Actress Samantha Prabhu has made another investment in the Indian startup ecosystem by backing D2C wellness brand Secret Alchemist.
Following͏͏ this͏͏ investment,͏͏ the͏͏ brand͏͏ has͏͏ also͏͏ appointed͏͏ her͏͏ as͏͏ its͏͏ cofounder.
Funds͏͏ to͏͏ Boost͏͏ Marketing͏͏ and͏͏ Reach:
The͏͏ startup͏͏ did͏͏ not͏͏ disclose͏͏ the͏͏ financial͏͏ terms͏͏ of͏͏ the͏͏ deal͏͏ but͏͏ stated͏͏ that͏͏ the͏͏ new͏͏ capital͏͏ will͏͏ be͏͏ used͏͏ to͏͏ enhance͏͏ marketing͏͏ efforts,͏͏ strengthen͏͏ brand͏͏ presence,͏͏ and͏͏ expand͏͏ customer͏͏ reach.
Secret͏͏ Alchemist,͏͏ an͏͏ aromatherapy-based͏͏ wellness͏͏ brand͏͏ founded͏͏ in͏͏ 2021͏͏ by͏͏ Ankita͏͏ Thadani͏͏ and͏͏ Akash͏͏ Valia,͏͏ offers͏͏ a͏͏ range͏͏ of͏͏ products͏͏ centred͏͏ around͏͏ essential͏͏ oils͏͏ and͏͏ holistic͏͏ well-being.
“Samantha’s͏͏ personal͏͏ journey͏͏ with͏͏ aromatherapy͏͏ aligns͏͏ seamlessly͏͏ with͏͏ our͏͏ philosophy͏͏ of͏͏ addressing͏͏ wellness͏͏ at͏͏ its͏͏ core.͏͏ Together,͏͏ we͏͏ plan͏͏ to͏͏ use͏͏ the͏͏ new͏͏ funds͏͏ to͏͏ expand͏͏ our͏͏ product͏͏ range,͏͏ invest͏͏ in͏͏ brand͏͏ development,͏͏ and͏͏ broaden͏͏ our͏͏ customer͏͏ base͏͏ while͏͏ deepening͏͏ our͏͏ impact͏͏ in͏͏ the͏͏ personal͏͏ care͏͏ industry,”͏͏ said͏͏ Thadani.
The͏͏ startup͏͏ also͏͏ announced͏͏ that͏͏ it͏͏ has͏͏ raised͏͏ $500,000͏͏ in͏͏ a͏͏ seed͏͏ round͏͏ led͏͏ by͏͏ Inflection͏͏ Point͏͏ Ventures͏͏ (IPV),͏͏ with͏͏ participation͏͏ from͏͏ Pharmeasy͏͏ founder͏͏ Siddharth͏͏ Shah͏͏ and͏͏ Plix͏͏ founder͏͏ Rishubh͏͏ Satiya.
The͏͏ funds͏͏ will͏͏ be͏͏ used͏͏ for͏͏ team͏͏ expansion,͏͏ scaling͏͏ operations,͏͏ and͏͏ increasing͏͏ inventory͏͏ ahead͏͏ of͏͏ the͏͏ upcoming͏͏ festive͏͏ season.
Additionally,͏͏ the͏͏ startup͏͏ aims͏͏ to͏͏ diversify͏͏ its͏͏ product͏͏ portfolio͏͏ by͏͏ launching͏͏ pure-grade͏͏ essential͏͏ oils͏͏ in͏͏ the͏͏ form͏͏ of͏͏ creams,͏͏ mists,͏͏ and͏͏ shower͏͏ gels.
Its͏͏ handmade͏͏ product͏͏ range͏͏ features͏͏ roll-ons,͏͏ candles,͏͏ pain͏͏ management͏͏ solutions,͏͏ hair͏͏ care,͏͏ and͏͏ skin͏͏ care͏͏ items.͏͏ The͏͏ brand͏͏ also͏͏ offers͏͏ bulk͏͏ order͏͏ options͏͏ and͏͏ consultations͏͏ with͏͏ certified͏͏ aromatherapists.
Secret͏͏ Alchemist͏͏ sells͏͏ its͏͏ products͏͏ via͏͏ its͏͏ own͏͏ website͏͏ and͏͏ through͏͏ popular͏͏ marketplaces,͏͏ including͏͏ Nykaa,͏͏ Tata͏͏ Cliq,͏͏ Cred,͏͏ Blinkit,͏͏ Pharmeasy,͏͏ and͏͏ Amazon,͏͏ among͏͏ others.
