Parineeti Chopra-Backed Clensta Onboards Mamaearth SVP Ashish Mishra As Cofounder

Personal care startup Clensta has brought on former Mamaearth senior vice president Ashish Mishra as a cofounder and the chief business officer (CBO).

Mishra, who is an IIM Calcutta alumnus, headed the general trade, modern trade, HORECA, institutional, international, alternate and salon businesses at Mamaearth. In his most recent role with the D2C unicorn, he was the head of offline and international business, leading a team of more than 1,500 people.

At Clensta, Mishra will head the retail and online sales channels, along with playing a role in driving the growth of the international, institutional, and alternate channels. “Ashish’s experience in this industry will be instrumental in driving strategic decisions at the company and will also contribute towards the Company’s growth capital raising initiatives,” said Clensta in a statement.

The incoming Clensta CBO had stepped down from his position at Mamaearth a week ago, according to a post he shared on LinkedIn.

On his new role at the personal care brand, Mishra said, “I am excited to be given this opportunity to work closely with Puneet and his team. Clensta has already disrupted the personal care space with its customer-centric approach and innovative offerings and I am confident that together, we will scale this brand to greater heights in the years to come.”

Founded in 2016 by Puneet Gupta, Clensta offers a range of personal-care products across categories like hair care, skincare, body care, fragrance, and others. The startup claims that its products are sustainable and are researched and developed at IIT-Delhi.

“We are thrilled to have Ashish on board who will add tremendous value to Clensta with his experience as an industry leader for almost 20 years. His rich experience and proven track record of scaling D2C businesses make him an invaluable addition to our team,” Gupta added.

Clensta recently onboarded Bollywood actor Parineeti Chopra as an investor, partner and brand ambassador. 

In July, the D2C brand secured $9 Mn in a round led by TradeCred and co-led by Shaikh Mohammad Ibrahim Abdulaziz Bin Ibrahim Almualla of the UAE Royal Family, with participation from Ex-Im Bank of India, Mumbai Angels, Keiretsu, LetsVenture, and O2 VC Fund.

Clensta has so far raised INR 105 Cr (including the current round) since its launch and counts IAN & IAN fund, IPV, VCats, Hem Securities, IIT Delhi, and US-AID, among its investors.