Water And Shark Expands Its Services In the Legal Sector as Its Expert Legal Wing

Water And Shark International Inc. (USA) sets up Water And Shark Legal in India with its main office in Mumbai and associate offices across major cities in India.

Water And Shark International Inc. is a multinational accounting and consulting firm, founded by young Indian CA Mr. Harsh Patel in 2012.Having successfully rendered services in the accounting and consulting field on a global level, Water and Shark has now ventured into the legal sector through its member firm Water And Shark Legal which shall operate as a multi-disciplinary legal service firm in India with an aim of providing legal advisory and compete litigation services across India.

About Water And Shark Legal:

Water and Shark has joined hands with young endowed Ms. Kruti Bhavsar who is practicing as an Advocate at the Bombay High Court and as a Counsel at the Supreme Court of India to set up Water And Shark Legal- A multidisciplinary law firm. At present the firm operates from Mumbai and has associate offices across major cities. The functioning and administration of Water And Shark Legal shall be fully independent and the clients of Water And Shark International Inc. and /or any of its networked member firms and/ or any foreign law firms shall directly approach Water And Shark Legal for legal advice or services. Therefore, the firm ensures that its functioning is in compliance with the Advocates Act 1961 and the Bar Council of India (BCI) Rules.

Legal Expertise: A need of the hour

Entrepreneurs are constantly finding ways to expand their business and attain growth.  Some business owners play with the risk and compromise on safeguarding their interests by not hiring legal service and legal advisory to avoid financial burdens and later end up into huge losses and legal difficulties. A company is unpredictably vulnerable on all fronts in the absence of an experienced lawyer and advisor. With the current market scenario, where the success rate and risks are equally high, Water and Shark Legal offers a complete legal road map to ensure your growth and minimize legal risks.

The Founder’s  words:

CA. Harsh Patel , Founder & Global CEO -Water and Shark

“Water And Shark is an idea and a vision and not just a company. I started my journey in 2012 with the objective of expanding worldwide and through various sectors and services. Water And Shark thrives on and believes in practical approach. Many a times, our clients faced legal challenges and therefore we recognized the need of having a dedicated legal service to protect the best interest of our clients. With the commencement of Water And Shark Legal, we have expanded our wing into the legal service sector and I believe that having legal experts on board shall ensure that every entrepreneur and corporate body put out their most confident feet in the market. Water and Shark Legal shall operate independently from Mumbai, India and we are sure that this partnership will help us achieve new heights and serve our client’s better. I heartily congratulate the team of Water And Shark Legal for setting up the boutique firm and I extend my best wishes to the young and dynamic team of lawyers. ”

What the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Water and Shark Legal said:

Advocate Kruti Bhavsa, Co-founder & Managing Partner -Water and Shark Legal

“Law and Legal policies play a vital role in the growth and expansion of any business. A good legal framework and strong legal policies are also essential for creating a strong base on which you can build your business. At Water And Shark Legal, our idea is to engineer your business goals and strengthen your position so that every deal becomes a successful step towards growth. Through our team of experts, we provide all legal solutions under one roof; from civil, criminal, banking litigation to documentation, policy and contract drafting, legal structuring and planning. Our aim is to ensure that we stay with our clients at every step they take and work hand in hand with corporates and entrepreneurs and be a part of their journey and act as their legal safeguard.”

One must not forget that filing incorrect documents, entering into voidable contracts or following incompetent and unsafe ways can ruin your business:

Legal service and advisory is vital for businesses because “It’s always better to avoid legal problems rather than fixing them”

Many business owners lack the necessary knowledge and experience to deal with different legal aspects of running a company. Business transactions involve different stages of negotiation, preparation of paper work, and evaluations. Consulting a legal professional to deal with your business solutions can be very helpful in filing reports, securing legal protection and protecting your business interests.

Most businesses neglect the importance of legal advisor until they receive summons or find themselves before any Court. It is therefore always beneficial to appoint a good business lawyer before you get sued.

