MAM
Ipsos India appoints Raja Bunet as COO
KOLKATA: Ipsos India has appointed Raja Bunet as chief operations officer, for leading contactless data collection operations, with immediate effect.
“Covid19 hampered our fieldwork operations due to lockdowns and restrictions, considering, face-to-face data collection accounts for almost 99 per cent of our fieldwork. And with woes of the virus far from over, we’ve majorly overhauled and launched our suite of contactless data collection solutions for clients to give them an edge in speed, quality and timely insights. And Raja Bunet from our top leadership team will be spearheading our contactless data collection operations with immediate effect. He will be designated chief operations officer,” Ipsos India CEO Amit Adarkar said.
“Ipsos India has always been at the forefront of client centricity and innovation, and I’m pleased
to announce that we are redrawing our strategy and infusing newer techniques in providing
clients with a large portfolio of tech-savvy, contactless data collection techniques and aligning
and customizing them to client requirements and exigencies. Bunet will be structuring his teams
for execution, of online and telephonic,” Adarkar added.
Contactless data collection techniques will supplement F2F data collection. In order to
overhaul the Operations and to put it on the grid, Bunet will be working jointly with Pratim
Thakurta (face-to-face, field operations head), in drafting the blueprint for Operations.
Bunet has about two decades’ experience in market research and has held a number of top-level positions in Ipsos India – from head of customer loyalty, to head of mobile research, etc; and his work experience has straddled sectors and categories. He is an alumnus of IILM, Delhi.
“In the last few months, we’ve been working on operationalizing our arsenal of contactless data
collection methodologies and are now focusing on building best-in-class processes to achieve
operational excellence,” Bunet commented.
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.
