Pre-Seed Round Backed by Gruhas Collective Consumer Fund and Marsshot VC
nailinit, a community-first nail care brand targeting Gen Z and millennial consumers, has raised ₹2.5–3 crore in a pre-seed funding round led by Gruhas Collective Consumer Fund and Marsshot VC, along with participation from angel investors across consumer, technology, and operator ecosystems. Gruhas Collective Consumer Fund is backed by entrepreneur and investor Nikhil Kamath.
The capital will be deployed to expand distribution across quick commerce and D2C channels, strengthen community-led brand building, and accelerate product innovation in the nail care segment.
Building a Culture-First Brand in an Underserved Category
Founded by Tanishq Ambegaokar and Shubham Singhal, nailinit operates at the intersection of beauty, self-expression, and culture. Despite being a high-frequency category, nail care in India remains under-branded and largely dependent on salon-led services.
“At nailinit, we are building for a generation that sees beauty as a form of self-expression, not just a routine,” said Tanishq Ambegaokar, Co-founder. He noted that nails sit at the crossroads of culture, content, and commerce, and the fresh capital will allow the brand to invest intentionally in product depth, community, and distribution.
Shubham Singhal added that as the company scales, strengthening the supply chain and expanding across digital channels remains a priority while maintaining operational discipline.
Angel Participation and Investor Confidence
The round attracted notable angels including Shashank Kumar (Founder, Razorpay), Arjit Johri (Marsshot VC), Yash Jain (Ex-Founder, NimbusPost), Karan Jindal (Meta), Jivraj Singh Sachar (ISV Capital), Nishank Jain (Accel), Yashvardhan Kanoi (Alter Global), Ashwarya Garg (HYPD), Venus Dhuria (Phot.AI), and Amishi Parasrampuria (The Whole Truth).
Gauri Kuchhal, Fund Manager at Gruhas Collective Consumer Fund, highlighted that nail care remains underpenetrated in India, with press-on nails unlocking convenience and experimentation beyond salon visits. She added that nailinit’s design-first approach positions it well for adjacent category expansion.
The brand has built early traction across Zepto, Blinkit, Amazon, and is set to launch on Instamart. It also operates a dedicated retail kiosk at Jio World Drive, Bandra, combining product-led retail with walk-in nail services.
With this funding, nailinit aims to scale thoughtfully while investing in community, culture, and long-term category creation in India’s evolving beauty market.
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