Bharat D2C Conclave 2026: From the ₹100 crore playbook to AI-led advertising and omnichannel strategies, founders on scaling India’s consumer brands

For Beco, the company’s website, quick commerce platforms and neighbourhood kirana stores each serve a different purpose. While its website is a testing ground for products, quick commerce offers visibility, and offline retail is where the company sees scope for fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) scale.

“For us, every channel has a different job. Our website, letsbeco.com, is our R&D lab, quick commerce is the modern billboard of Indian retail, and offline is where real FMCG scale lives. Quick commerce is your impulse shelf; kirana is your fortress. The questions from the room showed how many brands are working through the same choices,” said Sourabh Narula, Head of E-commerce, Quick Commerce & Modern Trade, Beco.

Narula was speaking at the Bharat D2C Conclave 2026, organised by the D2C Industry Association (D2CIA) at Eros Hotel in New Delhi on 6 October. The programme included a session on taking a D2C brand offline, alongside discussions on scaling revenues, customer acquisition and retention, investor expectations and regulatory compliance.


The conclave brought together more than 180 D2C founders, brand leaders and investors, alongside policymakers and officials from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Legal Metrology and consumer affairs. The sessions examined how brands could build businesses towards the ₹100 crore mark, use first-party data in advertising, expand from online operations into physical retail, and navigate the regulatory requirements associated with customer data and marketing.

The event also marked an effort by D2CIA to establish a common platform for founders to exchange business learnings and engage with policymakers. The association has announced a Mumbai edition for 20 February 2027 and plans to launch a membership programme in December 2026.

Scaling a D2C brand: The ₹100 crore playbook

The ₹100 Crore Playbook session featured leaders from Farmley, Beco, 4700BC, Hamilton Sciences and Suchali’s Artisan Bakehouse.

For brands expanding beyond their initial customer base, distribution is one of the decisions that shapes their approach to growth. Their own websites, quick commerce platforms and physical retail outlets can serve different purposes, from testing products and understanding customer preferences to reaching consumers and building a wider retail presence.

Beco’s approach, as outlined by Narula, reflects the different roles these channels can play in a consumer brand’s distribution strategy. The distinction between channels also raises questions about where brands invest in customer acquisition and how they build relationships with consumers beyond an individual purchase.

Other sessions examined first-party data and advertising algorithms, festive-season advertising insights from more than 1,000 D2C brands, and investor expectations in 2026.

Sumit Bansal, Co-founder, Datadrew, presented festive-season advertising insights drawn from more than 1,000 D2C brands. Vishnu Vankayala, Founder, CustomerLabs, spoke in a session on first-party data and advertising algorithms. Another session, featuring GoKwik, SeaSoul Cosmetics, Gyros Organic Farms and Intellemo, focused on turning first-time buyers into loyal customers.

The investor perspective formed another part of the programme. Arjun Vaidya, V3 Ventures; Devapriya Khanna, Connexus Global Ventures; Aditya Joshi, Venture Garage; and Tanwir Alam, Fincart, participated in a discussion on investor expectations in 2026.

Pramathesh Palchoudhary, Chief Revenue Officer, Hamilton Sciences Pvt Ltd, said the discussions reflected problems that many businesses were tackling independently. “At the D2CIA Conclave, one thing became clear: many of us are quietly solving the same problems, from distribution and data to building direct consumer relationships that last, yet most founders figure it out alone. The conversations in that room, among people who have actually been in the trenches, were more useful than most content I’ve consumed this year. D2CIA is building a table where founders, investors, and policymakers are in the same conversation, and I want to be part of that,” Palchoudhary said. Hamilton Sciences is the owner for several prominent personal care and grooming brands including Denver, Envy and Vanesa among others.

Speaking at the summit, Aman Gupta, Chief Marketing Officer, Farmley said, “It was exciting to meet so many founders at the Bharat D2C Conclave, all building brands for Bharat and facing many of the same questions. Rooms like this are rare. D2CIA is doing important work by bringing consumer brands, investors and policy makers together on one platform, and giving the industry a stronger voice.”

