Mu Sigma ex-CEO to launch social networking app 'hyphen.social'

Ambiga Subramanian, former CEO of Mu Sigma and ex-head of operations Goutham Ekollu, have co-founded hyphen.social, a social-networking application which is expected to launch within the next few weeks.

The app focuses on increasing social engagement by leveraging anonymity and gamification as key tools. The app also has features that aim to curb fake forwards and improve engagement within the network.

On hyphen.social platform, an individual user can make one guess behind an anonymous post in the group, and if a higher number of people make an accurate guess, the person’s name is revealed.

The yet to be launched app could be an alternative to Facebook, where many youngsters have parents, grandparents or teachers and other such individuals in front of whom they may choose to behave in a different fashion, compared to their friends or colleagues.

"During a discussion between Ambiga and I, we discussed the need for authentic conversations amongst people and how anonymity enables that in multiple environments, whether it be at work, at college or any social connection," said Ekollu, reported ET.

Subramanian, Ekollu and his wife Krishnaveni Kumbaji have been working on hyphen.social for approximately one year butt hey registered the company under the name Vittr in January this year.

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Subramanian is looking into the design and research of the app, while Ekollu and Kumbaji manage application development with the help of a lean team of programmers from another startup, called InnovatorsBay.

Founded in 2004 by Dhiraj Rajaram, a former Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. consultant, Mu Sigma has a workforce of more than 3,000 employees who help clients make sense of data to help them run their businesses better.

Subramanian joined Mu Sigma in 2007 as director and became CEO in February 2016. The company with operations in the US and Bengaluru has also been dealing with attrition at key operational positions as nine out of 15 members of the leadership team had left since Rajaram and Subramanian made their divorce.

Subramanian also stepped down as CEO in September 2016 and sold most of her shares.