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How many times have you stared at your (sometimes overflowing) wardrobe in horror and yelled “I have nothing to wear”? Speaking for myself when I say this: way too many times. Have I bailed on plans for this reason? Also yes. And this is why when I first came across <keyword id="23077982" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Slikk" source="keywords">Slikk</keyword>, I was more than a little intrigued. “If you can have groceries delivered to you in a few minutes, why shouldn’t the same apply to clothes?”, the app’s advertisement taunts. Slikk promises to deliver clothes in just 60 minutes in <keyword id="19895037" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bengaluru" source="keywords">Bengaluru</keyword>, where it already operates. Today’s <keyword id="20246469" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="GenZ" source="keywords">GenZ</keyword> and young millennials are highly impulsive shoppers, making them a key target group for <keyword id="23077981" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="fast-fashion-brands" source="keywords">fast fashion brands</keyword>, says founder <keyword id="23077987" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="akshay-gulati" source="keywords">Akshay Gulati</keyword>. Their impulsiveness is fueled by the constant influx of new trends and designs, alongside faster delivery options. Slikk aims to address this by offering fresh collections from emerging fast fashion brands every week, along with a <keyword id="23077983" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="60-minute-delivery" source="keywords">60-minute delivery</keyword> window, providing a unique shopping experience compared to traditional fashion platforms, he adds. He did not have to call us out like that. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="112681980" title="Online vendors generated 15.8 million jobs in India: e-commerce report" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>Anyways, I wasted no time in downloading the app and picking out some pieces of clothing. While the sizing charts weren’t as detailed as I would’ve liked and there weren’t too many options to choose from, it seemed to do the job — considering the <keyword id="19913824" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="startup" source="keywords">startup</keyword> began operating only recently. But what really caught my attention was that not only did Slikk offer a 7-day return, it also had a “Try and Buy” option. Here, the user would have to pay Rs 50 in addition to the standard delivery fee and Slikk’s delivery executive would wait for 10 minutes at your doorstep so you could try on the products and return what wasn’t to your liking immediately. Pretty neat, no? However, my love affair with Slikk ended sourly almost as soon as it began. After I’d added some pieces of clothing, selected the “Try and Buy” option and applied the first-timer discount coupon, it wouldn’t let me make the payment. I tried selecting both — the Cash on Delivery and Online Payment modes — several times. But the page wouldn’t budge. I even tried using the website, in case there was a glitch with the app, but that didn’t work either. While I was a little disappointed, the experience gave me the impression that Slikk needs a little more time to optimise its user interface and maybe collaborate with more brands before I can start relying on it as a chronic last-minute shopper. Meanwhile, reports suggest that Slikk has already raised $300K in its pre-seed round led by <keyword id="23077985" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Better-Capital" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Better Capital" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Better Capital">Better Capital</keyword>, with participation from <keyword id="23077986" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Untitled-Ventures" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Untitled Ventures" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Untitled Ventures">Untitled Ventures</keyword>. The startup will be using the sum to scale to over 100 brands, a dark store — a retail outlet or distribution centre that exists exclusively for online shopping, and expand delivery coverage to 70% of Bengaluru’s pin codes. Further, Slikk also aims to broaden its offerings to other metropolitan cities in the country and also include beauty, personal care and home decor to its collection. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="112444934" title="This new &amp;#39;Shazam&amp;#39; for fashion app could change the way the world shops online" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>

Nothing to wear? Bengaluru-based startup promises to deliver clothes in just 60 minutes. Here’s my experience!

