Mensa Brands Marks Fourth Acquisition In 2022, Buys Wearable Brand Pebble

D2C brand aggregator, Mensa Brands has acquired Noida-based wearable brand Pebble. With the deal, Mensa Brands has forayed into India’s smart wearable segment.

The acquisition will help Pebble to expand its online presence and amplify marketing as well as brand-building activities.

Founded in 2013 by father and daughter duo – Ajay Agarwal and Komal Agarwal, Pebble is an electronics brand that offers audio products, fitness wearables, chargers and cables. The startup has a wide offline distribution network across India. Some of its brands are Comet, Buds Pro, Crux and Flex Air. 

As per the website, Pebble has a presence in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Kenya, Tanzania, and UAE. It sells over 100 products via its website and offline retail partners. It has more than 10,000 retail partners and over 10 Mn customers across the world.

Komal Agarwal, cofounder of Pebble said, “Being part of Mensa Brands will help strengthen our position in the wearables market and open up new opportunities for us to leverage. While maintaining our commitment to innovative design and affordable prices, Mensa brands will provide us with the technological innovations and digital brand building capabilities to disrupt the global smart wearable market.”

The latest deal is counted as the fourth acquisition by Mensa Brands this year. Prior to this, the D2C aggregator had acquired gardening startup Trustbasket, aromatherapy and personal care D2C startup Florona and leather goods manufacturer and seller Estalon. 

Founded in May 2021 by former Myntra CEO- Anath Narayanan, Mensa is an ecommerce rollup startup that acquires digital-first startups and helps them scale across diverse sectors. It counts Accel Partners, Prosus, Tiger Global, Alpha Wave and Norwest Ventures, Kunal Shah, and Rahul Mehta as some of its investors. 

In February, Mensa Brands participated in a $10 Mn funding round of RENEE Cosmetics. The round also saw participation from Equanimity and 9Unicorns. In November 2021, it entered the coveted unicorn club after raising $135 Mn in its Series B funding round. 

Last year, it acquired close to 14 D2C brands – kidswear brand LilPicks, denim brand High Star, jewellery brand Priyaasi and women’s clothing brand Karagiri, to name a few.

It competes with the likes of GlobalBees, 10 Club, Upscalio, Evenflow and GOAT BrandLabs in the ecommerce rollup segment.

India’s D2C segment, which is estimated to reach $100 Bn by 2025, has seen a slew of business activities recently. Yesterday, ecommerce rollup GlobalBees reportedly invested INR 50 Cr apiece in five brands– nutrition brands HealthVit and Top Gummy, personal care brands UrbanGabru and Urban Yog, and lifestyle brand Kuber Industries. 

In March, ecommerce rollup startup UpScalio secured $15 Mn from Gulf Islamic Investments, Northern Arc and Unity Bank. Prior to this, it acquired stakes in four consumer brands – Gizga, Tizum, Aircase, and HomePuff for an undisclosed amount.