In industries like media, fashion, music, and venture capital, access often determines trajectory. The right family, the right introduction, the right last name can shorten the distance between ambition and opportunity. Ilias Anwar did not have any of that.
He built his career from scratch.
Ilias is a first-generation American with Central South Asian roots, raised by immigrant parents who did not have connections to entertainment, venture capital networks, or legacy media backing. What he had instead was curiosity, internet instinct, and an obsession with understanding how influence works.
His first serious move was starting a hip-hop blog in college. There was no funding behind it. He wrote, posted, and covered artists he genuinely respected. That blog became TCC Entertainment, and he grew the team to over 45 members. Over time, it evolved from a simple media page into a full creative agency and event production company hosting hundreds of concerts.
TCC Entertainment produced content and events connected with artists, including Moneybagg Yo, Megan Thee Stallion, Meek Mill, Pusha T, Lil Yachty, and 21 Savage, during its growth from a college hip hop blog into a full media and event company.
Over time, its network expanded into broader cultural spaces, intersecting with platforms and events such as NY Tech Week, New York Fashion Week, and Super Bowl Weekend, while hosting rooms that brought together founders, creators, investors, and artists in the same environment.
While other students were networking casually, Ilias was learning production, marketing, brand partnerships, and distribution in real time. He figured out how to drive attention without paid ads. He worked for free when necessary, not because he undervalued himself, but because he understood that reps matter more than ego in the beginning.
After graduation, he doubled down.
He threw events in cities like DC, LA, and eventually New York. Concerts, fashion activations, founder mixers, creative panels. He learned how to fill rooms without relying on legacy gatekeepers. Sponsors began to trust him, and he kept growing behind the scenes. Creators began showing up consistently, and he started building more relationships with massive creators.
He did not inherit rooms. He built them by simply being a genuine, curious person.
Over time, that reputation compounded. In New York’s tech and creator ecosystem, Ilias became known for consistently bringing founders, investors, and creatives together in ways that felt organic rather than forced. While many operators focus only on visibility online, he focused on physical presence and repeated exposure.
At the same time, he was building companies.
He co-founded Tapped AI and raised capital through a viral April Fools campaign that brought in thousands of users with zero marketing spend. The campaign demonstrated something he already understood intuitively: narrative is leverage when executed correctly.
He later became CMO of Cliqk, a marketing operating system that posts content across all major social platforms in one click and helps founders and creators grow their brands from one place. It removes the friction of managing multiple platforms by centralizing content distribution and growth into a single workflow. The role aligned naturally with his background in distribution and audience building.
What distinguishes Ilias within traditional industry structures is his approach to building relationships and platforms independently.
He did not receive a seed check from family friends. He built network density by repeatedly showing up, creating value, and compounding relationships over the years.
He also understands branding. He is building Cliqk with the belief that access to digital tools and visibility should be more broadly available. Building a personal or business brand online has become an important focus for many founders and creators.
Cliqk is positioned as a platform designed to centralize content distribution across multiple social channels. Additional information is available at mycliqk.com.