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A new group of startups will post AI-generated content to TikTok and YouTube accounts on auto-pilot.</li><li>These companies offer a new option for digital hustlers looking to make passive income.</li></ul>We're racing into the AI era of social media.Want to see an image of Jesus made out of shrimp? No problem, Facebook <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.404media.co/facebooks-algorithm-is-boosting-ai-spam-that-links-to-ai-generated-ad-laden-click-farms/">has you covered</a>. Looking for inspirational AI-generated cat videos? Instagram's <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/08/03/ai-cats-video-tikok-instagram-youtube/">got you</a>.Social apps are now flooded with AI-generated content as digital hustlers seek to drive up views and earn money from creator rewards programs or by adding affiliate links underneath posts.But if you think there's a lot of AI content on TikTok today, buckle up. A new crop of AI startups like Faceless.video and Autoshorts.ai could be poised to turbocharge the amount of generative AI on the web. Those companies, along with a slew of competitors like StoryShort.AI, offer products that automatically post AI-generated content to social-media accounts for a fee. The output rate ranges anywhere from three auto-posted videos a week to 120 videos a month for a single TikTok or YouTube account.It's set-it-and-forget-it — but for the creator economy.Faceless.video launched a little less than a year ago with a goal to automate "the entire process of being a content creator," cofounder Jacob Seeger told Business Insider."What traditionally used to take somebody tons of hours to dive in and learn how to edit a video or search through Reddit and try to scour some good stories to find, now, essentially the platform handles all that for you," Seeger said.The company asks users to choose a story theme for their daily video series. Stories can be scary, motivational, designed as bedtime tales, or meant to inspire a "success grindset." They can also be drawn from a web search or a subreddit. In one example shared by the company, a creator posted a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@wilsy_8596/video/7360263730858347781?lang=en">religious video</a> that garnered close to 400,000 views on TikTok. The same creator also posts an AI-generated video series on their account centered on examples of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@wilsy_8596/video/7408153672317816069?lang=en">cheating on one's partner</a>.Once a topic is selected, the company generates daily videos with a story script, a voiceover, a background track, and accompanying AI-generated images formatted to qualify for monetization on TikTok or YouTube shorts. The company charges $30 a month for daily AI-generated videos and $45 to post twice a day.<div type="image" title="TikTok user Wilsey's AI-generated video with religious themes drew thousands of &quot;likes.&quot;" height="397" width="529" msid="113235735" hostid="261" sizebytes="20808"></div>So, who is this product for?The biggest cohort of Faceless.video's users are looking to monetize via TikTok's rewards program or affiliate linking, Seeger said, though some users also simply want an easy tool to grow their social-media account. The company said it has around 10,000 daily active users.Auto-posting taps into a passive-income mindset that has spread across the digital economy as people look for a side hustle like content creation or dropshipping to make extra income. The beauty of a faceless video is that you can remain anonymous, which means you don't have to let your boss or coworkers know that you're posting "success grindset" videos twice a day on TikTok.A quick search for "faceless videos" on YouTube, Reddit, and TikTok unearths a ton of videos and subreddit discussions on how to use generative AI to make money on social media. It's not clear whether these faceless videos actually lead to meaningful revenue, or if these YouTube evangelists are simply selling snake oil, as <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKTU4fcttZ0">a few creators</a> have suggested. TikTok's <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-much-tiktok-creativity-program-pay-creators-long-form-video-2023-8?">creator rewards program</a> can be quite lucrative for some users, but it often requires creators to generate millions of views on videos in order to contribute meaningfully to their income."My view is that YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, they're not going to really show organically a lot of automated AI content," Sanket Shah, CEO of the video-creation platform InVideo, told BI. Shah's platform offers a bunch of AI generation tools for creators, but specifically does not offer automated posting, which he said doesn't make sense."It comes down to strategy, creativity, and consistency, and I don't think that the world needs automated content," he said.Creator-monetization platform Spotter is making a similar bet that equipping human creators with AI tools is the best path forward when trying to compete on social media with a surge of AI-generated videos. The company last week announced a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spotter-ai-helps-youtubers-like-mrbeast-with-video-ideas-2024-9">new AI tool for generating video ideas</a> that its product lead said was meant to help "creators come out on top in the wave of infinite AI content that's coming."The major platforms are also embracing generative AI tools as a content-creation aid. For instance, TikTok offers a suite of generative AI editing features via its sister app, CapCut.

