Pep

Pep is a social-first, mobile-centric online marketplace where creators can sell, and users can purchase content across various formats, including live sessions, videos, one-on-one consultations, and documents. Founded in Bengaluru, India, in 2023 by IIT alumni Nav Agrawal and Swapnil Upadhyay, the platform addresses the challenge of quality content discovery in a saturated digital landscape. Agrawal, who serves as CEO, drew inspiration from his time at his previous startup, the short-video platform Clip, where he observed users attempting to independently monetize their content. This experience, combined with his work at e-commerce firm Meesho, informed Pep's strategy to build a scalable, horizontal marketplace for digital goods.

The company operates on a model of offering micro-courses at micro-prices, with content available for as low as INR 29. This strategy aims to make a wide array of knowledge accessible and affordable, covering categories such as cooking, DIY crafts, fashion, health, fitness, and personal finance. The platform functions as a one-stop shop for users to engage with creators through various interactive formats. By focusing on user-generated content, curation, and price standardization, Pep differentiates itself from platforms that rely on professionally produced content.

In November 2021, the company secured $2.5 million in a seed funding round led by India Quotient. The round also saw participation from notable angel investors, including the co-founders of Meesho and CRED's Kunal Shah. This capital is intended to support product development and branding initiatives. At the time of the funding, the founders retained a majority stake of over 68% in the company.

Keywords: content marketplace, creator economy, digital goods, social commerce, micro-learning, online courses, user-generated content, mobile marketplace, live sessions, video content, online consultations, Nav Agrawal, Swapnil Upadhyay, India Quotient, skill sharing, digital services, e-learning