Picture this: a family member collapses at home. Panic sets in. Someone grabs a phone and starts calling — one ambulance number leads to a busy tone, another quotes an unaffordable price, a third doesn’t have the right equipment. By the time the right vehicle arrives, twenty minutes have passed. In a medical emergency, that is twenty minutes no one can afford to lose.

This is not a hypothetical. It is the everyday reality for millions of Mumbai residents navigating a broken, fragmented emergency transport system. The city has ambulances but finding the right one, at the right time, at a fair price, has always been the problem.

AIVA Health was built to fix exactly that.

Operating across all of Mumbai, AIVA Health is a single, trusted platform that connects patients and families with verified ambulance services instantly. Whether you need a basic transport vehicle, an ICU-equipped ambulance, ventilator support, or a patient transfer arrangement, AIVA handles it through one point of contact with confirmed booking, transparent pricing, and minimal wait time.

No more calling five numbers. No more haggling on price while someone you love needs help. No more uncertainty about whether the vehicle that shows up will have what the patient actually needs.

“In a medical emergency, families shouldn’t be negotiating at all. We built AIVA so that one call is enough.”

What sets AIVA apart from a simple directory or referral service is its commitment to both sides of the equation. For patients, it means reliability and fairness. For ambulance operators and providers, it means a platform that respects their work — offering fair earnings without the heavy commission cuts that have long made this industry unsustainable for smaller operators.

The platform currently covers every corner of Mumbai from the dense urban corridors of South Mumbai to the outer suburbs and beyond. And while the immediate focus remains on delivering a dependable service within the city, the vision is larger: a pan-India network that brings the same reliability to tier-2 cities, rural districts, and underserved regions where ambulance access is either limited or entirely absent.

India loses thousands of lives each year simply due to delays in emergency transport. Not because of a lack of technology or resources, but because of a lack of coordination.

AIVA Health is not trying to reinvent the ambulance it is building the infrastructure that makes the ones we already have actually work.

Book an ambulance now — visit www.aivahealth.in or call 7400194039

In a city like Mumbai, where every minute on the road matters, that is not a small thing. That is the difference between a life lost and a life saved.

To book an ambulance or learn more, visit www.aivahealth.in | Available across all of Mumbai | All ambulance types covered

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The company had previously raised $6.3 million in seed round  from Peak XV and Spring Marketing Capital in February 2024. The company was also backed by Stride Ventures, Getvantage and Indian cricketer KL Rahul.

Founded by Sachin Parikh, Anvi Shah, and Neehar Modi, HyugaLife will use the fresh funds to strengthen its AI-led personalisation stack, build a dark store network for faster deliveries, and expand into offline retail.

The platform focuses on verified and authentic nutrition products through its H-Tested programme, which includes direct sourcing from brands and independent lab reports covering nutrition and heavy metals across a large part of its catalogue.

HyugaLife currently lists more than 450 brands and over 10,000 products across proteins, supplements, health foods, and wellness categories. The startup serves fitness enthusiasts, athletes, working professionals, and families across India. 

Additionally, HyugaLife’s parent, Pratech Brands, owns Neesan Ventures and Inaari, a natural healthcare brand focused on female hormones.

On the financial side, Pratech Brands reported revenue of Rs 45.32 crore in FY25, compared to Rs 38.63 crore in FY24, while its losses narrowed to Rs 21.32 crore from Rs 32 crore.

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The fresh funds will be used to accelerate global expansion and product innovation, the company said.

Founded in 2016 by Kishan Aswath, Amit Kulkarni, and Ranganath Seetharamu, Mojro is a B2B SaaS platform for logistics planning and optimization. It helps mid- to large-sized enterprises across sectors such as CPG, retail, courier and parcel, dairy, and e-commerce reduce logistics costs by up to 20%, using a usage-based pricing model.

Its AI-powered platform uses advanced analytics and heuristic algorithms to deliver optimization across routes, schedules, trips, and capacity constraints. With a library of over 150 constraints, it is designed to handle complex logistics scenarios while delivering measurable improvements within 90 days.

Its products, including PlanWyse and ExecuteWyse, enable real-time planning and operational intelligence for enterprises across FMCG, food and beverage, 3PL, and retail sectors.

