MAM
Metro Brands brings on board Nissan Joseph as CEO
Mumbai: Homegrown fashion footwear retailer Metro Brands has announced the appoinment of Nissan Joseph as its chief executive officer, effective 1 July.
The company will continue to be helmed by its founding members, managing director Farah Malik Bhanji, and chairman Rafique A. Malik, it said in a statement on Friday.
Prior to joining Metro Brands, Joseph was associated with Philippines-based MAP Active & Planet Sports Inc, a lifestyle retailer in Southeast Asia, where he was the CEO since March 2020. During his 18 year-long experience in retail and brand management, he has held key roles for five years at Crocs, for which Metro Brands operates retail stores in India. He has also worked with Payless Shoes Pty Ltd and Hickory Brands, Inc.
As of March 31, 2021, Metro Brands Ltd’s pan India network comprises 586 stores in over 130 cities with brands like Metro Shoes, Mochi, Walkway, and Crocs under its banner.
Brands
Aman Gupta’s OFF/BEAT secures Rs 100 crore seed funding round
Bessemer backs new venture betting on AI and India’s digital shift
MUMBAI: Aman Gupta has raised Rs 100 crore in seed funding for his new venture OFF/BEAT, with Bessemer Venture Partners leading the round as it bets on a new wave of AI-led, consumer-first businesses in India.
The funding marks an early but significant push for OFF/BEAT, which is positioned to tap into a rapidly evolving market shaped by a digitally native generation and advances in artificial intelligence. The venture aims to build at the intersection of culture and technology, where brand identity and innovation increasingly go hand in hand.
Gupta, best known for co-founding boAt and scaling it into a Rs 3,000 crore-plus business, is now looking to apply those learnings to a new playbook. His focus this time is not just on building a consumer brand, but on leveraging AI and global networks to accelerate growth.
OFF/BEAT founder Aman Gupta said, “Having built from scratch before, I know what capital can do and what it cannot. This time, I was looking for partners with a global perspective who can help me leverage technology and AI, because that is where the future lies. Bessemer’s track record with companies like Anthropic, Shopify, Canva and LinkedIn says it all.”
The choice of investor reflects that ambition. Bessemer Venture Partners has backed global technology players such as Anthropic, Shopify, Canva and LinkedIn, bringing not just capital but strategic support and global reach.
Bessemer Venture Partners partner Anant Vidur Puri said, “We back founders who see around corners. Aman saw how a new India would come to think about aspiration, identity and quality, and built boAt as proof. He is now applying that same instinct to a market being reshaped by AI and by a generation with entirely new expectations.”
The investment comes at a time when India’s startup ecosystem is being reshaped by both consumer behaviour and technological disruption. Founders are increasingly expected to understand not just products, but the cultural shifts that drive adoption.
For OFF/BEAT, the journey is just beginning, but the signal is clear. In a market where attention is fleeting and expectations are rising, building something truly distinctive may be the only way to stay on beat.
