Dabur's D2C Acquisitions & Mensa's ONDC Integration
In the seventh edition, understand the secrets of the 100Cr club, check out Dabur’s acquisition plans, Mensa Brands’ partnership with ONDC and much more.
Hello and welcome to the D2C Insider newsletter, your weekly dose of insights, news, and trends from the direct-to-consumer space in India and beyond.
This week’s issue is about:
🤝 Mensa Joins ONDC?
📺 The new Mompreneurs Show
🌺 Additional 20% OFF on perfumes for community members??
🪜Piyush Goenka - Stages of Company Growth Strategy
🎪 Time to amplify your D2C growth
🤖 AI Can read company policy??
You would only need to spare about 4-5 mins to be all caught up.
Also, D2C Insider Digest has been growing stronger every week. That’s all thanks to you folks, our readers.
Happenings from last week
Dabur Eyes D2C Acquisitions for Growth
Dabur India plans acquisitions in the direct-to-consumer (D2C) sector to expand into new-age brands, focusing on synergistic opportunities in healthcare, personal care, and skincare. The company reported Q1 net profit growth and aims to invest in margin-boosting brands.
Read more here.
Mensa Brands Joins ONDC for Expansion
Mensa Brands, a roll-up e-commerce company, has joined ONDC (Open Network for Digital Commerce) and integrated three of its brands - Villain, MyFitness, and Priyaasi. The move aims to expand its reach and offer products to a wider audience through digital commerce.
Read more here.
Mamaearth's Parent Honasa Consumer's IPO
Honasa Consumer, owner of Mamaearth and The Derma Co, gains Sebi approval for IPO worth ₹400 crores, including equity issue and offer for sale of up to 4,68,19,635 shares by promoters and existing shareholders, with founders retaining over 97% ownership after IPO.
Read more here.
Founder’s corner
This week, we are featuring Piyush Goenka, Founder and Managing Partner of Prath Ventures, a VC firm that invests in consumer brands.
Piyush has over a decade of experience in PE and VC investing in consumer brands and has observed hundreds of companies in their growth stage. Now, he sheds light on the harsh reality that 95% of companies falter before hitting the coveted 100 Cr ARR mark.
🔍 Stage 1: 0-10 Cr
A phase of relentless focus on product-market fit, advocating close consumer engagement through D2C channels like ours. He highlights the pitfalls of premature scaling and encourages founders to avoid diversification before solid traction.
🚀 Stage 2: 10 - 100 Cr
As you gain momentum, methodical expansion is key. Piyush emphasizes building LTV, introducing new SKUs, and striving for profitability while shunning overcomplication and hasty pivots.
🏆 Stage 3: 100 Cr+
The final phase prompts calculated diversification into adjacent markets, brand amplification, and technological fortification. Piyush warns against complacency and urges alignment with core strengths even in expansion.
🧠 Takeaway
Piyush's wisdom beckons us to craft strategies congruent with our business phase, steering clear of blind emulation.
As your partners in growth, we're here to help you weave the right goals, metrics, and playbooks for each phase. What other growth stage focuses resonate with you? Share your thoughts!
Community Chatter: Brands looking to amplify growth
This week, D2C Insider’s group was all about fundraising. We found out that more than 100 D2C brands, or rather 75% of them, are now looking to raise their next round to amplify growth. The group members shared their experiences and challenges of pitching to investors, negotiating terms, and closing deals. See for yourself:
And we totally get it! So here’s something that is specially curated for D2C brands looking to amplify growth!
🚀 Elevate your business with Pitchathon!
🌟 Present to 20+ top-tier investors like DSG, Fireside Ventures, and Stellaris Venture Partners.
🧠 Gain invaluable insights, network with industry leaders, and forge powerful collaborations.
🧧Plus, the top two winners will receive a growth package of Rs. 5 lakhs (combined) from startups like BiteSpeed, Emiza, EasyEcom, POP, and many more
Don't miss out – pitch your way to greatness!
