Yaroslav Babich, the former CCO of the ZM Team holding, has taken the helm as CEO of a new investment fund called MONOLIT, aimed at media buying teams.
In an exclusive interview with iGN, Yaroslav shared insights about the innovative project. MONOLIT is designed for traffic-driven teams, but it operates on a fundamentally new partnership model. Unlike the traditional approach where companies take a significant share and effectively buy out the business, MONOLIT offers a different structure.
In this model, teams are not dependent on the overall performance of other companies, nor are they accountable for external decisions. Each project operates autonomously. MONOLIT enters into a partnership with teams during their active growth phase, providing capital for expansion, operational expertise, and access to a creative and technical infrastructure.
Yaroslav explained that the fund offers direct contacts with partners without unnecessary communication layers, creating a partner ecosystem with access to companies that the fund collaborates with directly.
Reflecting on the creation of MONOLIT, Yaroslav mentioned that he spent several months researching the market, avoiding offers, and trying to understand the current landscape and future sustainability. After numerous discussions with teams, holdings, advertisers, and providers, he concluded that traditional media buying holdings would disappear in the next two years. The effectiveness of the holding model has diminished, and large structures have become rigid.
Yaroslav's analysis led him to meet someone who shared his understanding of the market, resulting in the opportunity to become the CEO of MONOLIT. The idea for the fund existed two years ago, but the market was not ready for it then. Today, it is.
As for upcoming plans, the public launch is already in full swing. The portfolio includes diverse teams specializing in SEO, TikTok, and Facebook. Over the past year, his partner has validated the model through personal contacts without any media exposure. The next step is scaling this model, with a key event planned for June to foster new partnerships. More details will be shared soon, but there is much work ahead!