Also, with the increasing complexities in law and growing cross border transactions, it is necessary to have a legal expert on board to help you draft the best contracts and provide viable legal solutions to face legal challenges. A good lawyer ensures that his client’s business interests and legal rights are protected.

Sometimes a business needs Corporate Restructuring, in order to make it more profitable and efficient. This involves the process of making changes in the composition of the company’s /firm’s one or more business portfolios in order to have a more profitable enterprise. A commercial lawyer ensures that the restructuring is done in compliance with all corporate laws and regulations and at the same time sketches a profitable legal structure for the company.

Why choose Water And Shark Legal:

Water And Shark Legal operates on the principal that a good law firm always provides practical, pragmatic and viable legal solutions which secure your pockets rather than burning a hole. They cover all sectors of economy and provide complete legal services under one roof with their domestic and international exposure and insights. Water And Shark Legal stands on a strongly ethical and result oriented approach with the clients’ best interest being its core objective.

Can Sea Star Movement Inspire Better Robots?

What USC researchers and colleagues uncovered about sea star locomotion could help scientists design simpler, decentralized systems in robotics and beyond.

Have you ever seen a sea star move? To many of us, sea stars seem motionless, like a rock on the ocean's floor, but in actuality, they have hundreds of tube feet attached to their underbelly. These feet stretch and contract to attach to rough terrain, hold on to prey and, of course, move.

Any one tube foot on a sea star can act autonomously in responding to stimuli, but coupled together, they can synchronize their motion to produce a bouncing motion -- their version of running. For years, researchers have wondered exactly how a sea star accomplishes this synchronization, given it has no brain and a completely decentralized nervous system.

The answer, from researchers at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, was published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface: sea star couple a global directionality command from a "dominant arm" with individual, localized responses to stimuli to achieve coordinated locomotion. In other words, once the sea star provides an instruction on which way to move, the individual feet figure out how to achieve this on their own, without further communication.

The researchers, including Professor Eva Kanso in USC Viterbi's Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering and Sina Heydari, a USC Viterbi Ph.D. candidate, were joined by Matt McHenry, associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California, Irvine; Amy Johnson, professor of marine biology at Bowdoin College; and Olaf Ellers, research associate in biology and mathematics at Bowdoin College.

The work builds on an existing hierarchal model of behavior, but goes further in explaining how much of sea star locomotion happens locally versus globally.

"The nervous system does not process everything in the same place at the same time, but relies on the idea that the sea star is competent and will figure it out," said Kanso, a Zohrab A. Kaprielian Fellow in Engineering. "If one tube foot pushes against the ground, the others will feel the force. This mechanical coupling is the only way in which one tube foot shares information with another."

A third model of locomotion

The nervous system of a sea star is characterized by a nerve ring that surrounds its mouth and connects to each individual arm through a radial nerve. The muscles of each tube foot are stimulated by neurons connected to the radial and ring nerves.

All feet step in the same direction while crawling, but their movement is not synchronized. However, when achieving the bouncing gait, sea stars seem to coordinate tens of feet into two or three synchronized groups. The research team, led by Kanso, looked at both modes of motion, and the transition between them. The result is a model that describes how much of a sea star's locomotion is determined by local sensory-motor response at the tube feet level versus global sensory-motor commands.

In the animal world, behavior is often described by one of two prevailing models of locomotion; behavior such as insect flight is the result of sensory feedback traveling through a central processing system, which sends a message activating a response, or it is the result of completely decentralized, individual responses to sensory information such as in fish schools or ant colonies.

Neither of these models seem to describe the motion of a sea star.

"In the case of the sea star, the nervous system seems to rely on the physics of the interaction between the body and the environment to control locomotion. All of the tube feet are attached structurally to the sea star and thus, to each other."

In this way, there is a mechanism for "information" to be communicated mechanically between tube feet. An individual tube foot would only need to sense its own state (proprioception) and respond accordingly. Because its state is coupled mechanically to other tube feet, they work together collectively. As the tube feet begin to move, each produces an individual force that becomes a part of the sensory environment. In this way, each tube foot is also responding to the forces produced by other tube feet and eventually, they establish a rhythm with each other.

