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Entrepreneur
2 days ago
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Bottling Nostalgia: Nikhil Doda, Co-Founder, Director & COO of Lahori Zeera
The flagship drink, Lahori Zeera, isn't your average soda. It's fizzy, yes, but it's also fortified with black pepper, dry ginger, lemon juice, cumin, and a carefully calibrated mix of salt and sugar, effectively making it India's sassiest electrolyte drink Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. In 2017, three co-founders with a nose for nostalgia and a palate for possibilities launched a fizzy rebellion against the sugary sameness of Indian beverages. Armed with cumin, ginger, and a firm belief that the Indian drinks aisle needed more soul (and fewer synthetic flavors), Lahori Zeera bubbled up into the market. Fast forward to 2025, and the brand now sells over 5 million bottles daily during summer, commands shelf space in over 8 lakh outlets, and clocks in a gross revenue of INR 743 crore. Not bad for a company that started with a "humble manufacturing facility" and a dream to make "Desi the new cool." "Ethnic Indian drinks is a big category which was unexplored and no brand was focusing on the same," says Nikhil Doda, co-founder, director & COO of Lahori Zeera. The team saw a white space in a market drowning in global flavors, and instead of a fruit fusion drink, they decided to bottle Indian nostalgia with a twist of carbonation. The flagship drink, Lahori Zeera, isn't your average soda. It's fizzy, yes, but it's also fortified with black pepper, dry ginger, lemon juice, cumin, and a carefully calibrated mix of salt and sugar, effectively making it India's sassiest electrolyte drink. "The moment people take a sip, they immediately connect with the burst of tangy, authentic flavors, reminiscent of a homemade desi drink," says Doda. In a market flooded with neon-coloured fizz bombs, Lahori Zeera manages to straddle the fine line between indulgence and familiarity. While the brand started with just Zeera, it has since grown a full cast of desi co-stars like nimboo, shikanji, kacha aam, imli banta, masala cola. The business model is as crisp as the drinks. Everything is manufactured in-house or via trusted co-bottlers, then distributed through a network of 2,000+ distributors across 17 states. General Trade (GT) is still the apex, accounting for over 90 per cent of sales, but quick commerce is bubbling up with potential. "Quick commerce makes perfect sense for a product like us where people can solve for their cravings," says Doda. Currently, it's just 1–2 per cent of the pie, but given India's appetite for immediate gratification, don't be surprised if that slice grows quickly. As of now, 65 per cent of Lahori's business comes from North Indian states like Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, where the brand's been around long enough to have cult status. But newer territories are catching up. You'll find Lahori now across Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, and more. And although the UAE and other GCC countries are calling, Doda says they're focused on meeting explosive domestic demand first. International expansion is on the cards just not before they've quenched every last Indian thirst. "As a team we have plans of launching the brand in GCC countries within the next 2 years." For FY 2024-25, Lahori closed with a net revenue of INR 530 crore and a gross revenue of INR 743 crore. With 1800+ employees and INR 175 crore in funding raised, the brand is sprinting. And FY 2025-26? "We strongly feel that no number is too big for the brand," Doda says with the confidence of someone who knows what it takes to build a billion-dollar beverage. Lahori Zeera didn't just create a product, it reminded an entire generation raised on colas and canned mocktails that desi flavors don't have to be dusty relics of the past. They can be bold, fizzy, and mainstream.
