The year 2021 saw the meteoric rise of roll-up ecommerce startups operating on what is known as the Thrasio Thesis. At Yourstory, we have closely followed the growth stories of Mensa Brands – one of the fastest startups to attain unicorn status in Asia – as well as that of G.O.A.T Brand Labs, GlobalBees, Evenflow, Powerhouse91, UpScalio, 10Club, and Bzaar.
But, all this while, the OG itself – Boston-headquartered Thrasio that gives online brands the marketing and technology chops needed for success – was missing from the Indian ecommerce space.
However, that has changed now. With Rs 3,750 crore earmarked for investment and one acquisition – Gurugram-based consumer appliances brand, Lifelong Online Thrasio has announced its entry into the Indian market.
“In addition to acquiring and growing digital-first businesses, we plan to participate in the ‘Make in India’ movement by transitioning the manufacturing for some of our products to the country,” Carlos Cashman, CEO of Thrasio, said in a statement.
So, what does Thrasio’s entry mean for the roll-up ecommerce ecosystem in India? For one, it signals the maturity of the larger ecommerce space which is attracting larger bets. Second, we might expect to see more frenzied acquisition action – much more than what we saw last year – as players scout for the most promising brands. Third, investors could ramp up bets in the ecosystem, given the entry of a company like Thrasio.
While startups following the Thrasio model have been able to gain traction in India, it would be interesting to see if Thrasio itself will be able to capture the pulse of the nation.
The Interview
Looking for successful product strategies to power your startup’s growth? Watch this insightful interview on ‘Metrics that matter in the product journey’ with Ramneek Khurana, Co-founder and Head of Product and Technology, Lenskart.
Editor’s Pick: Inside the Flipkart-Ninjacart partnership
In December 2021, Walmart and Flipkart infused $145 million in agritech startup Ninjacart. The strategic investment is vital for Flipkart’s groceries strategy, while Ninjacart will derive benefits as the ecommerce giant drives demand. Yourstory unpacks the strategies at play in the partnership. Read more.
Startup Spotlight
How Drinktales is delivering “the experience of a bar” at home
IIM alumni and friends Aakriti Goyal, Tulika Priya, and Bhanujeet Choudhary were experimenting with cocktails at a house party when they saw a market opportunity: cocktail mixers. The trio gleaned the need for a platform that offered authentic cocktail mixers to deliver a superior experience to people who wanted to make cocktails at home.
In 2020, this led to the birth of Delhi-based Drinktales, a premium cocktail mixers brand, which aims to “deliver the experience of a bar without the hassle of creating cocktails from scratch.” Read more.
News & Updates
- Chandigarh-based four-wheeler electric vehicle (EV) startup EVage, which has built an in-house exoskeleton or a modular structure to build customisable vehicles, has raised $28 million in a seed round from RedBlue Capital, a US-based venture capital firm.
Before you go, stay inspired with…
“We are trying to build brands for the next 50 years, which is very different from how brands have been built in the last 50 years.”
— Ananth Narayanan, Founder, Mensa Brands
Now get the Daily Capsule in your inbox. Subscribe to our newsletter today!
