MAM
Ajay Chandwani is new Percept H CEO
MUMBAI: Percept H, a joint venture between Percept and Japanese firm Hakuhudo, has roped in former SSC&B Lintas president Ajay Chandwani as chief executive officer of the company.
The vacancy was created after CEO Rajesh Pant was moved to head Posterscope MENA (Middle East and North Africa), as part of Percept’s plans to spread its footprint across the globe. Percept H offers services like account management, account planning, creative and market research and has a wide range of clients including Bharti, Siyaram, Bajaj Tempo and Sahara.
Chandwani was responsible at SSC&B for gaining brands like Mercedez Benz, Hexit, Philips, Parachute, Kissan, Walls Max candy, Green label whisky, Hero Group, Vardhman Group and Moser Baer.
Assisting Chandwani is Prabhakar Mundukur who has joined as chief operating officer. He was earlier with J Walter Thompson where he worked as business development director.
Pant, who would have been based out of Dubai, was given the responsibility of setting up a whole new division in Posterscope MENA, but has decided instead to explore new opportunities.
Percept is now scouting for a CEO of Posterscope MENA to replace Pant. The Indian operations of Posterscope started in 2003 and the company quickly rose to become the top five outdoor agencies in the country. It has clients like Airtel, Pilsbury, Pantaloon, Sahara India and Afro Asian Games.
Pursuing its global plans, Percept Group’s celebrity management and event marketing arm Percept D’Mark (PDM) recently set up its international operations out of Dubai. Sanjay Lal, who was founder and executive director of PDM India, has moved to Dubai as managing director and CEO of PDM International. Preeta Singh, earlier with O&M, has been put in charge of PDM India.
Pant, meanwhile, has joined Mirza Tanners Ltd (makers of the well known footwear brand Red Tape) as director for a new division that the company has launched. Pant has been appointed as director Red Tape Asia, his ambit being to expand the Red Tape product line beyond just high-end footwear into a fashion brand. Pant will also have the responsibility of setting up a retail chain of Red Tape “lifestyle” stores across Asia and the Middle East (India included of course).
Brands
Pre-seed funding fuels nailinit, India’s new-age nail care brand
Gruhas Collective Consumer Fund backs Gen Z-focused beauty startup
MUMBAI: nailinit, a community-first nail care startup targeting Gen Z and millennials, has raised Rs 2.5 to Rs 3 crore in a pre-seed round led by Gruhas Collective Consumer Fund and Marsshot VC, alongside a clutch of consumer, technology and operator angels.
Backed by entrepreneur and investor Nikhil Kamath, Gruhas Collective Consumer Fund is betting on nailinit’s attempt to give India’s nail care aisle a long overdue makeover. The fresh capital will be used to deepen distribution across quick commerce and D2C channels, build its community engine, and accelerate product innovation in a category that is high frequency but still light on strong brands.
Founded by Tanishq Ambegaokar and Shubham Singhal, nailinit is positioning itself at the crossroads of beauty, self-expression and culture. The brand wants nails to be more than a finishing touch. It sees them as a canvas for identity, content and commerce.
“At nailinit, we are building for a generation that sees beauty as self-expression, not just routine,” said Ambegaokar. “The nail category in India has largely been underserved by strong brands. This capital allows us to invest in product depth, community and distribution in a thoughtful and long-term way.”
Singhal added that while the brand’s tone may be playful, its operating focus is sharp. “This round strengthens our supply chain, expands our digital footprint and enables disciplined execution as we scale.”
The funding round drew notable angels including Shashank Kumar of Razorpay, Arjit Johri of Marsshot VC, Yash Jain, formerly of NimbusPost, Karan Jindal of Meta, Jivraj Singh Sachar of ISV Capital, Nishank Jain of Accel, Yashvardhan Kanoi, Ashwarya Garg of HYPD, Venus Dhuria of Phot.AI and Amishi Parasrampuria of The Whole Truth.
Gruhas Collective Consumer Fund fund manager Gauri Kuchhal, believes the opportunity lies in shifting habits. “Nail care remains underpenetrated in India, with consumers relying on time-intensive salon visits. As convenience and self-expression gain ground, press-on nails can unlock more frequent and experimental usage. Nailinit is well-placed to expand beyond press-ons into adjacent categories.”
The brand is currently the only nail care player in India blending product-led retail with a dedicated kiosk at Jio World Drive in Bandra, where customers can walk in for services while discovering the range. It has also built early traction across quick commerce platforms such as Zepto and Blinkit, with a launch on Instamart in the pipeline, and is available on Amazon, strengthening its omnichannel presence.
In a space long dominated by salon chairs and scattered labels, nailinit is attempting to file, shape and polish the category into something sharper. With fresh funding in hand, the startup is setting out to prove that in beauty, small details can make a bold statement.