This is similar to other mechanical models of coordination. For example, take a set of mechanical metronomes, devices used to help keep rhythm or time for a musician. You can start a set of 10 at all different phases, resting them on the same flat surface. Over time, they will synchronize. At play is the mechanical coupling effect seen with the sea star; each metronome is mechanically interacting with the phases created by the other metronomes and as such, is effectively "communicating" with the other metronomes until they begin to beat in complete rhythm and synchrony.

How sea star behavior can help us design more efficient robotics systems

Understanding how a distributed nervous system, like that of a sea star, achieves complex, coordinated motions could lead to advancements in areas such as robotics. In robotics systems, it is relatively straightforward to program a robot to perform repetitive tasks. However, in more complex situations where customization is required, robots face difficulties. How can robots be engineered to apply the same benefits to a more complex problem or environment?

The answer might lie in the sea star model, Kanso said. "Using the example of a sea star, we can design controllers so that learning can happen hierarchically. There is a decentralized component for both decision-making and for communicating to a global authority. This could be useful for designing control algorithms for systems with multiple actuators, where we are delegating a lot of the control to the physics of the system -- mechanical coupling -- versus the input or intervention of a central controller."

Next, Kanso and her team will look at how the global directionality command arises in the first place and what happens if there are competing stimuli.

13th Annual India Chemical Industry Outlook Conference 2020 to focus on ‘Leveraging Uncertainty & Disruption’

Indian Chemical Council (ICC), the apex national body dedicated for the growth and development of the Indian Chemical Industry will host its 13th Annual Indian Chemical Industry Outlook Conference 2020 on February 13th and 14th 2020 in Mumbai. The focus of the two-day event will be on Leveraging the Uncertainty and Disruption in the chemical landscape. Hailed as one of the most crucial conference for the stakeholders of the chemical industry for over a decade, the conference will have over 40 eminent speakers from India and across the globe. Hon’ble Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Mr. Sadanand Gowda, and Mr. Bob Patel, President, International Council of Chemical Association and CEO, LydonellBasell, will be the Chief Guests at the conference. Registrations for the conference are currently open.

The Indian Chemical Industry is an industry-of-industries with a combined turnover of USD 160 billion which is growing at 100 basis points faster than the economic growth of the country. With the 13th Annual India Chemical Industry Outlook Conference 2020, Indian Chemical Council in association with Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals will initiate meaningful conversations around important chemical industry trends, such as digital future of the industry, global mergers and acquisitions, and on downstream speciality chemicals.

Speaking about the conference, Mr. Vijay Sankar, President, Indian Chemical Council, said “Chemicals are indispensible element of modern life, touching nearly all the aspects of human activity. The per-capita consumption of chemicals is about one-tenth of the world indicating the latent potential demand of chemicals. The chemical industry is facing multiple challenges across the world and this conference attempts to bring in the latest insights to help grow the chemical industry and experts views on how these challenges are going to being addressed.”

Mr. H.S. Karangle, Director General, Indian Chemical Council added, “Currently, with the global mega trends, the Indian Chemical Industry is compelled to move closer to the customer where collaboration and convergence are becoming the driving force for the overall growth of the Industry. With this conference, we are bringing in Indian and global experts to share their solutions on growth models that the Indian chemical industry needs to embrace. This has become one of the best platforms for industry interaction on the latest in the world of chemical industry.”
For More Information Visit: https://www.indianchemicalcouncil.com/13th-annual-india-chemical-industry-outlook-conference.htm

About Indian Chemical Council
INDIAN CHEMICAL COUNCIL (ICC) the apex national body representing all branches of the Chemical Industry in India such as Organic & Inorganic Chemicals, Plastics & Petrochemicals & Petroleum Refineries, Dyestuffs & Dye-intermediates, Fertilizers & Pesticides, Specialty Chemicals, Paints etc.