Entrepreneur
2 days ago
- Business
- Entrepreneur
VCs to Bet on Deep Innovation and Real World Impact With Maturing Investment Climate
Investors now are becoming more discerning, not about backing fewer companies but about backing smarter, deeper, and more mission-critical ventures. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. The funding ecosystem in India is undergoing a strategic reset, leading venture capitalists to move away from hype-driven plays and aligning capital with ideas focused on infrastructure, sustainability, and global competitiveness. Investors now are becoming more discerning, not about backing fewer companies but about backing smarter, deeper, and more mission-critical ventures. "The investment landscape today is more disciplined and thoughtful. While capital continues to flow, especially at the early stages, there's far greater emphasis on quality, sound business models, operational discipline, and domain expertise," says Kedia. "Investors are leaning into founders who have a deep understanding of the problem space and can navigate the messy middle, not just the fundraising narrative." Capital A recently announced the launch of its Fund II with a corpus of INR 400 crore and plans to invest in close to 20 companies, which are poised to receive initial cheques between USD 750,000 to USD 1.5 million. The startups will also receive a lifecycle commitment of USD 2-3 million per startup. The firm's MaXcel accelerator program is surfacing promising founders from lesser-known places. "We are seeing strong ideas coming from Tier 2 cities… from places like Tripura, Coimbatore, and Jammu & Kashmir, who are working on industrial automation, smart sensors, and robotics. These are grounded, real-world solutions," said Kedia. According to Kedia, India is transforming from an assembly hub to an innovation powerhouse. "Deeptech will be key to import substitution and global competitiveness," Kedia said. VC firms across the globe are now adapting to a tighter, more value-driven market. Expert DOJO, a California-based fund, recently announced its early-stage India focus with a USD 15 million allocation from its global USD 100 million pool. Each startup is set to receive USD 100,000 and mentorship on international growth. "Even though some funds are narrowing their focus, we continue to support early-stage companies with substantial global potential across various industries," says Ashutosh Kumar Jha, General Partner at Expert DOJO. According to Jha, while the firm doesn't box itself into specific sectors, it sees resilience and growth in EVs, B2B SaaS, fintech, healthtech, and AI. The key differentiator, however, is no longer sector, but execution. "The founder's knowledge of business principles, product-market fit, revenue trajectory, and international expansion strategy is more important to us than the industry. Instead of looking for short-term hype, we are looking for Indian startups that can create globally significant solutions," said Jha. While funds are doubling down on scale and inclusion, Bluehill VC is betting on India's semiconductor awakening. "The next big area of interest for us is in the semiconductor space," says Manu Iyer, General Partner and Co-founder at Bluehill VC. "We are excited about the opportunities that are being opened up here in spaces like chip design, material science, metrology, IP development, EDA tools, foundry, and fabless." According to Iyer, the firm is exploring opportunities across the chipmaking value chain, including chip design, metrology, and EDA tools for fabless startups and IP development. Strong developments in policymaking, like the India Semiconductor Mission and PLI/DLI programs, are giving investors and startups the momentum they need. "The support for the ecosystem… will go a long way in helping startups build in this space," Iyer said.
Entrepreneur
2 days ago
- Business
- Entrepreneur
India's Real GDP to Grow at a Rate of 6.5% in FY26: RBI Annual Report
According to RBI's report, the strength of India's macroeconomic fundamentals, pointing to resilient domestic demand, rising investment activity, and continued momentum in services and manufacturing You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. India is poised to remain the world's fastest-growing major economy in FY2025–26, with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) projecting a real GDP growth rate of 6.5 per cent. Despite global uncertainties and financial volatility, the central bank described the risks to this forecast as "evenly balanced." According to RBI's "2024–2025 Annual Report" released on Thursday, the strength of India's macroeconomic fundamentals, pointing to resilient domestic demand, rising investment activity, and continued momentum in services and manufacturing. "Looking ahead to 2025-26, the Indian economy is well-positioned to sustain strong growth, supported by momentum in investment activity and improving consumption demand," it stated. Vivek Iyer, partner and financial services risk leader, Grant Thornton Bharat said, "Financial stability, inflation management and sustainable development are key themes that emerge from the RBI financial stability report for 2024-25. With global demand being subdued and domestic consumption and investment