MAM
Kidbea secures $1mn funding in Pre-Series A round led by Venture Catalysts
Mumbai: Kidbea, an innovative bamboo-based kids fashion brand, has announced that it has raised $1 million in funding in the Pre-series A round led by early-stage investment firm Venture Catalysts.
The funding round also saw involvement from Agility Ventures and BestVantage Investments, as well as notable figures in the industry such as Sandeep Agarwal and Upasana Agarwal, founders of Droom, Ashok Bahadur, alongside a group of experienced angel investors, and Hiro Mizushima, a well-known celebrity actor in Japan.
Founded in 2021 by Swapnil Srivastav, Mohammad Hussain, and Aman Kumar Mahto, Kidbea specialises in creating bamboo plant-based, skin-friendly, and comfortable children’s apparel. Kidbea’s products effectively tackle issues such as discomfort, skin rashes, and food spillage in newborns by providing GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certified clothing that is environmentally friendly and gentle on children’s skin.
Kidbea will use the funding to boost its marketing and branding initiatives, expand its team, and improve operations. Additionally, a strategic portion of the funds will be allocated to research and development and technology to maintain a leading position in the rapidly evolving children’s fashion industry.
At present, Kidbea has a presence on all major online platforms and is available in over 30 partnered stores located in premium children’s hospitals. Additionally, Kidbea has expanded its global reach to include the UAE, Bahrain, and Australia. The brand’s varied product portfolio features over 250 SKUs, encompassing kids’ rompers, bodysuits, reusable cloth diapers, soft toys, and accessories.
On the expansion plan and the new funding, Kidbea co-founder Aman Kumar Mahto said, “The funding signifies a major milestone in our journey to turn Kidbea into a Rs 500 crore brand within the next 3 years. This funding provides us with the means to improve our sustainable offerings, extend our global presence, and persist in redefining children’s fashion.”
On the overall opportunity and growth potential, the founders added that Kidbea posted an impressive eight times revenue growth in FY-23 demonstrating the brand’s growing appeal in the burgeoning kidswear segment that is pegged at $16.4 billion.
Highlighting the potential within the children’s apparel and accessories market, Venture Catalysts co-founder and managing director Dr. Apoorva Ranjan Sharma expressed, “Choosing to invest in Kidbea was an obvious decision for us. With India’s daily birth rate exceeding 67,000 children, there is a substantial opportunity for Kidbea to target the market across both metropolitan areas and small towns, driven by the increasing awareness among new parents regarding sustainable and eco-friendly clothing. Kidbea’s innovative approach and dedication to quality align with the changing expectations of mindful consumers. We have confidence in Kidbea’s potential not only to redefine children’s fashion but also to make a significant contribution to the sustainable fashion landscape.”
Striving to evolve into a Rs 500 crores brand within the next three years, Kidbea is on a trajectory of growth. The company’s dedication to sustainability and quality, along with the strategic deployment of its recent funding, positions Kidbea to further its expansion and solidify its position as a frontrunner in the global children’s fashion industry.
Brands
Estée Lauder to shed 10,000 jobs as new boss bets on digital shift
The cosmetics giant raises its profit outlook but stays silent on a possible merger with Spain’s Puig, as job cuts deepen and a three-year sales slump weighs on the turnaround
NEW YORK: Stéphane de La Faverie is not done cutting. Estée Lauder announced on Friday that it plans to eliminate as many as 3,000 additional jobs, taking its total redundancy programme to as many as 10,000 roles, up from a previous target of 7,000 announced a year ago. The company, which owns La Mer, The Ordinary, Tom Ford, and Aveda, employs roughly 57,000 people worldwide. The mathematics of what is now being contemplated is stark.
The fresh round of cuts is expected to generate a further $200 million in savings, bringing the total annual savings from the programme to as much as $1.2 billion before taxes. That money, De La Faverie has made clear, will be ploughed back into the turnaround.
A CEO in a hurry
De La Faverie, who took the helm in January 2025, inherited a company that had endured three consecutive years of annual sales declines. His response has been to move fast and cut deep. A significant portion of the latest redundancies reflects his push to reduce headcount at US department stores, long a cornerstone of Estée Lauder’s distribution model but now a channel in structural decline. In their place, he is accelerating the shift toward faster-growing online platforms, including Amazon.com and TikTok Shop, a pivot that is reshaping not just where Estée Lauder sells but how it thinks about its customers.
The numbers are moving in the right direction
Despite the pain, there are signs the medicine is working. Estée Lauder raised its profit outlook for the remainder of the fiscal year, guiding for adjusted earnings per share in the range of $2.35 to $2.45, above analyst estimates and a notable step up from the $2.05 to $2.25 range it had guided for in February. Organic net sales growth is expected to come in at 3 per cent, the company said, at the high end of the range it set out in February.
The share price tells a mixed story. After De La Faverie took charge, the stock surged nearly 60 per cent, buoyed by investor optimism that a longtime company insider could finally arrest the decline. But 2026 has been rougher: the shares have fallen 27 per cent this year, weighed down by disappointing February results and the overhang of unresolved merger talks with Spanish beauty giant Puig Brands SA. The company gave no additional details about those discussions on Friday, leaving the market to guess.
Silence on Puig
The proposed tie-up with Puig remains the most consequential unknown hanging over Estée Lauder. A deal with the Barcelona-based group, which owns brands including Carolina Herrera and Rabanne, would reshape the global luxury beauty landscape. But with nothing new to say and a turnaround still very much in progress, De La Faverie is asking investors to trust the process.
Three years of sales declines, 10,000 job cuts, and a merger that may or may not happen. At Estée Lauder, the overhaul has barely started.
