Brands
Gaana launches PartyHub to curate personalised playlists
MUMBAI: Music streaming service Gaana has announced the launch of its latest feature called PartyHub that will allow its users to curate a personalised playlist with the help of their friends for parties and get-togethers. “Incredibly intuitive and easy to use, the PartyHub allows the user to collaborate with his or her friends by sending them invites to join the party, after which, they can all add their own favorites to the playlists. This makes sure that the next time there’s a party, they can all enjoy the music together, dancing to the beats of heart-thumping party specials, chosen by none other than themselves,” states the service in a press release.
Speaking about this exciting new feature, Gaana CEO Prashan Agarwal said, “At Gaana, we have always strived to offer our users the very best in terms of listening experience through our regularly updated playlists for Indian and international songs, curated to appeal to everyone. With PartyHub, we aim to make their lives easier and parties even more fun, giving the users complete control to create customisable playlists of songs with their friends, ensuring everyone has an amazing time on get togethers. This is an incredibly scalable use case which will allow our users to create playlists with their friends on the fly for parties, roadtrips, group study sessions, etc.”
The vast range of genres offered includes latest hits, party anthems, electronic mix, 90's madness, shiny disco, remix tape, after party, and more. In fact, it also has options for kids party and slow jams lounge, making for the perfect ingredient to turn the next house party into an unforgettable phenomenon. The best part of the new feature is that Gaana has specifically taken into account its diverse and varied user base, so that it has something for everyone, be it a group of college-goers grabbing a drink together for the New Year’s Eve, a bunch of school-kids celebrating their friend’s birthday, or an ever-youthful gang of elderly retirees who’ve gathered together to catch up with each other’s lives, after a long time.
Brands
Hocco crosses Rs 530cr revenue in two years
Sauce.vc-led Rs 100cr raise values ice cream brand at Rs 2,500cr pre-money as quick commerce hits 20 per cent of sales.
MUMBAI: Hocco has just scooped a seriously sweet milestone crossing the Rs 530 crore revenue mark in just two full years of operations. The fast-growing Indian ice cream and indulgence brand announced it has raised Rs 100 crore in fresh capital led by Sauce.vc. The round values the company at Rs 2,500 crore pre-money and underscores investor confidence in its rapid scale and distinctive India-first approach.
Founder Ankit Chona said the brand’s success stems from solving real Indian challenges extreme summer heat, fragmented cold chains and culturally rooted tastes. “In India, product development doesn’t end in the lab. It only ends when it survives the street,” he noted. This philosophy has produced viral hits such as Aamchi mango ice cream, BIX cake-sponge sandwiches, the Oh cone and culturally relevant collaborations like Haldiram’s Barfi and festive Modak specials.
Hocco currently operates manufacturing facilities in Ahmedabad and Panipat with a production capacity of approximately 3 lakh litres per day, running near full capacity in peak season. The fresh capital will help expand this to around 4.5 lakh litres per day.
Quick commerce has emerged as a major growth engine, now contributing ~20 per cent of overall business and growing nearly 2x year-on-year. The channel has boosted product discovery, increased consumption frequency and helped extend ice cream beyond its traditional seasonal limits.
Sauce.vc founder Manu Chandra said, “At Sauce, we believe that when you chance upon an outlier business, you double down with stronger conviction. We see Hocco as just that.”
With a strong innovation pipeline, deeper distribution and continued focus on cultural relevance, Hocco is entering its third year aiming to capture even more mind space and market share. In a category long dominated by legacy players, this young brand is proving that the coolest way to win is to build for India’s realities, one scoop, one street and one satisfied craving at a time.
