Scale, fund & exit

What breaks at each level, the money to fund it, and building a brand to sell.

What founders use for scale, fund & exit, ranked by how many answers lean on it.

  1. Frames offline/omnichannel as the next competitive frontier rather than a one-time expansion project - good for founders... inc42.com Article Why Cracking The Omnichannel Code Is The Next Frontier For D2C Brands In India Inc42
  2. An academic/business-school perspective on how ONDC and quick commerce are structurally eroding the decades-old distribution... forbesindia.com Article FMCG Giants Lose Distribution Edge as ONDC, Quick Commerce Reshape Market Forbes India / SPJIMR
  3. A running list of who's actually on ONDC today - useful to gauge how real the network's traction is in your category before you... indianstartupnews.com Article Top Companies That Joined ONDC (Exhaustive List) Indian Startup News
  4. A B2B trade platform's take on the same problem from the sourcing-platform angle - useful if you want to skip months of ground... tradologie.com Article How to Get Distributors for Your Product in India Tradologie
  5. Concrete evidence of a Mumbai-based roll-up actively closing acquisitions, with the specific categories (athletic wear, pet,... inc42.com Article Ecommerce Rollup Startup Evenflow Adds 4 D2C Brands To Its Portfolio Inc42
  6. Shows that Indian conglomerates, not just VC-funded roll-ups, are now running Thrasio-style acquisition strategies - important... inc42.com Article Aditya Birla Group Joins Thrasio-Style Bandwagon; To Acquire & Scale D2C Fashion, Lifestyle Brands Inc42
  7. A rare look at the actual acquisition criteria one of India's top roll-ups uses, straight from the source - the closest thing... yourstory.com Article What D2C Brands Aggregator GlobalBees Looks For In A Startup To Invest YourStory
  8. The single best overview comparing GlobalBees, Mensa Brands, Upscalio and Evenflow side by side - the fastest way to understand... yourstory.com Article How These Startups Are Using the Thrasio Model to Help D2C Brands Scale YourStory
  9. Explains why the original Thrasio itself entered India with a $500M commitment - useful context on how much capital global... inc42.com Article Thrasio's Attraction To India's Booming D2C Economy Inc42
  10. An India-first CFO's breakdown of the actual valuation mechanics Indian investors and acquirers use - the rupee-native... cfomatrix.in Article How Indian Investors Value D2C Brands CFO Matrix
  11. A practical directory of actual venues to sell a D2C business, from marketplaces to brokers to direct acquirer outreach,... 1800dtc.com Article 10 Places to Sell Your Ecommerce Business 1-800-D2C
  12. A clean, current explainer of the multiples actually used in ecommerce valuation - SDE vs EBITDA vs revenue multiples - and... eightx.co Article How Ecommerce Brands Are Valued (Multiples Explained) Eightx
  13. A clear plain-language breakdown of what RoDTEP actually refunds and why it replaced MEIS, useful before you assume it works... cleartax.in Article RoDTEP Scheme: Full Form, Rates, Guidelines, Eligibility, Features, Benefits ClearTax
  14. A logistics company's read on RoDTEP is useful precisely because it connects the scheme to actual shipping and documentation... dhl.com Article RoDTEP Scheme: A Complete Guide DHL
  15. An India-first CFO's guide to how venture debt actually works here - who lends it, what it costs, and why it follows equity... cfomatrix.in Article Venture Debt & Debt Funding India: Complete Guide CFO Matrix
  16. A working database of Indian venture debt lenders - useful the moment you're ready to go shopping for term sheets instead of... backrr.com Article Top 50+ Venture Debt Funds for Indian Startups (2026) Backrr
  17. Covers the full funding stack for D2C brands - equity, debt, and the newer route of raising directly from customers via Reg... dealmaker.tech Article The Ultimate Guide to D2C Startup Funding in 2025: Trends & Insights DealMaker
  18. A banking-sector view that treats the bootstrap-vs-VC decision as a capital-structure choice, not a personality test - a useful... hsbcinnovationbanking.com Article Bootstrapping vs. Venture Capital: Choosing the Right Startup Funding Strategy HSBC Innovation Banking
  19. India's leading venture debt fund's own annual data on deal volumes, sectors and terms - the closest thing to primary-source... vdreport.strideventures.in Report India Venture Debt Report Stride Ventures
  20. The government's own aggregator page for SISFS eligibility, written in the same plain checklist format as MyScheme uses across... myscheme.gov.in Article Startup India Seed Fund Scheme - For Startups MyScheme (Government of India)
  21. A fintech's practitioner view of the exact documentation and shipping-bill declaration process for claiming RoDTEP - useful as... razorpay.com Article RoDTEP Scheme: Definition, Eligibility, Documentation Razorpay
  22. The official DGFT portal for RoDTEP - the source of truth for current rates and notifications, since third-party blogs can lag... dgft.gov.in Tool RoDTEP - Directorate General of Foreign Trade Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India
  23. A first-cheque, high-engagement consumer fund focused on F&B, personal care and apparel/lifestyle - the kind of investor who... sauce.vc Tool Sauce Sauce.vc
  24. India and Southeast Asia's first dedicated consumer-focused VC fund, investing since 2012 - a longer track record than most... dsgcp.com Tool DSG Consumer Partners DSG Consumer Partners