According to market research, the global AI in logistics market is expected to reach $38.68 billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 46.9%.

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Since its inception in 2018, 77 fellows have graduated, with over 50 progressing to doctoral programmes in India and abroad. This year’s cohort showcased students from diverse areas of specialization, including Finance & Accounting, Decision Sciences, Information Systems, Economics, Strategy, Marketing, OB&HRM and Public Policy. 

The NSR Pre-doc is designed to create meaningful career pathways for candidates from historically underrepresented communities in management and allied disciplines. Through a combination of methodological training, close faculty mentorship and early immersion in research, fellows are equipped not only to access PhD programmes but to pursue their research interests and contribute to the field with depth and confidence.

The stipend-supported initiative, which is a deliberate effort to build a diverse and rigorous pool of aspirants for doctoral studies, enables fellows to build long-term professional relationships with peers and professors, while also allowing the Institute to make a determined investment in the future of India’s research landscape. 

Faculty reflections 

Prof. Anil B Suraj, Chairperson, NSR Pre-doc and Committee on Diversity and Inclusion, and faculty of the Public Policy area of IIMB, congratulated the fellows on completing the requirements of a competitive programme. Calling the participants a “wonderful composition” for its interdisciplinary diversity, he noted that students of the outgoing batch had pursued master’s programmes from a variety of national and international universities and came with backgrounds in physics, computer science, social science, data science, law and more. “We now have 77 predoc fellows – with two who have already got their PhDs – one from IIT Madras and one from IIM Bangalore. Two more are soon to defend their thesis”, he said.

Prof. Mukta Kulkarni, Dean, Programmes, and faculty of Organizational Behavior & Human Resources Management at IIMB, reflected on the academic preparedness of the fellows and observed that many transitioned seamlessly into doctoral coursework and contributed meaningfully to the classroom. “I’ve had the pleasure of having Pre-doc students in my class who have then moved into my PhD class. I can attest that some of the best contributions have come from you,” she said. She also noted the programme’s expanding portfolio of success stories and expressed the hope that the fellows had a fruitful and fulfilling journey at IIM Bangalore.

Prof. Dinesh Kumar, Director-in-charge, IIMB, and faculty of the Decision Sciences area, encouraged fellows to view this transition as the beginning of a longer academic journey. He expressed the Institute’s aspiration to welcome them back as future faculty and acknowledged the role of families, faculty and mentors in supporting their progression. “As more of our Pre-doc students complete their PhDs, we can say the programme has achieved what it was designed to do”, he said, referring to its vision of enhancing social diversity and diversity of thought in management academia while providing a structured pathway into doctoral programmes.

Prof. Jitamitra Desai, Decision Sciences area, extended his congratulations to the participants on starting a research career. “I commend you for taking up research as a career. I can say with complete certainty that it is a rewarding one”, he said, adding that “knowledge creation through research” and “knowledge dissemination through teaching” are important commitments of academia. 

Prof. Ludvig Levasseur, Entrepreneurship area and member of the NSR Pre-doc faculty committee, noted that the programme continues to attract increasingly competitive cohorts and is enabling strong placements into doctoral programmes.

Prof. Tarun Jain, Chairperson, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and faculty in the Production & Operations Management area, encouraged fellows to remain adaptive as they move forward. “As you progress, keep embracing emerging technologies, but don’t use them to outsource your thinking or your research process”, he said, urging them to stay flexible towards an uncertain future and be accustomed to the volatility of the system. He also emphasized the importance of engaging with new market challenges and developing targeted, solution-oriented research as students part of a B-school.

Prof. Sourav Mukherji, Dean, Faculty, spoke of the genesis of the programme eight years ago and highlighted its long-term vision. He expressed confidence in its continued growth and its role in strengthening the pipeline of research-oriented faculty in India. “I look forward to the total number of fellows reaching 100 – and to welcoming some of you back as faculty members”, he said, adding that the country’s need for good teachers is closely tied to a strong research orientation. “It is a difficult journey, but one that is deeply rewarding”. 

Prof. Reshma Chirayil Chandrasekharan, faculty in the Decision Sciences area and member of the programme committee, noted the steady improvement in the cohort’s diversity and academic depth over the years.

