Unwind Mind announces the closing of its pre-seed funding round, wherein it raises Rs. 2 Cr. at a Valuation of Rs. 15 Cr. with participation from strategic investors, including Yogesh Chaudhary and Marwari Catalysts.
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Surendra Rajpurohit, Founder and CEO, Unwind Mind with Sushil Sharma, Founder and CEO, Marwari Catalysts
Unwind Mind is a D2C venture aiming to enter into D2C fashion brands. Further, the startup will use the funding to aid and enter into the D2C fashion super-specialized category to become the market leader.
The D2C ecosystem in India is growing exponentially due to factors like increasing first-time internet users and evolving consumers expectations, who are willing to experiment with new products and prefer personalized and direct engagement with brands.
In this context, Surendra Rajpurohit, Founder & CEO of Unwind Mind, says, "Indias D2C (Direct-to-consumer) market has been buoyant due to several successful startups, and the sector is poised to become a $100 billion addressable market by 2025. In addition, the pandemic has accentuated the need for the D2C way of doing business. This has contributed to the emergence of horizontal and vertical e-commerce players, social media marketing, and logistics options."
"Moreover, we anticipate robust consolidation activity in the D2C ecosystem in the upcoming years as the Millennials are coming up with exceptional ideas ready to disrupt the traditional market. Our purpose at Unwind Mind is to revolutionize the D2C space by scaling promising D2C brands by involving tech support and industry expertise."
Sharing his viewpoint on the emerging D2C ecosystem, Sushil Sharma, the Founder & CEO of Marwari Catalysts, says, "Our experience in consumer tech has been remarkable after two portfolio startup acquisitions in consumer-tech categories in the past one year, and were very bullish about the industry."
He further states, "The robust Internet ecosystem and evolving customer acquisitions strategies have made new business models viable and have led to the emergence of the direct-to-consumer (D2C) distribution channel. Today, India is witnessing the rise of D2C brands across categories, and the market is expected to flourish exponentially in the coming years. In addition, we expect high levels of funding activity in this space, increasing over time, as more successful D2C outcomes will validate the hypothesis for newer capital deployment."
Commenting on the investment, Yogesh Chaudhary, the Founder of Jaipur Rugs, and Investor, Unwind Mind, says, "India is definitely making a mark with the tremendous D2C disruption. With the pandemic accelerating the digital transformation and triggering the D2C/eCommerce turning point, Indian startups have been given a wider field to grow their customer base through digital penetration, followed by offering a diverse yet solution-based product portfolio."
He further adds, "The potential of the D2C market in India will only continue to grow, and Unwind Mind is well-positioned to effectively tap this industry while helping brands scale."
The journey towards growth..
It is encouraging to see the immense growth of the D2C business model over the years. This year, we expect D2C businesses to gain momentum, expanding niche categories, new entrants, and positive investments from investors. As we look ahead, D2C brands will continue to flourish, with leading brands also launching their digital-first arms. And technology and innovation will be key to building impactful brands as the market evolves.
