Latest news with #D2C
Mint
19-07-2025
- Business
- Mint
Blissclub's Minu Margeret is building an inclusive apparel brand for every woman
It's on an unusually warm Friday afternoon in May that I make my way to the head office of women's apparel company Blissclub in Bengaluru's HSR Layout. The office is staffed with Gen Z and young millennials and kitted with a table tennis table. The founder and CEO of the brand, Minu Margeret, looks ready to step out for a spot of badminton in her black shorts and green T-shirt. It's pure coincidence that I am meeting Margeret, 35, a few days after the D2C company, founded in 2020, successfully raised ₹45 crore in its Pre-Series B round funding. According to multiple reports online, the round had existing investors Elevation Capital and Eight Roads Ventures participating along with debt funding from Alteria Capital. This infusion of funds comes after a shaky period in 2023-24 that saw more than a dozen employees being laid off in January. It is timely and Margeret doesn't hide her enthusiasm. 'These funds will help us take some bets on new launches. It'll help us look at expanding our offline stores as well," she says. Some of the most recent developments include Blissclub signing actor Karisma Kapoor as its brand ambassador and the launch of two new product categories: the luxury travel edit comprising jackets, tanks, pullovers and straight pants, and its AirMelt™ collection of tees, joggers, shorts, co-ord sets and zippered jackets, in a proprietary fabric. With a market valuation of ₹600crore —the company did not divulge its current annual earnings—Blissclub is a leading name among homegrown activewear brands such as HRX, Aastey, Silvertraq and Cava Athleisure. Being a size-inclusive brand, products such as the 'Ultimate Leggings" and 'Ultimate Flare Pants" have developed a cult-like following. 'When I decided to launch the branch, I wasn't looking to build performance wear for athletes. I was building a brand for every woman who is constantly juggling multiple things at the same time," says Margeret. Starting off as a D2C activewear brand in the initial years, the brand has expanded into citywear, swimwear, travel and innerwear categories as well. Additionally, from being an internet-first brand, Blissclub today has 15 brick-and-mortar stores in India. As a women's only activewear brand, a key factor that has helped Blissclub establish its foothold quickly is listening closely to the feedback from its customers, or 'Bliss Queens", as Margeret prefers to call them. This has translated into products with thoughtful features. 'We had women asking us to design activewear for Indian bodies that are not as lean or tall as our Western counterparts. We also had women asking us to make clothes that were built not just for Bengaluru's pleasant climate but also for Chennai or Mumbai's humidity and the dry heat of Delhi," shares Margeret about insights gleaned from early interactions. With its offerings priced between ₹799-2,999, the brand's inclusivity comes through in its sizes that range from XS to 4XL—Margaret's own feminist perspective reflects in the four pockets that the brand's pants have. 'We launched the Ultimate leggings with four deep pockets because well, women carry wallets and have bills to pay." Interestingly, fashion was a subject that Margeret was unfamiliar with before launching her company. A graduate from Christ College and a management accountant, Margeret was a typical finance professional who wet her feet in Goldman Sachs and Wipro before she headed to the International School of Business, Hyderabad, for her MBA in 2016. 'I had no idea what words like inseam and outseam meant and I always thought that it was robots or machines that stitched clothes," she jokes. After ISB, Margeret spent the next three years at Unilever, AB InBev and PhonePe. That was also the time when she played club-level Ultimate Frisbee for a Bengain 2018-19 that she began toying with the idea of entrepreneurship. 'Everyone around me at the time was either starting up or thinking about starting up and I'd always wanted to start something on my own." While scouting for potential business ideas, she didn't have to look too far. As an active frisbee player and a regular gym goer, finding quality performance wear in India had always been a problem. 'I'd mostly end up buying my activewear while travelling outside India. And so one of the initial problem statements I listed was the lack of quality functional and technical apparel for women in the Indian market," she recalls. In December 2019, Margeret quit her job as brand manager at PhonePe and spent the next 10 months in R&D. This involved talking to women—'I wanted to know if other women felt the same way about wanting quality functional clothes"—and industry insiders to suss out if there was potential to build something in the women's activewear space. She remembers visiting factories across the country to learn all she could about fabrics and apparel manufacturing. Finally, when it came to launching the brand online, Margaret chose to kick off things by focusing on only one product: black leggings. She did that with a bootstrapped investment of ₹15 lakh, zero marketing budget and a small team of four-five employees. The company today has over 80 employees. 