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Entrepreneur
2 hours ago
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Meet the Entrepreneur Behind Qualified Digital
Jaqi Saleem is the founder and CEO of digital experience agency Qualified Digital, and founder of Jaqi Purpose Co., a mission-driven investment fund. Here she breaks down her best advice for sustainable growth, fundraising, and creating a culture of collaboration. Please give us the elevator pitch of your business. My company, Qualified Digital, is an award-winning digital experience agency that competes with top consultancies 100-1,000 times our size to serve Fortune 500 clients like Mayo Clinic, CVS, Hitachi Vantara, CommonSpirit Health, Kaiser Permanente, Novo Nordisk, Bristol-Myers Squibb and TransUnion. Our 360° approach, in partnership with industry leaders like Adobe, blends B2B and B2C expertise to craft seamless customer journeys. Our tagline is "The Experience of Connection". Or, if you want a simpler soft pitch, we can use my Mom's description: "I think they put the buttons on the internet." You are not wrong, Mom, we do that too. What inspired you to create this business? The truth is, I started this digital customer experience agency completely by accident. After over 15 years at agencies — and getting the feeling I had hit a glass ceiling — I decided to give independent consulting a try. A couple of months in, a customer offered me an opportunity to build and fund my own guerrilla dream team to pick up some business-critical projects after an unexpected and rapid split with their previous digital agency. I didn't hesitate — I called all of the smartest people I knew and asked them to join me. I was gratified and humbled when they did. Fast forward 7.5 years, Qualified Digital is private equity backed by Stella Point Capital, and has 100+ teammates composed of the smartest people I now know. Related: 'We Didn't Know We Could Do That!' These Co-Founders Built a Unique Photography Business That Tapped an Unexpected Need — And Now Is Found in 60 Cities What advice would you give entrepreneurs looking for funding? Make sure you are looking for a partner who adds value and is aligned to your vision, not just a check. Don't be pompous, but be curious in ways that show you need to know about the potential investor, as well. Don't ask them questions you could find on their website; welcome them into the conversation; leave room for their voice, as the dynamic changes and creates more opportunity to connect. They are investing in you as a leader, as much as in your business, so be human, not a well-dressed robot. While you want to be prepared to speak the entire time, hope and invite a dialogue and anticipate what they might ask so you don't freeze or skip a beat. Practice, practice, practice, not just for presenting your investor deck in the order it is laid out, but for any direction that the conversation may go. I often keep an appendix of items that likely wouldn't make it into a brief pitch, but may be a confidence builder if they ask a pointed question and you can show you are on top of it. Lastly, and this is extremely important: ensure they don't see you as a project. Investors don't want to do your job; they need to believe that you can execute on an incredible idea, not just that you have one. Especially if you don't have a track record to point to, develop a clear plan or include a partner who can lead on the business front. Clear plans are important, either way, so they feel they can press the easy button by just funding and advising. Female-owned businesses only get 2 per cent of VC funding — what specific advice can you give to women business owners seeking to emulate what you achieved in getting PE investment? Knowing that stat can be intimidating, but don't let it get in your head. It might stop you from asking at all, and we need to change that number, not perpetuate it. I did not run into any resistance in my process, and ran a competitive one, which I highly recommend. This allowed me to command the value I knew Qualified Digital was worth, gender identity aside. If you are at the right stage, really consider bringing on a banker to represent you. They come with fees, but the right ones, with the right network, are worth their weight in gold. Related: He Hated Furniture Shopping. So He Built a Business to Do It for Him. Here's How This Unconventional Founder Is Finding New Customers and Growth. What kind of growth have you seen? In the early years, starting from scratch, Qualified