These AI startups are pitching a new passive-income side hustle: automated videos for YouTube and TikTok

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Mark Weinstein is a dad of three kids under 9.</li><li>He was an early investor in a social media company.</li></ul>This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with<a target="_blank" href="https://www.markweinsteininventor.com/"> Mark Weinstein</a>, author of<a target="_blank" href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=9208c15dd48705a079452acf43cc89670528cdbcaf041ca1cb7046d5085ecbd2&amp;postID=66fec92ee5b5408300449b37&amp;postSlug=online-privacy-expert-and-dad-shares-how-protect-kids-online-2024-10&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FRestoring-Our-Sanity-Online-Revolutionary%2Fdp%2F1394273967"> Restoring Our Sanity Online</a>. It has been edited for length and clarity.Back in 1998, I launched two social media companies: SuperFamily and SuperFriends. I wanted to help <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/online-games-apps-play-with-family-kids-multiplayer">connect families online</a>. Social media at that time felt so beautiful and wholesome to me.Now I'm a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-not-to-ask-chatgpt-gemini-claude-privacy-security-confidential-2024-6">privacy expert</a>, and I talk about the dangers of surveillance capitalism, where Big Tech companies make money from selling your data.I'm also a dad of three kids under 9. That's intentionally vague because I share as little information about them as possible.I have <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-bill-gates-limits-tech-use-for-his-kids-2018-1">strict rules for my kids</a>, friends, and family to keep my children safe online and around technology.<h2 id="3e356a0e-cce3-4e0f-ba8a-eda98eeac7cb">I never allow pictures to be posted</h2>I <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-parents-shouldnt-post-back-to-school-photos-therapist-explains-2022-8">don't ever post pictures of my kids</a>. If your privacy settings are locked down, strangers might not see a lot, but social media platforms still see (and store) everything. I don't want that algorithm to be able to identify my children.When I talk with family and friends about this policy, it's a simple conversation. If I see someone taking a picture, I ask them not to post it. Sometimes, that opens a bigger conversation about why we have that rule. It has never led to friction.<h2 id="c5422b24-d221-42f4-bf10-df0b72a158cf">I rely on group texts instead</h2>For me, group texting is what social media was five years ago.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/tech/how-to-name-a-group-chat-on-iphone">In a group text</a>, I can share a cute update about the kids or send a picture to another parent on a playdate.It's private, secure, and an effective way of building connections without the risk of exposing the kids' faces and their data (including who they spend time with) on social media.<h2 id="9ee298a9-c4db-4b12-8bce-5c2c32e7f1a7">My tots have 0 screens — not even FaceTime</h2>My two younger <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/working-mom-zero-screen-time-toddler-2023-8">children have zero screen time</a>. In fact, we don't even FaceTime with family. I think it's very unsettling for kids to see their loved ones behind a screen. Personally, I don't think toddlers are equipped to understand why their loved one (who they normally see in person) is now on the screen. I worry it can be disorienting, and I don't think the benefits of a FaceTime chat are worth the possible emotional confusion for my kids.My older child has just started using one of my two phones to text me when I'm out. That's the only thing they're allowed to use the phone for.It gives me the same sense of security that I used to have with a landline. I monitor their phone use very carefully and encourage other parents to do the same.<h2 id="e17f3bf0-a619-4c8e-bdd7-8fc28649a204">We have tech-free playdates but don't try to force our rules on others' houses</h2>When my child has friends over, we have a no-tech rule. They have so much more fun outside or doing art projects. But when my kid goes to a friend's house, I know they might be exposed to YouTube or online games.I don't try to enforce my rules at other people's houses — in the same way, my kid might get more sugary treats at a friend's than at home.Luckily, my eldest child has realized they have more fun playing offline, so I don't have to worry about too much exposure with friends.<h2 id="2dd02ff2-cbc7-47af-9734-415368e97420">I teach my kids about online privacy and critical thinking</h2>Just like I teach my children about physical privacy within the home, I talk with them about online privacy, too.I also touch on the dangers of being online. I'll say something like, "This is a new industry, and we need to figure out how to filter it so that it's right for kids." Or, "Social media can lock you inside your head and expose you to ideas you're not ready for."This language helps kids feel like they're being protected, not punished.<h2 id="d019108a-1f90-487e-bc6c-801ad4f9234f">I flip the script on sharing</h2>As kids get older, there's more opportunity for friends to tag them on social media or share pictures online.I'm not at that stage yet, but I hope to talk with my children so they're confident asking friends not to share their pictures if that's their preference. I want to create allure around being an offline kid.<h2 id="0a3e7f8e-2d05-44eb-a7d0-3f6f6c3f0501">I model tech-free time</h2>Kids do what their parents do, not what their parents say. That's why it's important to me not to use my phone or technology in front of the kids. When they're around, I keep my phone up high and well out of reach.With some practical steps, we can navigate this world of screens to keep our kids and ourselves healthy and protected online.After all, everything that's good for our kids when it comes to online privacy is also good for us.