'Our idea while making the leggings was to make them the best available in the market. We wanted them to be so good, they'd become every woman's favourite pair," says Margeret. A number of iterations had to be done to get the fabric right. 'A key insight we had at the time (on fabric) was that Indian women love the feel of cotton, but since cotton doesn't have the performance of synthetic, the question we worked with was how could we build high-quality synthetics that feel like cotton?" Margeret says. The team worked backwards getting the fabric right before making the product. She adds, 'Fabric is the nucleus of everything we build because once you get the fabric right, everything is an offshoot of that." While Blissclub's product offerings may have expanded in the last five years, its philosophy of balancing functionality with comfort has resulted in the in-house tech division, BlissLabs, engineering its own fabrics like CloudSoft, AirMelt™, BareButter™ and RibSupreme™. 'We have an internal team of fabric engineers who are constantly working away to create new materials. This team works closely with our partner fabric mills to build prototypes which are then tested over months and quarters. The entire process from choosing the raw material to the final product takes us two years," Margeret explains. Blissclub's first product, the Ultimate Black leggings, launched online in 2020 during peak-covid. The proof that they'd cracked the formula was evident when they sold out in three weeks. 'We had a lot of women post about us organically. That is when I realised that if you build something different, people will care about it enough to buy it," Margeret muses. Around the time that Blissclub launched, fashion trends across the globe were changing too. In 2020, with lockdown in effect everywhere, concepts like remote work and work from home became a reality. These trends in turn gave the athleisure industry a fillip as everyone switched to comfortable clothing. Co-ord sets, tracksuits, sweat shirts, leggings, joggers and tees became outfits of the day. The activewear industry was at an inflection point and that, Margeret reveals, gave her another compelling reason to enter it. 'I like how athleisure has become normalised as everyday wear," says Margeret about the trend that has continued to remain popular post-covid. A report by management consulting firm IMARC Group validates this: The Indian athleisure market is expected to grow from $13,156 million in 2024 to $21,250 million by 2033 at a CAGR of 5.5%. A Malayali, Margeret's childhood up till class IX was spent in Bahrain where her father worked as a banker. The job was transferable, which meant that Margeret and her sister had to switch around 8-9 schools. In retrospect, she believes that this constant shifting of schools and adjusting to changes taught her to adapt to uncomfortable situations quickly. Today, these are qualities that come in handy when she has to take tough decisions. 'One thing I've learnt in this job is that once you are a CEO, you'll always end up getting the most abysmal problems to solve, simply by virtue of your position. While the decent-enough problems get solved along the way by the other team members, what gets filtered to you are the tricky ones. I've come to accept it as part and parcel of the job." Sports, she says has played a role in shaping her attitude to leading from the front. 'Sports builds a lot of humility in you, it shows you that you cannot be your best everyday. There will be days where you are going to be good and days where you will mess up. Sports teaches you how to not let things affect you." Margeret is married to Vidit Aatrey, co-founder and CEO of online marketplace, Meesho. How does the equation of having a startup founder as life partner play out at home? Do they seek each other's advice? 'We've both got a high degree of empathy for each other's journeys because we know what it takes," she says. While conversations at home post work tend to be wide-ranging, the current 'startup" that's keeping both the co-founders busy is their little daughter, Ira, jokes Margeret. 'Everything revolves around her now." QUICK 3 An item of clothing you'll always pack: Black leggings Your favourite way to destress: Swimming A recent series you enjoyed: 'The Last of Us'
Forbes
08-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
What B2B Marketers Can Learn From B2C Giants
