Kishan Panpalia, founding team member and Head of Business at Pepper Content, has played a key role in building one of India’s largest organised content marketplaces. At 22, Kishan Panpalia helped turn Pepper Content from a college project into a platform that serves more than 2,500 clients and works with over 1.2 lakh content creators.

The story of Kishan Panpalia and Pepper Content reflects how small ideas, when scaled with discipline, can create large businesses. It also shows how the content industry in India has shifted from informal freelancing to structured services.

Early business thinking shaped young

Kishan Panpalia grew up in Akola, Maharashtra. His first lesson in business came early. In 2014, while he was still in Class 8, he noticed small price gaps in the local scrap market. Scrap trading was unorganised, and margins were low. Many people dismissed it as not worth the effort.

Panpalia saw value in volume. He convinced friends and relatives to invest small amounts. He bought scrap in bulk and sold it within the same day to manage risk. The margins stayed thin, but the scale made the model work.

That experience shaped his thinking. He learned that business success often depends on execution and timing, not just high margins.

Entry into Pepper Content at BITS Pilani

In 2018, Kishan Panpalia joined BITS Pilani. During his first year, he connected with seniors Anirudh Singla and Rishabh Shekhar, who had started Pepper Content as a content marketplace.

Pepper Content was still testing its model. One of its first assignments paid just 15 paise per word. The obvious problem was supply. Very few writers were willing to work at that rate.

Instead of turning down the client, the founders decided to do the work themselves. Panpalia joined them. In about 10 days, the team delivered nearly 300 pieces of content. That early execution helped validate demand and gave the startup its first push.

Panpalia became part of the founding team in December 2018 and began handling business development and client relations.

Hustle and deal-making skills

During his college years, Panpalia stood out for his ability to close deals. While most student events raised sponsorships of around ₹25,000, he secured ₹1.25 lakh for a single event. This ability to pitch and negotiate became useful as Pepper Content began speaking to brands.

In the early phase, the company needed to balance three things: pricing, creator supply, and delivery timelines. Panpalia worked on building repeat business rather than one-time projects. This approach helped Pepper Content grow steadily.

Scaling the platform

Over time, Pepper Content moved beyond simple content writing. It built systems to manage writers, editors, designers, and video creators. Brands could place orders, track progress, and maintain quality at scale.

Today, Pepper Content serves over 2,500 companies across sectors such as technology, finance, e-commerce, and consumer goods. The platform claims a creator base of more than 1.2 lakh professionals.

The company has raised over $18 million in funding from firms such as Lightspeed Venture Partners, Bessemer Venture Partners, Titan Capital, and several well-known angel investors.

Investor trust and enterprise focus

Investors say Pepper Content’s strength lies in its enterprise focus. Instead of chasing short-term volume, the company built long-term contracts with brands. This helped create predictable revenue.

Anant Vidur Puri of Bessemer Venture Partners has pointed out Panpalia’s role in revenue planning and customer acquisition. He has described Panpalia as a key part of the company’s early growth, noting his maturity in handling clients and numbers.

Industry experts say Pepper Content’s structured approach helped it stand out in a crowded freelance market.

Recent developments at Pepper Content

In recent months, Pepper Content has increased its focus on global markets, especially the United States and the Middle East. The company is also integrating AI tools into its workflow to improve speed and consistency, while keeping human creators central to quality control.

Kishan Panpalia now focuses on partnerships, large client accounts, and revenue strategy. His role involves balancing growth with creator satisfaction, which remains a challenge for content marketplaces.

The company has also invested in training programs to improve creator skills and reduce churn, a move aimed at long-term stability.

A sign of change in the content industry

Panpalia’s journey mirrors a larger shift in the content economy. Content creation has moved from scattered freelancing to organised platforms with defined processes. Brands now expect scale, reliability, and accountability.

Pepper Content’s rise shows that even low-priced starting points can lead to strong businesses if execution stays sharp and systems evolve.

What lies ahead

For Kishan Panpalia, the focus remains practical. Build steady revenue. Retain clients. Support creators. The early lesson from scrap trading still applies. Small margins can work when scale and discipline come together.

As Pepper Content grows, the challenge will be to maintain quality while expanding across markets. How the company handles this phase will define its next chapter.

FAQs

Q1. Who is Kishan Panpalia?
Kishan Panpalia is an Indian entrepreneur and startup leader. He is a founding team member and Head of Business at Pepper Content.

Q2. What is Kishan Panpalia’s age?
Kishan Panpalia is 22 years old.

Q3. What does Pepper Content do?
Pepper Content is a content marketplace that connects brands with writers, designers, and other creators at scale.

Q4. How much funding has Pepper Content raised?
Pepper Content has raised over $18 million from venture capital firms and angel investors.