AI, customer data and compliance

Alongside business growth, the conclave addressed the regulatory questions that arise as brands adopt new marketing tools and expand their use of customer data.

The opening Policy Table on AI examined the implications of the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, the use of AI in advertising and pricing without crossing consumer-protection boundaries, and whether the industry should develop its own AI code of conduct.

Other sessions brought FSSAI and Legal Metrology officials into discussions on compliance. Hem Pande, IAS (Retd.), Former Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India, and Dr Suresh Misra, Chair Professor (Consumer Affairs), Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), participated in a session on consumer trust and claims.

For consumer brands, these issues sit alongside decisions about product development, marketing and distribution. As businesses expand, they must also navigate the requirements governing how products are represented and sold, as well as how customer data is used.

“Today, the founders sat across the table from policymakers on AI, data and compliance. Questions that usually take months to reach the right desk were heard in one day. That is the role D2CIA exists to play, and we will carry today’s inputs forward,” said Rahul Sudan, National General Secretary, D2CIA.

Sharmistha Dasgupta, DDG & HoG, National Informatics Centre (NIC), MeitY, Government of India, was among the policy and institutional representatives at the conclave. Pravesh Shankar Chaubey, Assistant Director (Technical), FSSAI, and Mukesh Kumar, Deputy Controller, Legal Metrology, Uttar Pradesh, also participated.

Shri Ashish Sood, Hon’ble Home Minister, Government of NCT of Delhi, was invited as Guest of Honour for the closing session, titled Made in India, Built for the World: The Brands of New Bharat. Dr Anil Kohli, a Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri awardee, also joined as a dignitary for the closing session.

Building consumer trust and communities

Beyond customer acquisition and distribution, the programme included discussions on how brands establish relationships with consumers. The session on consumer trust and claims brought a consumer-affairs perspective to the programme, while the discussion on customer retention focused on turning first-time buyers into loyal customers.

The conclave also included a session on community-led selling through in-person events and Built Before 20, featuring seven young founders.

Kashika Malhotra, Founder & CEO, Yoginii, said connecting with other entrepreneurs offered an opportunity to exchange perspectives on the changing D2C landscape. “As a young founder building Yoginii, it was great to connect with fellow entrepreneurs and exchange perspectives on the evolving D2C landscape. I believe the future belongs to brands that build genuine consumer trust, strong communities, and purpose-driven businesses. Platforms like D2CIA are instrumental in bringing this ecosystem together.”

The programme also included a special address by The Economic Times – Digital on growing as a founder. The day concluded with networking and Chai Par Charcha.

D2CIA plans year-round engagement with founders

For D2CIA, the next step is to extend the conversations beyond the annual conclave. The association plans to hold its next edition in Mumbai on 20 February 2027 and launch a membership programme in December 2026.

According to the association, membership will include policy representation, updates on regulations affecting D2C businesses, learning sessions and resources, access to investors and ecosystem partners, participation in events across cities, and opportunities for founders to connect with peers. Brands can register their interest through the association’s online form.

“India’s consumer brands are now being built in every corner of the country, from the metros to Tier 2 and Tier 3 towns. They create jobs, support local makers and carry Made in India to the world. Our work at D2CIA is to make sure this sector has a strong, organised voice wherever decisions about it are made,” said Dr M. A. Alim, National Chairman, D2CIA.

Utkarsh Arora, Joint Secretary, D2CIA, said the Mumbai edition and the planned membership programme would extend the network beyond a single event. “Delhi showed us how much founders want one place where they can talk openly with investors, peers and policymakers. We are taking the Conclave to Mumbai on 20 February, and from December, D2CIA membership will keep founders connected to that table all year round, not just for one day,” Arora explained.

The Bharat D2C Conclave 2026 was powered by Scalite Partners, with The Economic Times - Digital as Media Partner and Piplbyte as Compliance Partner. Amazon Shipping, CustomerLabs, Datadrew and Intellemo were supporting partners.