Personal reflections on the NSR Pre-doc experience

At the ceremony, the outgoing batch shared their personal and academic gains from NSR Pre-doc. “I learned how to read academic literature more deeply, frame research questions, and work on conceptual writing”, said Nisha Kumari, OB&HRM area.

“The programme helped me appreciate research as a process of asking meaningful questions rather than simply seeking answers”, said Meera Remesh from the Finance & Accounting area. This experience, she added, was instrumental in strengthening her decision to now pursue a research-focused career.

Snehal Khandare, with a background in Insolvency and Bankruptcy Law, said that her interest in the question “how do you make strategy work when the rules keep changing?” led her to the programme. “I joined IIMB’s NSR Pre-Doc programme in the Strategy area to move beyond legal compliance”, she said, adding that she sought to understand how firms can navigate insolvency without eroding value, and how governance, in turn, shapes strategic outcomes.

“This hands-on engagement significantly improved my technical skills and gave me a clearer understanding of the standards expected in academic research. It also helped me develop patience, attention to detail, and the ability to work through datasets and methodologies,” said Poonguzhali R P, Economics area.

Batch profile 

The 2025–26 cohort comprised twelve fellows: Anagha P, OBHRM area; Dhruv Singh, Information Systems area; Jarupula Gunavardhini, Public Policy area; Nisha Kumari, OBHRM area; Poonguzhali R P, Economics area; Sushanta Patel, Decision Sciences area; Bency Antony, Public Policy area; Snehal Khandare, Strategy area; Anslin B S Saj, Decision Sciences area; Mauzmi Nazar, Marketing area; Jaideep Barman, Information Systems area; and Meera Remesh, Finance & Accounting area. 

Many have presented research at prestigious national and international conferences, with several of these works already leading to academic publications. The programme’s success is also reflected in the doctoral programmes of choice secured by the fellows at leading national and global institutes.

The ceremony came to a close with the distribution of certificates, which marked the culmination of the cohort’s engagement with the programme and the beginning of their transition into doctoral study.

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The company is raising fresh funds nearly two years after its $13 million Series A round in June 2024.

The board at Ethereal Machines passed a special resolution to approve the issuance of 29,214 Series B preference shares at an issue price of 90,536 each to raise the above mentioned amount, according to its filing with the Registrar of Companies (RoC).

Avataar Venture Partners will lead the round with Rs 199.55 crore ($21.5 million), followed by existing investor Peak XV Partners and Novellus Systems, who will invest Rs 30.7 crore and Rs 27.9 crore, respectively. Other participants include Sustained Innovations LLP, Eventures India Pvt Ltd, Shailesh Lakhani, and Indigo Circle Advisors.

According to Entrackr’s estimates, the round will value the company at Rs 1,470 crore ($158 million), reflecting a 3.8X jump from its previous valuation of Rs 383 crore in the $13 million round.

In December, YourStory reported that Ethereal was in early discussions to raise $30 million in a Series B round.

Founded by Kaushik Mudda and Navin Jain, decade-old Ethereal Machines produces precision engineering components via its proprietary multi-axis CNC machines. Its machines enable precision engineering components to be produced at fast and cost-effective rates.

Following the Series B allotment, Avataar Venture Partners will hold a 13.69% stake in the company. Existing investor Peak XV Partners will increase its stake to 16.36%, while Novellus Systems will own 1.92%. The company’s co-founders will collectively retain a 24.17% stake.

On the financial front, the Bengaluru-based company reported Rs 11.45 crore in operating revenue for the fiscal year ended March 2025, while it posted a loss of Rs 27.27 crore during the same period.

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The findings point to a generation that is experience-driven, digitally connected, and culturally fluid balancing ambition with lifestyle, tradition with modernity, and online identity with real-world community. The report highlights how shared experiences, social spaces, and digital platforms continue to shape the everyday lives of young Indians.

For over a decade, SOCIAL has functioned as a melting pot for communities, creators, students, professionals, and entrepreneurs, offering a front-row seat to the evolving behaviours and conversations shaping urban youth culture. With Voices from the Hood, the brand extends this role by documenting the voices, aspirations, and habits of India’s next generation.

