Beauty & Personal Care Brand Antithesis Raises ₹5 Crore in Pre-Seed Funding Led by Rukam Capital and V3 Ventures

Antithesis, an emerging beauty and personal care disruptor in India's rapidly growing landscape has secured ₹5 crore investment in its pre-seed funding. The round was co-led by Rukam Capital and V3 Ventures, marking a significant milestone for the young startup while aligning with the funds and their commitment to backing visionary brands that disrupt traditional markets while championing innovation.

The strategic investment is structured to support Antithesis’s aggressive growth plans as a digital first beauty company. Furthering product innovation, market and distribution channel expansion while also strengthening its brand presence in India’s dynamic personal care market. The funding will further be utilized to drive innovation in formulation, ensuring high-performance, multifunctional products that cater to the evolving needs of today’s consumers.

Commenting on the investment deal closure, Archana Jahagirdar, Founder and Managing Partner of Rukam Capital, says, “At Rukam Capital, we always look out for founders whore reimagining industries with fresh perspectives and innovative solutions. The personal care sector in India is evolving rapidly, driven by a growing demand for smarter, high-performance products that align with modern lifestyles."

“At V3 Ventures, we’re so excited to see what’s happening in the BPC market in India. We’re probably one of the only places in the world where a tier 3 consumer also has serious product knowledge. When Aparna brought the idea of multifuncional products to us, we were instantly drawn to it because this was something unique amongst all the clutter.” said Arjun Vaidya, Co-founder and Managing Partner at V3 Ventures.

Founded by Aparna Saxena, former Partner at a prominent venture capital firm Good Capital, Antithesis is revolutionizing the beauty and personal care space in India through its innovative data-driven approach to product development and with a contrarian viewpoint of “the luxury of less” on the ever expanding personal care category.

Aparna Saxena, Founder, Antithesis

The company's unique methodology treats beauty and personal care products like technology products, allowing for continuous innovation and feature expansion based on consumer feedback and emerging trends.

“I identified a critical gap in India's personal care market. Women were overwhelmed by complex routines and multiple products marketed as "essential," yet they struggled to find solutions that delivered meaningful results. I want Indian women to feel less burdened by endless routines and get more value for their investments in personal care products.” said Aparna.

This funding round positions Antithesis to capitalize on India's booming beauty market, projected to reach $27 billion by 2027, driven by increasing disposable income and rising beauty consciousness among India's young population.

Rukam Capital, with a track record of backing high-growth consumer brands, has previously invested in brands like Beco, Sleepy Owl, Yoho, GO Desi, upliance.ai and Indus Valley amongst others. And, V3 Ventures is a founder led early stage fund backed by the Verlinvest group that invests in disruptive consumer companies across the globe including Kuku FM, Go Zero, Dil Foods, Ugaoo and Deconstruct.

About V3 Ventures

V3 Ventures, backed by Verlinvest, is a €100 million global consumer fund focused on early-stage digital and consumer businesses in India, US and Europe. Led by Arjun Vaidya in India, the fund invests in innovative consumer brands and platforms, with a portfolio including Kuku FM, Go Zero, Dil Foods, Ugaoo, The Hosteller and Deconstruct. For more information visit www.v3.ventures

About Rukam Capital

Rukam Capital is a leading Indian early-stage venture capital firm specializing in investing in consumer products and services companies. We invest in purpose-led founders who are solving hard problems at scale by creating products and companies that people love. As entrepreneurs ourselves, we understand the challenges of building a successful business and actively partner with our portfolio companies to drive innovation and growth. For more information, visit: www.rukamcapital.com

About Antithesis

Founded by Aparna Saxena, previously a Partner at a VC fund , Antithesis simplifies personal care by challenging the multi-product approach. With experience at Good Capital and Bharat Founders Fund, that has backed brands like LEAD School, simsim, and Bliss Club. Her industry insight and passion for skincare led her to create Antithesis, offering versatile, multi-functional products for modern lifestyles.

Eco-Friendly D2C Products Startup Beco Raises $3 Mn from Rukam Capital, Climate Angels and B'wood Actress Dia Mirza

• Climate Angels is a SEBI CAT I investment fund creating a sustainable future by exclusively focussing on companies working in the climate change space
• Climate Angels’ decision of backing Beco is in line with its commitment to invest in startups in the space of clean energy, clean mobility, alternative materials, built environment and industrial solutions.

Eco-Friendly Home & Personal Care D2C Startup Beco has announced that it has raised USD 3 million in series A led by Rukam Capital. The 100% natural and sustainable home and personal care brand that offers affordable and accessible products to consumers, also received funding from Climate Angels – a SEBI CAT I investment fund focussed on creating a sustainable future by exclusively focussing on companies working in the climate change space, among others. Beco’s relentless pursuit of making India a plastic-free nation has caught the attention of its brand ambassador, too - actor and eco-investor Dia Mirza, who also participated in this round of funding along with Climate Angels and others.

