Brands
Sweet deal as Mandira Bedi joins Healthy Mithai Co.’s sugar-free mission
MUMBAI: Here’s some sweet news that won’t spike your sugar levels. Healthy Mithai Co., the homegrown disruptor in sugar-free indulgence, has roped in actor, fitness icon, and entrepreneur Mandira Bedi as its official brand ambassador but this isn’t your usual celeb flash-in-the-pan. This alliance, driven by BeyondSeed’s BeyondInfluence platform, is less about selling and more about storytelling, one that blends tradition, health, and emotional indulgence.
Mandira Bedi resonated with this cause deeply. “To me, fitness is not merely about the body, it’s about balance,” she states. “I used to celebrate with laddoos and pedas during childhood, but later on, the time came for tough decisions. Healthy Mithai Co. is filling that emotional void for all of us who wish to celebrate without sacrifice. I’m honored to be a part of something so meaningfully delicious.”
That ‘joy minus the regret’ is precisely what the company is built on. Founded by Prabhinder Singh and Deepak Jain, Healthy Mithai Co. uses only plant-based stevia, crafting mithai that is sugar-free, low on the glycaemic index, and high on nostalgia. For India’s 10 crore diabetics and 25 crore pre-diabetics, it promises sweets without the sting.
But this mission isn’t stopping at sentiment. The company has its sights set on becoming one of the top three sugar-free alternative brands in India, eyeing Rs 125 crore in revenue by FY 2027–28. With an omnichannel model from partnerships with Nature’s Basket and Kokilaben Hospital to kiosks and e-commerce, it’s making guilt-free celebration a doorstep affair, with 24-hour delivery in major metros.
This collaboration was made possible through BeyondInfluence, a new platform that enables purpose driven startups to connect with voices that actually believe in their journey. “We started BeyondInfluence because we believe in creating partnerships that go beyond marketing, they’re built on meaning” states Beyondseed CMO Fiza Malhotra. “Mandira and Healthy Mithai Co. align on values that are deeply centered on wellness, impact, and trust. This partnership exemplifies these aligned values and serves as a catalyst for high-impact growth.”
For Healthy Mithai Co., this is not a marketing campaign, it’s a movement. “We’re not here to sell sweets,” explains Healthy Mithai co founder Prabhinder Singh. “We’re here to change daily habits. And habits are not changed by data alone. Habits change when people feel something. With Mandira joining our journey, we are not only adding an ambassador, we are adding a partner who resonates with this mission deeply too.”
So if you’ve ever passed on a peda for fear of sugar guilt, this might just be your cue to bring back the box. Healthy Mithai Co., with Mandira in tow, is writing a new recipe for joy where heritage meets health, and every bite is both mindful and magical.
Brands
Uber launches hotel bookings feature in partnership with Expedia
From hotel bookings to room service at your door, the ride-hailing giant is making its boldest push yet into everyday life
CALIFORNIA: Uber is done being just a taxi app. At its annual GO-GET product event, the world’s leading mobility and delivery platform unveiled a sweeping set of new features designed to plant itself at the centre of how people travel, eat and shop, hotel bookings included.
The headline move is a partnership with Expedia Group that lets Uber users in the United States book hotels directly within the Uber app, with access to a catalogue that will eventually grow to more than 700,000 properties worldwide. Uber One members get 10 per cent back in Uber One credits on all hotel bookings and savings of at least 20 per cent on a rolling list of more than 10,000 hotels globally. Vacation rentals from Vrbo, Expedia Group’s home-rental brand, will be added later this year. The partnership is expected to expand beyond the United States. From June, Uber rides will also be integrated directly into the Expedia app, with push notifications sent to travellers ahead of hotel check-in to book discounted Uber rides for the duration of their stay.
Dara Khosrowshahi, chief executive of Uber, framed the expansion in terms of the modern condition. “Uber is becoming an app for everything, helping people go, get, and now travel all in one place,” he said. “We’re all living through a moment of real cognitive overload: too many apps, too many decisions, too much noise. At the end of the day, our job is to help people reclaim their time, spending less of it managing the logistics of life and more of it actually living.”
Ariane Gorin, chief executive of Expedia Group, struck a similarly ambitious note. “Travel should feel effortless, and this partnership gets us one step closer to offering a seamless traveller experience,” she said. “By connecting our two-sided marketplace with Uber, we’re bringing Uber rides directly into the Expedia app and Expedia Group’s lodging inventory into the Uber app through our Rapid API technology. Together, we’re helping travellers spend less time planning and more time enjoying the journey.”
Beyond hotels, the product announcements come thick and fast. Travel Mode, available within both the Uber and Uber Eats apps, offers curated recommendations on local favourites, tourist destinations, OpenTable restaurant reservations and on-demand delivery to hotel rooms. Uber One International means the membership programme now works globally, allowing members to earn credits on rides abroad that can be redeemed once back home. A new Shop for Me feature lets users request items from any store, even those not listed on the app. Eats for the Way allows riders in select cities booking an Uber Black or Uber Black SUV to have a drink or snack waiting for them in the car. Voice Bookings, powered by artificial intelligence, lets users book a ride conversationally, without touching their phone. And a redesigned One Search bar consolidates results for places, food and items across the entire Uber platform in a single query.
Uber has now logged more than 72 billion trips since it launched in 2010. The question it is now answering is what comes after the ride. The answer, apparently, is everything else. Whether users want a hotel in Paris, a coffee in the back of a car or a snake plant from the local garden centre, Uber would very much like to be the one to provide it. The app economy’s land grab has a new front-runner.
NOTE: The image used is AI generated and only for representational purposes.