The Indian Chemical Council is dedicated to the growth of the Indian Chemical Industry. Established in 1938, ICC has over the years grown its functions and offerings to cater to the varying needs of the Indian Chemical Industry.

JK Tyre Expands its Light Commercial Vehicle Portfolio with the Launch of Jet Xtra XLM Tyre

Indian Tyre Industry major & the market leader in Truck Bus Radial segment, JK Tyre & Industries Ltd further strengthened its tyre portfolio for light commercial vehicles by introducing Jet Xtra XLM Tyre.

Built to last especially on the diverse Indian roads, the Jet Xtra XLM is designed to withstand extra load and provide extra tyre life. This new tyre comes with reinforced bead area for high payload carrying capability, in different terrains. The dual curb rib at the side wall protects the tyre from various cuts and damages while a robust shoulder area helps carry greater load. The Jet Xtra XLM Tyre is made with special Tread Compound which helps in cooler running & the extra rubber mass in center leads to extra mileage.

Mr. Srinivasu Allaphan, Director-Sales & Marketing, JK Tyre & Industries Ltd, while commenting on the launch said, “We are immensely proud to introduce our latest tyre offering for light commercial vehicles - the Jet Xtra XLM Tyre right at the beginning of 2020. JK Tyre is the pioneer of radials in the country and is committed towards bringing the best of products and services. This launch sets the tone for what’s in store for this New Year as we continue to bring more product offerings backed by research and innovation, starting with Jet Xtra XLM. With their unique build and resilience, these tyres are well suited for intrastate and interstate travel. It is also suited to haul market load, industrial goods, construction material, fruits and vegetables, grains, logistics and fishery.”

About JK Tyre and Industries Limited:

Part of the JK Organisation, JK Tyre & Industries Ltd is a leading tyre manufacturer in India and amongst the top 25 manufacturers in the world with a wide range of products catering to diverse business segments in the automobile industry. JK Tyre is the only tyre manufacturer in India to be included in the list of Superbrand in 2019, the seventh time the honour has been conferred upon the company.

In 2019, the Company achieved a remarkable feat by entering the coveted Limca Book of Records with the country’s largest off-the-road tyre - VEM 045. The company also demonstrated its commitment towards the continual improvement of their health and safety management systems by completing the best practice Five Star Occupational Health and Safety Audit conducted by the British Safety Council.

JK Tyre has global presence in 105 countries across six continents, backed by production support from 12 plants - 9 in India and 3 in Mexico. Currently, the capacity across all its plants is about 35 million tyres per annum. In April 2016, JK Tyre acquired Cavendish India Limited from Birla Tyres. While acquisition added three modern plants to its portfolio taking the total count to 12, it helped the tyre major foray into the two/three wheeler segment as well. In 2018, the company inaugurated its state-of-the-art Raghupati Singhania Centre of Excellence (RPSCOE) at Mysore.

Pioneers of radial technology, JK Tyre produced the first radial tyre in 1977 and is currently the market leader in Truck Bus Radial segment. With over three decades of technological innovation, JK Tyre offers tyre for entire range of passenger and commercial vehicles, starting from a 3 kg two-wheeler tyre to a 3.5-ton OTR tyre. 2019, also saw the launch of TREEL Sensors, a one of a kind technology-based tool geared towards smart monitoring and maintenance of tyres.

Fanzart on a Growth Spree; Plans to Expand its Franchisee Showrooms to 100 by 2020

By Manu Sharma

India is set to enter the elite club of world's major economies with a GDP of more than US$5 trillion per year by 2025 and this has fueled lifestyle aspirations of the upper middle class for higher levels of quality and taste. This is due to the fact most of them are broadly educated and are well traveled as never before. Also they have huge amount of disposable income and as a consequence they are willing to pay premiums for well-designed, well-engineered, and well-crafted goods. Fanzart, India’s leading luxury fan brand, is creating designer fans that look stylish and artistic while also incorporating the latest in technology. In a exclusive interview with Manu Sharma, Anil Lala, Chairman and Managing Director of Fanzart spoke candidly on how he is able to deliver best high quality premier fans and his expansion plans for the Indian market. Excerpts of the interview.

