46 D2C BRAND DISRUPTORS

For the second edition of Entrepreneur's The Makers Co, we recognize 46 DTC brands selected on the basis of qualitative analysis and consideration from industry leaders and Entrepreneur India Editors, who reviewed hundreds of nominations - whose entrepreneurial spirit and actions are helping transform not only their brands but retail, commerce, marketing, supply chain and oftentimes, the industry itself. These new-age startups are building brands and businesses across industries, categories and the globe. Their entrepreneurial spirit aside, what you'll see in the aggregate is an appreciation for brand creation and product love built on the five Cs that are customer, community, commerce, culture and creators. At a time when brand relevance and business growth are of utmost importance, these founders are fighting for brand relevance with an unwavering commitment. Let's hail the next frontier of Direct to Consumer.

- Punita Sabharwal, S. Shanthi, Shrabona Ghosh, Akshit Pushkarna, Saptak Bardhan & Deepa Vaidya

The Makers Со - The Builders of India's New CPG

HONASA CONSUMER

Building brand beyond babycare

VARUN ALAGH, CO-FOUNDER, CEO, HONASA CONSUMER

When Ghazal and Varun had their first child, they started looking for chemical-free products for their baby, but couldn’t find safe baby products and hence ended up importing products, which was both expensive and time-consuming. Identifying this gap, they decided to create Mamaearth with Made Safe certified, ‘Toxin-free’ baby care products. They launched the brand with limited SKUs and a premium proposition very targeted towards metro consumers in the beginning. Talking about taking the digital first route, Varun Alagh, Cofounder & CEO, Honasa Consumer shares, “Since the scale at which we were trying to make and sell something was small, online was the best, and the only place to start as we wanted to test waters before taking the plunge.”

When asked about the role investors played in the growth of the brand, Alagh mentions, “Most of the entrepreneurs, like Ghazal and I, come with a limited understanding of the various aspects of business, and hence we learn most things on the job. Hence, our investors become extremely critical in this learning curve. Apart from the influx of funds, investors act like mentors who bring in a lot of strategic strength and help give direction to entrepreneurs.”