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India is one of our fastest growing markets, we are investing heavily here: Canva co-founder Cliff Obrecht

Money ControlMoney Control · 2y ago
India is one of our fastest growing markets, we are investing heavily here: Canva co-founder Cliff Obrecht
Medial

Co-founder and COO of graphic design company Canva, Clifford Obrecht, stated that India is one of their fastest-growing markets and they are heavily investing in the region. India has a large creator community on Facebook and is gaining prominence as a key market for social media giants. Canva recently launched AI-enabled offerings under 'Magic Studio', featuring new features available in 11 Indian languages. Education is a popular use case in India, with presentations and social media designs being the most popular categories. Canva has doubled its users in India in the past year and has strategic partnerships with startups and educational institutes in the country. Canva also announced a $200 million fund to pay content and AI royalties to its creator community.

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RockClimber banks on authenticity and quality to tap into India’s beverage market

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
RockClimber banks on authenticity and quality to tap into India’s beverage market
Medial

India has a massive beverage market with many established brands, though several new players, such as Bira, have also made their mark. Considering the sheer size of the market, it’s safe to say that there’s ample scope for newcomers. One such new player is RockClimber. The company creates fruit beverages and fruit spirits designed specifically for India, made from locally grown fruits like jamun, grapes, pomegranate, kiwi, mulberry, and litchi, among others. One of the company’s objectives is to help reduce fruit wastage and create a sustainable ecosystem for farmers and fruit produce. We spoke to Cofounder Hariprasad Shetty to learn more about RockClimber, what distinguishes it from the competition, and the roadmap ahead. Here are the edited excerpts: The beverage market is filled with multiple brands, including some very established ones. How do you plan to stand out from the competition? As a truly authentic fruit based beverage brand, we are committed to using high quality fruits with an experimentative approach to crafting unique fruit combinations that incorporate global flavour trends. This has allowed us to offer a very diverse range of exciting and refreshing beverages while keeping fruits at the center of everything we do. That’s what makes us stand out from the rest of the competition – we see ourselves as fruit experts and our products are fresh and engage with the evolving consumer preferences. So our focus is on delivering an uncompromising product experience. We source the finest fruits from across the country. This commitment to authenticity and quality sets us apart from many competitors who rely heavily on artificial flavors and preservatives. And the traction we have had in the last three years also points to how we have been accepted in the market. [FY 22 7 Cr, FY 23 7 Cr, FY 24 25 Cr, FY 25 60-70 Cr domestic and 30-35 outside India = 100 Cr+ target] 140 strong distributor network across 11 states. 3 million + bottles of beverages sold. 3000 tons of fruits processed sourced from a farmer base of 200,000 small scale fruit farmers producing grapes, pomegranate, pineapple, jamun, strawberry, mango etc. What is your offline and distribution strategy, usually the key to robust growth in your category? Most of the work should happen before Day Zero – the launch day. We recognized early on that a robust distribution network is the backbone of success in this business. We adopted a systematic approach to build our distribution network from the ground up. Mapping out territories and identifying potential distributors and retailers who could penetrate different markets. We only went ahead with experienced and reputable distributors who had an in-depth understanding of local market dynamics and consumer preferences. What is your strategy for online? Are you considering partnerships with any quick commerce platform? Yes, now that we have a headway in the distribution aspect and have achieved product market fit, we are now going to go aggressive on the marketing front especially online channels. What are the incentives for a farmer dealing with your platform other than the convenience of direct sale and price? Farmers are looking for a stable assured source of income every year. Timely procurement of their fruit produce, immediate payments, reduction in time to sale, and providing access to a large pool of buyers are all the benefits farmers get by working with us. We started with 500 tons of fruit procurement, and now at over 5000 tons. We aim for 10X procurement volumes in the next 2-3 years, thereby contributing to 10 times reduction in fruit loss, and hence a direct positive impact on small scale farmers livelihood and stable income generation. As we expand our facilities, we aim to recruit local talent to be part of our company and thereby directly provide employment opportunities as well. RockClimber aims to: Scale to 10,00,000 farmer base in the next 3 years Platform building for farmer outreach, communication, and forecasting Patented mobile fruit processing system Export unit in select locations for UAE and Africa markets You also mentioned entering the UAE and Africa markets. What is your roadmap for global expansion? And why particularly these two markets? We expect 30-35% revenues coming in from global markets in the near term. Particularly markets like UAE are huge on experimentation as consumers there are well traveled and have an international palette. We see a large market opportunity in the innovative – new age beverage category in this region.

