Brands
Creativefuel scoops up Missmalini for Rs 6 crore
MUMBAI: In the world of content queens and digital clout, the original ‘blogger-to-brand’ icon has just switched sides. Missmalini Entertainment – the sparkly pioneer of India’s celeb-and-lifestyle blog boom – is now officially part of the Creativefuel empire.
Price tag?
A cool Rs 6 crore.
Sass?
Still intact.
Creativefuel, the marketing and content agency run by brothers Nikhil and Tushar Sukhramani, has been on a buying spree like an influencer with a fresh credit card. The latest in their cart? The domain and social media assets of Missmalini, once the glittering jewel in the Good Glamm Group’s content crown.
“Missmalini has long been a cultural touchstone in India’s digital storytelling space. Bringing it into our fold allows us to amplify its voice and legacy in new ways,” said a senior executive from Creativefuel.
Under the deal, Good Glamm Group keeps the talent management vertical while parting ways with the brand’s core online presence. Essentially, Creativefuel gets the stage and the spotlight – GGG keeps the backstage crew.
Missmalini Entertainment was founded in 2008 by Malini Agarwal and shot to stardom by blogging Hindi cinema before Hindi cinema knew what blogging was. GGG bought it in 2021 as part of its multi-brand content strategy – but with rising pressure to cut the fat, they’re now selling off the family silver.
This is not an isolated event. GGG, once the unicorn strutting in sequins, has been quietly divesting. It’s already sold Sirona back to its founders, waved goodbye to Scoopwhoop, and exited its sneaker fantasy, 7-10.
Rumours swirl that Organic Harvest and The Moms Co. are next on the auction block.
Meanwhile, the group is reportedly raising Rs 150–240 crore at a drastically slashed valuation—down from $1.26 billion to a humbling sub-$120 million. Ouch.
But for Creativefuel, it’s all opportunity and optimism. This move follows their recent pick-ups—Youtube channels Hasley India and Pataakha – positioning them as serious players in the ‘digital entertainment multiverse’.
Their game? Build a media house that dances across platforms and demographics, blending viral with viable.
Missmalini’s portfolio comes with strong verticals like Girl Tribe, Ignite Edge, Agent M, MM Studios and of course, its juicy celeb gossip heritage. Add Creativefuel’s marketing chops, and you’ve got a cocktail with brand equity, nostalgia, and serious monetisation mojo.
Brands
UpGrad to acquire Unacademy in share-swap deal, founders confirm
Proposed share-swap could unite two edtech rivals as sector eyes consolidation
MUMBAI: The Indian edtech sector may be inching toward another wave of consolidation, with online learning platform upGrad signing a term sheet to acquire rival Unacademy in an all stock transaction.
If completed, the deal would bring together two of the country’s most prominent education technology companies at a time when the sector is adjusting to slower demand and a sharper focus on profitability after the pandemic driven boom.
UpGrad founder and chairperson Ronnie Screwvala confirmed the development in a post on X, stating that Unacademy co-founder and chief executive Gaurav Munjal would continue to lead the company following the acquisition.
“We at upGrad have signed a term sheet to acquire Unacademy in an all stock deal, with founder and ceo Gaurav Munjal staying on to build Unacademy and focus on what it does best, creating online education products that learners love,” Screwvala wrote.
He added that the agreement includes a break fee provision if the transaction fails to close. Screwvala also said the combined entity could strengthen upGrad’s integrated learning model spanning K12 education, professional training and lifelong learning.
Unacademy confirmed that the proposed transaction will be executed through a 100 per cent share swap, with the valuation to be disclosed only after the deal closes and regulatory filings are completed.
Announcing the development on X, Munjal described the agreement as the beginning of a new chapter for both companies and the wider edtech ecosystem.
He noted that Unacademy had spent the past year reshaping its operations to focus more sharply on online education products. Among the steps taken were consolidating company operated offline centres with franchise partners and launching a Rs 50 crore employee stock ownership plan buyback, in which around 40 per cent of former employees have already participated.
Munjal also highlighted the traction gained by Airlearn, the company’s language learning product, which he said is expanding in markets including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and Canada.
“Our cash reserves as of today are more than $100 million,” he said.
The proposed deal also marks a turnaround from earlier talks between the two companies that had stalled over disagreements on valuation and structure. Previous discussions had placed Unacademy’s valuation in the range of $300 million to $400 million, according to media reports.
If the transaction goes through, Munjal will continue as co-founder and chief executive of Unacademy, focusing on building online learning products for students in India and global markets.
For upGrad, the acquisition would broaden its footprint across the education spectrum, from school level learning to professional upskilling and lifelong education.
The move comes as India’s edtech sector enters a more sober phase after years of rapid expansion. Companies across the industry have been trimming costs, restructuring operations and seeking scale to build more sustainable businesses.
Against that backdrop, the potential combination of upGrad and Unacademy could signal that the next phase of edtech growth may be driven less by blitzscaling and more by strategic partnerships and consolidation.