Principle of a fan and how it has evolved today

Ceiling fans are an excellent solution for areas with long period of warm weather. They don’t actually cool air but move it around, which makes people feel cooler because moving air helps to evaporate perspiration, which cools the skin. They can also used in the colder months to move the warm air. Today customers' are becoming very choosy especially when it comes to fans. Lala says "We not only have remote-controlled speeds but also an elegant LED underlight so that the product can have multi-functional uses".

Growth drivers of the fan market in India

The demand for ceiling fans has been rapidly increasing due to rising income levels of the consumers. Moreover, manufacturers are introducing premium products such as lighting fans, decorative fans, etc. which offer higher margins, thereby increasing their profitability. Growth in the housing sector for upper middle class is boosting the demand for high-end ceiling fans, especially in the developing economies such as China and India. In addition to this the commercial real estate, hospitality and retail sectors are also adding to the market growth.

Why premium fans in India?

Indian buyers want household appliances to not only serve the basic purpose but also add to the décor of the house. Appliance makers like Fanzart have recognized the need and are launching relevant products in the Indian market. We are focusing on premium and decorative fans, as the category is largely less penetrated and has a huge growth potential.

Target market for Fanzart fans in India

According to a recent report, India has huge number of Ultra net worth individuals: High-net-worth individual (HNWI) and Upper Middle Class. India saw the largest growth in the number of ultra net worth individuals during 2018-19 in the world. This makes them the target audience for companies like Fanzart to expand in the Indian market.

Market size for fan industry and the growth rate

The size of the ceiling, table, wall, pedestal and tower fans market for the year of 2019 is close to Rs 10,000 crore and it is expected to grow at CAGR of 13 percent to a value of Rs 11,400 crore by 2021. "During the present recession the country is going through, we are still growing at 12-13 percent and will continue to do so for the next fiscal as well."

Fanzart expansion in the Indian Market

Fanzart setup its flagship company retail showroom at Bangalore and all other locations were entrusted to our franchise partners. "We have two retail formats - Exclusive (15) and Multibrand Outlets (50)- in the country. During 2019, Fanzart has expanded to tier 2 cities namely Hubli, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Navi Mumbai and Itanagar. By 2020, we will further expand to 2nd tier and 3rd tier cities and towns. Recently it set up a 16,000 sqft showroom in Kirti Nagar, an affluent area of West Delhi to sell Fanzart fans in addition to selling high-end Italian furniture. While choosing multibrand outlets, we want to  ensure that they don't sell our competitors products. We have plans to further expand our franchisee count to 100 by 2020."

Fanzart has only a token presence in the online market

Even though Fanzart's products are available on Amazon, Flipkart and Houzz, I'm pessimistic of the online market growing in 2020 or beyond. Presently we have about 2% of our revenue comes from the online market, our showrooms have a explicit display of all our major fan models that help customers' make their decision. Here customers' can get the physical feel and touch of the products.

Fanzart customers' in Indian Market

Big real estate players: RMZ Corp, Embassy, Prestige Group, Knight Frank (consultants)
Hotels - Taj Group of Hotels, Marriott Hotels, The Ritz Carlton, Sheraton Hotels
Coffeehouse Chain: Starbucks Coffee (All India)
MNCs: JSW, Wipro, Microlabs, UB Group, Titan
Holistic Health Centre: Soukya
Clubs - Karnataka Golf Club, BGC among others
Retail Chain - Future Group’s HomeTown Stores across India

Some of the top end Fanzart products in the market?   