“At SOCIAL, we’ve always believed that culture is shaped in the spaces where people come together to connect, collaborate and celebrate,” said Riyaaz Amlani, Founder & Managing Director, Impresario Entertainment & Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. “Voices from the Hood is our attempt to capture the spirit of young India, their ambitions, their anxieties, their everyday rituals and the cultural moments that define this generation.”

“Voices from the Hood is rooted in something very simple: listening to young India at scale. What emerges is a generation that is deeply expressive, highly aware and constantly shaping culture through everyday choices; from how they socialise and spend, to what they aspire to do and how they discover the world. For us, the report is both a cultural lens and a strategic tool for staying meaningfully connected to the realities of youth today,” said, Divya Aggarwal, Chief Growth Officer, Impresario Entertainment & Hospitality Pvt. Ltd.

Speaking about the visual language and design of the report, Santanu Hazarika said, “Building on SOCIAL’s attempt to document the voice of young India, I wanted this report to feel like a cultural artifact, almost like a modern-day consumer bible. Something that captures the chaos, ambition and contradictions that define youth today, not just through data, but through a living visual language. The design is intentionally layered, each page feels like a fragment of a generation, blending energy, symbolism and nostalgia in a way that mirrors how young India experiences the world today. It’s a form of controlled chaos, where every visual invites interaction, reflection and a deeper connection with the culture it represents.”

Key Insights from Voices from the Hood

Lifestyle & Entertainment

For young India, leisure is no longer passive, it is participatory, social and deeply digital.
Entertainment today spans multiple worlds simultaneously: streaming platforms, social media, gaming ecosystems, live experiences and travel. Youth move fluidly between screens and shared experiences, balancing digital entertainment with real-world recreation.

Highlights

·       Movies remain the most popular recreational outing at 65%, making cinema the top activity outside cafés, bars or restaurants.

·       Adventure and activity-based outings follow closely at 63%, reflecting the growing appeal of experiences such as trekking, paintball and go-karting among late Gen Z and early Millennials.

·       Cultural experiences continue to attract youth audiences, with stand-up comedy (26%) and theatre (21%) emerging as popular urban activities.

·       Live entertainment is firmly embedded in youth culture: 17% attend gigs or concerts weekly, while 16% attend monthly, showing sustained engagement with music and live performance scenes.

·       Mobile behaviour underpins daily routines, with 35% spending 1–3 hours on apps each day and 28% spending 3–5 hours, highlighting how digital platforms shape communication, entertainment and discovery.

·       Streaming platforms dominate home entertainment, with Netflix leading subscriptions at 77%, followed by Amazon Prime Video (54%) and JioHotstar (42%).

·       Travel preferences reflect a shift toward experience-driven exploration, with 55% preferring adventure-based travel, followed by relaxation-focused trips at 37%.

Together, these patterns show a generation that sees entertainment as both identity and experience, where digital culture and real-world exploration coexist.

Aspirations & Beliefs

Young India is both ambitious and reflective; pursuing financial independence while negotiating identity, relationships and values. The report highlights a generation that places strong emphasis on career success while simultaneously redefining traditional markers of adulthood such as marriage, cultural belonging and personal fulfilment.

Highlights

·       Cultural roots remain deeply embedded in youth identity, with 46% saying traditions are very important to their lifestyle and values.

·       At the same time, perspectives on relationships are evolving: 43% favour marriage, while 31% express openness to modern relationship structures.

·       Youth ambition remains strong, with 67% saying financial success is very important and for 15% somewhat important in their lives.

·       When asked about the biggest challenges facing their generation, respondents identified education (28%), mental health (26%) and employment opportunities (24%) as the most pressing concerns.

·       Entrepreneurship continues to attract youth imagination, with 42% naming business ownership as their dream career path.

·       Dating is a regular part of youth life, with 19% saying they go on dates thrice a week and 21% saying they do so once or twice a week.

These insights reflect a generation that is goal-driven yet introspective, balancing ambition with evolving social values.

Dining

Dining out has evolved into a core social ritual for young consumers. Restaurants today function as gathering spaces where youth celebrate milestones, connect with friends and unwind from daily routines. Food culture is deeply tied to social identity, discovery and shared experiences.

