D2C home appliance startup Nuuk raises $5 million in funding led by Vertex Ventures SEAI

D2C home appliance startup Nuuk has secured $5 million (about Rs 40 crore) in a Series A funding round led by Vertex Ventures SEAI, with participation from Good Capital and several angel investors.

The round also saw participation from prominent industry figures such as Rohit Kapoor, CEO of Swiggy; Vivek Gambhir, former CEO of Boat and Godrej Consumer; Richard Rekhy, former CEO of KPMG India; Suhail Sameer, former CEO of BharatPe; Taru Kapoor, former general manager of Tinder India and South Asia; and Deep Bajaj, founder of Sirona Hygiene.

Appealing to a younger market

Founded by Gazal Kalra, co-founder of logistics startup Rivigo, and Shalabh Gupta, former chief growth officer at smart wearables brand Noise, Nuuk focuses on building design-first high-performance home appliances that cater to the needs of millennial and Gen Z customers. Its product range places a strong emphasis on modern aesthetics, useful features, and easy-to-use technology.

With this funding, the startup plans to accelerate product innovation, scale ‘Make in India’ capabilities, and invest in brand building.

Plans for product expansion

Nuuk offers products in categories including fans, vacuum cleaners, garment care, and juicers and blenders. One of the brand’s flagship devices is the All-Day Wireless Fan, which uses BLDC motors and battery technology to run for up to 16 hours on a single charge.

With fresh capital, the startup plans to deepen its product portfolio across the home environment, vacuum cleaners, and meal preparation. Nuuk is also looking into smart IoT devices and other high-performance solutions to improve the way people manage their homes.

Focus on local manufacturing

At the moment, Nuuk manufactures 20% of its products in India and imports the remaining 80% from China. However, Gupta says the startup intends to produce over 50% of its products locally by the end of the 2025-26 financial year. 

"We have been tracking the home appliance space for a while and think it's a category that is ripe for disruption. Nuuk's early execution was unlike anything the D2C space has seen in years. With Gazal and Shalabh, we immediately knew we had to partner because they bring deep strategic ability, top-flight operating experience and a passion for product excellence that is very rare. We're looking forward to building an iconic brand together," said Piyush Kharbanda, General Partner at Vertex Ventures SEA & India.

Growing competition

Nuuk faces competition from established names such as Philips, Bajaj, Atomberg, and LifeLong Group. 

"We founded Nuuk to reimagine home appliances for the new generation of consumers. Nuuk stands for high-performance products with intuitive designs and a delightful user experience delivered to global-quality standards. Our aim is to make Nuuk products relevant to the changing aspirations, modern homes and busy lifestyles of the new Indian customer," said Kalra and Gupta.

In addition to selling through its own website, the startup offers its products on popular e-commerce platforms, giving it broad access to online shoppers.