Brands
Phases raises Rs three million funding on Indian Angels OTT Show
Mumbai: Davangere, Karnataka-based natural skincare startup Phases, which offers clean and effective skincare products specially formulated to cater to the skin of tweens and teens, has raised angel funding of ₹30 Lakhs against 20 per cent equity dilution, from Shobitam Inc co-founder & chief product Aparna Thyagarajan. This equity funding deal was recently secured by Phases through their participation in ‘Indian Angels’ – a revolutionary angel investment show that’s currently streaming on OTT platform JioCinema. Prior to this, Phases had remained bootstrapped primarily by its co-founders.
Phases is the brainchild of Sannjana Raghu Amberkar, a passionate mompreneur, who started the company back in 2021, along with her co-founder and husband Raghu Amberkar. The startup will be utilizing the newly-acquired angel funds to bolster multiple strategic areas such as product development, optimization of customer experience, marketing and brand visibility enhancement, growth and expansion, among others. These in turn shall fuel Phases’ long-term aspiration and vision of becoming the most prominent player in the teens-and-tweens-skincare market in India.
While leading her brand’s ‘pitch’ in front of the distinguished angel investors’ panel on Indian Angels show, Sannjana presented a compelling narrative and emphasized on bringing Phases’ brand purpose and mission to life. She shared how and why she had got inspired to begin her entrepreneurial journey, after realizing the lack of safe and non-toxic skincare options for her teenage daughter. Sannjana’s heartfelt story, combined with Phases’ unique positioning and focus on the teen-and-tween skincare segment, commitment to sustainability, and their meticulous product formulation and packaging, impressed all the Angels on the show. At the end of her presentation, Sannjana received two separate investment offers from two Angels – Kinetic Engineering managing director Ajinkya Firodia and Thyagarajan with the latter offering her a better deal than the former. Thereafter, Sannjana instantaneously chose to accept Aparna Thyagrajan’s offer and closed the deal.
Speaking about the fundraise, Phases co-founder Sannjana Raghu Amberkar said, “We are thrilled to announce our first angel funding raised from ‘Angel’ Aparna Thyagrajan via the Indian Angels show, marking a pivotal moment in Phases’ journey. In Angel Aparna, we have found a mentor and partner-in-growth who truly believes in our vision. The capital infusion will not just help us in meeting our immediate business needs and expansion goals, but additionally over the long-term, it shall open many doors for strategic partnerships and enhance Phases’ market positioning. Apart from financial support, Aparna’s backing brings to us strategic guidance and industry insights as well, and her mentorship will certainly prove invaluable for us in navigating challenges, making informed decisions, and fostering sustainable growth for Phases.”
“At Phases, our mission is to empower tweens and teens to embrace their unique journeys throughout their adolescence with confidence, authenticity, and healthy, glowing skin. Looking ahead, we at Phases are super-excited about our journey in the upcoming years, as we aim to achieve robust revenue growth and profitability, and simultaneously initiate strategic product launches and expansion into new categories. In doing all of that, we will remain fully committed towards providing safe and effective skincare solutions for teens and tweens, and continue to relentlessly strive to make a positive impact in terms of adolescent and teenage skincare practices,” added Sannjana Raghu Amberkar.
Brands
Uber launches hotel bookings feature in partnership with Expedia
From hotel bookings to room service at your door, the ride-hailing giant is making its boldest push yet into everyday life
CALIFORNIA: Uber is done being just a taxi app. At its annual GO-GET product event, the world’s leading mobility and delivery platform unveiled a sweeping set of new features designed to plant itself at the centre of how people travel, eat and shop, hotel bookings included.
The headline move is a partnership with Expedia Group that lets Uber users in the United States book hotels directly within the Uber app, with access to a catalogue that will eventually grow to more than 700,000 properties worldwide. Uber One members get 10 per cent back in Uber One credits on all hotel bookings and savings of at least 20 per cent on a rolling list of more than 10,000 hotels globally. Vacation rentals from Vrbo, Expedia Group’s home-rental brand, will be added later this year. The partnership is expected to expand beyond the United States. From June, Uber rides will also be integrated directly into the Expedia app, with push notifications sent to travellers ahead of hotel check-in to book discounted Uber rides for the duration of their stay.
Dara Khosrowshahi, chief executive of Uber, framed the expansion in terms of the modern condition. “Uber is becoming an app for everything, helping people go, get, and now travel all in one place,” he said. “We’re all living through a moment of real cognitive overload: too many apps, too many decisions, too much noise. At the end of the day, our job is to help people reclaim their time, spending less of it managing the logistics of life and more of it actually living.”
Ariane Gorin, chief executive of Expedia Group, struck a similarly ambitious note. “Travel should feel effortless, and this partnership gets us one step closer to offering a seamless traveller experience,” she said. “By connecting our two-sided marketplace with Uber, we’re bringing Uber rides directly into the Expedia app and Expedia Group’s lodging inventory into the Uber app through our Rapid API technology. Together, we’re helping travellers spend less time planning and more time enjoying the journey.”
Beyond hotels, the product announcements come thick and fast. Travel Mode, available within both the Uber and Uber Eats apps, offers curated recommendations on local favourites, tourist destinations, OpenTable restaurant reservations and on-demand delivery to hotel rooms. Uber One International means the membership programme now works globally, allowing members to earn credits on rides abroad that can be redeemed once back home. A new Shop for Me feature lets users request items from any store, even those not listed on the app. Eats for the Way allows riders in select cities booking an Uber Black or Uber Black SUV to have a drink or snack waiting for them in the car. Voice Bookings, powered by artificial intelligence, lets users book a ride conversationally, without touching their phone. And a redesigned One Search bar consolidates results for places, food and items across the entire Uber platform in a single query.
Uber has now logged more than 72 billion trips since it launched in 2010. The question it is now answering is what comes after the ride. The answer, apparently, is everything else. Whether users want a hotel in Paris, a coffee in the back of a car or a snake plant from the local garden centre, Uber would very much like to be the one to provide it. The app economy’s land grab has a new front-runner.
NOTE: The image used is AI generated and only for representational purposes.
