Brands
Ayekart ropes in Vikas Varma as strategic advisor and mentor
NATIONAL: Ayekart has brought in former Mastercard executive Vikas Varma as strategic advisor and mentor, adding heavyweight fintech and payments expertise to its bid to build a tech-first agri-food supply chain.
Varma will work with the founding and leadership team on go-to-market strategy, commercialisation, partnerships, talent development and governance, as well as the architecture needed to support Ayekart’s next phase of scale.
A Fortune 500 technology veteran with more than three decades of experience across payments, cybersecurity, fintech and SaaS, Varma was previously chief operating officer, South Asia at Mastercard. In that role, he was a central figure in India’s digital payments expansion, working with banks, fintechs and regulators to roll out platform-led financial services at national scale.
“As we scale Ayekart’s farm-to-fork infrastructure, technology must deliver efficiency, transparency and trust across the value chain,” said Ayekart co-founder and CEO Debarshi Dutta. “Vikas Varma’s experience in building large digital ecosystems and enduring partnerships fits squarely with our ambition to design platforms for scale and resilience.”
Varma said Ayekart’s model of embedding technology across the agri-food economy gave it the foundations for long-term, responsible growth. “The focus will be on strengthening scalable platforms, trusted partnerships and robust governance,” he said.
Ayekart operates a vertically integrated, technology-led platform that links farmers and farmer producer organisations with processors, FMCG brands and retailers. The company is active across 22-plus states and has facilitated more than Rs 7,000 crore in lifetime gross trade value, working with over 550 FPOs and more than three lakh farmers through a network of 43-plus warehouses and 200-plus processing partners.
Brands
Raj Cooling Systems launches Agreyas appliances brand
Emraan Hashmi named brand ambassador for consumer appliance push.
MUMBAI: A company known for cooling solutions is now heating up its ambitions in the home appliances market. Raj Cooling Systems Pvt. Ltd. has launched a new consumer appliances brand, Agreyas, marking its entry into India’s rapidly expanding home appliances sector valued at more than Rs 1.5 lakh crore. The move represents a strategic diversification for the company, which has traditionally focused on cooling solutions for residential, commercial and industrial applications. Through Agreyas, the firm plans to tap into growing consumer demand for energy efficient and technology driven household appliances.
To build brand visibility, Agreyas has appointed Emraan Hashmi as its brand ambassador. The campaign has been developed under the banner of Zoommantra Productions, with actor and filmmaker Rohit Roy contributing to the creative direction.
The brand’s initial portfolio will include mid premium air conditioners, washing machines, geysers and other white goods designed to cater to modern Indian households seeking efficient and reliable appliances.
Raj Cooling Systems, founder and chairman Kalpesh Ramoliya said the launch aligns with the company’s broader expansion plans.
“The launch of Agreyas is in line with our vision to build a strong presence in India’s consumer electronics and home appliances market. The brand has been developed as a standalone identity to meet the evolving needs of Indian consumers,” he said.
Hashmi said the collaboration comes at a time when Indian buyers are increasingly looking for innovative and functional home solutions.
“I’m looking forward to working with Agreyas at a time when consumers are seeking more innovative and efficient home products. The brand reflects changing consumer behaviour around functionality, innovation and ease of use,” he said.
Raj Cooling Systems plans to invest around 10 million dollars in developing the brand, with an additional 5 million dollars earmarked over the next three to five years for product development and distribution expansion.
Agreyas will follow a multi channel distribution approach, selling through online platforms, retail outlets and dealer networks aimed at both urban and semi urban markets across India.
With the launch, the company is positioning Agreyas as a standalone consumer facing brand while continuing to leverage its existing manufacturing, engineering and research capabilities built through its core cooling solutions business.