Christina Hager, VP and Client CMO at Crux, helps individuals and brands transform into industry leaders through marketing strategy. getty The most talked-about marketing examples often come from iconic B2C brands—Sephora, Starbucks, Airbnb, Netflix. But when I present these to small and midsized B2B companies, they often feel aspirational at best and at worst, completely out of reach (and out of realistic budgets). But here's the truth: B2B marketers can (and should) take cues from their B2C counterparts. In 2025, the most forward-thinking B2B brands already are—and they're seeing real results. B2B Marketing Goes D2C In Style Today's buyers expect the same experiences they get as consumers: emotionally resonant, exciting and digitally savvy. That's why many B2B marketers are adopting direct-to-consumer (D2C) tactics to better connect with modern decision-makers. What That Looks Like: • Social media campaigns focused on storytelling over specs • Emotional content that builds connection and trust • Creative thought leadership using video And here's a stat worth noting: B2B buyers are 50% more likely to purchase from a brand they've interacted with on social media. That reinforces how critical it is for B2B companies to show up authentically on digital platforms—not just with content, but with personality. Case Study: Salesforce—Emotionally Driven, People-First Marketing Salesforce is a standout B2B brand that markets like a B2C giant. Instead of just pushing product features, its 'Trailblazer' campaign shares stories of real people whose lives and careers have been transformed by Salesforce tools. Their messaging is emotional, empowering and community-driven—like something you'd expect from Nike or Apple. Then there's Dreamforce, Salesforce's annual conference that feels more like a cultural festival than a software expo. With big-name speakers, live music, immersive branding and powerful storytelling, it's a showcase of what B2B marketing can be. This approach isn't just flashy—it's strategic. LinkedIn data show that 69% of B2B marketers believe B2B purchasing decisions are just as emotionally driven as B2C. Salesforce gets that, and they lead with identity, aspiration and emotion. Short-Form Video: Still The Undisputed Champion Short-form video continues to dominate marketing in 2025. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts aren't just for entertainment—they've become discovery engines for product research, brand evaluation and professional learning. Why It Works: • Grabs attention in seconds • Tells a complete story quickly • Encourages engagement and conversation Eighty-seven percent of marketers say short-form video delivers the highest ROI of any content format. Case Study: HubSpot—Turning CRM Into Scroll-Stopping Content HubSpot set out with a clear goal: Build brand awareness and stay top of mind for anyone searching for a CRM solution. But instead of relying solely on white papers, LinkedIn posts or podcasts, they turned to TikTok, one of the world's fastest-growing and most attention-grabbing platforms. HubSpot was one of the first major B2B brands to lean fully into TikTok—and it paid off. They produced full-screen, fast-paced videos that used storytelling, humor and cultural relevance to connect with users. Whether or not viewers knew what a CRM system even was, what they witnessed was content that was fun, relatable and entertaining. Their recipe for success? • Content tailored to specific interest groups • Story-driven, meme-savvy video • Collaborations with creators to drive reach and relevance HubSpot showed that even a B2B company can act like a lifestyle brand—and in doing so, made their product more accessible, more memorable and ultimately more engaging. What else did they do? When HubSpot saw that TikTok was a powerful platform for entertaining and engaging content, they doubled down—becoming the first B2B brand to run a TopFeed campaign, designed to increase the frequency of exposure to their target audience. The Results? There are a ton of stats that showcase what a great campaign this was, such as a lift in brand awareness and ad recall. What this campaign shows B2B brands, most importantly, is that there is success in producing native content and short-form video that dares to be fresh, utilize humor and humanize a brand, no matter the product. Short-form video doesn't just drive visibility—it shapes perception, improves recall and builds meaningful brand equity for B2B companies. HubSpot made TikTok not just a tool for reach, but for relevance. What B2B marketers can learn: Don't underestimate the power of attention. If your content resonates, it can change how people feel about your brand—even in just 15 seconds. Trends To Watch As B2B brands embrace more B2C strategies and tactics, these trends are leading the charge: • UGC-driven video that builds trust and community • AI editing tools that make content creation faster and easier • Shoppable and interactive video formats that convert views into sales • Influencer and creator collaborations to tap into niche, high-trust audiences • Emotionally led brand storytelling that highlights transformation, not just products and services • Platform-native social content tailored to fit the audience and behavior of each platform The Common Thread: Human-to-Human Marketing Whether it's Salesforce inspiring through storytelling or HubSpot breaking the B2B mold on TikTok, the underlying principle is the same: Marketing today is human-to-human. Whether you're selling professional services or a new product, your buyers are scrolling, watching and engaging just like everyone else. They want relevance, relatability and content that earns their attention. The B2B brands that embrace this shift will be the ones that thrive in 2025 and beyond. Forbes Communications Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Do I qualify?
