The Amazing Interview with Kartik Gaggar, Founder & CEO of Rooftop.

1. About the Founder/CEO.

Kartik Gaggar, the Founder & CEO of Rooftop, is a Chartered Accountant and has completed an Executive Education Programme in Business Administration.

He has previously worked as an Audit Associate at PwC and then as a Management Consultant in BFSI FinTech companies, where he has worked on strategy and building systems for growing businesses from their inception stage to making a strong brand presence in the market.

Kartik has always remained inquisitive and amazed at the variety of art forms birthed & nurtured globally. His curious mind and strong desire to make these art forms heard and accepted by their true admirers led to the establishment of Rooftop.

2. About the Startup.

Startup: Rooftop

Company Name: Slo Mo Experiences Pvt Ltd

Headquarters: Mumbai

Year of Establishment: 2021

Rooftop is a global art experiences marketplace for all Indian art forms. They are bridging the gap between art lovers across the world and Indian artists. The Rooftop application facilitates art lovers to explore and learn any Indian art form on one digital platform. The app customizes art experiences for art lovers based on their interests and preferences.

Rooftop has created opportunities for art lovers to directly learn from award-winning artists who have been practicing their art for decades. The community-driven approach by Rooftop has also given a platform for art instructors to present their talent on a global level and opened new avenues to build their audience and grow financially.

3. Idea or Concept of the startup.

Our authentic Indian art forms have a very limited audience today, mainly because of the lack of awareness in the masses and limited opportunities for artists. But during the first lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic, digital consumption grew exponentially while traditional art providers were left with even fewer opportunities.

Kartik built a startup in 2019, known as ‘Rajasthan Studio,’ which connects art lovers and travelers to local artisans through in-person art experiences. But they had to pause their services during the lockdown. It was a time when they started thinking of building a digital platform that could connect artists to art lovers without the constraints of time and place and build a community for them. The idea of this virtual platform turned into what we now know as the Rooftop app.

4. Innovation and Uniqueness.

Even with a modern approach and bringing Indian art forms on digital platforms, Rooftop has always retained the originality of Indian folk and tribal art forms. From the representation of motifs and folklore to the use of natural colors in all art forms, Rooftop ensures they are presented as they are.

The Rooftop app allows users to consume Indian art forms in Hindi and English, breaking the language barrier for many art lovers and art instructors.

Rooftop is changing the mindset that art is only for a few people, and is making it accessible and fun for everyone through curated engagement activities. The brand brings art to the corporate world with its virtual and in-person creative employee engagement programs. Rooftop has partnered with MNCs like Google, Genpact, Bain Capital, Fueled, Carrier Technologies, and many others.

5. Mission and Vision.

Rooftop’s mission is to become the largest pioneer in the art industry and change the unorganized Indian art market. In the ed-tech and learning space, Rooftop’s mission is to create an open online space where artists and art lovers can interact, learn and share knowledge about Indian art. Rooftop envisions becoming a single destination for all kinds of art experiences and curating art-based activities in the offline art experiences market. We will change the way people trade art and make Indian artworks accessible to all by building a network where artists and art lovers can easily trade art pieces.

Vision:

Since its inception, Rooftop’s vision is to disrupt people’s perception that art is only for a few and unlock the true potential of Indian art. With a growing community of artists and art lovers, Rooftop wants to not only preserve Indian art forms but also present and promote our rich art and cultural heritage to the world.

6. Service or Product.

The Rooftop app offers two main services:

1. Live art workshops with art specialists allow art enthusiasts to learn a motif of any art form. The users can purchase a workshop they like or buy the weekly/monthly/yearly subscription plan.
2. Maestro Courses with award-winning artists allow art enthusiasts to learn an Indian art form in depth. The recorded online course has beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels that help users learn at their own pace. The course additionally offers users to take live online sessions with the master artist and ask their queries. The app currently has 5 courses on Phad painting, Pichwai painting, Gond art, Bhil art, and Mata ni Pachedi with many more coming soon.

Rooftop also works with corporates, educational institutions, and public organizations to curate in-person or virtual art experiences. Additionally, Rooftop has been actively working on various projects like Phad se Padh, ArtBaje, and others to facilitate the growth of Indian art forms on a global scale.

7. Problem and Solutions

The current problems of the art sector that Rooftop is solving are

1. Untapped | Forgotten | Extinct: Most Indian art forms are getting near extinction, as most of them were practiced by specific families or communities who have not adapted to this fast-paced technological world. Rooftop is educating and creating opportunities for all those artist communities and families who have still preserved the art forms that their ancestors started with their digital platform.
2. While the art and creative industry are booming globally, indigenous Indian art forms are not getting the same level of growth. Rooftop is tapping into all the indigenous Indian art forms through its workshops and courses and giving them recognition at a global level.
3. The Indian art market is still functioning mainly as a commodity market, which has limited opportunities for artists to make a sustainable livelihood. Rooftop is giving shape to the Indian art sector with an innovative service-based solutions model and enabling artists to generate more ways of earning.
4. Market and Target Audience?

We are addressing the global art market, which is 455.37 bn (USD). Our target audience is the complete spectrum of art lovers across the globe. Be it, someone who is an art hobbyist or art fanatic, an art explorer or art specialist, Rooftop has something for everyone.

9. Success so far, Achievements, and Milestones.

Rooftop has built a community of 3000+ artists and brought award-winning artists like Pdma Shri Bhuri Bai, Kalyan Joshi, Venkat Shyam, the Chitara family, Rajaram Sharma and many others on one platform.

So far, the brand has successfully curated 5000+ art experiences. The Rooftop app currently has 2000+ art experiences available, consumed by more than 42,800 members across 20+ countries.

Kartik has presented policy recommendations in the Travel and Tourism industry on the theme ‘Local to Global’ in a virtual meeting with the Honorable Prime Minister as a part of the Startup India Innovation Week 2022. PM Narendra Modi Ji welcomed the suggestions and encouraged us to promote art further while also involving school students.

Taking the recommendations forward and in line with NEP 2022, Rooftop launched the initiative ‘Phad se Padh’ in March 2022 to foster creative learning with Indian art for students. 60+ schools from India participated and students made Phad paintings on topics from their syllabus.

Rooftop also launched art battles in Rajasthan under the series #ArtBaje, in which 8 artists from India participated and created live paintings on the various themes selected for the event.

The brand has worked with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations on a project called ‘Bulaayein Bharat’ where they curated Indian art workshops with 20+ Indian Missions and Posts for 3000+ art lovers globally.

On the special occasion of National Education Day in January 2023, Rooftop has signed an MoU with the Centre for Cultural Resources and Training. It is an initiative to bring Indian art and culture to the forefront and make it a part of academic learning current and upcoming generations are not deprived of enjoying our rich heritage. This step will not only ensure that our art forms are not lost in the future but also help children build creative learning skills and use Indian art as a medium of storytelling.

10. Last funding round.

Rooftop is a bootstrapped startup under the company Slo Mo Experiences Pvt Ltd. with a capital of INR 2.5 crores.