From legacy media to next-gen adtech: Celebrating Rajkumar Remalli

As Rajkumar Remalli celebrates his birthday today, the occasion marks not just a personal milestone but also an opportunity to reflect on a professional journey that mirrors the evolution of India’s media and advertising industry.

From print and television to digital platforms, programmatic advertising and artificial intelligence, Remalli has spent more than three decades building teams, driving revenue and identifying new opportunities. His career has been defined by an ability to move with the times while retaining a strong focus on business fundamentals, transparency and measurable value.

Remalli began his professional journey in the early 1990s with Modi Xerox, where he worked as a Territory Sales Manager. The role introduced him to the discipline of sales, customer relationships and market development—skills that would remain central to his career.

His significant entry into the media business came in 1995 when he joined The Times of India. During his five-year tenure, he was involved in launching Delhi Times in northern India, helping establish a supplement that went on to become an important part of the publication’s city-focused offering. He also contributed to the launch of the Times Card, a co-branded credit card initiative between The Times of India and Citibank.

In 2001, Remalli moved to Hindustan Times as Deputy General Manager. He headed corporate sales in Delhi for two years before taking charge of the Mumbai business. The role strengthened his experience across two of India’s most important advertising markets and gave him a deeper understanding of the commercial dynamics of the print media industry.

After a stint as Regional Manager—West at Times Business Solutions, Remalli joined Magicbricks.com as National Sales Head in 2006. At a time when India’s digital classifieds market was still emerging, he built the sales team from the ground up, set ambitious revenue goals and helped the platform strengthen its commercial operations.

His next chapter took him into television. From May 2008 to June 2010, he served as National Sales Head at NDTV, adding broadcast sales and television monetisation to an already diverse media résumé.

In 2010, Remalli made his entrepreneurial transition by co-founding Alchemist Marketing & Talent Solutions. Over the years, the company has operated at the intersection of marketing, media, talent and technology. His long association with Alchemist reflected a willingness to move beyond traditional corporate roles and build an organisation shaped by his own understanding of the industry.

The latest—and perhaps most transformative—chapter of his career began in 2025 with the launch of BidVid. As its founder, Remalli has moved from managing media businesses to developing technology aimed at addressing one of advertising’s most persistent challenges: inefficient media buying.

BidVid uses AI and machine learning to optimise digital advertising bids in real time. Its technology is designed to work within an advertiser’s existing campaign environment without changing the brand’s creatives, audience choices or preferred inventory. The focus is on helping advertisers buy the same media more efficiently while retaining visibility and control.

The platform has reported media-efficiency improvements ranging from 20 to 50 per cent across campaigns. Its work has extended to brands such as Marico, Jyothy Labs, Zouk, Glenmark Pharma and Unilever across India and other markets. Having established a presence across India, Southeast Asia, Australia and the Middle East, BidVid is also looking towards the United States, Canada and Europe while developing solutions for Amazon and the expanding quick-commerce ecosystem.

Remalli’s central belief is that artificial intelligence will not replace media buyers; it will help them reduce repetitive work, make faster decisions and eliminate inefficiencies. That perspective reflects the balance that has defined his journey—an embrace of technology without losing sight of human expertise, trust and accountability.

What makes his professional story particularly noteworthy is his capacity for reinvention. He has moved from selling office technology to building print-media businesses, leading digital and television sales, co-founding a marketing enterprise and eventually creating an AI-led adtech platform. Each transition has demonstrated curiosity, adaptability and the courage to begin a new chapter.

As Rajkumar Remalli celebrates another year, his journey stands as a reminder that longevity in media is not simply about remaining in the industry—it is about continually learning, evolving and building for what comes next.