Fanzart AquaJet
Fanzart WindFlower
Fanzart Crystal
Fanzart Divine
Fanzart Cherry

Advantage of third party manufacturing

During 1990s, Taiwan become a global force in electronics industry and became a manufacturing hub for some of the world's most powerful brands. In the process, industrial design has moved away from traditional low-cost production to the creation of original, high-value products. Companies making new electrical appliances such as refrigerators, air conditioners, television sets and fans have became highly self-sufficient and capable of producing almost anything demanded by overseas clients. "Besides other countries like Thailand, Turkey and some parts of mainland China have also emerging as a hotbed for high-end manufacturing companies. We focus highly on quality that includes the material as well as electric components and unfortunately  India's 'Made in India' is not up to the level yet. Where as Taiwan and Thailand have emerged as global player in mass production and modern technology, providing upgraded opportunities for outsourcing that did not previously exist in other nations."

BLDC motor makes the difference!

A motor is the main powerhouse of any fan which gives it durability, reliability as well as maximum airflow with energy efficiency. There are two types of motor generally used in fans. The first is the BLDC motor which rotates with continuous speed and is low on both noise and energy consumption. The other variety is the single-phase induction motor which uses a certain number of wires and winding poles to supply single voltage to the fan’s rotors. Requiring a permanent capacitor for any fan operation, Single Phase induction motor is a popular option with Indian consumers but it cannot beat the energy efficiency of BLDC motor. The most striking features of a BLDC fans are its low power consumption and noiseless operation. "Most Fanzart fans are equipped with BLDC motors and as a consequence have extremely low power consumption even at its highest speed. Having a 5-star energy efficiency rating, the fan uses just 28 watts of power compared with  70-78 watt of consumption in all other fans."

"Also the noiseless operation of the fan leaves all of the competition behind. The voltage fluctuation range that is tolerated  by the fan is also quite high. These two feature makes the Fanzart fans ideal for the Indian market."

Fanzart issues CB, CE rating for its products

The IEC System for Conformity Assessment Schemes for Electrotechnical Equipment and Components (IECEE) Certification Body (CB) Scheme is the world's first international system for the mutual acceptance of product safety test reports and certificates for electrical and electronic equipment, devices and components. Funzart fans are "CB" Certifed making the products unique in the Indian markets. Similarly, CE marking is a certification mark that indicates conformity with health, safety, and environmental protection standards for products sold within the European Economic Area (EEA). The CE marking are also found on products sold outside the EEA if they are manufactured in, or designed to be sold in, the EEA. The CE marking is the manufacturer's declaration that the product meets the requirements of the applicable EC directives. "In fact, Fanzart fans are sold in South Asia, Middle East and also France in the heartland of Europe."

Future of Smart Fans in India

An IoT-based smart fan can be controlled with a remote, mobile app using Wi-Fi connectivity. The fan would adjust its speed based on temperature and humidity in the room. The fan would also come with auto-function modes like sleep and breeze. Some of the next generation smart fans are already here and can be enabled with Internet-of-Things (IoT) technology that enables users to manage fan speed and modes, reverse rotation and control the under light with various dimming options.

Personal Care Brand Mamaearth Raises Rs 130 Crore Round Led by Sequoia India

Mamaearth, one of the fastest-growing FMCG brands to reach a 100 crore run-rate, has raised a round of funding led by Sequoia India with participation from existing investors, Fireside Ventures, Stellaris Venture Partners and Sharp Ventures.

Founded in 2016 by husband-wife duo Varun and Ghazal Alagh, MamaEarth is Asia’s first Made-safe certified brand that offers 100% toxin-free & natural skincare, hair care & baby care products. The company is building a new range of direct to consumer brands that use the internet-first approach to reach the target audience.

According to Varun Alagh, Founder and CEO of Mamaearth, “We have a long way to go at Honasa (Mamaearth’s parent company). Our vision is to create the FMCG conglomerate of the future by building brands that connect strongly with millennials and Gen Z customers using the combined power of digital marketing and e-Commerce at large scale. Sequoia India’s investment at this stage of our journey validates this vision of building a global brand of the future.”

Across India, millennial consumers are becoming increasingly conscious and are looking for safe natural alternatives to replace the existing cosmetic products being offered by large multinationals. This strong demand has been reflected in Mamaearth’s meteoric growth. Today, their range includes 80+ natural, toxin-free products, with a whopping 1.5 million+ consumers in over 500 cities across India.

