Cisco Systems-backed Shekhar Kapur and AR Rahman’s digital media start-up Qyuki has gone live. Qyuki is a social networking platform that aims to discover the vast untapped talent of India and the Indian diaspora to mentor and transform them into brands of the future. In February 2012, Cisco had bought 17 per cent stake for Rs 27 crore Qyuki.

The platform will use a crowd-sourcing formula to develop a story, animation or even create and distribute music. Qyuki has also roped in experts from several creative fields like filmmaking, music, novel writing and photography. Among these are Imtiaz Ali, Chetan Bhagat, Ranjit Barot and Suresh Natarajan, who will provide creative ideas to artists and also collaborate with them in creating new content.

"With Qyuki, we are creating a platform where it doesn`t matter where you come from, but what matters most in your creativity. It is a domain, where people can collaborate with like-minded people and showcase their creativity. Through this we will see new `Shekhar Kapurs` and `A.R. Rahmans` coming out of it," Shekhar Kapur said during a video conference here on Wednesday.

Rahman, co-founder of Qyuki, also agrees that the platform will emerge as a strong medium that will help the Indian youth to follow their creative instincts. "There are platforms like YouTube where people create content and put it online, but what determines the quality? Qyuki is getting there. It will not only provide creative freedom, but also quality experience," said Rahman.