[Funding alert] Ayushmann Khurrana invests in men’s grooming brand The Man Company

Bollywood actor Ayushmann Khurrana has turned investor for the first time and invested in Helios Lifestyle Private Limited, the startup behind men’s premium grooming products brand The Man Company (TMC). 

The startup said this investment is part of a strategic partnership that will also see Ayushmann as the company’s Brand Ambassador. 

Commenting on the investment, Hitesh Dhingra, Founder and MD, The Man Company, said, 

“With his support, we are going to offer men world-class grooming essentials and empowering them to look and feel their very best.” 

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By roping in the National Award Winning actor, the brand is going to encourage the modern Indian men through an innovative campaign called “Bring Out The #GentlemanInYou”. The Man Company aims to change the societal template of who a man should be and provide an alternative to this definition. It wants to highlight that a gentleman can have flaws, can be vulnerable, and wear his heart on his sleeve.

Ayushmann said, 

"The definition of a gentleman has thankfully evolved today, and I believe men should be comfortable to embrace their vulnerability and their weaknesses. It doesn’t make them less of a man. I immediately connected with the philosophy of The Man Company and consider the company as a progressive and extremely inclusive brand whose products I love using.’’

“The company has impeccable business insights, and I will be deeply invested in ensuring that the company grows from strength to strength in the years to come,” he added.

Launched in 2015, The Man Company today claims to have a 30 percent market share in the beard grooming category and has received two rounds of funding from Kolkata-based FMCG brand Emami. Earlier this year, the firm established 1,000 brand touchpoints including premium salons, large format retail stores, health & beauty stores, and exclusive pop-ups. These locations are spread over 30 cities, the company added.

Apart from Ayushmann, many other Bollywood actors have turned investors. In June, Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor and his wife Mira Kapoor backed yoga and wellness startup, SARVA. Akshay Kumar also invested an undisclosed amount as part of Series C funding in wearable tech startup, GOQii.

Bollywood celebrity Deepika Padukone has backed two startups including IISc-incubated spacetech startup Bellatrix Aerospace, and flavoured and greek yoghurt brand Epigamia. Aishwarya Rai also donned the investor's hat along with her mother Vrinda KR in July by investing a little more than Rs 1 crore in Bengaluru-based environmental intelligence startup Ambee.

(Edited by Megha Reddy)

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