Curlin - A mass premium hair care brand for curly and wavy hair

Curlin is India's one of the first mass premium hair care brand for curly and wavy hair.

Here's the excerpts from eChai with Sumit Karranji, Founder, Curlin as part of our startup showcase series.

About the team

Sumit Karranji is a 2X entrepreneur and is the founder of Curlin. 

Prior to this he had built a SaaS startup for payment reconciliation of marketplace sellers which got acquired by Vinculum (Accel Funded Startup). 

He also serves on the mentor panel of IMPunjab, iTIC-IITH, AISEA, GUSEC, GTU, CIIE, IIMA where he gives back to the startup community by mentoring early stage startups.

Eureka Moment

60% of Indians have wavy or curly hair and there is no dedicated hair care range for them. I found this as a big gap being a curly haired person myself and also being into the ecomm space since a decade.

How does it work?

https://youtu.be/TaYQBtm7WOk

Business model

We sell through our own website, marketplaces and salon channels.

Traction

We have 5000+ customers across 240 cities in India in our pre-revenue stage. 

We have raised $250k from angels and seed investors.

Community support

Looking for brainstorming on creating communities and innovative marketing ideas from the community.

...

You can join the conversation on Twitter via this link here if you want to ask more questions to Sumit Karranji, Founder, Curlin.

...

You can check out the upcoming in-person eChai Startup Demo Days coming up in 8 cities in India - Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Rajkot and Vadodara

Startup Stream

The eChai Effect - In Their Words

"At DevX.Work, we’ve greatly benefited from our association with eChai. Their events and networking forums have connected us with high-potential startups, ecosystem leaders, and innovation-driven professionals — many of whom have become valuable partners, collaborators, and even clients. What stands out most is the openness and accessibility of the community — whether you're an early-stage founder or an experienced entrepreneur, eChai provides a welcoming space to learn, collaborate, and grow. It's more than just a network — it's a catalyst for real, collaborative growth. We’re proud to be part of the eChai community. Highly recommended for any organization aiming to grow within the startup space."
Umesh Uttamchandani - Co-Founder, DevX
Umesh Uttamchandani
Co-Founder, DevX
"eChai has played a truly pivotal role in HummingBird’s journey — even before Day Zero. From ideation to establishment and into growth, it’s been a constant source of support. It connected me with incredible people who’ve become more than just friends. One of the biggest reasons I chose to stay in Ahmedabad is because of the eChai community. It has shaped my growth — both personally and professionally — in ways that are hard to articulate. Honestly, words fall short when I try to express what eChai means to me. I’m deeply thankful and forever grateful to eChai for being such an integral part of my journey."
Harsha Bhurani - Founder, HummingBird Consulting Group
Harsha Bhurani
Founder, HummingBird Consulting Group
“You don’t plan to build a company via eChai. You just keep showing up … and one day, you realize you did.” I’ve known Jatin since 2012, when I was still deciding what kind of second innings I wanted to play as an entrepreneur. Over the years, through events, chai breaks, intros, and seemingly small conversations, eChai helped shape not just Upsquare but also refined the lens through which we see collaboration. At Upsquare, we’ve hired talent, met partners, discovered co-investors, and built lifelong friendships. One of our joint ventures exists today only because a casual eChai memory sparked a deeper trust. Now, as we build House of Starts — our venture builder — eChai continues to fuel our mission: co-creating a shared future. eChai isn’t just a startup network. It’s a trust network. And for business builders like me, that makes all the difference."
Utpal Vaishnav - Founder @ Upsquare & House of Starts • Angel Investor + LP
Utpal Vaishnav
Founder @ Upsquare & House of Starts • Angel Investor + LP

eChai Partner Brands

eChai Ventures partners with select brands as their growth partner - working together to explore new ideas, open doors, and build momentum across the startup ecosystem.