A power-packed Brands of India 2024 with resonant takeaways

The atmosphere was electric as the curtains rose for YourStory’s Brands of India 2024 on Friday, May 31. A dynamic mix of enterprise leaders, visionary entrepreneurs, industry experts, and passionate brand enthusiasts converged under one roof, ready to ignite an evening of inspiration and innovation.

The air crackled with anticipation as the stage became a hub of dynamic discussions, riveting keynote addresses, and intimate fireside chats. The sessions delved deep into the world of game-changing strategies, cutting-edge trends, and compelling narratives shaping the future of Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) brands.

During the inaugural panel discussion—Vasanth Tamilselvan (Founder of Ariro Toys), Amar A Ummat (Founding Partner of Recur Club), and Prashant Sharma (CMO and Business Head at TMRW House Of Brands)—discussed several things including the age-old question of when startups should seek funding.

“Always raise money when you don't need it and if capital is chasing you. If you’re not profitable, don’t raise debt,” Tamilselvan advised.

While there are a lot of businesses out there, according to Ummat, anyone building a consumer-led business with voice-based search is always going to attract capital.

Securing capital is only one aspect of building a business. As it expands, particularly in today's tech-driven era, the crucial question becomes how to sustain growth. So, what about adopting an omnichannel approach?

Sharma believes that after reaching a certain scale, online businesses should go offline to build trust and fuel growth. He added that omnichannel offers good opportunities to tap into new customers.

Next, Raghav Govindan, Customer Engineer II at Google Cloud, spoke about Google Cloud’s AI Innovations for startups and how the transformative power of AI is shaping the future of the startup landscape.

Govindan said that among organisations considering or using AI, 82% believe it will either significantly change or transform their industry.

Next, Atul Mehta, CEO of Domestic Shipping at Shiprocket, shared insights on how the ecommerce company navigated delivery speed and conversion rates to become a logistics powerhouse.

“The more customer engagement you have, the more repeat orders you will get. ‘Repeat’ is the holy grail for D2Cs and is key to scaling,” Mehta noted.

Later in the evening, Resha Jain, (CBO of Giva), and Vachana Shetty (Head of Marketing, Akshayakalpa Organic) unveiled the marketing secrets of building buzzworthy brands.

“If you can relate to a business through a particular sentiment—then it’s no longer a business, it’s a brand. Identity is what makes a brand; it’s almost as if they have personalities,” said Jain.

In the case of Akshayakalpa, farmers are influencers, according to Shetty. “We create one role model farmer per village. There are 1,400 such farmers who earn more than Rs 1 lakh per month,” she added.

Next, IIT-IIM alum Ganesh Balakrishnan, a serial entrepreneur, shared how he maintained resilience while building one venture after another, with his latest success being the fintech startup Aurm.

Balakrishnan’s entrepreneurial learning: understand how to make decisions, learn from mistakes, improve upon them, and double down on things that work. 

And when things go bad and it requires some crisis management, Balakrishnan said, “If you have done something wrong, admit it, and then figure out what to do. Second, over-communicate with your team because employees rally around the founder. You owe it to them.”

The evening ended with a power-packed discussion where Pragya Batra (Co-founder of Quirksmith), Surender S Rajpurohit (Founder of Turms), Kanikka Dewanii (Founder of Mintree), and Surbhi Bafna (Founder and CEO of Allter) elaborated on their journeys of sustaining growth beyond Shark Tank.

“On Shark Tank India, the only thing we were sure of was that it would create brand awareness. Now, it’s up to brands to take it to the next level. Demand will rise and you should be able to fulfil it,” Rajpurohit said.

According to Batra, it takes a lot of courage to come in front of the camera to market, but as a founder, one needs courage at every stage. “If you keep doing something long enough, you build muscle,” she added.

Apart from the vibrant discussions, captivating keynote speeches, and cosy fireside chats, Brands of India 2024 offered a valuable opportunity for participants to network with organisations.