I invested in early social media startups. After having 3 kids, here's why I never share my kids' photos online and prefer group chats instead.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Pieter Levels makes good money by creating startups while traveling the world.</li><li>Levels, a digital nomad, has lived in 40 countries and 150 cities but felt depressed.</li></ul>With over 40 startups, self-taught software developer and "indie hacker" <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-place-to-live-digital-nomad-thailand-pieter-levels-2024">Pieter Levels</a> has said he's been able to bring in millions in revenue right from his laptop while traveling the world.While that sounds glamorous, it wasn't always that way. It started with him feeling like a loser in Asia."I was making $500 a month or something, and I was looking at the ceiling thinking like, 'Now I'm 27, I'm a loser,'" he said. "And that's the moment I started building startups."Levels is a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/digital-nomad-lifestyle-lessons-drawbacks-challenges-2023-8">digital nomad</a>, a person who works remotely while traveling, and said he's lived in 40 countries and 150 cities. While it sounds like a perpetual vacation, Levels said in <a target="_blank" rel=" nofollow" class="" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFtjKbXKqbg">a recent episode</a> of the "Lex Fridman Podcast" that he often felt depressed while trying to establish himself and find success."It is romantic, memories of this kind of vagabond, individualistic solo life," Levels said. "But the thing is, it didn't make me happy."A <a target="_blank" href="https://archive.hshsl.umaryland.edu/bitstream/handle/10713/7693/IJHP_Jan_2018_The-Mental-Health-Status-of-Expatriate-versus-US-Domestic-Workers-A-Comparative-Study.pdf?sequence=1&amp;isAllowed=y">2018 study</a> comparing the mental health of ex-pats and domestic US workers found that three times as many ex-pats reported feeling trapped or depressed as their US-based participants. Additionally, of the 455 surveyed expats, 25% expressed feeling anxious or nervous — over twice the rate of US-based workers who participated.But while expats have the benefit of only having to settle into a single new environment, digital nomads who don't settle in one spot are constantly having to re-adjust to different places."You're traveling around, you're hopping from city to city," Levels said. "You don't have a home anymore. You feel disrooted."Digital nomad and psychologist Carolin Müller <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-being-a-digital-nomad-affects-your-mental-health-2019-3">previously told</a> Business Insider that it is "harder for digital nomads to stay mentally healthy" because of this constant feeling of not understanding and feeling understood."You're never in a stable culture," she said. "You're always changing from one culture to another, you're coming and going, and sometimes you have a culture shock."Other digital nomads have expressed similar stories of struggling with feelings of isolation and instability on social media. One person <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.reddit.com/r/digitalnomad/comments/y4sp0l/does_anyone_else_become_a_digital_nomad_because/">on Reddit</a> described the experience as "profoundly lonely" and eventually had to return home. <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.reddit.com/r/digitalnomad/comments/soag7y/anxiety_and_depression_thanks_to_dn_but_now_i/">Another post</a> said that they developed "strong feelings of anxiety and depression" because they missed their family and friends and isolated themselves too much.Levels said that it can be "psychologically taxing" to travel solo without the comfort of a reliable schedule and rules."Anything is possible. You can go anywhere. And everybody's like, 'Oh, that must be super nice — freedom. You must be very happy,'" Levels said. "And it's the opposite. I don't think that makes you happy, I think constraints probably make you happy."He said that watching his friends in Holland continue to do well with a normal life made him feel like an "outcast," especially since he was not as successful then. However, Levels assured people that "it's normal, if you're young, that you feel like a loser.""Because you have nothing," he said. "Probably no money, you have no business, you have no job yet."So, his solution was to try to make money and build a business — or several. In 2014, Levels launched his <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://levels.io/12-startups-12-months/">"12 