Brands
Kriti Sanon buys into balanced nutrition as Supply6 signs her on
MUMBAI: From hydration habits to ownership stakes, this is one partnership that grew out of daily routine rather than a photoshoot. Bengaluru-based D2C nutrition brand Supply6 has roped in actor and entrepreneur Kriti Sanon as both brand ambassador and investor, signalling a shift away from headline-grabbing endorsements towards belief-led alliances.
The association did not begin in a boardroom. Sanon first encountered the brand as a consumer, using Supply6 Salts, its zero-sugar electrolyte, as part of her everyday routine. Over time, familiarity with the products and confidence in the brand’s science-backed philosophy prompted her to deepen the relationship from user to stakeholder.
Founded in 2019 by Vaibhav Bhandari and Rahul Jacob, Supply6 positions itself as an antidote to fad-driven fitness culture. Its product line, which includes a daily nutrition drink, electrolytes and protein-based wafers, focuses on plugging routine dietary gaps rather than promising dramatic transformations. The pitch is consistency over intensity.
For Supply6, the timing matters. The brand recently raised Rs 9.1 crore in seed funding led by Zeropearl VC and has launched a protein wafer bar containing 10g protein with no maida or added sugar. It is also stepping beyond India, with expansion plans underway in markets including the United States.
With Sanon on board, the company is sharpening its focus on urban, health-conscious consumers looking for practical wellness solutions that fit into busy lives. “This is about credibility, not clout,” said Supply6 co-founder Vaibhav Bhandari, noting that the aim is to reach the next 10 lakh consumers with a message rooted in everyday behaviour.
Sanon echoed that sentiment, describing the appeal of Supply6 as its refusal to chase trends. The brand’s emphasis on hydration, balance and long-term habits, she said, aligns with how she approaches health off camera.
The move also builds on Supply6’s earlier strategy of belief-led partnerships. Former South African cricketer AB de Villiers had previously joined the company as an investor and ambassador, reinforcing its preference for long-term alignment over short-term buzz.
In a wellness market crowded with superlatives, Supply6 is betting that moderation and partners who genuinely practise it might be the strongest selling point of all.
Brands
Tessolve lands a semiconductor veteran to drive its next big push
Ravi Kumar Chirugudu, who started his career at ISRO and has spent 35 years building chips and companies, joins the Bengaluru-based firm as president and chief operating officer
BENGALURU: Tessolve has never been shy about its ambitions. The Bengaluru-based engineering services firm already counts 18 of the world’s top 20 semiconductor companies among its clients, employs more than 3,500 engineers across 12 countries, and last year pocketed a $150m investment from TPG. Now it has hired the executive it believes can turn those assets into something bigger. Ravi Kumar Chirugudu, a 35-year semiconductor veteran who once built satellite payloads for ISRO and has since scaled engineering organisations across three continents, joins as president and chief operating officer, effective immediately.
THE MAN AND THE MANDATE
The appointment is, by any measure, a serious hire. Ravi Kumar Chirugudu comes to Tessolve after senior leadership stints at HCL Technologies, Altran and Wipro, where he managed large profit-and-loss portfolios and oversaw cross-regional teams. Over the course of his career, he has been instrumental in bringing more than 1,000 new products to market across the high-tech, energy and manufacturing verticals. Before the private sector claimed him, he began his working life as a scientist at the Indian Space Research Organisation, contributing to research and development in charge-coupled device technology and satellite payloads, a foundation that shaped everything that followed.
In his new role, he will lead Tessolve’s global growth strategy: expanding its engineering capabilities, deepening customer relationships and accelerating innovation across semiconductor and high-performance computing domains. The brief is broad, but the context is specific. Tessolve operates in the $550 billion global semiconductor market, and its recent moves, the acquisition of Germany’s Dream Chip Technologies and the TPG funding round, have sharpened both its reach and its expectations.
Srini Chinamilli, co-founder and chief executive of Tessolve, is characteristically direct about why Ravi Kumar Chirugudu was the choice:
“As we scale our global semiconductor and system engineering capabilities, Ravi’s appointment marks an important step forward. As global semiconductor demand continues to accelerate across industries, it is creating significant opportunities across the semiconductor lifecycle, from design, packaging, validation and systems integration. Ravi’s deep knowledge and leadership in this ecosystem brings the right mix of industry expertise, customer connect and execution capability, which will play a key role in strengthening our position as a trusted global engineering partner and reinforcing our market leadership.”
THE NEW ARRIVAL SPEAKS
Ravi Kumar Chirugudu, for his part, frames the move in terms of timing and culture, two factors that veteran executives tend to weigh as heavily as title or compensation:
“I am happy to join Tessolve at a time when the industry is rapidly evolving towards more complex, AI-driven systems. What stands out to me is its strong people-first culture and its commitment to bringing value to its customers. The strength of its global team, combined with its deep expertise in semiconductor innovation and next-generation product engineering, creates a solid foundation to build differentiated, scalable solutions. I look forward to working closely with the team to drive strategic growth and strengthen its role in shaping the global semiconductor ecosystem.”
The reference to AI-driven systems is not incidental. The semiconductor industry is in the midst of a structural reshaping, driven by the insatiable compute demands of artificial intelligence. For engineering services firms like Tessolve, which offers end-to-end capabilities from silicon design to packaged parts and invests in high-performance computing, high-speed interfaces, photonics and 5G, the moment is both an opportunity and a test. The company says it is well positioned to capture the next wave of industry growth. Ravi Kumar Chirugudu is now the person who has to prove it.
He came in from outer space, literally, and spent three decades learning how the semiconductor industry works from the inside out. Now Tessolve is betting that accumulated knowledge can help it cross the next frontier. In the $550 billion global chip market, the gap between ambition and execution is measured in engineering hours and leadership quality. Tessolve has just gone shopping for both.
