How These Entrepreneurs are Infusing Creativity into Business

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The Indian start-up scene has unfolded itself in an unprecedented manner in the last couple of years with technology emerging at the ridge while on the other hand; there is another set of creatively driven entrepreneurs who are into building products and brands with imagination and innovation being its core. Riding high on the ‘Make in India’ and ‘Design in India’ ideas, these entrepreneurs are not averse to technology but not tech reliant solely.
As we embarked on our journey to look for the best consumer product start-ups in India, we came across few visionaries who emerged winners riding against the tide at a time when technology rules the day. The aim was not just to find companies across sectors or regions, our objective was to feature companies which have created great products and are growing in terms of scale. Their ideas behind the products and their trysts with raising money are stories that need to find mention. Let’s hail the product makers.
(This article was first published in the August issue of Entrepreneur Magazine. To subscribe, click here)
Of Beards And Men

For Ashutosh Valani and Priyank Shah, entrepreneurship was a tryst that just happened with time. They knew each other since college days and used to hang out with a similar set of friends. Ashutosh further went to Brunel University in London and came back in 2008-2009, when Priyank was in his final year of MBA. Those were the years when the online industry had started booming. Both of them looked at it as an opportunity to grasp for the next ten years and started their venture, Aajkiitem.com, a website which dealt with deals. Unfortunately for them, around 2011-12, companies like Flipkart, in the same sector, raised huge money and International giant Amazon entered the Indian market, crushing opportunities for others to grow. “The best thing was to convert ourselves into merchants with the same vision but on their websites,” shares Ashutosh. They soon expanded themselves into 12 different sectors. By 2013-14, they became the biggest deal vendors online, having about 50,000 plus transactions a month.
The Man Beyond The Froth

The Design Connoisseur In Ayurveda

The Yogurt Man

Finding a Common Thread

The Bold Fashionistas

The Fresh Food Merchant

The Holistic Healer

The Waterwalla

Smelling Fortune n Scents

The Transport Disrupter