Digital grew 100% YoY+. As our revenue numbers increased, that percentage has naturally changed. Last year, we delivered 45%+ growth. This year, through the combination of organic growth and our recent acquisition of Xpediant Digital, we are on track to deliver another 40% growth year for 2025 and are projecting $31.5M in revenue. What tips can you give to other founders on maintaining company culture when your team is either partially or fully remote? I'm proud of the work-life balance that we're able to give our team by being a fully remote company. We have over 100 employees and FTE equivalents on our team, based all across the US and around the world, and that team is able to pick up and drop off their kids at school, take care of their mental and physical health, and do the things they love like travel, or whatever passions or hobbies they have. QD's company culture encourages a mindset that is both entrepreneurial and collaborative, and I feel that is one of the things that really sets us apart. My advice is: create an energy that multiplies, and it will. Culture cascades from the top, so your team has to want you to win, they have to want each other to win, and they have to want to win themselves. And most of all: hire great humans and interesting people. Your team is the magic, and it is your job as a leader to protect that culture from those who draw down on it. What advice can you give about making the decision to acquire another company, such as your recent acquisition of Xpediant Digital? See a clear 1+1 = 3. Do not buy revenue, buy a value multiplier, whether that is a new capability, new industries, or products that accelerate what you do. Is it a value add to your existing clients, or is it all about new clients you can add value to? Either way, just ensure you have a clear vision that helps your team and their team get excited to execute on that vision. Make sure the company is a culture fit; that your team and their team will be proud to stand shoulder to shoulder and excited to collaborate. Remember, when you are hungry, everything can look like a steak (or a portobello mushroom burger if that's more your style). Related: They Started a Side Hustle in Their College Dorm and Bootstrapped Their Way to a Massive Business: 'It's Always Been About Being Scrappy' You also make investments through your investment fund, Jaqi Purpose Co. What tips can you give entrepreneurs seeking to pitch to investors like you? Show me the problem, show me that solving that problem adds a social or mission-oriented outcome, and then show me the solution you have for that problem and how you are doing so. Show me there is a market or need for it, that no one else is doing it (well), and that if you had the money, you would be able to deliver what and by when. Be ready to show me that you are ready. I want to invest in things that matter, which means I want that investment to be successful. It cannot just be an idea, it needs to be a plan. A plan that you can execute on with guidance and money, not one that would be a project I would take on. What does the word "entrepreneur" mean to you? If I am honest, the word entrepreneur is still a word that I have to remember to match myself to. I love this question, because it challenges old thinking I had around the word. Taking a step back, acknowledging that I am an entrepreneur, I would say this: It is someone who is relentlessly passionate about the business, product or problem they are solving; someone who is not afraid of failing, but mostly because they think they won't in the long run; know that controlled failure is an essential part of the process in any kind of meaningful success; someone who teeters the line of confidence and delusion, just enough to take the big risky swings necessary to drive meaningful impact, but with the humility and pragmatism that keeps them grounded and taking the right swings; someone who builds with the end in mind, making space for the right amount of uncertainty and evolution, but with some sense of what success looks like in the end. Is there a particular quote or saying that you use as personal motivation? "I have no particular talents — I am just passionately curious" - Einstein. I love this quote, and in fact, "passionately curious" is one of our five core values at Qualified Digital. It was just so relatable to me. It eroded some of that "them but not me" impostor mindset. If Einstein says he has no special talents, and his superpower is curiosity, well then, that is a recipe I could put to action.