Show the next 24

The questions

Scaling 1Cr to 10Cr to 100Cr 6

What breaks, and what to fix first, at each level.

What actually breaks when a D2C brand goes from ₹1 crore to ₹10 crore in revenue? 3 → What changes operationally between ₹10 crore and ₹100 crore - what worked before stops working? 2 → Why do most Indian D2C brands get stuck and never cross ₹100 crore? 3 → How do Indian consumer VCs like Fireside Ventures and Sauce.vc actually think about which brands can scale? 4 → What can I learn from how Mamaearth and WOW Skin Science scaled - and where did they hit trouble? 3 → All 6 questions in Scaling 1Cr to 10Cr to 100Cr →
Building your D2C team 6

The first ten hires that make or break a brand.

What are the first 5-10 hires a D2C founder should make, and in what order? 4 → Should my first marketing hire be a generalist or a specialist - performance marketer vs brand marketer? 3 → When do I need to hire an operations or supply chain person instead of doing it myself? 3 → How do I hire well on a tight budget before I've raised real money? 3 → Where do I actually find good D2C talent in India, and what should I pay? 3 → All 6 questions in Building your D2C team →
Funding a D2C brand 6

VC, revenue-based finance, venture debt, or none.

Should I bootstrap my D2C brand or raise VC money? 4 → What is revenue-based financing and how does it work for D2C brands in India? 4 → What's venture debt, and when should I take it instead of - or alongside - equity? 3 → How do I finance inventory without giving up equity? 3 → Klub, GetVantage or Velocity - which RBF platform is actually right for my brand? 4 → All 6 questions in Funding a D2C brand →
D2C investors & accelerators 6

Who backs consumer brands, and what they want.

Which VCs actually invest in D2C and consumer brands in India? 4 → What do consumer VCs actually look for before writing a check? 2 → Are there D2C-focused accelerators in India worth applying to? 4 → Is Amazon's Propel accelerator or a similar marketplace program worth it for a small brand? 3 → How do I build a shortlist of investors instead of mass-emailing everyone I can find? 4 → All 6 questions in D2C investors & accelerators →
Grants & government schemes 6

MSME, export incentives, and non-dilutive money.

Do I need MSME/Udyam registration for my D2C brand, and what does it actually get me? 3 → What is the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS) and can my D2C brand apply? 3 → What is RoDTEP and how does it help if I export through Amazon Global or Shopify? 4 → What other export incentive schemes exist besides RoDTEP for a D2C brand? 3 → Are there government loan schemes (CGTMSE, MUDRA, PMEGP) I should know about before going to a bank? 3 → All 6 questions in Grants & government schemes →
Partnerships & collaborations 6

Grow by borrowing someone else's audience.

What's the actual playbook for a D2C brand-to-brand collaboration? 4 → Co-marketing vs co-branding vs sponsorship - what's the difference and which should I do? 3 → How do I find a brand to partner with that isn't a direct competitor? 3 → What do good D2C co-branding campaigns actually look like? 3 → Are Indian D2C brands actually doing meaningful collabs, or is it mostly a Western D2C thing? 3 → All 6 questions in Partnerships & collaborations →
Distributors & channel partners 6

Add feet on the street without hiring them.

Should I even bother with offline distribution, or stay D2C-only? 3 → What's the difference between modern trade and general trade, and which should I start with? 3 → How do I actually find and vet a distributor in India? 3 → What is ONDC and should my brand list on it? 2 → Is quick commerce killing traditional distributors, or do I need both? 3 → All 6 questions in Distributors & channel partners →
Selling or exiting your brand 6

Roll-ups, acquisitions, and building to sell.

What is the Thrasio/roll-up model, and would my brand actually get acquired by one? 4 → Which roll-ups and acquirers are actively buying D2C brands in India right now? 4 → How is my D2C brand actually valued when someone wants to buy it? 3 → What do I need to get in order before I even think about selling? 3 → Should I sell to a strategic acquirer (HUL, Marico, Reliance) or a roll-up firm? 3 → All 6 questions in Selling or exiting your brand →
eChai Partner Brands The partnership →