Highlights

·       Dining out is a frequent activity, with 28% going out for a meal once or twice a week and 21% dining out three to four times weekly.

·       19% report eating out almost daily, particularly among urban professionals and students in metro cities.

·       Spending patterns reflect a balance between accessibility and indulgence, with ₹1,000–₹2,000 emerging as the most common dining-out budget (34%).

·       Discovery of new restaurants increasingly happens online: word of mouth leads at 53%, followed by social media ads (36%) and influencers (25%).

·       Food discovery apps play a central role, with Zomato/ District used by 54% of respondents.

These trends show that for youth today, restaurants function as modern social living rooms, where food, friends and experiences converge.

Nightlife

Nightlife for young Indians is increasingly about experiences, music and social energy rather than just drinking. Going out after hours has become a space for self-expression, community and entertainment, shaped by digital discovery and evolving drinking preferences.

Highlights

·       56% say they enjoy drinking alcohol when they go out partying, while 18% drink occasionally, showing flexible drinking behaviour across audiences.

·       26% report not drinking alcohol, highlighting the diversity of nightlife preferences.

·       Frequency of nightlife engagement remains steady, with 23% going out once or twice a week for parties or social outings.

·       Night-out spending reflects mainstream affordability, with ₹1,000–₹2,000 emerging as the most common spend bracket (33%).

·       Discovery of nightlife experiences is largely digital, led by social media (34%), influencers (19%) and aggregator platforms (16%).

·       Premium alcohol preferences are rising, with 50% choosing premium labels, signalling a shift toward quality-driven consumption.

Nightlife today reflects community and cultural participation, where experiences, music and social interaction drive engagement.

Delivery

Food delivery has become a routine lifestyle behaviour driven by convenience, variety and digital access.

Highlights

·       Delivery platforms are deeply embedded in youth consumption patterns.

·       Zomato leads usage at 44%, followed by Swiggy at 25%, while 27% of users actively switch between both platforms.

·       Delivery behaviour is often driven by convenience, variety and time constraints rather than occasional indulgence.

Beyond statistics, Voices from the Hood serves as a cultural snapshot of contemporary youth capturing their ambitions, anxieties, digital lives, and the social spaces where culture unfolds.

As India’s youth population continues to shape cultural and economic trends, the report aims to provide brands, creators, and cultural observers with a deeper understanding of what motivates and inspires this generation.

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Founded in 2021, Deep Algorithm operates on a B2B model, offering enterprise-grade security products such as adapID-AI, an adaptive behavioral intelligence identity engine that continuously models identity behaviour across systems, detecting compromised credentials, lateral movement, insider threats, and anomalous access before exploitation occurs. Another key product is BotShield-AI, a tool designed for zero-day threat prevention, DDOS mitigation, and runtime application protection.  BotShield AI CTEM is a fully autonomous agentic AI platform that continuously learns your environment, simulates adversary behaviour, and deploys defence, without waiting for human input.

Speaking on the announcement, JP Mishra, Founder and CEO says, “We have always seen identity as dynamic rather than static—defined by continuous behavioral signals. As threats evolve, particularly with the rise of agentic AI-driven attacks, behavior becomes the new fingerprint. Continuous monitoring of human–machine interactions is critical to securing the enterprise digital landscape. Agentic identity security is not just a capability—it represents the future of behavioral intelligence, and we are building the foundation for it”

He further adds, Over the last 12 months, We have been on a strong growth recording  3X increase in closing ARR from FY25 to FY26 and we expect  this to increase 20X by FY 2027. As we continue to scale, we are also preparing to announce the launch of our adapID AI CIRM Platform for Agentic Identity, a first-of-its-kind solution purpose-built for the age of AI agents”.

Commenting on leading the round, Anil Joshi, Managing Partner, Unicorn India Ventures says,“Cybersecurity-as-a-service is witnessing increasing demand as threat actors evolve and raise the stakes with AI and agentic AI. Recognising the urgency for action, Deep Algorithms is building products that address a growing enterprise blind spot—establishing trust, control, and accountability for autonomous agents through context-aware behavioural identity, enabling secure and governed AI-driven operations.”

