How BITS Pilani Alumnus Are Turning Ads into Interactive Experiences

To democratize 3D XR content creation, enabling camera-based consumption of interactive mixed reality (MR) content, and to build a new social media experience, BITS Pilani alumni: Shourya Agarwal (CEO), Malhar Patil, and Amit Gaiki, founded Flam in 2021. This platform is an AI-powered MR content creator and publisher.
May 29, 2025
How BITS Pilani Alumnus Are Turning Ads into Interactive Experiences Flam by Shourya Agarwal

From Bengaluru Startup to MR Pioneer

Ads are everywhere. You scroll past them, skip them, and sometimes, just sometimes, they catch your attention. But let’s be realmost ads today are one-way broadcasts, throwing information at you without actually engaging you.   

What if ads could be interactive, immersive, and feel like an actual experience instead of another pop-up?   

Well, Flam, a Bengaluru-based startup founded in 2021 by BITS Pilani alumni: Shourya Agarwal (CEO), Malhar Patil, and Amit Gaiki, is doing exactly that, revolutionizing advertising with AI-powered mixed reality (MR).   

The mission? To turn passive ads into interactive experiences, allowing brands to connect with audiences like never before. 🚀   

What Exactly Does Flam Do?

Flam helps brands create immersive MR experiences all through simple links or QR codes. No app downloads, no tech headaches, just instant access to MR-powered content.   

Brands like Google, Netflix, Samsung, LG, Flipkart, AJIO, and Britannia are already using Flam’s technology to boost engagement and redefine customer interaction.   

AI-powered image tracking, ground tracking, and digital experiences ensure lightning-fast recognition and high-performance content delivery without lag.

Essentially, Flam isn’t just adding MR to advertising, it’s making it seamless, accessible, and effortless.

How BITS Pilani Alumnus Are Turning Ads into Interactive Experiences Flam by Shourya Agarwal

Why Mixed Reality Advertising Has Struggled in the Past?

For years, Mixed Reality (MR) and Augmented Reality (AR) advertising have been exciting concepts on paper, but real-world adoption remained sluggish due to several key challenges. Most MR campaigns required users to download dedicated apps, adding friction and discouraging widespread adoption.

Existing WebAR solutions suffered from latency issues, often taking 5–6 seconds to load, resulting in poor user experience and limited engagement. Additionally, there was no scalable MR infrastructure, forcing brands to invest in expensive tech setups that weren’t practical for mainstream advertising. As a result, many companies opted to stick with traditional marketing methods, hesitant to dive into an industry filled with technical limitations.  

Flam is changing that narrative by directly tackling these barriers, offering a lightweight, seamless MR solution that delivers instant experiences without requiring app installations or costly hardware dependencies.

How Flam is Fixing Mixed Reality Advertising?

  • No App Downloads: Users can access MR experiences instantly, just by scanning a QR code or clicking a link.   
  • Zero Latency: Flam’s AI-powered system ensures fast-loading, high-quality MR experiences, with enterprise-grade content delivery.   
  • Mobile Compatibility: Works on 100% of devices, making MR accessible to everyone, instead of limiting it to high-end smartphones.   
  • No-Code Tech Stack: Brands don’t need expensive engineering teams to implement. MR Flam makes it plug-and-play.   

Instead of forcing MR into existing advertising structures, Flam builds an entirely new ecosystem where MR feels natural, intuitive, and seamless.   

Flam’s Funding Journey & Industry Growth

  • May 2024: Raised ₹38 Cr ($4.5M) in Pre-Series A from Silicon Valley Quad, Inventus Capital Partners, Turbostart, Twin Ventures, and angel investors like Flipkart CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy, cricketer KL Rahul, and YRF CEO Akshaye Widhani.   
  • Early 2025: Secured $14M in Series A funding, led by RTP Global and Dovetail, with support from existing investors.   
  • Global Expansion Plans: Flam is aggressively expanding into the U.S. market while continuing to scale in India.   
  • Growing Revenue: Flam has already started generating revenue, seeing rising adoption among e-commerce and D2C brands worldwide.   

This investment surge comes at a critical time, as interest in AR/VR marketing is skyrocketing, especially after Omnia acquired SpotKwik in the U.S..

Why Brands Are Loving Flam’s MR Solutions?

Flam is redefining advertising by transforming passive content into immersive experiences. Instead of ads being just “seen,” they are now fully interactive, making engagement more meaningful. MR-powered interactions enhance recall rates, ensuring brands stay memorable for their audiences. The best part? No technical setup is required; brands can plug and play seamlessly, without needing complex integrations or specialized equipment.  

Flam’s technology also eliminates barriers like app downloads and sluggish WebAR experiences, making adoption effortless. With scalable and cost-effective solutions, Flam enables brands to move beyond traditional static advertising and embrace immersive storytelling, all without the unnecessary complexity that has historically held MR back.

Flam’s Vision: Making MR Mainstream for Brands & Individual Creators

While Flam is helping brands revolutionize marketing, its vision is bigger than just advertising.   

📍 Democratizing MR for individual creators: Giving content creators access to MR tools, just like how YouTube made video creation easy.   

📍 Building interactive storytelling experiences: Allowing creators to craft next-gen narratives beyond linear videos.   

📍 Expanding MR use cases beyond ads: Think virtual events, e-learning, immersive shopping, and digital entertainment.   

What’s Next for Flam?

Flam is making bold moves to establish itself as a global leader in mixed reality (MR). The company is actively scaling into the U.S. market, targeting enterprise clients and major e-commerce players to expand its reach. Beyond advertising, Flam is diving into gaming, education, and entertainment, creating next-gen MR applications that go beyond traditional marketing. At its core, Flam is investing heavily in AI R&D, refining image tracking, object recognition, and AI-powered content creation to push the boundaries of immersive experiences.  

With strategic collaborations underway, Flam is partnering with more global brands to drive MR adoption across industries. But this isn’t about just following trends, Flam is shaping the future of digital interactions, ensuring that MR becomes an essential part of how brands and creators engage with their audiences.

Final Thoughts: Why Flam’s Innovation Matters

  • Traditional ads are boring. MR can make them immersive.   
  • Existing MR solutions had trade-offsFlam eliminates them.   
  • No-code MR platforms unlock new creative possibilities.   
  • The future of content isn’t just videoit’s interactive experiences.   

With ₹200+ Cr ($25M) in funding, growing brand partnerships, and a mission to democratize mixed reality, Flam is leading the charge in making MR the next big thing.

If this is what advertising looks like in 2025, we’re all in.

Are you ready for the future of interactive content? Because Flam is already building it. 😊✨🔮

Aditya

Aditya Farrad

Aditya is a seasoned business expert and the founder of Moneymint. With years of experience building successful online ventures, he understands the unique challenges and opportunities that come with entrepreneurship.

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