👋 Heyo!

GlobalBees D2C Pulse is back with exciting new content on the direct-to-consumer ecosystem in India. Things are looking bright on the COVID front and Chelsea won the FIFA Club World Cup this weekend! What more could one ask for from the weekend right?

Attention mode on now, this newsletter is bursting with e-comm updates from last week…

What’s in the news?

🤩 Daily No Drab

Lifestyle accessories brand Daily Objects raised USD 2 mn from early-stage VC Root Ventures. Daily Objects makes everyday special with its design-focused and chic personal accessories including gadget covers, bags, and home organizers. In its 10 year stint, Daily Objects has added 50,000+ product offerings, engaged 500+ craftsmen, and developed a presence across the world.

What’s so special about the brand? Ergonomic solutions and a unique means of self-expression to customers.

Sector valuation: Bags & Accessories segment amounted to USD 555 mn in 2019 and is expected to reach USD 1104 mn by 2023.

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💃 Renee gets a Makeover

Serial entrepreneurs Ashutosh Valani and Priyank Shah are bringing the BOT model (Build-Operate-Transfer) to the D2C space, it seems. They founded successful personal care brands (Beardo, Villian, and Renee Cosmetics) and sold them off to big-wigs like Marico (acquired Beardo in 2020) and Mensa (acquired Villian in 2021).

However, when it comes to their clean cosmetics brand Renee - with products like 5-in-1 lipstick, pre-makeup oil, etc., they have chosen investor bucks over a buy-out (for now): Mensa Brands invested USD 10 mn in Renee. Existing investors including Equanimity and 9Unicorns also joined the round.

Sector valuation: BPC is currently valued at USD 26.8 bn and is poised to reach USD 37.2 bn by 2025.

🟢 Green Dot is Good Dot

• #Virushka invested in plant-based meat company Blue Tribe (Industry val: USD 40 mn).

• D2C Ayurveda brand Life & Pursuits raised USD 0.5 mn

⏰ Quickies

• Social media platform ShareChat (parent of short-video platform Moj), announced a strategic merger with Times Internet-owned MX Taka Tak.

• Flipkart ventures into influencer-led live commerce with ‘feed’. FK’s child Myntra, already has a live comm platform called Myntra Studio. Have a look at FK’s bigger play here

• CercleX, a platform that works with brands to handle their waste streams and create circular solutions e.g. packaging, gets funding.

• Influencer Marketing Startup Kofluence bags USD 4 mn From Kunal Shah, KJo.

Brands that caught our eye!

🌻Drink flowers in a cup

Yuvasoul offers herbal teas with natural extracts of Butterfly Blue Pea, Hibiscus and Tulsi-Rose; these are anti-oxidants and have a calming effect on the mind amongst other benefits. The brand also offers powdered superfoods - amla, moringa, neem, and Shatavari-based, made from their dried leaves. These powders can be mixed with smoothies, curry, tea for ingestion and can be used in face packs.

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🐼 Be Shifu to my Po

Folks at PlayShifyu are making screen time for kids more meaningful, by combining 2 of the coolest things: AR and geography.

Their star product is a 10-inch globe that works with a companion app, to let kids do little activities in an AR environment. The symbols on the globe pop up into things like stories, and maps, with which kids can interact with e.g. Feeding an elephant, seeing routes to Mount Everest. I can picture my nephews nay us, having a blast with it.

Trend of the week: Playing Games

Scrabble, Uno, Cards Against Humanity etc. etc. have kept us entertained for a long time at family dinner parties, lockdowns and otherwise. But, lately, Indian entrepreneurs are getting all creative and launching games that celebrate Indian history or relate to the desi you. Here’s a list of a few of our favourites.

Reads & Recommendations

1. Social Media Content Ideas to get organic reach and engagement by Neil Patel.

2. Words that sum up the psychology of copywriting.

3. How to Spot trends.

That’s all for today!

If you missed our previous editions, check them out here!

Byeee!