Brand corner: The Moms Co Launches The Mompreneurs Show
👩💻 In a bid to support and empower mom-entrepreneurs, personal care D2C mother and baby brand, The Moms Co, has launched 'The Mompreneurs Show—The Hunt for India's Top Mom-led Startups', an initiative that aims to provide a platform for mothers to spread awareness and scale their businesses.
The show will feature inspiring stories of mompreneurs from all corners of India and track their journeys as they pitch their business ideas to a panel of prominent entrepreneurs, who are also mothers themselves. The show will also offer mentorship, workshops, and networking opportunities for the participants.
🏆 The top three winners of The Mompreneurs Show will receive financial and marketing grants of up to Rs 1 Cr from The Good Glamm Group, apart from co-investments from members of the advisory board and jury. The show is being organised in partnership with FICCI Flo and Aspire for Her.
🎙️The show will showcase success stories of top women leaders in India, including Neelu Khatri (Co-founder of Akasa Air), Faye D’Souza (news anchor and journalist), Aarti Gill (CEO and Co-founder of Oziva), Priti Rathi Gupta (Founder of LXME), Jeevika Tyagi (Founder of Aastey), and others
👏 We applaud The Moms Co for launching this innovative and impactful initiative that celebrates the spirit and potential of mom-entrepreneurs in India.
D2C Insider’s #FRIENDSOFBRANDS
Apart from this, brands in D2C Insider’s community are also offering exclusive deals to fellow members. Under the #FRIENDSOFBRANDS initiative:
Neulife: Get the best of health and nutrition products from Neulife, India’s leading online store for sports and fitness supplements. Whether you need protein powders, vitamins, energy bars, or wellness accessories, Neulife has it all.
Use the code FRIENDSOFBRANDS and get a flat 10% off on your order.Isak Fragrances: Experience the magic of fragrances with Isak, a premium brand of perfumes and home scents. Isak offers a range of exquisite products that are crafted with natural ingredients and inspired by global trends.
Use the code FRIENDSOFBRANDS and get a whopping 20% off on your order.The Makeup Bar: Enhance your beauty with The Makeup Bar, a one-stop destination for all your makeup needs. The Makeup Bar has everything if you need foundation, lipstick, mascara, or brushes.
Use the code FRIENDSOFBRANDS and get a flat 15% off on your order.
Want to work in the ever-growing D2C ecosystem?
D2C Insider’s job portal could help you out. To date, we have received:
Jobs : 101
Job Seekers : 117
Job Applications Processed : 78
Companies Registered : 97
Also, the following companies are hiring:
Tenovia Solutions - Campaign / Performance Marketing Head
Get-A-Way: Senior Finance Manager
MMA Global India: Content & PR Specialist
Deals of the week
Pristyn Care's D2C startup, beatXP is in advanced discussions to secure $50 million in funding for its health and fitness products. The startup aims to achieve $100 million in annualized revenue, with a focus on sales of fitness and health items, including smartwatches and body massagers.
Aditya Birla Group's D2C startup, TMRW, plans an IPO and seeks external investors to build a diverse portfolio of digital-first brands in India's fashion and lifestyle space. The startup aims to tap into the growing D2C market and expand its online and offline presence. .
Read of the week
Is AI going to assist large-scale companies? Or actually cause huge layoffs!
Check out Raghav Gupta, founder of Futurense Technologies, and his views on AI and businesses crossing paths.
Can you align an AI bot with your company’s policy?
Take a look at Albus, an AI product by Springworks, and how it is being used to streamline processes related to the company's policies, security, communication processes, etc.
Refer us to a curious soul
D2C Insider Digest is growing from strength to strength. Every week, we organically get subscribers, like yourself, who are curious about the digital-consumer landscape.
And we cannot thank you enough for reading us every week.
Now we also need your help in spreading the word about the newsletter and making this into a massive community of curious souls.
Share this or any other edition of D2C Insider Digest and try a new brand of your choice as a token of gratitude from our side.
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Tier 3 - Get 1 Goodie Bag worth ₹10k+ for 100 referrals.
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