Kochi, Dec 23: For many WhatsApp is just a cyber chat room for sharing messages, memes, pictures, and videos, but a 25-year-old from Malappuram in Kerala has found a lucrative business model in the instant messaging app.

Abdu Nasar Paravakkal has devised a start-up, Mobi-newswire for business promotion on Whatsapp and now it has clients from different sectors including government departments.

“I have started the unique idea of businesses in 2013. It was a time when WhatsApp was just used by youngsters and it was not that much popular. Some of my friends even predicted that the venture won’t last because Whatsapp was not as popular as Facebook or Twitter during the time,” told Abdu to India Live Today.

But soon the situation changed and Whatsapp became an common name among the mobile phone users. “Soon I started to pick up business and our initiative started to reap benefit.  In Kerala, there was no WhatsApp marketing company which also helped us to grow initially. Now we does marketing for entrepreneurs, film promoters (trailers, teasers), textiles,  educational Institutions and jewellers.  Most of them are happy with our service, said Abdu Nasar,  who also have some corporate companies in his clientele now.

He said that the platform holds immense potential for entrepreneurs to promote their product.

“When we started there were only 300, most being my friends in his WhatsApp,  Within four years our database grow to 10 lakh active users to share information and business promotions,” said the young CEO.

With success like any other business ventures, Mobi-newswire is also planning for an expansion.

“We are now planning to branch out to Dubai and Qatar,” said Abdu, whose company has six staff, which he feels is adequate for such a business model.