India.com
2 hours ago
- India.com
Tired Of Overedited iPhone Photos? Adobe Launches Free Camera App For iPhone—Built By Pixel Camera Creators
New Delhi: Have you ever felt like your iPhone Photos look a bit too bright or overly edited? Adobe has launched a new iPhone-only camera app called Project Indigo. The app has been built by the same team behind Google's Pixel camera. Unlike typical smartphone apps, it offers more manual control and aims to deliver a DSLR-style photo experience. It's free to download on the App Store for now. More Natural, True-to-Life Photos Adobe says its new app, Indigo, aims to deliver more natural, true-to-life images—closer to what you'd get from a DSLR. There's less smoothing, less over-sharpening, and the colour adjustments are subtle, avoiding that overly edited 'HDR' look common in regular phone cameras. Full Manual Camera Controls Indigo gives you full manual control over your camera settings like focus, shutter speed, ISO, and white balance. You can choose to shoot in JPEG or RAW (DNG), and even decide how many frames the app captures for each shot. Why does that matter? Because Indigo uses advanced tech to blend up to 32 images into one, helping reduce noise and keep all the details sharp. Night Mode & Long Exposure for Creative Shots Indigo also includes a Night mode that suggests longer exposures in low light, helping you get clearer shots in the dark. There's even a Long Exposure setting to create smooth, motion-blur effects—perfect for capturing waterfalls, flowing traffic, or glowing city lights. Clearer Zoomed-In Shots Adobe says with Indigo, zoomed-in photos will look much clearer and less blurry. Instead of guessing what the image should look like using AI, the app uses a clever trick called multi-frame super-resolution—it quickly snaps several shots when you zoom and blends them together to give you a sharper, more detailed photo. Adobe is also working on a live preview feature, which will let you see how your edited photo will look right in the viewfinder—before you even press the shutter. That could totally change the way people frame and shoot photos on their phones.
Campaign ME
2 hours ago
- Business
- Campaign ME
Burson MENA takes Gold at 2025 Young Lions PR Competition
Burson MENA has taken home a Gold in the PR category at this year's Young Lions Competitions, held during the 2025 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The winning team — Raneem Saleh and Youssef Yammine — topped the category with The Silent B, a campaign responding to a brief by Bee:wild, which tasked entrants with encouraging city mayors to rewild urban spaces for pollinators. Held annually as part of the Cannes Lions School and sponsored by Adobe, the Young Lions Competitions provide a global platform for rising creative talent to tackle real-world briefs in a high-pressure format. This year's edition welcomed nearly 460 competitors from 67 markets, including returning teams from Venezuela, Uruguay and Ukraine. The 2025 edition also marked several firsts – with Turkey winning its first-ever Gold in the Marketers category and Guatemala taking its first Gold in Film. Here is the full list of winners and their assigned briefs across all seven categories: PR The brief was set by Bee:wild, which tasked entrants with creating an innovative PR strategy to encourage city mayors to transform their cities into pollinator hubs, reframing the concept of rewilding to spark competition and action. Gold: The Silent B – Burson, MENA Raneem Saleh, Account Director Youssef Yammine, Associate Creative Director Silver: Construction Worker Bees – Weber Shandwick, France Louis Govindin, Art Director Remi Vincent, Art Director Bronze: Build the Buzz – Hero and Outlaw, Czech Republic Adam Rektor Polánek, PR Consultant Jakub Wija, PR Consultant Marketers The Braille Institute set the brief for this category, asking teams to reposition the organisation and encourage individuals with low vision to seek help and support from their services. Gold: Lines of Resistance – Kenvue, Turkey Sedef Selcan Ozcan, Senior Assistant Brand Manager Selda Ozturk, Senior Brand Manager Silver: Signal For Sight – Google, Australia Jenny Kim, Associate Product Marketing Manager Keira Spencer, Brand Marketing Manager Bronze: The better you see it, the more you taste it. – Kraft Heinz, Spain Bruna Roca García, Brand Manager Nahomi Vargas, Brand Manager Film Ovarian Cancer Action briefed teams to create a powerful and uplifting 60-second film to mark World Ovarian Cancer Day (8 May 2026), aiming to raise awareness and prompt early detection. Gold: Victoria has a Secret – El Taier DDB, Guatemala Ana Paula Escobar Farrington, Creative Director Diego Leonel Apen Díaz, Art Director Silver: Two Centuries