Brands
Flipkart names Jane Duke ethics chief ahead of potential IPO
MUMBAI: Flipkart has appointed Jane Duke as chief ethics and compliance officer, strengthening its leadership ranks as the Walmart-backed ecommerce group prepares for a potential public listing.
Duke will lead the group’s ethics and compliance function, overseeing governance, regulatory compliance and risk management across Flipkart’s businesses. She joins from Tyson Foods, where she served as vice-president and associate general counsel, and earlier as chief compliance officer.
She brings nearly 30 years of experience across public-sector enforcement and enterprise compliance. At Tyson Foods, Duke handled regulatory compliance, government investigations, litigation and enterprise risk management. Earlier, she spent more than a decade at the US attorney’s office for the eastern district of Arkansas, including a stint as US attorney between 2007 and 2011.
Flipkart Group CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy said Duke’s appointment would be central to building sustainable, long-term value for stakeholders as the company scales.
The move follows a string of senior hires as Flipkart sharpens its corporate architecture ahead of a possible IPO. Recent appointments include Gunjan Bhartia as senior vice-president for business finance, former Meta executive Dan Neary to the board, Kushagra Dwivedi as director of Flipkart Ads and Balaji Thiagarajan as chief product and technology officer.
Flipkart Internet cut its losses by 37 per cent year on year to Rs 1,494 crore in FY25, while revenue rose by Rs 20,493 crore, underscoring improving operating leverage.
Brands
Aman Gupta’s OFF/BEAT secures Rs 100 crore seed funding round
Bessemer backs new venture betting on AI and India’s digital shift
MUMBAI: Aman Gupta has raised Rs 100 crore in seed funding for his new venture OFF/BEAT, with Bessemer Venture Partners leading the round as it bets on a new wave of AI-led, consumer-first businesses in India.
The funding marks an early but significant push for OFF/BEAT, which is positioned to tap into a rapidly evolving market shaped by a digitally native generation and advances in artificial intelligence. The venture aims to build at the intersection of culture and technology, where brand identity and innovation increasingly go hand in hand.
Gupta, best known for co-founding boAt and scaling it into a Rs 3,000 crore-plus business, is now looking to apply those learnings to a new playbook. His focus this time is not just on building a consumer brand, but on leveraging AI and global networks to accelerate growth.
OFF/BEAT founder Aman Gupta said, “Having built from scratch before, I know what capital can do and what it cannot. This time, I was looking for partners with a global perspective who can help me leverage technology and AI, because that is where the future lies. Bessemer’s track record with companies like Anthropic, Shopify, Canva and LinkedIn says it all.”
The choice of investor reflects that ambition. Bessemer Venture Partners has backed global technology players such as Anthropic, Shopify, Canva and LinkedIn, bringing not just capital but strategic support and global reach.
Bessemer Venture Partners partner Anant Vidur Puri said, “We back founders who see around corners. Aman saw how a new India would come to think about aspiration, identity and quality, and built boAt as proof. He is now applying that same instinct to a market being reshaped by AI and by a generation with entirely new expectations.”
The investment comes at a time when India’s startup ecosystem is being reshaped by both consumer behaviour and technological disruption. Founders are increasingly expected to understand not just products, but the cultural shifts that drive adoption.
For OFF/BEAT, the journey is just beginning, but the signal is clear. In a market where attention is fleeting and expectations are rising, building something truly distinctive may be the only way to stay on beat.
