as a failure of infrastructure. After scaling ixigo from 5 million to 150 million users and serving as one of the first Product Managers at Amazon India, Himanshu turned his "growth expertise" toward the creator economy. Today, Unlu is a comprehensive ecosystem where creators don't just learn from celebrities like Manoj Bajpayee—they collaborate, produce original content, and secure deals with global giants like Spotify and Dharma Productions.

On the ELI Podcast, Himanshu shares how his Marwari roots and high-powered corporate background led him to build Unlu (a Turkish word meaning "famous"). He discusses the "Funnel Problem" of the creator world, the power of community-led collaboration, and why he believes the next decade of digital growth belongs to those who own their original content.

The Creator Funnel Paradox

Himanshu identifies a massive gap in India's economy: "There are 100 million potential creators at the top. 5 million are skilled. 1 million create content. But only about 10,000 are meaningfully monetizing. Unlu exists to turn those millions into professionals."

From Amazon’s Customer Obsession to ixigo’s 150M Users

Himanshu’s journey is a masterclass in foundational building. After an MBA from IIM Calcutta, he joined Amazon India in 2013 during its nascent stages. "Amazon teaches you customer obsession," he recalls. This was followed by a four-year stint at ixigo, where he led growth across every vertical—from marketing and content to finance and fundraising.

"The culture of ownership at ixigo was crucial," Himanshu explains. "Growing a startup from 1x to 100x requires a foundational base of data and customer empathy. That same playbook is what allowed us to grow Unlu's revenues 10x in just a few months."

The Birth of Unlu: More Than Just a Masterclass

While many see Unlu as an ed-tech platform where celebrities teach classes, Himanshu clarifies that the celebrity component is just an "acquisition hook." The real magic happens after the class ends.

"We don't want to be a platform that just gives you a class and says goodbye. We want to handhold creators through the entire journey—skilling, collaboration, and finally, monetization. We've seen a visually impaired girl from Srinagar collaborate with producers they've never met to create music that we successfully sold to the industry."

Unlu operates through a Turkish-inspired vision of fame. The platform provides a "Launchpad" across various streams: lyrics writing, music production, acting, and more. Creators who excel in the initial masterclasses are fast-tracked into **Unlu Fellowships**—intensive, cohort-based programs where industry professionals help them launch their careers.

The Unlu Creator Journey

Unlu Class: Learning the ropes from industry legends like Manoj Bajpayee and Monali Thakur.
Unlu Fellowship: A 3-month cohort for top performers to build industry-ready portfolios.
Unlu Community: A digital space where writers, singers, and producers collaborate on original pieces.
Monetization: Distributing finished content through partners like Spotify, Zee Music, and Saregama.

Solving the Scalability Crisis in Arts

Traditional arts academies solve for a few thousand students a year. Unlu’s tech-first approach allows them to solve for millions. Himanshu points out that the number of creators in India is growing at a 30-40% annual rate.

"Arts education is traditionally offline and expensive," he notes. "We’ve built an intuitive product that makes collaboration easy even for creators who aren't tech-savvy. By making the product flow seamless, we've enabled creators from the furthest corners of India to produce professional-grade content."

Impact and Growth

Community: Millions of creators engaged at the top of the funnel.
Monetization: Over $1 Million in creator payouts facilitated in recent months.
Partnerships: Strategic alliances with Spotify, Smule, and major production houses.
Retention: High "Power User" engagement driven by community-led collaboration.

The Meaning of Entrepreneurship

For Himanshu, being an entrepreneur is synonymous with Leadership. "A leader is someone who can motivate a team enough that they drive things meaningfully without the founder needing to get involved in every detail," he defines.

Himanshu's Advice for Founders

Start Early: "Starting in school or college buys you time later in life to pivot and experiment."
Be Open to Change: "Flexibility and experimentation are the most important traits for a successful professional."
Never Give Up on Habits: "Entrepreneurship isn't just about the big goal; it's about the small daily habits—like waking up for a workout—that build resilience."

The Vision Ahead: 10 Million Professionals

As Unlu continues to expand its footprint, Himanshu Periwal remains focused on his "North Star": **Creator Monetization**. His dream is that every creator in India who wants a career in their passion will start their journey at Unlu. By building the infrastructure for fame and fortune, Unlu is ensuring that India’s vast creative energy is no longer just a hobby, but a professional powerhouse on the global stage.