The Paan Legacy, Hemptyful, and Polr.Care secure Rs 1 crore each from D2C Insider

Early-stage consumer brands, The Paan Legacy, Hemptyful, and Polr.Care have each secured funding of up to Rs 1 crore through D2C Insider’s Elevate Growth Accelerator program, Cohort 2.

The funding round concluded with a Demo Day where these three startups emerged as winners, drawing support from a panel of prominent investors.

Over 50 investors, including D2C Insider Angels, DSG Consumer Partners, Mumbai Angels, and Indian Angel Network, participated in the event, which was held in Gurugram.

Cohort 2 brings industry leaders and mentors together

Elevate Cohort 2 was a 12-week accelerator program to strengthen the foundation of selected startups in the direct-to-consumer (D2C) sector.

Participants engaged in more than 20 live sessions on key business areas, along with one-on-one mentorship from leaders like Aditya Sharma (The Souled Store) and Karthik Reddy (Blume Ventures).

The program focused on refining business strategies and equipping participants with insights crucial for scaling their operations.

Amit Jain, founder of CarDekho and chief guest at the D2C Insider Regional CXO Meet North, emphasized the importance of such initiatives.

“It’s truly inspiring to witness the efforts of communities in promoting entrepreneurship and shaping Bharat 2.0. The D2C Insider community is a prime example, providing early-stage founders with the guidance and funding they need through initiatives like Elevate," Jain said.

Networking and resources for emerging brands

D2C Insider provided participants with a comprehensive package that included Rs 25 lakh in credits from leading service providers like WebEngage, Shiprocket, and Unicommerce.

This resource support allowed startups to enhance their operational capabilities, especially in areas like branding, marketing, and supply chain management. Furthermore, the accelerator’s network facilitated critical peer-to-peer learning and direct access to industry veterans.

Revant Kaza, a representative from Hemptyful, expressed his appreciation for the program, stating, “The Elevate program was incredibly valuable. We connected with like-minded founders and gained insight into what investors seek to scale brands. The funding will help us with branding and marketing, research and development for a strong supply chain, and building a competent team to execute our sales and operations strategies.”

Demo day unites investors and founders

During the Demo Day event, a select group of eight brands pitched their business ideas to a panel of distinguished investors. D2C Insider’s jury included seasoned investors from Prath Ventures, Sauce.vc, Chandigarh Angels, and WFC, among others.

The event also hosted D2C Insider’s Regional CXO Meet North, which brought together over 150 founders for networking and panel discussions, enabling these emerging entrepreneurs to share experiences and discuss industry trends.

Future of D2C Insider and upcoming Cohort 3

D2C Insider, a community founded in 2019 to foster the D2C ecosystem in India, has now supported over 40 brands through its accelerator program.

Abhishek Shah, Founder of D2C Insider, expressed the organization’s goal to keep empowering early-stage startups by connecting them with capital and expertise.

Cohort 3 of the Elevate Growth Accelerator is set to launch in November 2024.