Speaking on the investment, Ishaan Mittal, Principal, Sequoia Capital India LLP says, “Out of India’s $15B+ personal care market, online channels contribute to only 3-5%. With 15-20% of Indian shoppers influenced digitally and expected to double in next 7-8 years, digital first brands have the potential to redefine the architecture of tomorrow’s FMCG companies. Varun’s vision is to ride these market tailwinds to create a multi-brand, cross geo FMCG company over the next decade. The team at Sequoia India is excited about being partners in this phenomenal journey.”

MamaEarth is driven by innovation and uses the best of science and ayurveda to stand out in the personal care space. The brand combines in-depth research and customer feedback to create best-in-class products for the young, aspirational and increasingly conscious Indian consumer.

“From day one we have ensured we listen to our consumers and provided products which they were looking for. This led us to develop & launch over 80 products in under three years. Last year, for instance, our we noticed that our consumers were using onion juice as the ultimate household remedy for hair loss. That's when we launched our onion range of hair care products and saw phenomenal results. This has now become a part of our DNA & in the coming years we will continue to launch new products, enter new categories & use the right ingredients based on our listening tools”, says co-founder, Ghazal Alagh, who is also Chief Mama for the Brand.

The current round of INR 130 crores raised by Honasa Consumer Pvt Ltd parent company of Mamaearth is the biggest round size for any internet-first consumer company in India. The round has also been particularly noteworthy because it's seen as a phenomenal exit for seed investors. Some early angels have exited the company in this round with a return of over 20X on their initial investment. For a D2C FMCG brand, such an exit is almost unprecedented.

Continuing on the previous round of investment, Kannan Sitaram of Fireside Ventures said“As first institutional investors in Mamaearth, this round has strengthened our philosophy of backing the right founders who are looking to build the next generation of great Indian brands. We believe the journey has just begun and the team will take the company to new heights”

The company plans to use the freshly acquired funds over the next 3 years to continue its exponential growth — building it into a 500 crore brand by acquiring 5 million new consumers. The funds will also be used to launch more brands under the Honasa umbrella— all of which will be internet-first and focused on the needs of the new-age, millennial consumers. Apart from this, the company plans to utilize the funds to hire best-in-class talent as the organization scales rapidly. There are also plans to expand into key markets in Southeast Asia, where the presence of a similar millennial audience lends it strong market potential.

Rahul Chowdhri of Stellaris Venture Partners says, “We invested early in Mamaearth on back of consumer trend of a healthy lifestyle and stellar founders. It is encouraging to see the way consumers have loved the goodness of this brand. We look forward to being part of Varun & Ghazal’s journey of building a long-lasting business.”

About MamaEarth & Honasa Consumer Pvt Ltd

Founded by husband and wife duo Varun Alagh and Ghazal Alagh, MamaEarth is Asia’s first Madesafe certified brand that offers 100% toxin-free & natural baby care, skincare, and hair care products. MamaEarth is part of Internet-first brands company Honasa Consumer Pvt Limited, that is creating the FMCG conglomerate of the future. Honasa caters to the needs of millennial consumers through innovative products, evolved propositions, digital marketing channels, and e-commerce fulfillment. Their goal is to build a global billion-dollar FMCG conglomerate in the next 5 years — spread across the globe but connected through digital centres of excellence. MamaEarth is a brand driven by innovation and uses the best of science and Ayurveda to meet all personal care needs of young, aspirational and increasingly conscious Indian consumers. It also brings a spirit of constant innovation and in-depth research and customer feedback into every single product.

In the short span of 3 years, MamaEarth has launched a range of 80+ natural products, has reached over 1.5 million customers in 500 Indian cities, and is the fastest-growing FMCG startups to hit 100 Cr run rate in India. Mamearth products are available across major eCommerce platforms like Amazon, Nykaa, Flipkart, etc and its own platform www.mamaearth.in. The brand is now expanding its footprint to offline channels, establishing a presence in over 2000 stores in the country.

