MAM
BharatPe elevates Dhruv Dhanraj Bahl as chief operating officer
MUMBAI: Merchant payment network BharatPe has elevated Dhruv Dhanraj Bahl as its chief operating officer (COO) with immediate effect. In his new role, Bahl will be leading operations across customer support, deployments – QR, Swipe & Cards, KYC, loan disbursals and lead generation. He will incrementally be responsible for building the distributor-to-retailer lending product for BharatPe.
An Insead alumnus with extensive experience across industries and domains, Bahl has worked with renowned brands in consulting, financial services and healthcare during his career. Prior to joining BharatPe in January 2020, he was the chief business officer at Roadzen where he led the organization across geographies.
BharatPe co-founder and CEO Ashneer Grover said, “Bahl has been one of our top performers who understood our vision from Day 1 and worked as an ‘anchor’ to transform operations and experience for our merchant partners. I am confident that we will set new benchmarks in customer experience and operations in the fintech industry in the times to come, under his leadership.”
BharatPe chief human resources officer Jasneet Kaur added, “At a time when companies are exercising restraint in awarding appraisals, we are committed to our talent agenda of recognizing and rewarding our best. Internal growth of people is as important for us as is attracting high quality talent.”
Bahl has also worked at Airtel Payments Bank as head – B2B (Institutional & Corporate Sales)/ Value Chain Alliances and at Paytm as AVP-business. He had a five-year-long stint at Fortis Healthcare, where he held multiple roles. He has a consulting background and has also worked with Bain and company.
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.
