Thank You, Sponsors, For Making Inc42’s First Ever Offline D2C Summit A Hit!

We kicked off this August with a bang with Inc42’s first-ever in-person D2C Summit! Focussed on scaling D2C brands in an era where traditional retail converges with new-age businesses, the summit truly delivered on its promise — a gathering of 300+ attendees from across the retail spectrum, all under one roof, learning, exchanging insights and decoding the next wave of India’s consumption story.

The summit became a treasure trove of experiences, blending insights from decades-old legacy players with those from modern, tech-driven brands that are reshaping consumer behaviour and buying patterns. 

The speaker lineup boasted over 40 prominent figures in the retail industry, including Kishore Biyani of Future Group; Gaurav Rathod of Cello; Pawan Gadia of Ferns N Petals; and Ayush Bansal of Liberty Shoes. Alongside these stalwarts, the summit also featured new-age disruptors like Mallika Datt Sadani of The Moms Co.; Viraj Bahl of Veeba; Dr Shashank Sinha of Drool; Pankaj Vermani of Clovia; Ashutosh Valani of Renee Cosmetics; Midhula Devabhaktuni of Mivi; and Shauravi Malik of Wholsum Foods. 

During the one-day summit, years of experience of these industry leaders was distilled into actionable insights across 10+ sessions. These sessions were meticulously curated to address key challenges hindering the growth of D2C brands, such as breaking into the INR 100 Cr club, navigating the quick commerce frenzy, and things brands need to know about M&As and exits. Each topic was dissected by experts, with engaging Q&A rounds. The sessions were followed by a networking dinner which offered the attendees the chance to interact with speakers and fellow peers. 

Ultimately, the day surpassed all our expectations! And much of this success can be attributed to the unwavering support of our sponsors and partners, whose enthusiasm from the event’s inception to its grand conclusion was indispensable.

We would like to take a moment to express our gratitude to them.

Presenting Partner 

Broadway

With the belief that every brand is its own director, Broadway plans to offer new-age offline retail department stores tailored for modern brands. Founded by Vivek Biyani in 2023, Mumbai-based Broadway is on a mission to democratise retail trade by offering plug-and-play tools that seamlessly integrate into the physical world. The platform will provide over 20,000 sq ft of space in prime malls, offering experience-driven environments such as live shows, a creator studio and much more. These immersive experiences will engage audiences in a personalised way, strengthening brand relationships by creating a sense of excitement and community for shoppers and influencers beyond the digital realm.

Broadway stores are set to open soon in Delhi, Hyderabad, and Mumbai.

Biyani also participated as a speaker in a discussion, ‘From D2C To Retail: Scaling Up Brands The Modern Way’, alongside NEWME’s Shivam Tripathi; Liberty Shoes’ Ayush Bansal; Aakash Medicines’ Aakash Chaudhary and Huddle Ventures’ Ishaan Khosla. 

Co-Presenting Partners

Simpl

Simpl is India’s foremost merchant-first checkout network, promising to make payments invisible and money intelligent. Founded by Nitya Sharma in 2015, Simpl is on a mission to empower merchants to build trusted relationships with customers, one transaction at a time. With more than 26,000 available merchants and millions of approved users Pan-India, Simpl envisions creating a frictionless and inclusive digital payments experience for India that empowers and fosters trust between merchants and their customers

Sharma featured in a panel discussion, ‘Decoding The Great Indian Retail Opportunity’, alongside Archana Jahagirdar from Rukam Capital; Fireside Ventures’ Kannan Sitaram and Rohit Bansal of AceVector & Titan Capital

Emiza

Mumbai-based Emiza is a third-party logistics provider offering end-to-end warehousing and fulfillment solutions to consumer brands. Founded in 2015 by Ajay Rao, its name is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘iza’, meaning power, symbolising its mission to empower businesses through innovative solutions. 

Having worked with numerous new-age brands such as The Souled Store, Snitch, Clovia, Almo, and more, Emiza seeks to disrupt traditional supply chain practices by leveraging cutting-edge technology and data analytics to enhance business efficiency, profitability and customer satisfaction.

During the summit, Rao joined Veeba’s Viraj Bahl to decode Veeba’s secret sauce to becoming INR 1,000 Cr revenue brand. 

Powered By 

Venture Catalysts++

Founded in 2016 by Dr Apoorva Ranjan Sharma, Anil Jain, Anuj Gulecha and Gaurav Jain, Venture Catalysts++ is a multi-stage venture capital firm based in Mumbai. Operating across a wide range of sectors, the sector-agnostic VC firm has established a global footprint with presence across countries such as India, the US, the UK, Hong Kong, Canada, the UAE and Singapore.

