MSMEs’ juggling act this festive season; Inside gifting giant Archies

Hello,

Many people have been scratching their heads of late. Some of them are Apple designers.

The iPhone 17 was released to much fanfare, but fans have realised that it can be scratched pretty easily. Called “scratchgate”, the incident has led to complaints after users noticed the phone’s anodised aluminium frame was highly prone to wear and tear.

H1-B visa holders have been left confused, too, after the US decided to scrap the lottery system and replace it with a weighted selection process, favouring higher-paid applicants.

Those recently laid off are seeing a silver lining, hopeful that firms like Oracle, Intel, Microsoft, and AWS may rehire H1-B holders as they remain exempt from the $100,000 fee.

India is also leveraging the issue during trade talks, asking US trade negotiators to ease access for Indian skilled workers, according to a Bloomberg report.

But the 50% tariff on Indian imports is sparking a new ‘Swadeshi’ move. Recently, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw shifted from Microsoft to Zoho’s software suite for documents and spreadsheets.

Elsewhere, the stock market rush continues. 

Walmart-owned digital payments major PhonePe has confidentially filed draft papers with SEBI as it gears up for one of the country’s largest initial public offerings. It reportedly plans to raise Rs 12,000 crore through the IPO.

In today’s newsletter, we will talk about 

• Inside gifting giant Archies
• Festive prep: MSME edition
• Powering India’s EV push

Here’s your trivia for today: Which was the first fast-food chain in India?

SMB Story

Inside gifting giant Archies

Before Instagram reels and WhatsApp forwarded wishes became the norm, millennials had greeting cards and slam books—where our school memories and emotions growing up were shared, cherished, and carefully tucked away. At the heart of all these exchanges, emotions, and memories was one brand—Archies.

Starting with a single store in Delhi, Archies has expanded its footprint across continents with its export business. Its total income from operations for FY25 stood at Rs 69.70 crore.

Gifting partner:

• COVID-19 was a critical juncture for Archies. Once things started normalising, the company focused on building an online website and hired a professional team to run it. 
• It also set up an export business and started manufacturing and exporting paper bags for high-end American and European brands. The company set up a 3 lakh sq ft facility in Manesar, Gurugram, to cater to the rising export demand. 
• Archies’ global strategy is anchored in emotional relevance and diaspora demand. The Middle East, Sri Lanka, the US, and Canada are key markets, where large Indian and South Asian communities celebrate occasions, including Raksha Bandhan, Diwali, Karva Chauth, Valentine’s Day, and Christmas. 

Funding Alert

Startup: Emergent

Amount: $23M

Round: Series A

Startup: Gullak

Amount: $7.5M

Round: Series A

Startup: Oolka

Amount: $7M

Round: Seed

Trends

Festive prep: MSME edition

The festive shopping window has expanded from just over a week in 2022 to a month-long cycle today, spanning Navratri, Dussehra, Karwa Chauth, Dhanteras, Diwali, and Bhai Dooj. Tier II and beyond cities now account for over half of festive ecommerce orders.

The demand for fast deliveries is pushing businesses to rethink how they stock and sell products. For MSMEs, this doesn’t just mean offering more products, but also equipping for faster delivery, better visibility on marketplaces, and wider distribution networks.

Key takeaways:

• Many businesses are front-loading inventory across regional warehouses and dark stores to ensure shorter delivery times. But stocking ahead requires significant capital. 
• Ritesh Jain, Co-founder of FlexiLoans.com, says, “The increase in consumer demand for quick delivery… has permanently altered how MSMEs operate during the holiday season. This year, there is unprecedented demand for credit as small firms hoard fast-moving items...”
• A Unicommerce report says that AI and analytics are also reshaping inventory and supply decisions, with businesses increasingly using predictive algorithms to optimise stocking, forecast category demand, and personalise shopper journeys.

Startup

Powering India’s EV push

Routematic was started in 2013 by Sriram Kannan and Kavitha Ramachandragowda to make office travel safer and more reliable. It follows the B2B2C model and has grown into one of India’s biggest tech-driven employee transport platforms, working with 300 companies, including Infosys, HCL, American Express, Barclays, and other leading IT and financial firms across 25 cities. 

It now handles over 3.5 lakh rides every month and is helping businesses move towards electric mobility.

News & updates

• AI bets: Alibaba has partnered with Nvidia for global data centre expansion and new AI products, as it positions AI as a core business priority alongside its ecommerce operation. The news helped send Hong Kong-listed shares of Alibaba up nearly 10% to a four-year high on Wednesday. 
• Image tool: Google’s latest AI project ventures into Pinterest’s territory, as the company launched Mixboard, software that enables anyone to create AI-powered mood boards. The service competes with Pinterest’s collage feature, where users create mood boards using their favourite Pins and other images.
• HIV treatment: Dr Reddy’s Laboratories and Hetero Labs will sell generic versions of a new and highly effective HIV prevention drug for roughly $40 per year beginning in 2027. Lenacapavir, approved earlier this year, is a twice-yearly injection that was nearly 100% effective at preventing HIV in large trials.

Which was the first fast-food chain in India?

Answer: Nirula’s. Its first outlet opened in Delhi’s Connaught Place in 1977.

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