MAM
Aditya Birla Capital launches LeadHerShip for women founders
Women-to-women mentorship under InFiniTe platform to empower early-stage fintech entrepreneurs with three-month leadership journey.
MUMBAI: Aditya Birla Capital is putting women firmly at the helm with LeadHerShip, a fresh mentorship programme that’s steering early-stage women founders toward smoother sailing in the fintech seas. The diversified financial services company has introduced the women-to-women initiative under its flagship fintech platform InFiniTe. Designed to support and empower early-stage women entrepreneurs in financial services and fintech, LeadHerShip pairs ambitious founders with senior women leaders across Aditya Birla Capital businesses for a focused three-month mentoring journey.
The one-on-one engagements help participating start-ups refine strategic priorities, tackle real-world business challenges and build scalable, market-ready solutions. In return, Aditya Birla Capital gains early visibility into emerging trends and innovation-led models.
LeadHerShip deepens the Incubate pillar of InFiniTe, which follows a ‘problem-to-partner’ approach. The platform has already engaged over 200 fintechs and implemented around 60 proof-of-concepts across digital lending, customer experience, data analytics and risk management.
The programme is being rolled out in collaboration with B-Fair Labs, which will handle design, progress tracking and outcome measurement for a structured, impact-led incubation journey.
Aditya Birla Capital Limited managing director & chief executive officer Vishakha Mulye said, “LeadHerShip reflects our commitment to building a more inclusive, future-ready and innovation-led ecosystem. By bringing together leadership experience and entrepreneurial ambition, it creates a powerful exchange of ideas and helps shape the next generation of women leaders in financial services.”
In an industry where women’s representation in leadership still lags despite growing pipelines of women-led start-ups, LeadHerShip offers a practical bridge. It turns mentorship into momentum giving founders the navigation tools they need while letting Aditya Birla Capital spot the next wave of inclusive innovation. For women entrepreneurs charting their course in fintech, this ship just came in with a strong tailwind.
MAM
Barista partners Ginny Weds Sunny 2 with mango campaign
Cafe chain blends cinema buzz with summer menu and 20 per cent offer.
MUMBAI: Love may brew slowly, but marketing clearly doesn’t especially when coffee meets cinema and mangoes steal the spotlight. Barista Coffee Company has partnered with the upcoming hindi film Ginny Weds Sunny 2 as its official beverage partner, in a move aimed at tapping into youth culture through entertainment-led engagement. The collaboration is not just a logo placement exercise. Instead, Barista is translating the film’s high-energy vibe into its cafés with a themed summer menu titled “Main Hoon Mango”, accompanied by a limited-period 20 per cent discount on combo offerings across outlets.
Actors Medha Shankr and Avinash Tiwary feature in the campaign, seen engaging with the mango-themed menu inside Barista cafés, a visual cue designed to blur the lines between reel and real-life consumption moments.
The strategy reflects a broader shift in how consumer brands are leveraging hindi film industry not just for visibility, but for immersive, on-ground engagement. By embedding the film’s narrative into its product experience, Barista is aiming to drive footfall, especially among younger audiences who increasingly seek experiential touchpoints over traditional advertising.
Barista Coffee Company CEO Rajat Agrawal described the partnership as both a branding and growth play, focused on expanding reach beyond the existing customer base and aligning with evolving consumer preferences.
The emphasis on a seasonal, flavour-led hook mango, one of India’s most culturally resonant ingredients adds a timely layer to the campaign, aligning with summer consumption trends while riding on the film’s promotional momentum.
For Barista, the move is part of a larger positioning shift. Rather than operating purely as a coffee retail chain, the brand is increasingly framing itself as a lifestyle destination, one that intersects with entertainment, conversation and shared experiences. By integrating cinema into its physical spaces, Barista is effectively turning cafés into micro-extensions of the film’s universe, where consumers do not just watch a story unfold but participate in it sip by sip.
The 20 per cent offer further nudges trial, lowering the barrier for consumers to engage with the themed menu while amplifying recall through a tangible incentive.
Brand-film collaborations are hardly new, but their execution is evolving. Where earlier partnerships relied on co-branded ads or product placements, the current playbook leans towards immersive storytelling and retail integration.
In that sense, Barista’s “Main Hoon Mango” push is less about promotion and more about participation inviting consumers to experience a slice of the film within a familiar, everyday setting. As the film industry continues to act as a cultural amplifier, such partnerships underline a growing truth, in today’s attention economy, it is not enough to be seen brands must be experienced.
And if that experience comes with a mango twist and a cinematic backdrop, all the better.