Dia Mirza, who has been consistently putting her money where her heart is in terms of investments in sustainable brands, says, "Our relationship with the planet reflects the extent of mindfulness, intentionality and thoughtfulness we invest in our own lives. Our consumption patterns, the things we pour our time, energy and money into, shape not just who we become but also what becomes of the earth that we call our home. The reason why I started speaking up for the planet, and began to make intentional choices in my work and in my personal life inevitably led to a role as the UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador & UN Secretary-General’s Advocate for the SDGs and to my new calling as a green investor. I am investing in Beco because I feel it is my responsibility to not just use my voice but my resources to back eco-sensitive, sustainable businesses. Beco's mission resonates with my vision and I am happy to work in synergy towards a happier, healthier planet."

Speaking about their decision to invest in Beco, Sumeet Singh of Climate Angels, said, “At Climate Angels we are excited to back Beco for the second time. What made us circle back to Beco was the high revenue growth it has indicated since its inception. Beco's monthly revenue has grown by more than 8 times in the last 18 months. Needless to say, the team has mastered the art of customer loyalty and retention through their delivery of high-quality products ceaselessly. Beco is also extremely capital efficient in its operations; the growth mentioned earlier came in with a minor injection of capital. We are excited to see where this new round of funding will take Beco.”

Founded in 2019 by Aditya Ruia, Akshay Varma, and Anuj Ruia, Beco aims to make sustainable living convenient by providing easily accessible and affordable products for Indian consumers. The Mumbai-based startup is on a steady path to clocking massive growth with expansion into 10,000 offline retail stores across the country. Furthermore, Beco will be expanding its product range to include a new set of cleaner products and an all-new personal hygiene care category which will include products such as multipurpose spray, bathroom cleaner, laundry detergent sheets, and more. With the Indian eco-friendly product market having seen a steady growth of 73% over the last 5-7 years and trending upwards, Beco is poised to become the market leader in its segment. The fund infusion will be directed towards Beco’s R&D (product innovation, development in sustainability) efforts, Marketing, and Supply Chain function, as well as focussing on talent acquisition across verticals to boost growth.

Commenting on the funding, Aditya Ruia, Co-founder, Beco, said, “The initial idea for Beco came from the realisation that every piece of plastic disposed of will last for decades, and find its way back to us in some form, causing immeasurable harm. In light of the increasing threat of environmental degradation, it is our goal to ensure that sustainable living is part of every Indian household, and we believe that reducing the barriers to its adoption can be achieved by making it more accessible and affordable. We are thrilled to have a spate of like-minded individuals in our investors who share our vision of making sustainable living convenient, affordable, accessible, and finally a reality”, he added.

In FY 2021-22, Beco recorded a 5x revenue jump while launching multiple products across categories. Till date, the company has launched products including tissue rolls, bamboo facial tissues, dishwashing liquid, toothbrushes, and biodegradable garbage bags, to name a few. The recent launches include a new natural liquid cleaner category with three new products including dishwashing, floor, and laundry liquids. With regards to the impact Beco has created, the brand has reached over 1 million households and has empowered them with 30 different eco-friendly and non-toxic products. Beco has replaced carcinogenic chemicals in cleaning products with a coconut enzyme formula that is 100% environment-friendly. Furthermore, Bamboo - a primary raw material used by the company - is sourced from North-east India, thereby empowering several families in the region. Beco is furthering its mission of crafting, supporting and driving a positive change in the world with sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives to single-use plastics and packaging.

About Beco India:

Beco India is an Indian start-up founded in 2019, that develops and manufactures 100% natural and plastic and chemical free consumer goods in the kitchen, home and personal care space. Founded by Aditya Ruia, Anuj Ruia, and Akshay Varma, Beco (Be Eco) provides affordable alternatives to single-use products such as napkins, toilet paper, facial tissues, tissue rolls with a vision to make a sustainable lifestyle easily accessible, and part of every Indian household. In addition to a wide range of other products, the start-up uses biodegradable and compostable raw materials, including corn starch, bamboo, to manufacture toilet rolls, facial tissues, garbage bags, toothbrushes, and a coconut enzyme based formula in its liquid cleaners. . With a view to eliminate the consumption of single-use plastic, and reduce the overall carbon footprint, Beco pays close attention to every aspect of the products manufactured, and to that end, they use recycled paper packaging, and all their products are entirely biodegradable and compostable.

About Climate Angels:

Climate Angels invests in early-stage pollution reduction & climate tech startups. We are registered with SEBI as a Category-1 Angel AIF. To date we have made 12 investments in sectors like circular economy, direct-to-consumer brands which reduce chemical and plastic usage through eco-friendly products, lead recycling, filterless air purifiers focused on large spaces, rooftop solar and electric mobility.

Leading tech entrepreneurs & investors are now making climate investments through us. Some of our marquee LPs includes Vijay Shekhar Sharma (Paytm), Nipun Sahni (Apollo Global), Praveen Gandhi (Seedfund), Paula Mariwala (Aureolis Ventures), Phanindra Sama (Redbus Founder), Ashish Goel (Urban Ladder), among 100+ others.