Jaipur Edition Of D2CX Converge Decodes ₹100 Cr Playbooks For D2C Brands

In step with India’s consumption story widening beyond the metro strongholds, the direct-to-consumer (D2C) ecosystem has entered a phase where scale is no longer just about going digital but about building resilient, omnichannel brands. 

With India’s ecommerce market on track to surpass $300 Bn by the end of this decade and D2C brands steadily carving out a sizeable share of opportunity, founders are now navigating a more nuanced playbook, one that blends offline expansion, supply chain agility and sharper brand positioning. 

This shift is being powered by a rapidly expanding digital base. India is home to more than 850 Mn internet users today, alongside a growing cohort of over 300 Mn online shoppers. The rise of repeat, high-intent consumers is reshaping demand patterns, pushing the D2C brands to move beyond customer acquisition towards retention, experience and lifetime value.

As the ecosystem matures, the path to building a ₹100 Cr brand is becoming increasingly complex. From rising logistics and marketing costs to the pressure of balancing growth with profitability, founders are being forced to rethink how they build, scale and sustain their businesses. The focus is shifting towards operational discipline, capital efficiency and deeper market penetration, especially in emerging cities. 

Against this backdrop, Inc42, in partnership with Shadowfax, rolled out the next chapter of D2CX Converge in Jaipur on April 22, as part of its five-city founder meetup series aimed at enabling candid, operator-first conversations within India’s evolving D2C landscape. Designed as a curated gathering, the series continues to bring together early stage founders who are building for India’s next wave of consumption. 

Jaipur and the broader Rajasthan market are steadily emerging as a key node in India’s evolving D2C story. With ecommerce adoption accelerating across Tier II and III cities, supported by improving logistics infrastructure and rising disposable incomes, cities like Jaipur are fast becoming the breeding grounds for new-age consumer brands. 

This momentum is also reflected in investor interest. Jaipur-based startups have collectively raised over $1.5 Bn in the last 10 years, reflecting the growing confidence in the region’s potential to build and scale D2C businesses. 

Building on the momentum from its earlier chapters in Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai, the Jaipur edition brought together a curated cohort of over 70 founders across categories such as lifestyle, consumer goods and retail. The objective remained consistent: create a space where operators could exchange real-world insights, challenge assumptions and learn from peers navigating similar growth journeys. 

The evening featured a fireside chat and a panel discussion, diving into the realities of scaling D2C brands in today’s environment. The D2C gathering saw participation from the likes of:

• Shivam Shahi, Cofounder and COO, Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters
• Praharsh Chandra, Cofounder and CBO, Shadowfax
• Saurav Adlakha, Cofounder, DailyObjects
• Ritish Garg, Cofounder, Longway
• Ankush Goyal, Founder, Aramya
• Anup Kumar Khandelwal, MD and CEO, Kirana King
• Karnika Bansal, Head of D2C Brands, Shadowfax
  

What’s Brewing In Blue Tokai Playbook?

The fireside chat, Inside Blue Tokai’s Omnichannel Playbook Behind ₹650+ Cr Growth, featured Shivam Shahi, cofounder and COO of Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters, in conversation with Praharsh Chandra, cofounder and CBO of Shadowfax. The discussion unpacked how Blue Tokai scaled from an early bet on specialty coffee to a ₹650 Cr-plus brand, building a strong omnichannel presence while staying anchored in product quality and consumer experience. 

Reflecting on the company’s journey, Shahi emphasised the brand’s growth was never driven by vanity milestones, but by consistent, incremental progress backed by data. 

“Back then also, I would have never thought of 500, 600, 1,000 crore. In life, it was always about whether you are doing better than last month or not. If you are doing better than last month, even by one rupee, you are on the right path,” Shahi said.

The conversation focussed on Blue Tokai’s omnichannel strategy. Shahi explained how the brand approached distribution with a simple lens: be present wherever the customer wants to consume coffee, whether at home, in cafes or through emerging channels like quick commerce. 

“If you ask what we are building in simple language, no matter where you are and however you want to consume your coffee, if you are thinking of having a good cup of coffee, we should be the brand that comes to your mind. We have not limited ourselves to the channel.”

He highlighted how this approach has translated into tangible outcomes, with at-home consumption now driving more volumes than cafes and newer channels like quick commerce scaling rapidly while remaining profitable. 

Shahi also pushed back against conventional startup playbooks around speed and scale, advocating for a more grounded approach to building enduring businesses. He stressed that chasing arbitrary revenue milestones without focussing on profitability and fundamentals can be misleading in the long run. 

“Speed should never be celebrated. It’s always risky. What matters more than time is whether you are able to reach that point or not.”

Overall, the session offered a candid look at what it takes to build a category-defining consumer brand in India, one that is patient in its growth, sharp in its execution and relentless in staying close to its customers.

How D2C Brands Can Crack The ₹100 Cr Code 

The panel discussion on ‘D2C Brands’ ₹100 Cr Playbook’, moderated by Karnika Bansal of Shadowfax, unpacked what it really takes to build and scale such a business in today’s fragmented, multi-channel landscape, where founders are constantly balancing growth, profitability and control.

From channel strategy and retention metrics to hiring and long-term thinking, the discussion highlighted that there is no one-size-fits-all playbook. What really works is a blend of sharp choices, strong fundamentals and clarity of thought.

Kicking off the conversation, Bansal set the tone by stressing on the importance of customer-first thinking in unlocking growth inflection points.

For Goyal of Aramya, the focus has been on building a brand-led business by staying close to the consumer and owning the relationship, rather than relying heavily on marketplaces. “We didn’t want the revenue which is borrowed from the marketplace and therefore we’ve always built it through proprietary channels. Right now, 80% of the revenue comes from our D2C website.”

Garg of Longway highlighted the importance of being omnipresent across channels, while recognising the role each channel plays within the broader growth engine. “Our story is a little different, with the majority of business coming from the marketplaces. In a category like appliances, the website is seen as an awareness activation, redirecting consumers to marketplaces like Amazon and Flipkart. So, we do more marketplaces, while our overall website business is around 2-3%.”

For Khandelwal of Kirana King, the scale of India’s offline market remains a defining factor, especially in essential categories where trust and distribution depth matter most. “I believe that in India, brands can be built on clicks, but brands can be scaled on omnichannel.”

Adlakha of DailyObjects underscored the importance of maintaining control over distribution and pricing by deliberately building a strong base of owned channels. “We deliberately built a business in such a way that I have to keep my two-thirds business in my hands,” he said. 

Beyond channels, the conversation also moved into execution, particularly around hiring and building teams for scale. Garg emphasised the importance of thinking long-term about talent. “If you feel I need five people after a year, hire them today because they will not understand the systems and processes.”

Closing the discussion, the focus was brought back to first principles, urging founders to not get overwhelmed by vanity metrics or arbitrary milestones.

Overall, the session offered a grounded, operator-led view into what it really takes to navigate the ₹100 Cr journey, one that is less about chasing growth at all costs and more about building with intent, discipline and a deep understanding of the customer.

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