The company previously raised Rs 10.8 crore from Unicorn India Ventures.

Deep Algorithms serves customers across the BFSI, Fintech, and enterprise sectors, including banks and digital platforms. Their key clients include Canara Bank, Karnataka Bank, DCB Bank, CSB, NCRTC, and BVH. It is currently engaged in discussions and ongoing POCs with other Banks, Defense, and Government Organizations.

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Mr. Ravi Narayanan, MD & CEO, SMFG India Credit, said “This capital infusion from SMFG reinforces our strategy and execution strength as we enter our next phase of growth. We remain focused on delivering sustainable, predictable, and non-volatile growth through superior execution and agility. By accelerating our digital transformation journey with new-age technologies, strengthening our commitment to fair, transparent practices to enhance customer experience and upholding highest standards of governance, compliance & risk management, we are well-positioned to deepen our market presence and create long-term value for our stakeholders.”

SMICC’s Assets Under Management (AUM) stood at INR 64,100 crore as of December 31, 2025, reflecting a year-on-year growth of 21%. Disbursements for the period April 2025 to December 2025 was INR 39,500 crore, registering a year-on-year growth of 29%.

About SMFG India Credit: SMFG India Credit Co. Ltd., a leading NBFC – Investment and Credit Company (NBFC-ICC) registered with the Reserve Bank of India and a wholly owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMFG), has been operating in India since 2007. Together with its subsidiary, SMFG India Home Finance Co. Ltd. also known as SMFG Grihashakti, the company has established a pan-India presence, across 670+ towns and 70,000+ villages through 1000+ branches and 22,500+ employees offering lending products to underserved & unserved retail and small business borrowers. By doing so, it has introduced people to formal credit. SMFG India Credit along with SMFG Grihashakti offers a comprehensive range of lending solutions, including SME financing, commercial vehicle and two-wheeler loans, home loans, home improvement loans, loans against property and shares, personal loans, and rural livelihood advancement loans etc.

About Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMFG): SMFG is one of the largest global banking and financial service groups, offering a diverse range of financial services including commercial banking, leasing, securities and consumer finance and is headquartered in Japan. SMFG is listed on the Tokyo and New York (via ADR) Stock Exchanges and has a market capitalization of approximately US$123.8 billion (as of the end of December 2025). SMFG is one of the global systemically important banks (G-SIBs) and has high credit ratings of A1 by Moody’s Investors Service and A- by Standard & Poor’s.

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Oversize apparel was trending globally when the pandemic struck the world in 2020. Indian brands, however, refused to pick up the trend. Gupta started with basic products, making mockups, and promoting them on Instagram through ads to generate orders, until he pivoted to oversized T-shirts for women and gradually widened the basket to a unisex portfolio.

“I didn’t fully realise it, but the timing worked in our favour. No one was doing this. Most of the T-shirts available in the market lacked quality and strong design. From day one itself, we focussed on design and quality to create space for Bonkers.”

The D2C brand got a boost after it appeared on Shark Tank India Season 5, where Namita Thapar of Emcure Pharmaceuticals committed ₹1.5 Cr in investment. Bonkers cornered $15 Mn from its Series A round, led by India SME Investments along with participation from Atul Ruia-led Phoenix Family Office, in March 2026.

Bootstrapped until the first round, the brand remained profitable since its debut. Backed by a steady growth in business, Bonkers bespoke into the retail space in 2023. Three years on, it counts 40% of its business coming from the retail wing.

“Since we were making profits, we did not think of raising external capital. But, as retail was doing well, we needed money to push our offline expansion. A single store takes up to ₹3 Cr to set up,” Gupta said.

The Building Blocks Of Streetwear

In 2011, Gupta dropped out of college after his family’s textile printing business suffered strains.

He stepped in and started figuring out the fundamentals of textile printing — from strain printing processes to how chemicals behave, and what could go wrong in production. By 2013, he decided to move into garment manufacturing. 

“While I always wanted to build my own brand, I knew that I lacked the experience. Manufacturing felt like the right place to start,” Gupta said.

That phase gave him a front-row seat to India’s booming D2C theatre. He observed how online-first brands scaled, operated, and evolved once funding came into the picture. “When funding comes in, the brand changes. I didn’t feel I could build long-term relationships in that setup.”

