Brands
Pulse Golmol imli goli brings tangy nostalgia for Just Rs 1 a pop
MUMBAI: Dharampal Satyapal Group (DS Group), has expanded its confectionery portfolio with the launch of Pulse Golmol imli flavour goli. This soft, tangy tamarind-based goli is priced at just Rs 1 per pouch and promises to spark nostalgia among Indian consumers.
Infused with natural tamarind, Pulse Golmol taps into the flavour profile that generations have grown up loving. The product also highlights tamarind’s Ayurvedic benefits, especially its role in aiding digestion.
DS Group business head – confectionery Jyotiroop Barua said, “DS Group is excited to unveil its newest offering, Pulse Golmol, adding to the Pulse product line. It’s more than just a goli; it’s a delightful journey down memory lane, reawakening the carefree joy and zest. Each tangy tamarind treat is bursting with the playful Pulse flavour. Pulse is market leader in HBC category and just like our core Pulse products, we’re confident that this new offering will be a favourite among our consumers and further strengthen our position in the market.”
To support the rollout of Pulse Golmol, the brand is launching a multi-faceted campaign across the country. The pre-launch phase includes impactful in-store displays, product sampling, and on-ground consumer activations. A wider media campaign will follow, crafted to evoke playful nostalgia and highlight the mischievous tang of tamarind.
DS Group’s confectionery division recently crossed Rs 1,000 crore in annual turnover for FY 2023-24. It holds a dominant position in the non-chocolate confectionery segment, particularly in the hard-boiled candy (HBC) and Indian ethnic confectionery (IEC) categories.
Sustainability also remains a key focus for DS Group. The company operates a fleet of over 800 electric vehicles for confectionery distribution, aligning with its ESG vision and commitment to ethical business practices.
DS Group continues to innovate across its diverse brand portfolio, which includes Pulse, Pass Pass, Rajnigandha Pearls, Chingles, Pulse Natkaare, and the recently acquired LuvIt. With a strong grip on evolving consumer tastes especially among Gen Z the group is modernising its ethnic offerings and embracing new-age marketing and digital strategies.
Brands
Rakesh Menon joins Paytm as avp – lending
Fintech product leader takes on new role after building digital lending, payments and credit products across fintech ecosystem
MUMBAI: Rakesh Menon has joined Paytm as assistant vice president – lending, taking on a new role focused on strengthening the company’s lending and credit products.
Prior to this, Menon worked at Profectus Capital Pvt Ltd as chief manager – payments based financing and digital lending.
At Profectus, he designed and launched digital credit products for merchants with variable cash flows, including overdraft-linked and revenue-share lending models. He led end-to-end LOS–LMS API integrations with payment partners and aggregators, enabling real-time underwriting, disbursal and repayment workflows.
He also worked on funnel optimisation initiatives using journey analytics, improving onboarding, KYC and disbursal conversion by 35 per cent. He developed ecosystem partnerships for transaction-data-based credit assessment and automated settlement systems, and collaborated with credit and data science teams to strengthen risk models and early delinquency detection.
Menon standardised partner onboarding and API frameworks, reducing go-live timelines by 40 per cent and improving digital scalability.
Before Profectus Capital, he worked at PayU as senior manager – presales lead – enterprise business from August 2022 to August 2023. He set up a national presales function for fintech and digital commerce clients, aligning solutions such as EMI, BNPL, BBPS and offer engines to merchant requirements.
He also helped improve conversion rates by around 15 per cent through merchant persona mapping, demo frameworks and structured sales playbooks, working closely with product and go-to-market teams.
From April 2019 to July 2022, Menon served as business unit head – SMB – direct acquisitions at Worldline, where he built the SMB online payments vertical from scratch. The business scaled to Rs 2,500 crore in annual transaction volume, growing at 45 per cent year-on-year.
During this period, he introduced paperless onboarding processes including eKYC and eSign, developed partner dashboards and CRM automation systems, and integrated platforms such as Shopify, WooCommerce and Tally to expand merchant adoption.
Across roles, Menon has worked across digital lending, payments and merchant financing, with experience in product development, ecosystem partnerships, API integrations and fintech-led growth strategies.
At Paytm, he will focus on scaling lending products and strengthening digital credit infrastructure within the company’s financial services ecosystem.
His appointment comes as fintech firms continue to expand their lending and embedded finance offerings in a competitive market.
