MAM
Exhibit’s 501 Startups – a Pitching Event culminates on a high note!
Mumbai: Exhibit Magazine, India’s leading title on technology, fashion and lifestyle hosted the 6th edition of its prestigious startup pitching summit. Rechristened Exhibit’s 501 Startups, the event was held on 24th July at JW Marriott, Juhu, Mumbai where up-and-coming entities battled it out in front of an eminent panel, comprising venture capitalists and investors. Powered by GoDaddy and held in association with Poker Saint, Exhibit ‘501 Startups’ celebrated the startup wave in India, and brought to the forefront distinct startups from the nooks and corners of the country. The day-long pitching event was also supported by IAN, NASSCOM, TiE, Inc42 and Business Standard.
The conclave saw participation of startups with an operating cycle of at least a year; from verticals across technology, sports, e-commerce, food, hospitality and travel and the likes. The esteemed jury appointed for the sixth edition of the awards included Niren Shah of Norwest Ventures, Nikhil Arora of GoDaddy, Ashish Sharma of Innoven Capital, Mohit Dak & Nilesh Balakrishnan of Orios Venture Partners, Sajad Fazalbhoy of Blume Ventures, Harish Talreja and Varun Varma of Lightbox Ventures, Vishesh Sharma of Accel Partners, Dr. Apporv Ranjan Sharma of Venture Catalysts and Ramesh Somani of Exhibit Magazine.
Exhibit 501 Startups witnessed over 5000 registrations and concluded with 25 innovative startups making the final cut to present their business models amidst the stellar jury. From the call for entries, 501 startups will also feature in an exclusive issue that will bring to light the unique ideas of these young companies. Wearable startup tech – Broadcast Wearables emerged a clear winner securing maximum scores and was closely followed by ProMeTheUs, a human resource startup focussed on talent identification and mapping, who ranked second amongst competing organisations. Startups were adjudged basis uniqueness of their product idea, presentation, and business model.
Commenting on the prestigious summit, Ramesh Somani, CEO and Editor-In-Chief, Exhibit Group said, "We are elated with the response received for the 6th edition of Exhibit 501 Startups. It’s always amazing to see the startups come in and pitch with exemplary grit, determination and passion! The Indian startup machinery has churned out some promising startups, who are waiting for their one chance of sunshine. Being a startup myself, it gives us immense satisfaction in helping startups inch closer to their goal and we’re glad, we at Exhibit provide that stepping stone. Kudos to all the winners and look forward to next year."
Brands
Big Bowl appoints Lyxel & Flamingo as social and media partner
QSR brand eyes next growth phase after crossing Rs 100 crore ARR milestone
MUMBAI: Big Bowl, one of India’s largest bowl-format quick service restaurant brands from Lenexis Foodworks, has appointed Lyxel & Flamingo (L&F) as its social and media partner as it prepares for its next phase of growth.
The partnership comes after the brand crossed the Rs 100 crore annual recurring revenue milestone in 2025 and aims to help accelerate its journey towards Rs 150 crore ARR in its fifth year since launch.
Big Bowl currently operates more than 250 kitchens across 50 cities and has emerged as a major player in India’s organised bowl-format food segment. Built around hearty portions and delivery-first convenience, the brand offers a wide mix of Indian, Chinese and fusion bowls designed for quick, affordable and portable consumption.
As urban consumers increasingly gravitate towards easy-to-carry and value-driven meal formats, the company sees the bowl category as a scalable format aligned with modern eating habits.
With the appointment of Lyxel & Flamingo, Big Bowl plans to consolidate its social media and digital media operations under a single partner. The move is intended to sharpen its digital reach, strengthen youth-focused storytelling and improve performance marketing outcomes.
Lyxel & Flamingo, one of India’s largest independent digital-first agencies, manages more than 350 brands and oversees advertising spends exceeding $100 million across its network.
Under the mandate, the agency will handle Big Bowl’s social media strategy, content development, digital performance marketing, media planning and buying, as well as campaign amplification across platforms.
Commenting on the partnership, Lenexis Foodworks founder and director Aayush Madhusudan Agrawal said, “Big Bowl has scaled rapidly to cross Rs 100 crore ARR and established itself as one of the largest bowl-format brands in the country. As a delivery-first, digitally native brand, our next phase of growth will be driven by sharper performance systems and stronger brand storytelling. Consolidating social and media with Lyxel & Flamingo allows us to integrate data, creativity and media precision as we scale towards our next revenue milestone.”
Lenexis Foodworks marketing head Vikas Iyer, added that the delivery-led category requires content, media and performance marketing to work closely together.
“With Lyxel & Flamingo, we aim to build a sharper social voice, stronger acquisition systems and measurable impact, ensuring the brand scales not just in presence but also in precision,” he said.
Lyxel & Flamingo chief executive officer Dev Batra, said the agency will combine data-driven marketing with creative storytelling to support Big Bowl’s growth. “Big Bowl brings the flavour, and L&F brings the fire. Our strategy combines data-led performance with engaging storytelling to help build a strong digital brand presence while delivering measurable business results,” he said.
With this partnership, Big Bowl is looking to strengthen its position as a digitally driven QSR brand, blending brand-building with performance marketing as it scales within India’s rapidly growing organised food delivery market.
