MAM
ReFit Global raises Rs two crore funding at Rs 200 crore valuation on Shark Tank Season 3
Mumbai: ReFit Global, a rapidly growing Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) Refurbished marketplace, has successfully secured Rs two crore funding at Rs 200 crore valuation from leading entrepreneurs and investors during their appearance on Shark Tank India Season 3. The investment round was spearheaded by Shaadi.com – People Group CEO Anupam Mittal, SUGAR Cosmetics CEO & co-founder Vineeta Singh, CarDekho Group and InsuranceDekho co-founder & CEO Amit Jain. This strategic investment marks a significant leap forward in ReFit Global’s expansion journey.
The acquired funds will be used to scale operations, broaden market outreach, and fortify the company’s technological infrastructure. Additionally, ReFit Global aims to enhance its web presence and overall customer experience, reinforcing its position as a leader in the refurbished marketplace.
One of the largest liquidation partners of major online platforms and collaborator with major e-commerce platforms and smartphone brands, the bootstrapped company achieved 100x YoY growth, securing Rs 200 crores in FY 2022-2023.
Speaking about the fundraising, ReFit Global CEO & co-founder Saket Saurav stated, “We’re truly excited to be sharing such a prestigious entrepreneurial platform with seasoned business leaders and visionaries. Recognizing the unique strengths each shark brings, our efforts has always been on expertise rather than just financial valuation. Our primary focus was to create a dynamic alliance with a diverse group of accomplished sharks, each contributing their distinctive insights and expertise. With this opportunity, we are aiming to bring in a clearer vision and market positioning for ReFit”.
ReFit Global founder & CEO Avneet Singh stated, “We are pleased to have received funding from Shark Tank India, which validates our commitment to transforming the refurbished smartphone industry through innovation and research. The investment will be deployed to drive further advancements and introduce a diverse range of refreshed products to the market.”
Beyond being a successful startup with a network of over 50,000 retailers across 100 odd cities, ReFit Global distinguishes itself as an environmental steward within the re-commerce industry. The company’s commitment to sustainability and reducing e-waste positions it as an eco-conscious player. Apart from financial success, ReFit Global actively contributes to positive environmental impact through excellent service, diverse sourcing methods, and a solid warranty promise. With these strengths, the company is driven to achieve its target of becoming a Rs 1,000 crore profitable enterprise within the next few years.
MAM
ASCI study uncovers how Gen Alpha navigates ads in endless digital feeds
‘What the Sigma?’ ethnographic report maps blurred boundaries between content and commerce for 7–15-year-olds.
MUMBAI: Gen Alpha isn’t scrolling through the internet, they’re living rent-free inside its never-ending dopamine drip, and the ads have already moved in next door. The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) Academy, partnering with Futurebrands Consulting, has published ‘What the Sigma?’, an immersive ethnographic study that maps how Indian children aged 7–15 (Generation Alpha) consume, interpret and live alongside media and commercial messaging in a hyper-digital environment.
The research draws on in-home interviews, sibling and peer conversations, and discussions with parents, teachers, counsellors, psychologists, marketers and kidfluencers across six cities. It examines not only what children watch but how algorithms, content creators, peers and parents shape their relationship with the constant stream of shorts, vlogs, gameplay, memes, sponsored posts and ‘kid-ified’ adult material.
Five core themes emerged:
- Discontinuous Generation, Gen Alpha is not growing up alongside the internet, they are growing up inside it. Cultural references, humour, aesthetics and language sync globally in real time, often leaving adults functionally illiterate in their children’s world. A reference that lands instantly for a 10-year-old in Mumbai or Visakhapatnam feels opaque or disjointed to most parents.
- Authority Vacuum, Parents and teachers frequently lose cultural fluency in digital spaces. The algorithm responsive, inexhaustible and perfectly attuned to preferences becomes the most attentive presence in many children’s daily lives. Rules around screen time feel increasingly difficult to enforce when adults cannot fully see or understand the content landscape.
- Digital as Society, Online and offline no longer exist as separate realms, they form one continuous reality. The phone is not a tool children pick up; it is the primary social environment they inhabit.
- Great Media Mukbang, Content flows as an ambient, boundary-less, multi-sensorial stream. Entertainment, advertising, commerce, gameplay, memes and vlogs merge into one undifferentiated feed. The line between active choice and passive absorption has largely collapsed.
- Blurred Ad Recognition, Children aged 7–12 typically recognise only the most overt advertising formats. Influencer promotions, gaming integrations and vlog sponsorships often register as organic entertainment. Children aged 13–15 show greater ad literacy but remain highly susceptible to narrative-integrated, passion-driven and emotionally resonant brand messaging. Discernment remains low across the board in a non-stop stream.
ASCI CEO and secretary general Manisha Kapoor said, “ASCI Academy’s study is an investigation into the content life of Generation Alpha not to judge them but to understand them. Their cultural reference points seem disjointed from those of earlier generations. Insights on how they perceive advertising is the first step towards building more responsible engagement frameworks, given that they are the youngest media consumers in our country right now.”
Futurebrands Consulting founder and director Santosh Desai added, “While earlier generations have been exposed to digital media, for this generation it is the world they inhabit. This report explores not only what they watch but how they are being shaped by algorithms, content and advertising.”
The study proposes four adaptive, principles-led pathways:
- Universal signposting of commercial intent using design principles that make advertising recognisable even to young audiences.
- Ecosystem-wide responsibility shared among advertisers, platforms, creators, schools and parents.
- Future-ready safeguards built directly into children’s content experiences rather than as optional background settings.
- Formal media and advertising literacy embedded in school curricula to teach age-appropriate understanding of persuasion and commercial intent.
In a feed that never pauses, Gen Alpha isn’t merely watching content, they’re swimming in an ocean where entertainment, commerce and identity swirl together. The real question isn’t whether they can spot an ad; it’s whether the adults building the ocean can agree on where the lifeguards should stand.