About The Founders

Varun Alagh, Co-Founder, CEO, Honasa Consumer Pvt Ltd

The idea of a 100% toxin-free baby products brand MamaEarth came to Varun and his partner & Co-Founder Ghazal when they became parents and had a difficult time finding chemical-free products for their son.

Varun Alagh comes with over 10+ years of leadership experience in sales and marketing roles with world-renowned FMCG brands. Varun started his career with Hindustan Unilever and has, twice been listed amongst the top managers in HUL. He then went on to become the Senior Brand Manager at Diageo. As a part of this assignment, Varun managed the ATL, BTL, Digital & Trade activations for Smirnoff across India. Varun has also completed a four-year stint with Coca-Cola as the Senior Brand Manager and has been instrumental in launching Coke Zero in India. During his corporate stint, he has won multiple recognitions including Business Unit Presidents Award, Above and Beyond Award and I am Diageo Award. Varun leverages his understanding of the FMCG market to develop, distribute and market MamaEarth's 100% toxin-free products.
He holds a Masters in Finance and Marketing from XLRI, Jamshedpur, and Bachelors in Engineering from Delhi College of Engineering (DCE),

Ghazal Alagh, Co-Founder, Chief Mama, Honasa Consumer Pvt Ltd

A corporate trainer turned artist-cum-entrepreneur Ghazal Alagh co-founded MamaEarth, driven by the passion for making early parenting stress-free. As the Co-Founder and Chief Mama at MamaEarth Ghazal is responsible for product development and community management. She works closely with a large number of consumers to develop product lines that address problems that they face on a daily basis.

Ghazal’s overarching vision is to make this world a better and safer place with toxin-free, MadeSafe-certified products for everyone. With a Bachelors in Information Technology and Intensive Courses in Modern Art, Design and Applied Arts from New York Academy of Arts, she started her career with NIIT as a Corporate Trainer. As a part of her role, she trained managers and engineers from various IT companies in SQL, J2ME, and Oracle. Ghazal has also been recognized amongst top 10 women artists in India, nationally and internationally.  Having straddled three different roles —a corporate trainer, an artist, and a mother— Ghazal has a diverse skill set that helps her build the MamaEarth brand in such a unique way. 

Ness Digital Engineering Acquires Slovakia-Based CassaCloud

Ness Digital Engineering, a provider of digital transformation and custom software engineering services, is pleased to announce its acquisition of CassaCloud, a Kosice, Slovakia-based consultancy with expertise in Salesforce implementation, customization, and integration services for multiple Salesforce modules. CassaCloud will join Sovereign CRM, acquired by Ness in 2019, as part of the Ness Salesforce-focused Center of Excellence.

“Companies across industries are using Salesforce as a platform for mission critical, cloud-based, customer-facing and revenue-generating solutions,” said Paul Lombardo, CEO of Ness Digital Engineering. “We are eager to bring our rapidly expanding Salesforce capability, further strengthened by the excellent team at CassaCloud, alongside our proven digital capabilities to deliver business solutions that help our clients compete more effectively.”

CassaCloud serves as the versatile partner companies seek to achieve the benefits of larger, more complex Salesforce programs, as well as valuable, strategic extensions of Salesforce solutions. The company is a Salesforce Consulting Partner with certified specialists in Salesforce Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Community Cloud, CPQ, and Pardot.

“Our local and global clients value the hyper-customized solutions we develop for their businesses,” said Valér Dunda, Managing Director at CassaCloud. “By tapping into Ness’s digital engineering capabilities and extensive global footprint, we will be able to help even more companies best utilize the Salesforce portfolio to support their business goals.”

The CassaCloud acquisition strengthens Ness’s Salesforce credentials in North America and Europe. Employees from the CassaCloud headquarters have joined the Ness Kosice office, an employer of choice among the largest IT companies in Kosice.

Salesforce, Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Community Cloud, CPQ, Pardot and others are among the trademarks of salesforce.com, Inc.