MAM
IAA India president Megha Tata set for second term
Mumbai: The India chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA) has unanimously re-elected Discovery Communications India-South Asia MD Megha Tata as president of the body. Tata, therefore, will be returned for the second term, announced IAA at its AGM held here on Friday.
“It is an honour and a privilege to be leading the India chapter of IAA for the second term,” said Tata. “Along with the wonderful Mancom I hope to continue to strengthen the India chapter and help build a strong ecosystem for the common good of the industry.”
“In spite of a challenging year, we did many successful events, and am sure the coming year will be even bigger and better,” she added.
Eros International Media group CEO & executive director Pradeep Dwivedi was elected as vice president and the other office-bearers include Lodestar UM CEO Nandini as honorary secretary and The Free Press Journal director Abhishek Karnani as honorary treasurer.
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd MD and CEO Punit Goenka will continue to guide the new team as immediate past president, said the association in a statement.
The members of the managing committee elected include Another Idea founder Jaideep Gandhi; The Indian Express Pvt Ltd executive director Anant Goenka; ABP Network CEO Avinash Pandey; Deshdoot Media Group managing director Janak Sarda, and GroupM CEO-South Asia Prasanth Kumar.
The co-opted members are Havas Group India CEO Rana Barua; Dentsu Aegis Network CEO-APAC and chairman India Ashish Bhasin; Marketing Amar Ujala Publications president Rajiv Kental; Indira Television Ltd director Rani Reddy, and RK Swamy Hansa and IAA Presidents’ Council chairman and IAA Global immediate past chairman & world president Hansa Srinivasan K Swamy.
The members invited to the managing committee will be shortly announced.
Brands
Pre-seed funding fuels nailinit, India’s new-age nail care brand
Gruhas Collective Consumer Fund backs Gen Z-focused beauty startup
MUMBAI: nailinit, a community-first nail care startup targeting Gen Z and millennials, has raised Rs 2.5 to Rs 3 crore in a pre-seed round led by Gruhas Collective Consumer Fund and Marsshot VC, alongside a clutch of consumer, technology and operator angels.
Backed by entrepreneur and investor Nikhil Kamath, Gruhas Collective Consumer Fund is betting on nailinit’s attempt to give India’s nail care aisle a long overdue makeover. The fresh capital will be used to deepen distribution across quick commerce and D2C channels, build its community engine, and accelerate product innovation in a category that is high frequency but still light on strong brands.
Founded by Tanishq Ambegaokar and Shubham Singhal, nailinit is positioning itself at the crossroads of beauty, self-expression and culture. The brand wants nails to be more than a finishing touch. It sees them as a canvas for identity, content and commerce.
“At nailinit, we are building for a generation that sees beauty as self-expression, not just routine,” said Ambegaokar. “The nail category in India has largely been underserved by strong brands. This capital allows us to invest in product depth, community and distribution in a thoughtful and long-term way.”
Singhal added that while the brand’s tone may be playful, its operating focus is sharp. “This round strengthens our supply chain, expands our digital footprint and enables disciplined execution as we scale.”
The funding round drew notable angels including Shashank Kumar of Razorpay, Arjit Johri of Marsshot VC, Yash Jain, formerly of NimbusPost, Karan Jindal of Meta, Jivraj Singh Sachar of ISV Capital, Nishank Jain of Accel, Yashvardhan Kanoi, Ashwarya Garg of HYPD, Venus Dhuria of Phot.AI and Amishi Parasrampuria of The Whole Truth.
Gruhas Collective Consumer Fund fund manager Gauri Kuchhal, believes the opportunity lies in shifting habits. “Nail care remains underpenetrated in India, with consumers relying on time-intensive salon visits. As convenience and self-expression gain ground, press-on nails can unlock more frequent and experimental usage. Nailinit is well-placed to expand beyond press-ons into adjacent categories.”
The brand is currently the only nail care player in India blending product-led retail with a dedicated kiosk at Jio World Drive in Bandra, where customers can walk in for services while discovering the range. It has also built early traction across quick commerce platforms such as Zepto and Blinkit, with a launch on Instamart in the pipeline, and is available on Amazon, strengthening its omnichannel presence.
In a space long dominated by salon chairs and scattered labels, nailinit is attempting to file, shape and polish the category into something sharper. With fresh funding in hand, the startup is setting out to prove that in beauty, small details can make a bold statement.