Startups in 12 Months"</a> project, where he would create a startup every month and launch it with <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-collison-brothers-built-stripe-most-valuable-us-startup-2021-3">Stripe</a>."Which is kind of an interesting way to deal with depression," he said. "It's not like, 'Oh, let's talk about it.' It's more like, 'Let's go do something.'"While some proved unsuccessful, one of these startups was <a target="_blank" rel=" nofollow" class="" href="https://nomadlist.com/">Nomad List</a>, which Levels claims now generates $48,000 per month, according to Level's X bio. Based on a spreadsheet he created with other digital nomads, Nomad List is a site for digital nomads that provides data about cities around the world, such as their cost of living, internet speed, and safety.And while Levels was transparent about the downsides of being a digital nomad, there are also perks, such as the ability to see more of the world and live in locations with lower cost of living.A decade after launching the site — and many others, including PhotoAI — Levels is continuing to live abroad. Despite the sometimes isolating feeling, he said that traveling from city to city is beautiful and fun, especially with the growing community of digital nomads."It's romantic," he said. "It's colorful if I think about the memories."

Digital nomad who built over 40 startups says it's normal to 'feel like a loser' in your 20s — especially when isolated in a foreign country

<ul><li><keyword id="6376684" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="nykaa" source="Orion">Nykaa</keyword> launches an incubator programme to help potential <keyword id="3152024" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="beauty-startups" source="Orion">beauty startups</keyword> with finance and guidance to grow bigger in the space.</li><li>Brands are to participate in the programme and showcase their brand value and the winning brand will earn a grant of ₹4 crore ($500,000).</li><li>A set of judges including actress Katrina Kaif, designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee, stylist Anita Shroff Adajania will be in the jury judging and mentoring the potential beauty brand.</li></ul>India’s largest beauty e-commerce player, Nykaa has come up with an initiative to support some of the many beauty startups and help build homegrown brands. Nykaa’s new incubator programme allows beauty startups in the country to showcase their brand and earn a grant of up to ₹4 crore ($500,000) and even an acquisition opportunity in the future. On July 20, Nykaa launched ‘Beauty&amp;You’ in partnership with American beauty giant <keyword id="162216" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="estee-lauder" source="Orion">Estee Lauder</keyword> with a prize pool of ₹4 crore that will be distributed among companies chosen by a panel of fashion entrepreneurs. “We are looking for brands that have innovative ideas and have a sustainable competitive edge and that would be unique products, unique technologies, engaging with new audiences in different ways, creating new business models, offerings, channels.” Shana Randhava, vice-president, ELC New Incubation Ventures told Business Insider India. Nykaa said that it’s not keen on taking equity in the winning startups in return for the grant amount, but they could. “There’s a chance that we may invest in these brands but that is not the aim of the programme. The aim is to give them a pure grant of capital without any equity in return. The awarded brands will get the ability to launch on Nykaa’s platform and stores if they are ready for that,” said CEO of the e-commerce giant Nykaa and son of founder Falguni Nayar Achint Nayar. The programme aims to help founders, innovators, and creators grow their businesses holistically by identifying brand goals, achieving scale ambitions, and curating product portfolios that speak to a new generation of consumers in the Indian market. A set of judges including actress Katrina Kaif, designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee, stylist Anita Shroff Adajania will be in the jury judging and mentoring the potential beauty brand. Shana said that they are looking for brands like Haeckel's, a UK based personal care brand whom Estee Lauder recently invested in. “Our vision is for Beauty &amp; You to harness the entrepreneurial energy in India to advance next-generation beauty brands by presenting opportunities that help put brands on a long-term, sustainable growth path,” said Randhava. It has not decided on how many winners will be declared, it could be one or even four. The chosen startup brands will be provided with masterclasses, financial support, mentorship, awareness and distribution support. The application process starts on August 1 on <a href="https://www.beautyandyouawards.com/">this website</a> and closes on September 30, and winners to be announced in November. “Brands participating should have passion and the rest we can help with. We have infrastructure to help them build and develop on that,” Achint Nayar, Nykaa, CEO. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/burger-singh-raises-30-crore-to-open-120-outlets-in-6-months/articleshow/93021975.cms">Burger Singh raises ₹30 crore, to open 120 outlets in 6 months</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/itc-is-relying-on-its-advisory-maars-app-for-farmers-valued-added-crops-to-grow-its-agri-business/articleshow/93007505.cms">ITC is relying on its advisory app for farmers, valued-added crops to grow its agri-business</a>

Nykaa open to funding beauty startups without equity, initially

<ul class="summary-list"><li>John and Matine Yuksel moved from San Francisco to the Midwest in 2020.</li><li>The brothers and business partners lived in Iowa and Cincinnati while launching their startup.</li></ul>This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with John Yuksel, 33, and Matine Yuksel, 29, two brothers who moved from <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moved-san-francisco-singapore-happier-safer-cleaner-2024-2">San Francisco</a> to Dubuque, Iowa, in 2020 to start Beltways, an accelerating walkway company. The brothers then moved to Cincinnati in 2022. Their company is based nearby in Northern Kentucky.John: We're children of immigrant parents who grew up in southern Arizona.I've always known I wanted to be close to my brother. He's my only sibling. We lived in San Diego for a few years after college, and then we moved to San Francisco in 2018.Matine: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moved-san-francisco-worth-it-cost-of-living-negativity-2024-2">San Francisco</a> is amazing. It's the most diverse environment I've been in, and it's high-caliber for business, especially tech.John: Matine was working for Walmart e-commerce and then later got a job with Apple. I was working as an attorney.We were paying incredibly high rent but we had the best view, looking over the Pacific Ocean with the sunset in our windows each night.But San Francisco was apocalyptic. During COVID, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/san-franciscos-state-of-emergency-coronavirus-covid-19-city-impact-2020-2">the streets were barren</a>. It felt unsafe. I had my car broken into multiple times.Matine: COVID helped us rethink and reprioritize things. Rather than work to release the next-generation iPhone, I wanted to make a new product that few people have ever heard of.John: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.beltways.com/">Beltways</a> is really our father's dream. Forty years ago, he was living in Istanbul and he realized today's forms of mobility were not moving people efficiently. He thought up a modular design to make walkways 10 times faster.<div type="image" title="John and Matine Yuksel with their parents." height="1536" width="2252" msid="110421218" hostid="261" sizebytes="289192"></div>My brother and I always wanted to do something together and years after our father came up with the idea, we started looking into it.Matine: We established Beltways in July 2020. We quickly realized we had to move out of San Francisco. It would have been way too expensive to do what we needed there.John: It wasn't the right place for our startup. We're a big hardware manufacturing startup. It made a lot more sense to be near industrial clusters of technology. We wanted to be in the Midwest, where there's still viability for manufacturing.Matine: John met someone with experience in the walkway industry and he offered us a shop out in Iowa.<h2 id="683e136a-4c58-4453-8b96-540a904306c6">We moved to Dubuque, Iowa, in 2020</h2>John: It was a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/genz-moving-10-states-midwest-mountains-dakotas-idaho-iowa-utah-2023-10">very small town in the middle of the cornfields</a>, an hour and a half from any airport. Dubuque is a beautiful, quiet town on the Mississippi River. We could drive anywhere in town in two minutes.We basically lived in a mansion. We had a three-story, four-bedroom place for half the price of our condo in San Francisco.Matine: The snow was definitely a change of pace. We got our fair share of workout shoveling.It was a different way of life. We needed to be focused and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moved-from-california-iowa-retire-stayed-less-than-2-years-2024-3">Iowa</a> was good because we didn't have too many distractions. The two years we spent in Iowa went by very fast.