Samantha’s͏͏ Expanding͏͏ Startup͏͏ Portfolio:
It͏͏ is͏͏ worth͏͏ noting͏͏ that͏͏ Samantha͏͏ has͏͏ previously͏͏ invested͏͏ in͏͏ at͏͏ least͏͏ three͏͏ startups,͏͏ including͏͏ the͏͏ e-commerce͏͏ marketplace͏͏ SustainKart,͏͏ vegan͏͏ food͏͏ product͏͏ startup͏͏ Nourish͏͏ You,͏͏ and͏͏ casual͏͏ wear͏͏ brand͏͏ The͏͏ Souled͏͏ Store.
Continue͏͏ Exploring:͏͏ Actor͏͏ Samantha Prabhu invests͏͏ in͏͏ D2C͏͏ superfoods͏͏ startup͏͏ ‘Nourish͏͏ You’͏͏ with͏͏ a͏͏ mission͏͏ to͏͏ promote͏͏ health͏͏ and͏͏ wellness
This͏͏ comes͏͏ amid͏͏ a͏͏ trend͏͏ of͏͏ several͏͏ Indian͏͏ startups͏͏ engaging͏͏ actors͏͏ and͏͏ celebrities͏͏ as͏͏ investors͏͏ and͏͏ cofounders.
Earlier͏͏ this͏͏ month,͏͏ event͏͏ tech͏͏ startup͏͏ Ticket9͏͏ brought͏͏ on͏͏ board͏͏ actor͏͏ Nayanthara͏͏ and͏͏ her͏͏ husband,͏͏ renowned͏͏ director͏͏ Vignesh͏͏ Shivan,͏͏ as͏͏ investors.
Celebrity͏͏ Investors͏͏ Surge͏͏ in͏͏ 2023:
The͏͏ year͏͏ 2023͏͏ marked͏͏ a͏͏ record͏͏ for͏͏ celebrity͏͏ investors,͏͏ with͏͏ more͏͏ than͏͏ 19͏͏ personalities͏͏ injecting͏͏ capital͏͏ into͏͏ 26͏͏ startups.
For͏͏ example,͏͏ actress͏͏ Alia͏͏ Bhatt͏͏ launched͏͏ her͏͏ D2C͏͏ kidswear͏͏ brand,͏͏ Ed-a-Mamma,͏͏ in͏͏ 2020,͏͏ which͏͏ has͏͏ since͏͏ become͏͏ a͏͏ majority-owned͏͏ subsidiary͏͏ of͏͏ Reliance͏͏ Retail.
Actress͏͏ Deepika͏͏ Padukone͏͏ ventured͏͏ into͏͏ skincare͏͏ with͏͏ her͏͏ brand͏͏ 82°E͏͏ in͏͏ 2022͏͏ and͏͏ has͏͏ also͏͏ invested͏͏ in͏͏ various͏͏ startups,͏͏ including͏͏ Blusmart͏͏ and͏͏ Bellatrix͏͏ Aerospace.
Similarly,͏͏ actor͏͏ Hrithik͏͏ Roshan͏͏ launched͏͏ his͏͏ lifestyle͏͏ brand͏͏ HRX͏͏ in͏͏ 2013,͏͏ which͏͏ now͏͏ collaborates͏͏ with͏͏ Myntra͏͏ and͏͏ Cult.fit,͏͏ while͏͏ Katrina͏͏ Kaif͏͏ introduced͏͏ her͏͏ beauty͏͏ brand,͏͏ Kay͏͏ Beauty,͏͏ in͏͏ 2019.
Actress͏͏ Kriti͏͏ Sanon͏͏ entered͏͏ the͏͏ fitness͏͏ market͏͏ with͏͏ The͏͏ Tribe͏͏ and͏͏ co-founded͏͏ the͏͏ skincare͏͏ brand͏͏ Hyphen.
Actress͏͏ Preity͏͏ Zinta͏͏ co-founded͏͏ DRIVE͏͏ FITT,͏͏ a͏͏ gym͏͏ facility,͏͏ while͏͏ Priyanka͏͏ Chopra͏͏ Jonas͏͏ established͏͏ Anomaly,͏͏ a͏͏ haircare͏͏ brand,͏͏ and͏͏ Rakul͏͏ Preet͏͏ Singh͏͏ launched͏͏ Starring͏͏ You,͏͏ a͏͏ talent͏͏ discovery͏͏ platform.
