Brands
DesignCafe raises Rs 200 cr in series B funding
MUMBAI: DesignCafe, a Bengaluru based online home interior design platform, announced that WestBridge Capital will invest up to Rs 200 crore in a series B round of funding with participation by existing investor Fireside Ventures. Bangalore-based boutique Investment Bank Sprout Capital Advisors LLP was the exclusive financial advisor for the transaction.
Design Café co-founder Shezaan Bhojani said, “We are very pleased to have Westbridge, one of the leading PE investors in India, join the Design Cafe team. We are also excited to strengthen our already close relationship with existing investor Fireside Ventures, who is also participating in this round. These investors share our long-term mindset and align with our values and we are thrilled to have them join us in our journey to script the next chapter of Design Café.”
Westbridge Capital managing partner Sandeep Singhal commented, “We have been impressed with Design Cafe’s rapid scaling up and initial success. Their high customer satisfaction rate is an excellent achievement and is a testimony to the company’s deep domain expertise in this sector, hard work, and good business judgment. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with Design Cafe in their journey of taking the business to even greater heights and building a marquee brand in home design services and products.”
Fireside Ventures managing partner Kanwaljit Singh said, “DesignCafe operates in a large white space and have built a solution that caters to a large target audience. Gita and Shezaan come with significant design experience which helps them understand the consumer need better. We have backed the company since its early days and are excited to partner with them to build a large home interior services brand.”
DesignCafe was set up to address a large personalisation and execution gap that existed in the mid-segment (i.e. homes of 1,000-2,000 sq ft.) home interior market. Founded in 2015 by Gita Ramanan and Shezaan Bhojani, it offers customised interior solutions and personalised designs to consumers. The company also allows the consumers to visualise their home in virtual reality before execution. The company proposes to use the additional capital to expand operations in 6 other cities including Mumbai, NCR, and Hyderabad.
Brands
Zomato film highlights bias faced by women delivery partners
International Women’s Day campaign shines light on everyday stereotypes
MUMBAI: A food delivery may arrive in minutes, but the journey behind it can still carry a few outdated assumptions. This International Women’s Day, Zomato has released a new brand film that shines a light on the subtle but familiar biases faced by women delivery partners during their daily shifts. The campaign nudges viewers to rethink a simple idea that still surprises many people: a delivery partner’s ability has nothing to do with gender.
Instead of focusing on training for delivery partners, the film flips the perspective and gently turns the mirror towards society. Through a series of everyday moments, from collecting orders at restaurants to arriving at a customer’s doorstep, women delivery partners encounter reactions that many recognise all too well. Curious glances, surprised expressions and questions that hint at disbelief follow them along the route.
In a playful cinematic twist, the delivery partners break the fourth wall to address these reactions directly, offering light-hearted responses that quietly challenge the stereotypes.
The campaign also reflects a broader shift in India’s gig economy. As of February 2026, Zomato has more than 3,500 monthly active women delivery partners who collectively deliver over five lakh orders every month.
Eternal chief sustainability officer anjalli ravi kumar said building an inclusive platform economy requires both opportunity and acceptance. She said that as more women step into roles across urban last-mile logistics, the ecosystem around them must evolve to ensure they can work with confidence and dignity.
She added that enabling women to participate safely and comfortably in such roles is essential if India is to move closer to the goal of 70 per cent female workforce participation by 2047 under the broader vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.
Alongside the campaign, Zomato has been strengthening safety measures for women delivery partners. The company offers a 24 by 7 SOS emergency support system available in more than 800 cities, connecting partners to ambulance services, police and an internal response team when needed.
Women delivery partners also have the option to avoid certain delivery locations between 7 pm and 5 am if they feel unsafe. In addition, city-specific WhatsApp support groups in the top seven cities help women partners communicate easily, raise concerns and seek peer support.
For deliveries to hotels, lodges or guest houses, women partners can complete the order at the reception instead of going up to individual rooms. The delivery partner app also allows them to flag difficult or unsafe areas as black zones. More than 300 such zones have already been identified and temporarily marked unserviceable.
Through the film and these initiatives, Zomato hopes to spark a broader conversation about inclusion in the gig economy, one delivery at a time.
