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Meet the woman who had an accident at 24 and built a 3500 CR business. 1. When Kainaz Messman was 16 and on a trip to France, she decided to dedicate her life to making pastries. After studying at the prestigious Oberoi Centre of Learning & Development, she became a pastry chef at the Oberoi Udaivilas in Udaipur. But then something terrible happened. 👇 2. A life-threatening accident happened at 24, which gave her a serious back injury and left her bedridden for months. Kainaz wanted to be the best pastry chef in the world, but the doctor told her to abandon her dream. She was heartbroken but decided to do something. 🤔 3. Kainaz left the bed to build her own baking brand. Taking 1 CR as a loan from her father, she left her job and opened her one-room outlet with four tables at the iconic Cusrow Baug at Colaba Causeway, Mumbai. In October 2004, Theobroma was born. 🚀 4. Kainaz named Theobroma after its Greek meaning, "Food of the Gods." She wanted to make the best desserts in the authentic European style. And her idea worked so much that she sold out on the first day. ✅ 5. Within the first year, Theobroma had clocked sales of 1 CR. By 2008, it had become the Mumbai trendsetter with only one outlet. But there was still a huge problem. 👇 6. Nobody was ready to invest in a single-outlet bakery, and Kainaz could not expand beyond one outlet. She persevered for ten long years, and finally, the lights shone on her. In 2014, Kainaz secured Theobroma's first funding of 5 CR as a loan. 💰 7. As she expanded to more outlets in Mumbai, Theobroma broke the ceiling and scaled to a revenue of 50 CR. Their millionaire brownies in authentic Belgian chocolate had become a big hit among the urban population. But Kainaz still had a problem— No funds. ❌ 8. With the company's profits, she opened a store in Delhi and expanded to gourmet cakes and croissants. As online food deliveries rose in 2016, she became the best-selling premium bakery brand online, with an order value of Rs 300. But she still needed growth capital to open stores. And then magic happened. 🪄 9. ICICI Ventures committed to investing 120 CR in Theobroma through multiple rounds until 2019, with a 46% stake. Kainaz finally did not have to worry about capital for a long time now and agreed to the deal. By 2019, Theobroma operated 50 outlets and clocked revenues of 121 CR. 📉 10. All of Theobroma's stores were owned by them, and they had a central kitchen that ensured its premium quality. By 2021, it had served 500,000 customers with 200 products and opened 100 stores across Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Pune by 2022. 🙌 11. Today, Theobroma has 225 stores in 30 cities and generates revenue of 375 CR at a profit of 45 CR. Expected to reach 600 CR this year, it continues to be India's largest premium bakery brand. ➡️When an accident happens at 24 and a childhood dream gets shattered, very few people get up. Even fewer, like Kainaz Messman, built a 3500 CR company from it. #startups hashtag#casestudy