In a remarkable showcase of innovation and entrepreneurship, three startups—Pandas Box, Divine Hindu and Blep Petcare —successfully raised ₹1 crore each during the Elevate Demo Day, part of D2C Insider’s Early Stage Growth Cohort. Ten brands from Cohort 3 pitched their ideas to a jury of prominent investors, including D2C Insider Angels, DSG Consumer Partners, V3 Ventures, Indian Angel Network, Sharrp Ventures, Consumer Collective by Atrium Angels and Fireside Ventures.
The event, held in Gurugram, attracted over 50 investors and was followed by the D2C Insider CXO Meet, which gathered more than 150 founders for power-packed panel discussions and networking opportunities.Kunal Bahl, Founder of Snapdeal & Titan Capital and chief guest at the meet, remarked, “It is great to see D2C Insider bring together startups, catalysing collaboration and creating learning opportunities. The event highlighted the integral role of technology in building D2C businesses and how technology platforms like Unicommerce & Shipway are making it easier for businesses to scale using tech-powered processes. For founders having the right support—whether through technology, capital, mentorship, or networks—can make a real difference.”
Participants in Cohort 3 completed an immersive 12-week program that included over 20+ live sessions covering various aspects of business development, one-on-one mentorship from industry leaders, and valuable peer networking opportunities. Abhishek Shah, Chief Evangelist of D2C Insider, highlighted the program’s success, stating, “With this Demo Day, we’ve empowered over 40 brands through immersive interactions with industry veterans such as Aditya Sharma (The Souled Store), Karthik Reddy (Blume Ventures), Gaurav Khatri (Noise), and Deep Bajaj (Sirona). Our goal is to impart functional knowledge that accelerates their growth journeys while providing them with access to relevant capital for scaling up.”
Sukriti from Pandas Box, one of the Demo Day winners shared, “The elevate program was fruitful and truly valuable. We connected with like-minded founders who have walked similar paths, gaining insights from their journeys. More importantly, we got a deep understanding of what investors seek when backing a brand for future growth. This is crucial as we work towards becoming a ₹100 CR brand in the next 5 years and defining the scale we aim to achieve. The funding will be strategically utilized to fuel this vision through – Branding & Marketing activities to help scale.
- Research & Development to establish a robust supply chain.
- Building a competent team for strong execution of our Sales & Operations strategies.”
Another winner of Demo Day -Anirudh , Co-Founder of Divine Hindu said – “Thrilled to receive a cheque from D2C Insider Angels! The past four months have been an incredibly insightful journey—filled with mentorship, friendships, and invaluable learnings from the Elevate program.
Every mentor, peer, and fellow Cohort 2 founder played a crucial role in helping us understand the market better and take Divine Hindu to new heights. Grateful for the support and excited for what’s ahead”
Looking ahead, applications for Cohort 4 of the Elevate program will close soon with the next cohort set to commence. Interested applicants can register at Elevate Registration.
About D2C Insider: Founded in 2019 by group of industry leaders as it’s founding members, D2C Insider has been a key player in the evolution of India’s D2C ecosystem, supporting over 10,000 members, including top brand founders, enablers, and investors. The community is dedicated to accelerating the growth of Indian consumer brands through mentorship, knowledge-sharing, and capital investment. Join the community via – https://d2ci.co/registration
D2C Insider connect@d2cinsider.com