Too Long – TBWA/Hunt/Lascaris, South Africa Paula Andropoulus, Writer Khomotso Makoto, Art Director Bronze: From Underseen to Understood – BBDO, Portugal Beatriz Roque, Creative Art Director João Bronze, Creative Copywriter Media Ovarian Cancer Action also set the Media brief, challenging participants to develop a globally scalable media idea that would help bring ovarian cancer into mainstream public discourse. Gold: Hidden in Plain Sight – GroupM, Norway Angelika Marcinkeviciute, Programmatic Specialist Maja Skaug Wirum, Programmatic Specialist Silver: Below the Belt – Initiative, United States Dana Nathanson, Associate Director, Strategy Morgan McAlister, Director, Strategy Bronze: To Be Cracked – Cossette Media, Canada Samuel David-Durocher, Business Intelligence Analyst Tristan Bonnot-Parent, Product Development Supervisor Digital Bee:wild also provided the Digital brief, asking teams to design a digital-led campaign to make wild bees famous among Gen Z audiences through education and collective action. Gold: The Wildest Profile – Cheil Worldwide, South Korea Subin Oh, Art Director Sunmi Park, Copywriter Silver: Running Wild – Anorak NoA, Norway Jakob August Andresen, Creative / Copywriter Svein Werner Lyngmyr, Creative / Designer Bronze: AirBnBee – M+C Saatchi, Australia Amy Morrison, Copywriter Laura Murphy, Art Director Print For the Print category, Bee:wild asked creatives to develop a striking print ad that would encourage collective purpose and action in rewilding efforts, aimed at supporting the return of all bee species to healthy ecosystems. Gold: The World Needs More Time – Sancho BBDO, Colombia Carlos Arturo Orjuela Torres, Creative Director Nicolás Castro Barrios, Creative Senior Copywriter Silver: You Should Be Scared Too – GUT, Mexico Ana Sofía Valdez Blanco, Art Director Fátima Alejandra Quiroz Alderete, Art Director Bronze: Forbees – DDB Amsterdam, Netherlands Kiki Knoops, Junior Creative Yascha Puts, Junior Creative Design The Museum of Art and Photography (MAP) India provided this year's Design brief, asking participants to create a fresh brand identity for an exhibition that challenges the perception that comics are a Western, child-centric medium. Gold: In Frame – Rethink, Canada Jesse Shaw, Senior Motion Designer Zoë Boudreau, Associate Creative Director Silver: Expression Timeline – Holy Motors, Georgia Daniel Grigorian, Motion Designer Nino Kavelashvili, Designer Bronze: Keep Calm and Frame the Scroll – Redkroft, Poland Mariia Demianiuk, Brand & Motion Designer Marta Goździewicz, Brand Designer
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Bernstein Hikes Adobe (ADBE) Price Target to $530 on AI Prospects
Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ:ADBE) is one of the 11 must-buy AI stocks analysts are betting on. On June 16, Bernstein SocGen Group reiterated an 'Outperform' rating on the stock and hiked the price target to $530 from $525. Copyright: photogearch / 123RF Stock Photo Bernstein SocGen Group remains bullish about Adobe's outlook owing to its potential to deliver 10% revenue growth in the near term. The firm also touted the company's improving margins and significant stock buybacks, which are expected to trigger mid-teens earnings per share growth. In addition, the research firm expects the company to benefit from the acceleration of artificial intelligence. According to Bernstein, Adobe has evolved from a 'show me a story' to an 'explain to me and show me a story.' Consequently, it views the company as an AI winner in the enterprise. Nevertheless, the research firm remains cautious, awaiting clarity on its AI monetization strategy and go-to-market initiatives. Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ:ADBE) is a global technology company operating across Digital Media, Digital Experience, and Publishing & Advertising. Its Creative Cloud offers tools for content creation, while Document Cloud supports digital workflows. While we acknowledge the potential of ADBE as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 12 Best Healthcare Stocks to Buy Now and 10 Stocks Analysts Are Upgrading Today. Disclosure: None. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
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Business Standard
3 hours ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Tech Wrap June 20: Vivo Y400 Pro, Adobe Project Indigo app, OPPO Reno 14
