MAM
Amazon’s Kunal Tiwari joins GoKwik as chief product officer
Mumbai: GoKwik on Wednesday announced the onboarding of Amazon’s Kunal Tiwari as its chief product officer. According to a statement, the company aims to expand its product portfolio and further strengthen its existing product suite to offer best-in-class support to D2C brands.
In his new role, Tiwari will spearhead GoKwik’s overall product strategy, execution and innovation.
“Product innovation is one of our key strategic pillars as we are changing the way people experience shopping end to end,” commented GoKwik co-founder and CEO Chirag Taneja. “Kunal will be a huge asset to us as we move forward in this journey of building products that complement the remarkable work D2C eCommerce brands do. He is a seasoned product leader and shows true passion for solving customer and merchant pain points.”
Tiwari is a seasoned product and science leader with 15+ years of experience across banking, insurance, and e-commerce industries. In his last role at Amazon, he led multiple product portfolios, which ensured the safety and compliance of Amazon’s catalogue across 20+ marketplaces. Previously, he has led strategic science and product initiatives for BlackRock, AXA-XL, and Bank of America.
His expertise in building AI/ML-enabled products will help GoKwik to move faster and effectively towards its vision of democratising the shopping experience. GoKwik is building the best-in-class checkout experience for D2C brands that solve for personalisation, ‘Return to Origin (RTO)’ reduction and conversion rate improvement across the entire funnel, said the statement.
“Today, millions of customers are embracing thousands of D2C brands and this market is poised to be a $100 billion opportunity by 2025,” remarked Kunal Tiwari. “GoKwik, with its product suite and crystal clear vision, is well-positioned to take the industry forward and democratise this opportunity for the D2C brands. Personally, this is an interesting challenge and opportunity to blend data, tech, and science solutions from two completely different product stacks: fintech and e-commerce.”
A mechanical engineering graduate from Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh and Kunal is also part of IIM-Bangalore’s advisory board for Data Centre and Analytics Lab.
Brands
Aman Gupta’s OFF/BEAT secures Rs 100 crore seed funding round
Bessemer backs new venture betting on AI and India’s digital shift
MUMBAI: Aman Gupta has raised Rs 100 crore in seed funding for his new venture OFF/BEAT, with Bessemer Venture Partners leading the round as it bets on a new wave of AI-led, consumer-first businesses in India.
The funding marks an early but significant push for OFF/BEAT, which is positioned to tap into a rapidly evolving market shaped by a digitally native generation and advances in artificial intelligence. The venture aims to build at the intersection of culture and technology, where brand identity and innovation increasingly go hand in hand.
Gupta, best known for co-founding boAt and scaling it into a Rs 3,000 crore-plus business, is now looking to apply those learnings to a new playbook. His focus this time is not just on building a consumer brand, but on leveraging AI and global networks to accelerate growth.
OFF/BEAT founder Aman Gupta said, “Having built from scratch before, I know what capital can do and what it cannot. This time, I was looking for partners with a global perspective who can help me leverage technology and AI, because that is where the future lies. Bessemer’s track record with companies like Anthropic, Shopify, Canva and LinkedIn says it all.”
The choice of investor reflects that ambition. Bessemer Venture Partners has backed global technology players such as Anthropic, Shopify, Canva and LinkedIn, bringing not just capital but strategic support and global reach.
Bessemer Venture Partners partner Anant Vidur Puri said, “We back founders who see around corners. Aman saw how a new India would come to think about aspiration, identity and quality, and built boAt as proof. He is now applying that same instinct to a market being reshaped by AI and by a generation with entirely new expectations.”
The investment comes at a time when India’s startup ecosystem is being reshaped by both consumer behaviour and technological disruption. Founders are increasingly expected to understand not just products, but the cultural shifts that drive adoption.
For OFF/BEAT, the journey is just beginning, but the signal is clear. In a market where attention is fleeting and expectations are rising, building something truly distinctive may be the only way to stay on beat.
