Kult, a startup using AI to offer personalised skincare recommendations, raises Rs 170 crore in funding

Kult, a tech-forward beauty discovery platform, has raised $20 million or over Rs 170 crore in a Series A funding round led by Dr. Payal Kanodia and Aishwarya Bansal of the M3M Family Office, with participation from early-stage investor Venture Catalysts. 

As part of the investment, Kanodia and Bansal will join Kult's board, bringing operational heft and strategic direction at a time when the startup is aiming for rapid growth.

What does Kult do?

Founded by Karishma Singh and Ruchika Pallavi, Kult is positioning itself at the intersection of beauty, artificial intelligence, and user empowerment. The platform uses AI to deliver personalised skincare recommendations, drawing from data insights and expert inputs to help users find the most effective products for their individual skin needs.

Its visual catalogue, which displays products on diverse Indian skin tones, aims to improve trust, accuracy, and inclusivity in digital beauty retail. The platform is backed by insights from over 300 global beauty experts.

Purpose of fundraising

The startup plans to channel the newly raised capital to expand product offerings, grow its team, and scale operations across the country. It aims to onboard over 700 premium beauty products and process more than 10,000 daily orders by the end of 2025. 

Kult currently operates at a margin of over 35% and is targeting a gross merchandise value (GMV) of Rs 650–700 crore for the ongoing fiscal year. The startup plans to hire over 200 professionals across sourcing, engineering, product development, and UX roles.

"Kult's data-driven, customer-first, tech-led model signals the next evolution in the online beauty space—where deep personalisation and human insight converge to deliver instant, precise solutions. The strong traction from repeat users in this early stage validates the timing and necessity of launching such a sharply focused, super-niche platform," said Dr Payal Kanodia.