According to VCats++, it has syndicated $720 Mn across more than 360 portfolio startups. In addition to capital, the firm provides mentorship, industry connections and sector-specific expertise to help its portfolio companies scale for global markets. In India, VCats++ has backed startups like Beardo, BharatPe, ClanConnect and Dukaan.

Zippee

Founded by Madhav Kasturia in 2021, Zippee is focussed on helping India’s ecommerce brands enhance customer loyalty and reduce return-to-origin (RTO) rates by enabling same-day delivery through their own websites. Brands can integrate their online stores with Zippee’s platform in just a few clicks and launch same-day delivery services within two days.

Currently operating across 1,000 pin codes in 10 cities and nine states, Zippee claims to have worked with over 120 D2C brands, including well-known names like Lenskart, Epigamia, Clinikally, Frido, Mondelez, Masterchow, and Supertails. 

Besides supporting us in pulling off the event, Kasturia also participated as a speaker in a panel discussion, ‘On The Fast-Track: D2C Brands’ Guide To Nailing The Quick Commerce Game’, alongside Mohit Goyal of Swiss Beauty; Shauravi Malik of Wholsum Foods; Zoff Foods’ Akash Agrawal and Renu Bisht of Commercify360. 

Mobavenue

Founded in 2017 by Tejas Rathod, Kunal Kothari and Ishank Joshi, Mobavenue is a growth and technology platform focused on providing MadTech (martech and adtech) solutions to brands, agencies, and publishers. The platform’s goal is to drive customer acquisition, growth, engagement, and monetisation through purpose-built product suites designed to enhance brand performance.

Mobavenue aims to create meaningful growth across the entire consumer journey, offering tailored tools that empower businesses to optimise their marketing and advertising efforts for maximum impact.

Joshi joined Pawan Gadia from Ferns N Petals for a riveting chat on the company’s three decades of gifting journey and how Ferns N Petals cracked the omnichannel play. 

Pay10

Founded in 2017, Delhi-based Pay10 serves as a comprehensive digital payment solution for businesses and consumers across India. The platform provides a secure online payment gateway, allowing businesses to accept multiple payment methods, including debit cards, credit cards and UPI.

In addition to its payment gateway, Pay10 offers services like utility bill payments and mobile recharges at retail outlets. It also equips retailers with mPOS (mobile Point of Sale) solutions, enabling them to easily accept card payments via mobile devices.

Pay10’s Dr Atul Mehta joined a discussion titled, ‘The Building Blocks For Scale In Modern Retail & D2C’, along with DrinkPrime’s Manas Ranjan Hota; Aza Fashion’s Devangi Nishar Parekh and Nishant Kinra, director, EY-Parthenon – transactions, strategy & execution. 

Associate Partners

Peak XV Partners

Peak XV Partners, previously known as Sequoia Capital India and SEA, is a global venture capital and growth investment firm with a strong presence in India, Southeast Asia and beyond for the past 18 years.

Peak XV has invested in more than 400 startups across different regions. Notably, 40 of these startups have surpassed $100 Mn in revenue. In India, the firm ranks among the top VC players, with a portfolio that includes a number of unicorns. 

Beyond funding, Peak XV supports founders through various cohort and community-driven programs, including Surge, Spark, Pathfinders, Pitstop, Build and The Guild, offering expertise and guidance to help scale their ventures.

Rukam Capital

Delhi-based Rukam Capital offers early-stage investments in consumer products and services companies with significant growth potential and the promise of substantial returns. The VC firm targets businesses that combine innovation with a strong mission. 

Among its portfolio are notable startups such as Go DESI, Sleepy Owl, Burger Singh, Beco and Curefoods. The firm is dedicated to backing purpose-driven founders who are committed to solving complex problems at scale through their products and companies.

Rukam Capital’s managing director Archana Jahagirdar was part of a panel discussion on the topic, ‘Decoding The Great Indian Retail Opportunity’. 

Nitro

Founded in 2023 by Umair Mohammed, Pratik A and Shamail Tayyab, Nitro Commerce is a Delhi NCR-based startup that aims to boost D2C brand sales through AI-driven solutions. The startup addresses challenges such as anonymous visitors and conversion obstacles while simplifying complex marketing tasks for D2C businesses. Nitro’s mission is to help D2C brands unlock their full potential in India’s rapidly growing ecommerce market.

With a decade of experience in creating innovative martech solutions for leading commerce brands in India, the founders of Nitro are leveraging AI to drive a new era of growth. 

In a discussion titled, ‘Secrets To Scaling: Breaking Through Into The INR 100 Cr Club’, Umair was joined by Pankaj Vermani from Clovia; Tarun Sharma of mCaffeine & HYPHEN; Raghav Verma from Chaayos and Soothe Healthcare’s Sahil Dharia.