🐣 Kindling Kindness

Clean supplements, future-proofing coffee, mental wellness & Cosmetic Chemist

Dec 20, 2021

👋 Hey!

Welcome to GlobalBees D2C Pulse where we curate content around the direct-to-consumer (D2C) ecosystem in India - start-ups, funding, acquisitions, partnerships, and more. If you missed our previous editions, check them out here!

Instagram trend check: “Tell me you believe in your business model without telling me you believe in your business model”…go ahead and name your business after its model like Facebook (Meta-verse) & Twitter (Block-chain). Grofers took up the challenge, changed its name to Blinkfit showing commitment to 10-minute delivery!

What’s in the news?

💊 Supplements getting compliments

Plant-based nutraceutical brand Plix that offers a range of skincare, workout, and weight loss products in form of effervescent, gummies, pills, etc., has raised USD 5 mn from Guild Capital & RPSG Capital. Also, nutraceutical brand Fullife Healthcare, known for its brand The Fast&Up raised USD 22 mn from Morgan Stanley this week.

OTC supplements are increasingly becoming mainstream, which people get to know about while waiting in a queue at a pharmacy, googling, or through a friend. But, given we pretty much have a wild west sitch when it comes to the efficacy of these supplements - are people just stacking supplements with no real understanding of what’s in them or what to expect from them? Read The Atlantic’s US-based report.

🐣Kindling Kindness

If you are not into nutraceuticals and enjoy plain old healthy eating, VC funds have updates for you as well! Antler India is backing Jaipur-based Gladful that offers everyday protein food. The brand is working with nutritionists to fit protein in daily diets and tiffin boxes with its scrumptious cookies and snacks.

Looking out for more clean eating options? Check out Kindlife.in, a marketplace for clean and sustainable brands, that is now backed by Kalaari Capital.

💁My Good Glamm Group becomes a gossipmonger

‘Content commerce’ has quietly emerged as a multi-bn-$$$ industry, intertwined in the lives of consumers. Never has the shopping been more innovative, where consumers interact with brands in new ways: from live-streaming to interactive ads.

Good Glamm Group is targetting different audience segments through acquired platforms Baby Chakra, ScoopWhoop, Plixxo, PopXo. In a bid to access the celebrity influencer network, they have now acquired MissMalini Entertainment.

Meanwhile, BPC e-comm player Purplle is sticking to the product-first strategy and has acquired cosmetics brand, Faces Canada to add high-quality international products to its portfolio.

🏡Nest-in this winters

Winters have finally kicked in and it’s time get-togethers at rooftop bars are replaced with a warm homely setting. Before that, you gots to make your house look pretty right? Check out home decor brand Nestasia that raised USD 4 mn from Stellaris Venture Partners and other angel investors from Mamaearth, Delhivery etc.

Nestasia claims to increase its SKU count to 10,000 by next year across kitchen, dining, garden & bath decor, stemming its roots tight into the Indian online home decor market that is estimated to be around USD 2.1 bn.

Brands that caught our eye!

🍫Future-proofing coffee, chocolate & peanut butter

US-based Voyage Foods got us covered for if and when the world runs out of the 3 Cs of life - Chocolate, Coffee, and Crunchies (Peanuts). It is creating alternative 3 Cs, that apparently taste the same and have the same effect if not better on consumers. Voyage Foods uses whole food ingredients, like sunflower meal and grape seeds, and manipulates them (roasting and some other voodo magic) in a certain way to achieve flavors found in these products.

It’s interesting to see companies are thinking outside the tunnel vision of mimicking meat, milk, and egg for a sustainable tomorrow!

👳‍♀️Singh styled king vibes

Singh Styled is a worldwide Sikh Store that offers grooming and styling products for today's Sikh Gentlemen. Be it premium Sikh turban fabrics made of German cotton yarn machines, beard fixers, hair and beard nourishment oils, and other important personal hygiene products, the brand helps a Sikh Gentleman maintain his identity with ease.

Trend of the week: Mental Wellness 😌

While there is no dearth of gadgets around to keep us informed and entertained, last 2 years of the pandemic have made us realize the importance of mental wellness. People need moments of inactivity and meditation to get their ‘zen’ back. To aid people in the process, many companies are launching online services ~ meditation, yoga, calming music/videos, consultation, anxiety management etc.

Indian mental health and wellness startups garnered over USD 28.24 mn with the decade’s highest investment in 2021. Here’re prominent players in India (including certain US-based players)