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Arunabh Kumar, 

Founder & CEO, The Viral Fever Media Labs
age: 32
India’s zaniest new-media entrepreneur had a stint with the U.S. Air Force, but he finds zen in the flea markets of Mumbai. TVF, whose Bollywood and ‘reality’ TV spoofs starring Shah Rukh Khan and Arvind Kejriwal broke the Internet last year, took off in 2012 after Kumar had a disastrous experience trying to pitch ideas to MTV. Since then, its two YouTube channels have grown their subscriber base 10 times year on year, crossing the million mark in February. Late last year, TVF went beyond comedy with a long-form drama show Permanent Roommates, which became the world’s most viewed branded web series with an average million views per episode. Sponsored by CommonFloor.com, it is a case study on native advertising. Other clients in TVF’s kitty: P&G, Johnson & Johnson, and Colgate. Kumar is preparing for life beyond YouTube with an events business, a production house, and a moviestreaming portal. His ultimate goal: to be the Disney of India.
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