expected to drive economic growth, the financial services ecosystem will need to play a larger role as an enabler for overall growth and hence innovation and sustainable development will play a key role going forward." The revival in consumption, paired with the Centre's focus on capital expenditure while maintaining fiscal prudence, is expected to anchor growth. The government has allocated 4.3 per cent of GDP toward effective capital spending in FY26, with an additional INR 1.5 lakh crore to support state-level infrastructure outlays. The fiscal deficit target has been narrowed to 4.4 per cent, reinforcing the broader consolidation path. Private investment is gaining traction, driven by healthy balance sheets of banks and corporates. The report noted signs of rural consumption recovery and renewed manufacturing expansion, suggesting a "durable domestic demand revival" that will underpin the economy's growth engine. The services sector, already a key contributor, continues to power ahead. "The services sector has emerged as a mainstay of growth, contributing significantly to value addition and employment," the RBI noted. Growth here is being propelled by digital adoption, expanded financial access, and robust demand for technology-led services. Agriculture is also expected to post strong performance in FY26, aided by an above-normal monsoon forecast and several new policy interventions. "The prospects for agriculture sector appear favourable… Various new initiatives have been announced for boosting agriculture sector," the report said, citing schemes such as PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana and expanded credit under Kisan Credit Card. Inflation is projected to moderate to four per cent, though the RBI flagged weather-related food price volatility as a key risk. In response, the central bank adopted an accommodative stance in April 2025, cutting the repo rate by 25 basis points to six per cent. The manufacturing sector is set to benefit from the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme and the National Manufacturing Mission. These initiatives are expected to reinforce the 'Make in India' push, boost capacity utilisation, and stimulate job creation. Energy and climate commitments also feature prominently in the report. India aims to ramp up nuclear capacity to 100 GW by 2047, with new support for Small Modular Reactors and rooftop solar initiatives. States have also been granted extra borrowing room for power sector reforms. The central bank highlighted India's external resilience, pointing to a sustainable current account deficit supported by services exports and remittances. However, it warned of persistent challenges from trade fragmentation and geopolitical tension. The RBI also reiterated its push for internationalising the rupee and fostering local currency trade with partners like Maldives and Mauritius. On the financial front, while markets remain stable, the RBI called for more robust interest rate risk management and funding diversification, especially among non-banking financial companies (NBFCs). It also flagged the need for improved corporate governance and risk oversight.
Entrepreneur
3 days ago
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Espionage Emerges as Top Cyber Threat in 2025: Industry Leaders Weigh In
In 2025, government bodies accounted for 42% of all nation-state attack targets, up from 39% in 2023 Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. In an alarming trend, espionage has become the most dominant form of cyberattack globally in 2025, accounting for 86 per cent of all nation-state cyberattacks, according to Wipro's State of Cybersecurity Report 2025. This marks a steady rise from 82 per cent in 2023, signalling how cyber operations are becoming an increasingly strategic tool of statecraft. The report highlights a disturbing shift in the global cyber threat landscape, with government entities being the most targeted, followed by the private sector and civil society. In 2025, government bodies accounted for 42 per cent of all nation-state attack targets, up from 39 per cent in 2023 and 30 per cent in 2021. The private sector also remained vulnerable, holding steady at 32 per cent of attacks since 2023. Civil society accounted for 18 per cent, and military institutions 8 per cent. "This overwhelming focus on espionage shows that nation-state actors are playing the long game—embedding themselves within networks to quietly extract strategic information," said Rahil Patel, Chief Growth Officer at QNu Labs. "The future lies in prevention at the protocol level, not just monitoring at the perimeter. We need to move from resilience after breach to immunity before breach." Also, China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea have emerged as the key aggressor states behind these sophisticated cyber intrusions. India's growing exposure and preparedness gap India remains a top target, with critical infrastructure such as finance, energy, healthcare, and government services repeatedly coming under attack. According to CERT-In, over 1.3 million cybersecurity incidents were reported in 2022 alone. Srinivas Shekar, Founder and CEO of Pantherun Technologies, remarked, "Cyber operations have become integral to modern