Kapiva, Snitch, Escape Plan | Optimist, Gully Labs, WanderOn | Salty, Troovy, 33&Brew 🚀
India’s D2C ecosystem is entering a conviction-led scale phase, driven by innovation capital, category expansion, and strong Series A momentum across key consumer segments.
National Disruptors:
Kapiva Launches ₹50 Cr Innovation Fund to Power Evidence-Based Ayurveda Research
Direct-to-consumer ayurveda brand Kapiva has announced the launch of the Kapiva Innovation Fund (KIF), committing up to ₹50 crore to accelerate research, innovation, and product development across India’s ayurveda ecosystem. The move marks a significant step in strengthening science-backed, future-ready Ayurveda and positions Kapiva as a key enabler in India’s evolving D2C ecosystem India.
The ₹50 crore innovation fund is now open for applications and will support projects from research institutions, PhD scholars, hospitals, laboratories, startups, and incubators working in ayurveda, plant-based therapeutics, and integrative health. Through KIF, Kapiva aims to bridge the long-standing gap between traditional ayurvedic knowledge and modern, clinically validated healthcare solutions—an area gaining increasing attention in D2C news India and D2C industry news.
Snitch Enters Corporate Gifting, Reimagines a ₹Multi-Crore Category With Style-Led D2C Innovation
India’s direct-to-consumer fashion ecosystem is witnessing a new inflection point as Snitch, one of the fastest-growing D2C brands India, officially forays into the corporate gifting category. Known for building a sharp, trend-driven men’s fashion brand in record time, Snitch is now extending its design-first philosophy into a space traditionally dominated by utility-led, impersonal products—marking a notable shift in D2C industry news and Indian D2C updates.
With this move, Snitch aims to redefine how brands engage with employees, partners, and stakeholders by placing style, individuality, and experience at the center of corporate gifting. The entry reflects a broader evolution in Direct-to-consumer India, where D2C fashion and lifestyle brands are expanding beyond core consumer sales into B2B and enterprise-led use cases as part of long-term D2C expansion plans.
Escape Plan Raises $25 Mn in Series A to Scale India’s Travel Products D2C Platform
Escape Plan, a travel gear platform, just got $25 million in Series A funding. Jungle Ventures led the round, and Fireside Ventures and IndiGo Ventures also chipped in. This cash injection is a big deal for the D2C scene in India, showing that investors are really confident in brands that are making travel stuff people use every day.
Abhinav Pathak started Escape Plan, which is in the quickly changing travel goods market. They sell luggage, accessories, and other stuff for getting around, all designed for Indian buyers. They’ve built a modern D2C brand with a solid presence both online and in stores. Escape Plan has grown super fast on online marketplaces, its own website, and in physical stores, making it a standout story in the D2C world.
This Series A funding comes as Escape Plan is already pulling in over ₹300 crore annually. People all over are buying their stuff, whether they’re frequent flyers, business travelers, families, or students.
Business Boost:
Optimist Raises $12 Mn to Build Future-Ready, Energy-Efficient Cooling for India
Technology-led cooling startup Optimist just got $12 million in funding from Accel, Arkam Ventures, and some angel investors. This shows that investors are really interested in Indian D2C brands that are making energy-saving tech for everyone.
Ashish Goel (the old CEO of Urban Ladder) and Pranav Chopra started Optimist in 2024. They’re designing and building air conditioners that can handle India’s crazy heat, power problems, and how people live now. They’re going to use the money to make more stuff, do more research, and get their product out there faster.
Optimist did a bunch of customer research. Summers are getting hotter, and the power grid is struggling. Regular air conditioners aren’t cutting it in terms of being cheap, reliable, or energy-saving. Optimist wants to make cooling systems that work well even when it’s super hot, use less power, and don’t overload the grid.
Gully Labs Raises ₹30 Cr in Series A Funding Led by Saama Capital to Scale India’s Homegrown D2C Sneaker Brand
India’s direct-to-consumer footwear space continues to gain momentum as Gully Labs, a fast-growing D2C sneaker brand rooted in Indian street culture, has raised ₹30 crore in a Series A funding round. The round was led by Saama Capital, with strong follow-on participation from Zeropearl VC, marking a significant milestone in D2C news India and D2C startup news.
According to confirmed details, the Series A round totals ₹30 crore, with Saama Capital investing ₹23 crore and Zeropearl VC contributing ₹7 crore, reinforcing its conviction by doubling down on the brand. The round was completed in December 2025, reflecting sustained investor confidence in one of India’s most promising D2C brands India operating in the premium sneaker and lifestyle segment.
This latest raise follows an earlier seed round in March 2025, where Gully Labs raised ₹8 crore, of which Zeropearl VC invested ₹5 crore, emerging early as a high-conviction backer. The continued participation across funding cycles positions Zeropearl as a key long-term partner in the brand’s journey—an increasingly important signal in Indian D2C updates and D2C funding news.
WanderOn Raises ₹54 Cr Series A to Scale Experiential D2C Travel for India’s New-Age Explorers
WanderOn just got ₹54 crore in a Series A funding round, with DSG Consumer Partners and CAAF leading the investment. This is a big deal for the India’s fast-growing travel and direct-to-consumer scene. This funding puts WanderOn in the D2C news as investors are really backing platforms that create communities and put experiences first.
They’re going to use this money to up their destinations, create cooler and easier travel, and power up growing areas like trips for sports lovers, and wellness trips. They’re also putting money into tech to make the whole trip better, from finding it and booking to what happens and keeping in touch afterward. It fits with what’s going on in the D2C market in 2025, where it’s all about the experience, keeping customers happy, and building a community.
