Brands
Founders, not fairytales ‘startups uncensored’ gets real in Mumbai
MUMBAI: Forget the pitch decks and unicorn parades this weekend, Mumbai will hear the stories behind the startup smiles. In a refreshing break from the usual glitz of venture talk, Adgcraft Communications and HIVE8 are launching the first edition of ‘Startups Uncensored’ on Saturday, May 17, at India’s tallest co-working space in Mumbai. This bold new forum invites founders, investors, and startup insiders to talk not about valuations but vulnerabilities.
At the heart of the session is a stellar panel: Ajinkya Bhasme (Zealopia), Arjun Vaidya (V3 Ventures), and Rahul Adap (Brovibe), with moderation by Yash Gadhade from Break Into VC and Volt VC. The conversation will delve into the psychological grind of entrepreneurship burnout, team conflict, decision fatigue, and the unsaid pressure to always ‘look successful’.
It’s a necessary pivot. Recent data reveals that 68 per cent of Indian entrepreneurs report high stress, and over 30 per cent of startup failures are attributed not to market fit or funding drought but to co-founder fallouts and founder burnout.
“In the global startup narrative, storytelling and effective communication are paramount. At Adgcraft, we’ve seen that startups with compelling stories not only attract investors but also build meaningful relationships with their audience. This session is about underlining that narrative,” said Adgcraft Communications founder & MD Abhinay Kumar Singh.
“Beyond capital, startups need resilience, clarity, and a cohesive team. This session brings those unspoken truths to the surface, helping founders learn from each other’s lived experiences,” added Brovibe founder, Rahul Adap.
“After working with countless founders, one truth stands out startups don’t fail because of bad ideas alone. They fail in the silence between co-founders, in unspoken stress, and in the pressure to appear successful. ‘Startups Uncensored’ is a space for honesty, vulnerability, and growth,” said Break Into VC founder, Himanshu Jain.
Through unfiltered dialogue and real-life reflection, ‘Startups Uncensored’ aims to become a rare space one that acknowledges the struggle behind the spotlight, and helps entrepreneurs build not just businesses, but balance.
No decks. No jargon. Just raw stories from the real startup trenches.
Brands
Faber-Castell India appoints Sunaina Haldar as director – marketing
With stints at Tata, SleepyCat and ADF Foods under her belt, Haldar is primed to redraw Faber-Castell’s brand story
MUMBAI: Faber-Castell India has poached Sunaina Haldar from ADF Foods, appointing her director – marketing as the German stationery brand looks to muscle up in a category that is rapidly reinventing itself around creativity and self-expression.
Haldar hit the ground running. “My first couple of weeks have been incredibly energising, understanding consumers, visiting markets, engaging with retailers and immersing myself into the world of Faber-Castell Group,” she said.
She arrives with considerable firepower. At ADF Foods, Haldar ran marketing across India and international markets for a portfolio spanning Ashoka, Aeroplane, Camel and ADF Soul. Before that, she was vice-president – marketing at direct-to-consumer mattress brand SleepyCat, where she helmed brand, content and performance marketing. Her résumé also includes a stint leading marketing, new product development and CRM for Tata SmartFoodz at Tata Consumer Products, no small proving ground.
Between corporate roles, Haldar also operated as a fractional CMO for early-stage startups, building marketing strategy and operational structures from scratch, a signal that she knows how to move fast with limited resources.
With 18 years straddling FMCG, D2C and the startup world, Haldar now takes the reins at a brand that has long owned the classroom but is clearly hungry for the living room. In a stationery market where the pencil has become a lifestyle statement, Faber-Castell has picked someone who knows exactly how to sell that story.