Meet Beyoung, Udaipur-based D2C fashion brand that’s eyeing Rs 650 Cr GMV

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
Meet Beyoung, Udaipur-based D2C fashion brand that’s eyeing Rs 650 Cr GMV
Medial

Independent fashion brands have come a long way in recent years. While the offline segment is still dominated by legacy players and franchises, the rise of social media and e-commerce has facilitated the growth of quite a few D2C brands. Moreover, the over $14 billion Indian e-commerce fashion market has helped brands like Bewakoof, Rare Rabbit, and The Pant Project to gain traction. One of the popular names in this space remains Beyoung. Founded in 2018, the startup claims to have delivered over 20 lakh online orders. The company recently announced accelerating its offline expansion by 300 stores across India and growing GMV two-fold to Rs 650 crore by 2027 We spoke to the company founder Shivam Soni to learn more about Beyoung, its history, growth, and lots more. Here are the edited excerpts: How did you come up with the idea of Beyoung? We always wanted to enter the essentials market, and the idea to start Beyoung was initiated with this thought. At one point, we recognized a significant gap in the market for aspirational yet affordable fashion options in tier 2, 3, and 4 cities across India, which we refer to as the ‘Real Bharat.’ While many brands were focusing on niche segments, we aimed to serve the mass market. We chose to focus on Kapda from the essentials ROTI, KAPDA, MAKAN (clothing), offering branded products to consumers in these underserved regions, providing both aspirational choices and value for money. What are the key challenges in the industry that still need to be addressed? And how do you plan to address them? Catering to diverse target audiences with varying buying power across regions is challenging. It’s crucial to adapt products and marketing to different regional preferences and cultures, as what works in North India might not work in South India. Managing an efficient supply chain and ensuring timely delivery adds to the complexity. Additionally, attracting and retaining skilled talent in a Tier 3 city like Udaipur is difficult. To solve these problems, we have leveraged technology and data-driven marketing campaigns. We analyze behavioral patterns and channel our efforts toward solving our audience’s pain points. While staying headquartered in Udaipur posed some challenges, it has also helped us address the challenges of tier 2, 3, and 4 cities in understanding their pain points and solving their problems How has your startup performed since its inception? Since its inception, Beyoung has shown significant growth and achieved notable milestones. Some key performance statistics highlight our progress: we have successfully built a robust customer base of 5 million, underscoring the strong demand and engagement with our brand. This growth reflects our ability to connect effectively with our target audience. Recognizing the potential and spending power in the men’s fashion segment, we have strategically made it our primary focus. This decision has paid off, as 90% of our revenue comes from male customers. In the last financial year of 2023, we achieved an impressive annual recurring revenue (ARR) of 200 million. This reflects our ongoing efforts to expand our market reach, enhance our product offerings, and improve customer engagement. What are your short-term and long-term product and business expansion and diversification goals? Our short-term and long-term goals for product and business expansion and diversification are driven by the evolving ways users interact with brands and the significant growth potential within the Indian fashion industry, projected to reach 289.6 million users by 2029. We aim to be the top choice for customers by offering trendy styles and great value for money. Our focus will be on efficiently engaging with and serving the mass market, both domestically and internationally, to become a part of their everyday wardrobe. Over the next three years, we plan to expand our presence by establishing physical stores in various neighborhoods across India. This will complement our existing online platform and provide a seamless shopping experience. Our long-term vision is to extend our reach beyond India and establish a global presence. We aspire to make Beyoung a recognizable and trusted brand worldwide, serving customers across different countries.

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