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
VEON's Kyivstar Gains Regulatory Approval for Starlink Direct-to-Cell Testing in Ukraine
VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ:VEON) is one of the best telecom stocks to buy according to Wall Street analysts. On June 18, VEON announced that its Ukrainian subsidiary, called Kyivstar, has received regulatory approval to begin testing Starlink Direct-to-Cell (D2C) services. The approval was granted by the Ukrainian National Commission for the State Regulation of Electronic Communications, Radio Frequency Spectrum, and the Provision of Postal Services/NCEC. The regulatory decision follows the integration of Kyivstar's mobile network with Starlink's Direct-to-Cell service. Recently, a compatibility testing of Kyivstar's SIM cards with Starlink's satellite network at a partner technology evaluation lab in the US proved successful. This confirms that Kyivstar SIM cards are compatible with the Starlink D2C system. A businessperson in the boardroom discussing mobile internet plans. The planned commercial launch of these D2C services is scheduled for Q4 2025. The initiative is expected to enhance Kyivstar's ability to provide essential connectivity across Ukraine, particularly in rural regions. Field testing for these services is slated to commence in select Ukrainian regions this summer. Kyivstar is Ukraine's largest digital operator. VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ:VEON) is a digital operator that provides telecommunications and digital services to corporate and individual customers in Pakistan, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Bangladesh. While we acknowledge the potential of VEON as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the . READ NEXT: and . Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
TechCrunch
24-06-2025
- Business
- TechCrunch
India's GoKwik raised a small $13M round for a hefty leap in valuation
GoKwik, an Indian startup that offers a suite of integrated e-commerce products, has raised a small round of $13 million, which it calls a 'growth' round, that has boosted its valuation to $450 million pre-money. While the new funding round, led by RTP Global, is 63% smaller than its Series B of $35 million, announced in May 2022, it has valued the New Delhi-based startup 43% more than its last pre-money valuation of $315 million. The fresh funding also included participation from the startup's existing investors, namely Z47, Peak XV Partners, and Think Investments, bringing its total fundraising to $68 million since its inception in 2020. But what has made GoKwik so attractive to investors? Its offerings help companies, big and small, set up shop online and enter the direct-to-consumer (D2C) space. Image Credits:Jagmeet Singh / TechCrunch The D2C space is expected to see a significant increase over time as more brands poised to come online target young consumers and the internet reaches new homes. In India, the world's second-largest internet market after China and the most populous country, the D2C market is expected to reach $60 billion in value by 2027, up from $12 billion in 2022, per a report (PDF) by KPMG. Currently, GoKwik has more than 12,000 paying merchants, up from 2,500–3,000 a year ago, spread over India, Europe, the UK, and U.S. These merchants use its SaaS products that allow them to set up their online stores powered by Shopify, Magento, Salesforce, and WooCommerce and enable checkout, online payments, and facilities to offer returns and cash-on-delivery options. It also helps brands to do commerce via WhatsApp, a popular platform for businesses and consumers in markets like India, parts of Europe, and Brazil. GoKwik counts brands like Indian eyewear giant Lenskart, personal care brand Honasa Consumer, cosmetics company Lakmé, London's Pepe Jeans, and Licester's Xplosive Ape as customers. Some of the products that GoKwik offers are also available through other players. For instance, Razorpay and Cashfree Payments offer checkout solutions; Clevertap and MoEngage offer CRM. Techcrunch event Save $200+ on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Save $200+ on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Boston, MA | REGISTER NOW But Chirag Taneja, co‑founder and CEO, told TechCrunch that GoKwik's suite of products is integrated so customers tend to buy at least two of them on average. 