Started in 2017 by Chirag Jain, Sandeep Kumar, Ravi Khokher, Madhusudan Jaju, and Govind Gaur, WanderOn is a travel platform that connects people directly with trips. They create group travel experiences built around the community. They focus on millennials and Gen Z, planning road trips, treks, and custom tours in India and other countries.
Founders Funded:
D2C Accessories Brand Salty Raises ₹30.1 Cr to Scale Omnichannel Expansion Across India
Salty, an up-and-coming D2C brand for affordable jewelry and accessories, just got ₹30.1 crore in a new funding round.
MG Investment led the round, and Anicut Capital, All In Capital, and JK Group came back for another round. A few new angel investors hopped on board too. This shows that investors really believe in brands that are well-designed and sell in multiple places.
Salty will use the money to beef up its team, grow its presence on e-commerce and quick commerce platforms, and get deliveries out faster. Fast shipping is super important these days, so Salty is putting money into its delivery game to make sure things arrive quickly in big cities and smaller towns.
Kanishka Garg, Sonaal Goel, and Twisha Gupta started Salty. They focus on trendy jewelry that you can wear every day. They’re a digital-first brand and are pretty popular with young, stylish people who want cool stuff that doesn’t cost a fortune.
Troovy Raises $5 Mn Series A to Scale India’s Clean-Label Family Snacking Market
India’s clean-label snacking space continues to attract strong investor interest as Troovy, a fast-growing direct-to-consumer (D2C) food brand, has raised $5 million in a Series A funding round led by Fireside Ventures and Sharrp Ventures. The round also saw participation from existing investors Spring Marketing Capital and Veltis Capital, reinforcing confidence in Troovy’s brand-led growth journey.
This latest raise adds momentum to D2C news India and D2C funding news, highlighting how food and wellness-focused startups are emerging as some of the fastest-growing D2C brands in the country. The fresh capital will be used to expand Troovy’s distribution across e-commerce, quick commerce, and its own direct-to-consumer India channels, launch new clean-snacking products, and scale the business toward ₹100 crore in revenue over the coming years.
Founded in 2021 by Mansi Baranwal and Aditya Mukherjee, Gurugram-based Troovy has carved out a strong position in the D2C ecosystem India by focusing on kid-friendly and family-first snacks made without refined sugar, maida, palm oil, preservatives, or artificial additives. The brand’s portfolio spans chips, puffs, cookies, sauces, spreads, and multi-millet milk mixes—products designed to fit seamlessly into everyday consumption rather than being positioned as niche “health foods.”
33&Brew Raises ₹20 Cr Series A as Optimistic Capital Bets Big on India’s Craft Beer & Experiential D2C Consumption
It looks like more and more Indian consumers want cool experiences, and the latest news from the D2C world shows it. 33&Brew, a brewery that mixes craft beer with old-school music, just scored ₹20 crore ($2.2 million) in funding led by Optimistic Capital. This is big not just for 33&Brew, but for the whole craft beer scene in India, where people want experiences and cool brands.
Optimistic Capital just said they’ve got a ₹200 crore fund just for Indian breweries, That’s rare! They already spent ₹30 crore and plan to invest the other ₹170 crore in the next 3 years. They’re not just putting money into brands, they’re also backing the stuff that breweries need, like bottling and supply chains.
Karthik Chandrasekaran kicked off 33&Brew in 2024, making it all about vinyl records.
33&Brew will use the cash to build more stuff, grow bigger, and get ready to expand from its current home in Bengaluru. Even though breweries usually focus on their physical locations, brands like 33&Brew are starting to think like D2C companies, where telling a good story, building a community, and getting people to come back are as important as just selling beer.
“Moments get applause. Foundations create endurance.”
Walking into Shark Tank India Season 4 in 2025 wasn’t a beginning for Abhinav Ahluwalia.
It was a moment when years of invisible work finally became visible.
The real journey started much earlier.
In 2016, Abhinav wasn’t pitching investors — he was travelling. Asking one simple question across countries, systems, and shelves:
Why can’t food from Bharat compete confidently on global markets?
He studied international food standards, retail ecosystems, and how other nations support their farmers. And everywhere he went, one insight stayed consistent.
Quality was never the problem.
Trust was.
In 2017, that insight became KIWI Kisan Window.
The years that followed weren’t glamorous. From 2017 to 2019, Abhinav spent time in villages, on long drives, and in conversations that never made it into decks or presentations. The work wasn’t about visibility — it was about building reliability. Systems that actually worked for Indian farmers, on Indian soil.
No spotlight.
Just consistency.
By 2026, what began as an idea is now a growing network — connecting farmers to wider markets with dignity, transparency, and trust at its core.
For Abhinav, the lesson is clear:
Moments may bring applause.
But foundations are what create endurance.
And to founders building through invisible years — keep going.
It matters.
📌 D2C INSIDER WEEKLY UPDATE — EAST, IT’S HAPPENING (KOLKATA)
The D2C wave moves East.
On 30th January, Kolkata hosts the D2C Insider Regional CXO Meet – East—bringing together founders, operators, investors, and enablers for an afternoon of real conversations and meaningful connections.
🗓 30 Jan | 2–8 PM
📍 Kolkata
No noise. No fluff.
Just the ecosystem, in one room.
🎟 Registrations are live
Kolkata, let’s build. 🚀
Solid roundup of the conviction capital flowing into Indian D2C right now. The Series A momentum across Escape Plan, Gully Labs, and WanderOn shows how category-specific expertise is replacing generic consumer bets. Worked with a few early-stage funds and the shift toward operational due diligence over just GMV metrics is real, dunno if its sustainable long-term tho.