In 2019, on a cold morning in Cupertino, I had an unexpected but eye-opening conversation with a sourcing and supply-chain expert at Apple. That moment sparked an idea—a big idea—that would change the way I saw the entertainment industry’s inefficiencies

As we talked, it became increasingly clear that industries like automotive, pharma, freight, manufacturing, and electronics all operate on highly sophisticated global supply-chain platforms. These industries thrive on real-time buyer-seller intelligence, backed by background checks, vetting, and verification mechanisms. These platforms enable fast, efficient, and trusted cross-border transactions, ensuring that businesses connect seamlessly, mitigate risks, and scale operations with confidence.

And yet, despite being one of the most globalized industries in the world, entertainment lacked anything remotely comparable. There was no real-time visibility into business activities, partnerships, funding, projects, suppliers, or specializations at a global scale. Studios, streamers, and suppliers were still relying on outdated networks, word-of-mouth, and fragmented information to make critical business decisions.

By the time that conversation ended, one thing was abundantly clear—entertainment needed its own global supply-chain platform.

The Birth of Vitrina AI: Building the Team and Overcoming Challenges

After that eye-opening conversation in Cupertino, the need for a game-changing solution in the entertainment industry became undeniable. The entertainment world lacked the sophisticated, real-time supply-chain platforms that other global industries relied on. But turning this vision into reality wasn’t going to be easy.

I needed to build a team of experts who shared my passion for disrupting the status quo. So, I assembled a group of talented individuals from diverse fields—entertainment, data science, AI, and technology—united by a single mission: to bring transparency, efficiency, and trust to the entertainment supply chain. However, we soon realized the scale of the task ahead. We had to gather and structure vast amounts of data, build a robust infrastructure, and create a platform capable of delivering real-time insights on a global scale.

Convincing the entertainment industry to adopt a data-driven approach, moving away from its traditional, network-based methods, was no small feat. But we were determined. Through countless brainstorming sessions, testing, and iterations, we developed a prototype at SRI International. The results were promising, and the positive feedback we received validated our efforts. This momentum led to Vitrina AI spinning out as an independent company, ready to change the game for the industry.

From Idea to Industry Standard

With the backing of venture funding, Vitrina AI rapidly gained adoption among industry leaders. Today, major entertainment players—including Disney, Netflix, Warner Bros. Discovery, and a vast network of suppliers, service providers, and buyers—use Vitrina AI to navigate the complexities of the global entertainment business in real-time.

Who Uses Vitrina AI?

✔ Studios & Streamers – For market intelligence, competitor insights, and supplier discovery
✔ Suppliers & Service Providers – To find projects, business opportunities, and partnerships

What began as an unexpected conversation in Cupertino has evolved into the first-ever global supply-chain platform for entertainment—bridging the industry’s long-standing gaps with real-time intelligence, AI, and data-driven insights.

Where Is Vitrina AI Now—And Where Are We Headed?

At Vitrina AI, we’re solving different challenges inside the entertainment supply chain, tackling inefficiencies at every level:

• Census-level coverage of the entire ecosystem—tracking production houses, service providers, content financiers, streamers, distributors, TV networks, and adjacent business verticals.
• Qualifying companies by their specializations, size, business partnerships, upcoming projects, and worldwide footprint.
• Our Global Film+TV Projects Tracker is acknowledged as the widest scan of unreleased projects in development and production—the go-to hunting ground for suppliers, service providers, and talent to find work opportunities.

And we’re just getting started.

Our Goal Is Simple:

Global supply-chains can function smoothly only with credible market intelligence. The entertainment industry is starved for reliable, structured, and verified data. Right now, the industry relies on anecdotal information, social media noise, and scattered reports from trade journals—none of which offer a clear, data-driven picture of where the business is headed. Vitrina AI aims to change that. Our key focus is to enable intel on:

• • State of production financing worldwide and demand trends for genres across regions
  • An accurate, real-time view of what projects are getting financed produced, released, and which companies are involved

• Continuous discovery of the most trusted, innovative and specialist companies, technologies and experts

But beyond credible market intel, trusted business connections are just as crucial. Our goals in this regard:

✔ Make finding business partners faster, smarter, and more efficient.
✔ Introduce vetting and verification mechanisms that eliminate unnecessary risks.
✔ Create a safe-zone where trust is instantly established, ensuring companies work with strong, legit, qualified, and expert specialists—without hesitation and without the need for time-consuming and laborious background checks.

We are building the industry’s definitive source of structured, verifiable, and real-time intelligence, so businesses can make decisions based on facts, not speculation.

The spark that began in Cupertino has now ignited a movement. With every new project, every partnership, and every breakthrough, we’re one step closer to fulfilling our vision of a fully connected entertainment ecosystem. And with our continued focus on transparency, innovation, and trust, the future of entertainment business is brighter than ever before.

🚀 This is just the beginning.

– Atul Phadnis, Founder-CEO of Vitrina AI