'If you use our login product, it helps you do retargeting better. Hence, our KwikEngage product emerges there, which is a WhatsApp commerce piece. Similarly, if you use our checkout product, the abandoned cart, for abandoned carts, you end up using our KwikEngage piece,' he said. This has helped GoKwik increase its annualized revenue by 20% year-over-year, reaching over $30 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR) this year, up from $25 million last year. It has helped brands process a cumulative gross merchandise value of $2 billion, with 55% of transactions involving prepaid payments and 45% cash-on-delivery. Of all the prepaid payments, 80% are via the Indian government's Unified Payments Interface. GoKwik co-founder and CEO Chirag Taneja Image Credits:GoKwik With the fresh funding, GoKwik aims to expand its presence and customer base by entering new markets and deepening its presence in areas where WhatsApp has a large consumer base, such as Germany, France, and Latin American countries including Brazil. The startup also plans to bolster AI's presence on its products. It already offers solutions such as AI calling for abandoned carts. Furthermore, the startup plans to enable Indian merchants to sell their products to foreign customers with a global checkout solution that would integrate Stripe and other international payment processing services. GoKwik currently has a runway of 60-70 months, with close to $35–$37 million in the bank, and is targeting profitability within the next 18 months. It also looks to go public within the next 3–5 years. Meanwhile, the startup is attracting investor interest, although Taneja confirmed to TechCrunch that it is not currently raising more funds. The startup has a headcount of around 400 people, primarily based in its offices in Gurugram and Bengaluru, with a handful of employees also based in the UK.
Entrepreneur
23-06-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Rabitat Raises INR 40 Cr in Series A Round Led by RPSG Capital Ventures, DSG Consumer Partners
The funds will be deployed to deepen Rabitat's partnerships with Indian manufacturers, roll out new product lines, and strengthen brand trust among modern Indian parents. You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. Homegrown D2C parenting brand Rabitat has raised INR 40 crore (approximately USD 5 million) in a Series A funding round led by RPSG Capital Ventures and DSG Consumer Partners. The round was completed in two tranches and also saw participation from Capital A, Accurize Syndicate, Flair Writing Family Office, Eagle Venture Fund, AG Ventures, and a host of prominent angel investors and startup founders, including those from The Souled Store, LivSpace, and Accurize acted as the exclusive financial advisor, while Antares Legal led the legal advisory for the transaction. The funds will be deployed to deepen Rabitat's partnerships with Indian manufacturers, roll out new product lines, and strengthen brand trust among modern Indian parents. "We're grateful to see so many parents choosing Rabitat, with over 2 lakh families bringing our products into their homes," said Sumit Suneja, Co-founder and CEO. "With a total addressable market estimated at INR 27,000 crore (USD 3.3 billion), the opportunity in kids' drinkware and foodware is massive. This capital will power our next growth phase as we launch thoughtful designs and build deeper customer trust." Founded in 2020 by brothers Sumit and Siddharth Suneja under the umbrella of Merlin Brands, Rabitat addresses the critical need for safe, functional, and stylish kids' food contact products. The company offers BPA-free, non-toxic drinkware and foodware made from globally certified materials, combining child-safe features with appealing aesthetics. Positioned as India's fastest-growing parenting essentials brand, Rabitat is on a mission to support modern families with products designed around the philosophy that "Little Things Matter." "We're not just building products. We're building a brand that truly solves for the well-informed and deeply conscious parents of today," added Siddharth Suneja, Co-founder and Chief Business Officer. "As parents ourselves, we're addressing our own concerns through safe, fun, and premium products." "Rabitat is building at the intersection of safety, design, and everyday utility," said Abhishek Goenka, Managing Partner, RPSG Capital Ventures. "This underpenetrated category needs innovation, and we're excited to back Rabitat's journey." Hariharan Premkumar, Partner at DSG Consumer Partners, added, "With BPA-free materials and global certifications, Rabitat is solving real pain points for conscious parents. We believe Rabitat will lead this category with purpose and innovation."
