MAM
Impresario Handmade Restaurants appoints Alexander Valladares as CMO
Mumbai: Impresario Handmade Restaurants has announced the appointment of Alexander Valladares as chief marketing officer.
In his new role, Alexander will oversee marketing activations including PR and communications, content marketing, on-ground activations, consumer marketing, and engagement for all brands under Impresario’s umbrella, the company said in a statement.
Alexander brings with him a rich experience of over 14 years across brand building, marketing, content, intellectual property creation, and monetisation. Prior to joining Impresario, Alexander led a team of dynamic marketers as national marketing lead for Times of India’s metro supplements and Times life. He has also been associated with MTV India and FCB Ulka in past stints.
Impresario Handmade Restaurants’ CEO & MD Riyaaz Amlani said, “We are delighted to welcome Alexander to Impresario. He is a seasoned marketing professional with a proven track record of building marketing and content-led properties and driving consumer-focused innovations. We are confident that he will use his experience to deepen Impresario’s connection with its customers and drive growth for us.”
Alexander said, “I am thrilled to be part of the Impresario family. Coming from a media background, I’m excited about this leap into the F&B industry, and what better way to do that than with one of the most youthful and forward-thinking companies in the country. Impresario has an array of vibrant brands that are big on people, pop culture, and creating great experiences – all of the things that light me up personally and professionally – and I’m excited to bring my learnings to such a collaborative environment. I look forward to continuing to build strong communities around our brands.”
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.