The turning point came during the 2020 lockdowns. Manufacturing slowed, payments became uncertain, and it forced a decision: keep depending on other brands or build something of your own.

Gupta spotted a clear gap. While oversized streetwear was already a global phenomenon, part of a market estimated at over $371 Bn in 2025, but in India, the category was still nascent, fragmented, and largely untapped. 

Bonkers Corner zeroed in on this. “It was trending a lot globally. So, we started oversize apparel with a few SKUs in women-focussed tees. Once traction from DM increased, we launched our own website in 2020. By the time we closed our first full fiscal in FY21, we were standing at an INR 5 Cr revenue,” said Gupta.

Venturing Beyond The Core 

By the time Bonkers turned two, Gupta realised that the category was naturally unisex. The realisation was affirmed by a notable traction from male buyers. “Male models were hired,” he said. 

“This shift also helped us optimise inventory. Instead of managing separate stock for men and women, a single inventory could serve both the segments, no matter if the split was 70-30 or 50-50. This helped us get rid of any dead stock at all. While most brands typically see 5–10% inventory write-offs, we haven’t had to write off any products.”

The brand’s unisex streetwear portfolio today spans across 12,000 SKUs in categories such as oversized apparel, gym wear, joggers, hoodies and sweatshirts. 

Expanding beyond the core, Bonkers also leaned into licensed collaborations early on with brands such as Disney, Smiley, Playboy, Tokidoki, and Hot Wheels. These collaborations now make up 15% of its revenue. 

Its first physical event was Comic Con, a pop-culture event where people gather to celebrate comics, movies, television, gaming, anime, and more. This came as a shot in the arm for the offline segment, while the online foundation kept gathering strength.

That’s when Bonkers decided to approach Phoenix Mall to set up their first physical store. It was launched in September 2023.

What Paid Off For Bonkers Corner

From online to offline expansion and focus on vertical penetration, Bonkers has established a few concrete strategies.

Mastering The Basics: Gupta counts his technical experience and knowledge as the competitive edge of the brand. After spending nine years in production, he claims that Bonkers is directly involved in every stage of manufacturing the product – from sourcing of material to supply chain. 

“There’s a clear difference between us and many other brands because I come from a technical background, having spent nearly nine years in production. I understand everything from sourcing and pricing to garment construction, so there’s no scope for inefficiencies or being misled. Many founders rely on intermediaries for these decisions, which raises costs and reduces quality,” he added.

Cost Discipline At Core: The company always kept a tighter leash on expenses. Gupta stressed that the brand has stayed focussed on certain basics like this since day one, while keeping its team size and overheads largely unchanged. 

He claims that even today, the company maintains a lean structure, with controlled overheads despite rising revenue. 

Quality Machinery And In-House Production: Bonkers chose to work directly with vendors, instead of relying on intermediaries.

The company claims to be handling everything in-house. It runs three manufacturing sites. Its printing machinery is bought from Portugal and stitching and embroidery machines from Japan, while its raw materials are domestically sourced, including yarn from Vardhaman, with inks imported from Japan. 

The D2C fashion industry, according to Gupta, struggles with lack of transparency as a lot of brands do not know much about sourcing as they appoint intermediaries to do it on their behalf. This also impacts costing. 

Bonkers held onto its initially identified trends pretty strongly. For instance, its joggers became bestsellers in the initial cycle. Today, the product makes up 50% of its revenue. 

The Influencer Marketing Play: Bonkers adopted a digital-first, influencer-heavy strategy once the brand started getting customers in 2021-23. In in the initial phase, it spent roughly 40–50% of its marketing budget on influencer collaborations. “This helped drive high organic discovery and low-cost customer acquisition among Gen Z audiences,” Gupta said.

As the business scaled, the marketing mix became more balanced with 30-35% spent on performance marketing (Meta/Google), 25–30% on influencer marketing, and 15–20% on content and social. “Importantly, influencer marketing transitioned from a pure acquisition lever to a content and trust engine, while offline stores began acting both as visibility drivers and conversion hubs.”