Vivo Y400 Pro launched. Adobe's Project Indigo app for iPhones. OPPO Reno 14 series. Jio's gaming recharge plans. Samsung Galaxy M36. Spotify prepares for Hi-Fi launch. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 Tech Wrap June 20 BS Tech New Delhi Vivo Y400 Pro with MediaTek Dimensity 7300, AI features launched Vivo officially released the Y400 Pro in India on June 20. Priced from ₹24,999, the device comes equipped with a MediaTek Dimensity 7300 processor and a 6.78-inch 3D curved AMOLED screen. Vivo claims this to be the slimmest 3D curved display in its category. The smartphone also features various AI tools designed to boost user performance and productivity. Adobe has rolled out Project Indigo, a new camera app for iPhones that incorporates computational photography. According to the company, the app captures images with an SLR-style natural look and provides a full set of manual controls. It also includes Lightroom support for advanced editing and a 'Technology Preview' space to test upcoming AI-powered tools. OPPO has teased the launch of its Reno 14 series in India on its official site. Following their China debut last month, the Reno 14 and Reno 14 Pro are expected to launch in India with comparable specs. The smartphones will use MediaTek chipsets and integrate various AI features. Reliance Jio has teamed up with Krafton India, creators of Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), to unveil the country's first gaming-centric recharge plans. These plans are tailored for BGMI players and come with in-game rewards, mobile data bundles, and access to cloud gaming. Samsung has officially announced the Galaxy M36 5G's India launch for June 27. The company previewed the device's design on its X (formerly Twitter) account and revealed some key features ahead of the launch. The phone will be part of the M-series and is set to enter the sub-₹20,000 market segment. Spotify is seemingly nearing the release of its long-promised lossless audio option. New findings from the desktop app reference a 'Lossless' tier, indicating that the feature, first introduced in 2021, might soon be launched. Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7 is anticipated to be revealed during the upcoming Galaxy Unpacked event, likely on July 9. Leaked renders show the device in Blue Shadow and Jet Black hues, with reports from Android Headlines hinting at two additional colors. Nothing has previewed its upcoming 'Glyph Matrix' interface, which will debut with the Nothing Phone 3. In a teaser shared on X (formerly Twitter), the brand showed a dot-matrix-style LED setup on the phone's rear corner. The teaser, captioned 'When light becomes language,' suggests this system might support customizable animations, notifications, or even interactive mini games like Snake. Following the release of update 1.01.1 for Elden Ring Nightreign earlier this month, Bandai Namco has introduced enhanced difficulty for certain battles. Players now face tougher versions of the Nightlord enemies, known as 'Everdark Sovereigns,' offering a more intense challenge. According to CNBC, Google is training its Gemini and Veo 3 AI models using select YouTube videos. A YouTube spokesperson confirmed the company leverages its video repository for AI development but emphasized that only a curated subset is used for training. Google is introducing a new visual update for its Android Phone app through a Material 3 Expressive redesign. As reported by 9To5Google, the beta version now includes fresh gesture controls like 'Horizontal swipe' and 'Single tap' for answering calls, alongside a complete interface overhaul. Google's Gemini app on Android now includes a song identification feature, allowing users to find out which song is playing nearby by asking the app directly. This update restores a function once offered by Google Assistant, offering a Shazam-like experience. Apple is reportedly on track to launch its first foldable iPhone by the second half of 2026. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo stated that Apple is finalizing display specifications, while details on components like the hinge are still under review. Foxconn is planning to begin production of iPhone enclosures—essentially the device's metal or glass exterior frames—at a new facility located in Oragadam, Tamil Nadu. The manufacturing unit will be set up within ESR Industrial Park, according to The Economic Times. Krutrim, the AI startup founded by Bhavish Aggarwal of Ola, has acquired BharatSah'AI'yak—an AI platform developed by Samagra. The move aims to enhance Krutrim's influence and operations in India's public sector tech ecosystem. What would you do if someone quietly copied your house keys and made millions of duplicates? That's what just happened on the internet. Except instead of house keys, it's passwords—and 16 billion of them. A report by Cybernews and Forbes has confirmed what cybersecurity experts feared: the largest password leak in history is now live, with billions of credentials up for sale on the dark web. The scale is staggering, the implications global.
