Brands
LeEco stores in two months, targets 500 stores over one year
BENGALURU: Chinese technology player LeEco which has had a number of launches of smartphones since it ventured into India in late January this year plans to have about 500 brick and mortar stores in India once it receives FIPB (Foreign Investment Promotion Board). Excerpts of a two minute interaction with LeEco COO of Smart Electronics –India Atul Jain on the side lines of a press conference for the launch of LeEco’s Le 2, Le Max2 smartphones and Le Mall in New Delhi yesterday:
When is LeEco likely to launch brick and mortar stores?
We are looking at FIPB approvals to come. As soon as we get the approvals from the government, we’ll start. It’s been two months since we have applied, normally the approval process takes around 3 to 4 months, so in a month or two we should get the approvals after which we’ll need some setup time.
How many stores are you looking at in the first phase?
We are looking at about 500 stores including franchise stores over the next one year from the date of our first store. Just to give you an update, we have started our brick and mortar distribution which is selling through brick and mortar stores yesterday. So now our Le 1s is available in brick and mortar, mom and pops stores, independent stores, multi-brand stores, besides online.
Do you have the supply chain to these outlets in place?
Yes, we have our supply chain in place for that.
What about your OTT platform? How long do you plan to continue giving it along with the cost of a phone, given that most cell phones now have a usage life of a year or less? Are you going to continue offering the Rs 4,999 Supertainment package included in the cost of the phone?
As of now, that’s what we are announcing. Even for the two new phones that we have launched today – Le 2 and Le Max2, the Supertainment package for a year is included in the cost of the phone. Eventually in the long term, there will be a payment mechanism. It will be on a monthly basis
What about LeEco’s own production facilities in India?
That’s also coming up. It’s difficult to say exactly when. It’s likely to happen in the next six months or so.
Do you plan to bring the four brands on your OTT platform under a single brand? Do you plan to offer these options separately?
We might. As of now we will offer the subscribers everything. Maybe eventually we will offer subscribers’ a choice. As of now we are just trying to get our content to move.
Brands
Aman Gupta launches new venture OffBeat Studios
Boat co-founder steps into fresh entrepreneurial chapter after shifting to non-executive role.
MUMBAI: Aman Gupta just flipped the beat because when you’ve already made waves with Boat, the next move is to start a whole new rhythm.
boAt co-founder Aman Gupta has unveiled his new entrepreneurial venture, OffBeat Studios, marking his first independent project since stepping away from day-to-day operations at the audio and wearables brand. In a post on X on 3 March 2026, Gupta wrote: “With every birthday, some grow older, I grow bolder. I am still hungry, still impatient and still driven. Aman 2.0 begins soon. Introducing my new venture. @Offbeatstudios1.”
Details about OffBeat Studios remain scarce. Gupta has shared only a stylised “OFF/BEAT” logo and no specifics on the business model, sector focus, funding, team or launch timeline. It is unclear whether the venture will operate independently or hold any strategic link to Boat.
Gupta played a pivotal role in building boAt’s brand and marketing identity since its inception and gained wider visibility as a judge on Shark Tank India. His shift to a non-executive board position followed a leadership transition at Boat last year, Gaurav Nayyar was appointed CEO, while co-founder Sameer Mehta took on the role of executive director focused on strategy, reflecting a move toward professionalised management.
The announcement arrives as Boat’s parent company, Imagine Marketing, gears up for its initial public offering. The Warburg Pincus-backed firm received SEBI approval after confidentially filing in April 2025 and is reportedly targeting a valuation of around Rs 13,000 crore. This marks Boat’s second IPO attempt, the first, filed in January 2022 for Rs 2,000 crore (Rs 900 crore fresh issue + Rs 1,100 crore offer for sale), was withdrawn amid market volatility.
Boat has not commented on whether Gupta’s new venture will impact the upcoming public issue. For a founder who helped turn Boat into a youth-favourite audio brand, OffBeat Studios signals not a slowdown, but a bold new track proving that when one rhythm fades, another is already waiting to drop.