Charting The Future 

The ongoing conflict in West Asia has affected several vital industries in India with apparels being one of the worst hit. From a surge in raw material prices to shortage of workers, Indian D2C brands are absorbing the cut as of now. 

Gupta mentioned that several workers from his factories have migrated back to their home towns after LPG price hike raised their cost of living in cities. The price of raw materials like yarn and dye too has gone up to 30%. “If the war goes on, I will have to change the pricing. As of now, I am absorbing the extra cost.”

With fresh capital in place, the company is now gearing up for aggressive retail expansion. It plans to have 100 outlets by next year, including 25–30 to be launched this fiscal. Retail contributes to 40% of the total revenue, while 55% comes from its own website and 5% from marketplaces. 

The brand is working to set up a green manufacturing plant with a total investment of approximately ₹100 Cr. The investment will take place in phases with ₹30 Cr infused in the first phase. 

Bonkers aims to have all compliance certificates and make 100% sustainable operations at the green plant. It has bought a place in the Murbad city of Maharashtra for this. The brand has three manufacturing facilities in Patgaon, Ulhasnagar, and Khopoli. 

With the green plant, Gupta plans to shut two of three existing manufacturing plants and centralise them in a bigger unit. It is pertinent to note that the brand handles manufacturing in-house. In the ongoing fiscal, Bonkers will focus on denim as a category extensively. 

The post How Bonkers Corner Bootstrapped Its Way To A ₹195 Cr Streetwear Brand appeared first on The India Bizz Startup News Website.

Why the Monorail Was Shut Down

Operations were halted on September 20, 2025, after multiple technical failures, including mid-journey breakdowns that raised serious safety concerns.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) decided to suspend services entirely rather than continue with patchwork fixes.

This pause allowed authorities to rethink the system from the ground up—focusing on long-term reliability instead of short-term repairs.

What Has Changed: Technology & Safety Upgrades

The monorail is not just restarting—it’s being rebuilt with modern systems. Key upgrades include:

• New rolling stock (train sets) to replace aging rakes
• CBTC-based signalling system for better control and safety
• Fleet refurbishment and system overhaul across operations

Importantly, the upgraded system has already received certification from an independent safety assessor, Bureau Veritas, ensuring it meets required safety standards.

A final clearance from railway safety authorities is expected before full operations resume.

When Will Services Resume?

While an exact date is yet to be officially announced, reports suggest the monorail could return around April–May 2026, once all safety approvals are in place.

Trial runs and testing are currently underway, indicating that the system is in its final readiness phase.

Route & Connectivity: Why It Still Matters

The Mumbai Monorail runs from Chembur to Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk, covering around 19.5 km and connecting key parts of eastern and central Mumbai.

Despite earlier criticism for poor integration, authorities are now focusing on improving connectivity—especially linking it with upcoming metro lines like Metro Line 2B to increase ridership.

Better integration could finally unlock the system’s potential as a feeder network.

Can the Monorail Win Back Public Trust?

The biggest challenge isn’t technology—it’s perception.

The monorail has long been labeled as underutilized and unreliable, with frequent breakdowns and low passenger numbers. But this relaunch offers a chance to reset that narrative.

If the upgraded system delivers:

• Consistent performance
• Better frequency
• Seamless connectivity

…it could finally become a meaningful part of Mumbai’s public transport ecosystem.

The Bigger Picture

Mumbai is rapidly expanding its metro network, but last-mile connectivity remains a challenge.

The monorail—if fixed properly—can play a crucial supporting role by connecting dense urban pockets that metros may not directly serve.

A Second Chance for Mumbai’s Monorail

This isn’t just a restart—it’s a reboot.

After years of setbacks, the Mumbai Monorail is getting a rare second chance. Whether it succeeds this time will depend on one thing:
consistent performance, not promises.

Summary

Mumbai Monorail is set to resume operations after being shut since September 2025 due to technical failures. Upgraded with new trains, CBTC signalling, and safety certifications, services may restart by April–May 2026. The relaunch aims to improve reliability and integration with metro lines, giving the monorail a second chance to become a key part of Mumbai’s transport system.

The post Mumbai Monorail Project Kickstarts With 19.54 Kms Line Between Chembur to Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk appeared first on The India Bizz Startup News Website.