iWorld
Facebook pumps Rs 27 lakh in fashion start-up CoutLoot
MUMBAI: CoutLoot, one of the India’s first end-to-end fashion re-commerce platforms has been selected for Facebook’s developer-focused FbStart programme, which is designed to help early-stage mobile-focused startups on building and growing their apps. The curated marketplace that focuses on pre-loved fashion space has received access to US$ 40,000 (Rs 27 lakh) worth of credits and services from Facebook and various other platforms.
Incepted in November 2015, CoutLoot is an end to end Fashion re-selling service where you can buy and sell your preowned fashion.
Launched last year, FbStart is a programme that helps thousands of developers grow their startups by leveraging valuable tools & services, worldwide events, and opportunities to engage with the Facebook team. Under the programme, CoutLoot would also receive mentoring from Menlo Park-headquartered Facebook’s engineering teams and services from its partners like AWS, Annie, Dropbox, Adobe and MailChim. It will also get a chance to get access to the exclusive community of its developers and worldwide events. The program provides free access to more than 25 services including open source tools like React Native, FB Login and Account Kit and App Analytics. According to the independent newswire agency IANS, India is the largest market for FbStart outside the US. According to the product partnerships team at Facebook, over 75% of top-grossing apps in India get integrated with Facebook.
CoutLoot co-founder Jasmeet Thind said, “We at CoutLoot are constantly striving to make pre-loved and pre-owned fashion reselling a first-of-its-kind experience in India. Although our primary objective is to tackle the problems of scale and quality service in this space, we are presently focusing on enhancing user engagement and growing the user base. FbStart programme will be an immense boost to us at this phase of our evolution. Receiving mentorship from the pioneer of social networking will bring a huge opportunity for us to lead the fashion re-commerce revolution in India within the next couple of years.”
Founded by Mahima Kaul, Sahil Khimavat, Vinit Jain & Thind, CoutLoot is a one-stop solution to de-clutter one’s closet for cash. While sellers get paid for selling off unused branded and boutique fashion items from their closet, buyers get to avail products from the best brands in a nearly-mint new condition at up to 80% off.
Based out of Mumbai, CoutLoot delivers all over India, however, selling is restricted to 14 cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Pune, Bangalore, Noida, Gurgaon, Ghaziabad, Surat, Kolkata, and Jaipur. While selling and buying happen via CoutLoot’s Android and iOS apps, its website can be accessed for buying across all regions of the country. So far, the online platform has sold close to 1000 ethnic outfits. Although a relatively new concept at present catering to special occasions, CoutLoot is also preparing to start its customised tailoring services to ensure perfect fitting of the outfits to the buyers. Meanwhile, considering that over one crore weddings take place annually in metro cities, CoutLoot is also planning to start a wedding section for buying and selling wedding and bridal fashion.
Broadband
Zoff Foods extends Shilpa Shetty partnership into ninth year
Spice brand reinforces trust-led positioning amid growth and funding push.
MUMBAI: Nine years, one flavour and the recipe clearly still works. Zoff Foods has extended its long-running association with Shilpa Shetty, marking nine consecutive years of her as brand ambassador as the company scales its presence across Indian households. What began as a digital-first collaboration has gradually evolved into a defining element of the brand’s identity. Over nearly a decade, the partnership has mirrored Zoff’s own journey from an emerging challenger to a fast-growing FMCG player with a widening footprint across e-commerce, quick commerce and offline retail channels.
The logic behind the continuity is straightforward. In a category where trust and familiarity drive purchase decisions, particularly in spices and ready-to-cook segments, long-term associations tend to carry more weight than short bursts of visibility. Shetty’s positioning as a fitness-conscious, health-aware public figure aligns with the brand’s emphasis on purity and quality factors that are increasingly shaping consumer choices in modern Indian kitchens.
The extension also comes at a time when Zoff Foods is entering a more aggressive growth phase. The company recently raised $2 million in a Pre-Series B funding round led by JM Financial Private Equity, with participation from Aman Gupta, signalling a push towards expanding distribution, product innovation and market reach.
Company executives have positioned the continued partnership as a strategic anchor amid this expansion, reinforcing brand recall while entering new markets. For Shetty, the association remains rooted in shared values around authenticity and ingredient integrity attributes that resonate strongly with increasingly mindful consumers.
In a market crowded with new-age brands and shifting loyalties, Zoff’s approach suggests a different playbook: build slowly, stay consistent, and let familiarity do the heavy lifting. Because sometimes, in both branding and cooking, it’s not about reinventing the dish, it’s about perfecting it over time.
