Announcing D2CX Converge: Powering India’s D2C Founders

SUMMARY

India’s D2C market is projected to touch $100 Bn by 2025, driven by over 50,000 online sellers and a growing base of digital-first brands across categories such as fashion, electronics, FMCG, and beauty

To equip emerging brands with the right insights, playbooks, and peer connections, Inc42 is launching D2CX Converge — a five-city founder meetup series scheduled between November 2025 and March 2026

Each edition will bring together 50+ D2C founders and operators under one roof to exchange experiences, share learnings, and build meaningful connections that accelerate growth

India’s direct-to-consumer (D2C) market has entered a breakout phase in 2025, emerging as a $100 Bn opportunity powered by more than 50,000 digital-first brands. With 427 Mn+ ecommerce users and nearly 294 Mn+ active online shoppers, India is now one of the world’s most dynamic consumer markets.

As digital payments adoption accelerates, particularly across urban India, new-age D2C brands are reshaping how the country shops, engages, and builds trust, setting the stage for the next decade of consumer innovation.

Categories such as fashion, consumer electronics, FMCG, home décor, beauty and personal care, food and beverages, and lifestyle products are witnessing explosive growth. With tech-enabled business models taking centre stage, new-age brands are not just challenging traditional players — they’re rewriting India’s retail playbook.

Over the past six years, Inc42 has been deeply embedded in this transformation — from empowering early-stage founders through learning programmes like D2CX, to connecting growth-stage leaders at the D2C Retreat, driving ecosystem conversations through the D2C Summit, and spotlighting India’s fastest-growing digital-first brands with FAST42.

Now, building on this momentum, Inc42, in collaboration with Shadowfax, is launching D2CX Converge — a five-city, founder-first meetup series designed to help early-stage D2C founders learn from successful founders and connect with peers in an intimate, high-value setting. The goal is simple: to create spaces where founders can exchange ideas and decode actionable playbooks for their next stage of growth.

Between November 2025 and March 2026, D2CX Converge will travel across five key D2C hubs — Hyderabad, Mumbai, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, and Bengaluru. Each city edition will bring together 50+ carefully selected founders who are building meaningful traction in their categories.

Attendees can look forward to candid conversations with founders and deep-dive discussions on topics that can reshape their growth journeys.

The first edition of D2CX Converge, presented in collaboration with Shadowfax, shall be hosted in Hyderabad on November 13. Nikhil Doda, Cofounder & COO, Lahori Zeera shall engage in a fireside chat with Karan Saraf of PwC India to discuss the company’s journey and share insights on building and scaling a consumer-first company at this event.

The edition shall also have Srishti Tanwani, Cofounder & CEO, Indo Era, Raju Bhupati, Founder & CEO, Troo Good, Shashi Kumar, Cofounder & CEO, Akshayakalpa Organic, Rahul Dayama, Founding Partner, Urbanic and Avnish Kumar, Managing Director, NEERU’S as a part of a panel moderated by Praharsh Chandra, Cofounder & CBO, Shadowfax on D2C Brand’s INR 100 Cr Playbook.

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The New Rules Powering India’s D2C Growth

India’s D2C economy in 2025 has moved well beyond its early days of online storefronts. Today’s consumers seek more — premium products with purpose, personalised and localised experiences, and seamless journeys that blend online convenience with offline touchpoints. This shift is being fuelled by evolving consumer expectations, a thriving ecommerce backbone, and India’s deepening digital reach.

Since 2022, the D2C industry has been growing at a steady 40% CAGR, and the next phase of growth promises to be even more transformative.

D2CX Converge is designed to turn this momentum into meaningful progress. By connecting promising INR 1–10 Cr revenue brands with founders who’ve built national consumer powerhouses, the series aims to share hard-earned playbooks — helping early-stage brands sharpen product innovation, strengthen distribution, and build lasting brand equity.

Running from November 2025 to March 2026, the series will bring together 250+ carefully selected founders across five cities, creating an environment where ideas, insights, and collaborations can shape the next wave of India’s D2C growth.

What’s in store?

Real operator playbooks founders can apply the next morning — acquisition that scales, retention that compounds, merchandising that moves, ops that hold.
Peer circles to swap what worked, what failed and what to fix next—off the record, founder to founder.
Community by design with warm intros, a shared contact sheet and a city-plus-national thread to keep momentum between stops.
Small rooms have a big trust, so conversations stay candid and useful.

Why Attend D2CX Converge?

D2CX Converge is a curated space where India’s early-stage D2C founders come together to exchange ideas, learn from proven journeys, and find clarity for the next phase of growth.

Every session draws from founder experiences, bringing together practical insights, honest discussions, and connections that often spark long after the meet-up ends.

You’ll hear directly from growth-stage and established founders who’ve scaled brands in India’s competitive market — learning what worked, what didn’t, and what it really takes to grow sustainably. From category expansion and retention to building brands that last, each discussion is designed to deliver clarity and perspective you can use the next day.

With its focused, city-level format, D2CX Converge is built for meaningful exchange. It’s where conversations lead to collaboration, ideas turn into action, and local D2C networks grow stronger.

If you’re building a D2C brand and looking to learn, connect, and scale, apply now to join.

Apply To Attend