statecraft. In India, threat actors continue to exploit sectoral vulnerabilities. Strengthening our defences requires continuous monitoring, cross-sector collaboration, and skilled manpower." However, Neehar Pathare, MD, CEO and CIO at 63SATS Cybertech, believes that India's fragmented cyber defence framework is not keeping pace with the rising threat. "There are critical gaps—fragmented frameworks, inconsistent incident reporting, and a lack of unified cyber response," said Pathare. "A centralised Threat Intelligence and Monitoring Response Centre integrating CERT-In, sectoral CSIRTs, and corporate SOCs is vital." Budget and investment challenges Despite the rising stakes, India's cybersecurity budget remains relatively modest. Shekar said that in 2023, the government allocated INR 515 crore (USD 62 million) under the Ministry of Electronics and IT. In contrast, the U.S. Cyber Command's budget request stood at USD 3.3 billion for FY2024. He estimated that a robust, integrated national cyber defence system, encompassing infrastructure, personnel training, and threat detection, would require an initial investment of INR 2,000 to INR 5,000 crore. This figure does not include ongoing costs for upskilling and operational support. Tony Buffomante, SVP & Global Head – Cybersecurity & Risk Services, Wipro, echoed the same: "Cybersecurity budgets are struggling to keep pace with growing threat sophistication. AI helps strengthen defences while optimising costs. CISOs must focus on risk-adjusted returns on investment." Towards quantum-safe and collaborative defence With attacks becoming stealthier and longer-term, there is a growing push for next-generation defences. Quantum-safe security solutions are gaining traction, as traditional encryption methods may not survive future quantum computing capabilities. "There's an over-reliance on legacy encryption. We need a national migration path to quantum-resilient encryption—complemented by policy mandates and sector-specific blueprints," said Patel. He added, "This is not just a technical upgrade, it is a strategic imperative for digital sovereignty. Startups, research labs, and government bodies must collaborate, not work in silos." Public-private partnerships also need to evolve. Rather than acting as vendors, tech firms and government bodies must co-develop secure systems and protocols. Protecting democracy in the digital age The growing targeting of civil society (18 per cent) and military institutions (8 per cent) is not only a security concern, it is a threat to democratic stability. "Securing democracy in the digital age means investing in infrastructure that cannot be undermined by time or tech advances," said Patel. "The quantum threat is borderless; so too must be our response."
Entrepreneur
3 days ago
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Maruti Suzuki and JETRO Join Hands to Empower Startups Across India and Japan
The MoU aims to promote collaboration between Indian and Japanese startups by creating new business opportunities and expanding access to each other's innovation ecosystems. You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. In a significant move to foster cross-border innovation and entrepreneurship, Maruti Suzuki India Limited has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO). The MoU aims to promote collaboration between Indian and Japanese startups by creating new business opportunities and expanding access to each other's innovation ecosystems. The agreement was formally exchanged between Dr Tapan Sahoo, Executive Officer – Digital Enterprise at Maruti Suzuki, and Takashi Suzuki, Chief Director General of JETRO India. The ceremony was held in the presence of Hisashi Takeuchi, Managing Director and CEO of Maruti Suzuki India. Through this MoU, startups from India will gain access to Japan's robust startup and innovation network, while Japanese startups will be welcomed into India's vibrant and fast-growing entrepreneurial landscape. This two-way collaboration is expected to unlock new synergies in mobility, technology, and manufacturing sectors. Startups participating in Maruti Suzuki's four flagship innovation programs—Accelerator, Incubation, Mobility Challenge, and Nurture—will be eligible to join this initiative. JETRO will facilitate Japanese startup participation, offering them exposure to India's dynamic market and innovation-driven opportunities. Hisashi Takeuchi remarked, "Startups are key drivers of innovation and economic growth. With this MoU, we aim to open new doors for Indian startups to explore the Japanese market and strengthen bilateral technological ties." Takashi Suzuki added, "Maruti Suzuki is a shining example of India-Japan collaboration. This partnership will deepen our ties and foster innovation-led economic growth in both nations." Maruti Suzuki's innovation ecosystem continues to evolve as a critical bridge between industry needs and startup capabilities. With the support of JETRO, the company is now poised to take its startup engagement global, creating a win-win for businesses in both countries. This MoU is not just a partnership—it is a forward-looking step toward building a global startup network that thrives on innovation, mutual support, and shared vision between India and Japan.