<div type="image" title="John and Matine Yuksel pose with their father in front of a Dubuque sign" height="576" width="1024" msid="110421220" hostid="261" sizebytes="71538"></div>John: We built the prototype for the world's fastest-moving walkway while we were living there. It was a hundred-foot-long system and it got us our first VC check.That was a big milestone for us. We put all our money into this company. We left stable jobs. We refinanced our home. There's been nothing more fulfilling than making our father's invention something commercial.Matine: It was a surreal day when he came out and rode the system for the first time. It was the icing on the cake to see his excitement standing on something he thought up so many years ago.John: We needed to start scoping out the next spot for our company. The next step was to pilot our walkway. We were invited by several airports to do a pilot demo of our system.We knew CVG Airport in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-things-to-do-cincinnati-ohio-according-to-local-2021-8">Cincinnati</a> had a real track record of innovation and taking care of startups. The area was also advantageous for manufacturing. It's super cheap. The facility we're currently in is only a little more expensive than my rent in San Francisco, and this is 20,000 square feet.<h2 id="3a4a5472-6c0e-49c8-b89f-8c4a781568a7">We moved to Cincinnati in 2022</h2>John: We even moved our parents out here, too. We wanted our father to work with us and be part of the company in person. Our parents live three floors below us in our building in the Mount Adams neighborhood.Moving to Cincinnati felt like we were back in a big city after two years in Iowa. We have major sports teams and a large hub airport. It's a much more temperate climate.The winters have been pretty mild so far. The spring is lush and green. You can kayak down the rivers, and there are amazing trails nearby. The air quality is great. And the summers aren't 120 degrees like they were in Arizona.I met my partner, and now I have a child that was born here in Cincinnati. The city has become home for us. The company is here, the whole family is here.<div type="image" title="John and Matine Yuksel enjoy a football game in Cincinnati." height="1536" width="2730" msid="110421223" hostid="261" sizebytes="469158"></div>We miss life on the coast sometimes. California is a beautiful place. We love that climate and the diversity of people. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/san-francisco-some-tech-leaders-returning-ai-boom-talent-2024-2">San Francisco is where tech starts</a> and bleeds out from. It's really the birthplace of a lot of amazing stuff.Matine: But <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-ohio-is-the-best-place-for-business">Cincinnati's tech scene</a> has also been very good to us. It's growing. It's a close-knit startup community. From the moment we got here, the community has been so welcoming.John: And it's a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/most-affordable-cities-us-renters-rent-living-alone-cincinnati-ohio-2021-7">lot cheaper here.</a><h2 id="ffde3de5-0cf1-481f-8058-f9c51cdc0865">Bringing our father's dream to life has been incredible</h2>Matine: We started Beltways in a humble garage in Tucson, where my brother built prototypes himself. Now, we're in a 20,000-square-foot facility here in Northern Kentucky, right next to our first airport customer. And we're US-made.John: Our goal is to become an official partner of the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/los-angeles-2028-olympics-2017-7">Los Angeles 2028 Olympics</a> to provide temporary high-speed conveyance.Cincinnati is a great place to raise a family and have a business. We see ourselves staying for the foreseeable future.But our ultimate goal is to make our walkways commonplace and spread this technology around the world. So wherever we have to go to make that possible, we will. This is bigger than us.

We're millennial brothers and business partners who left San Francisco's tech bubble for the Midwest manufacturing scene. We never would have been able to afford to launch our startup in California.  

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Roadblocks stand between startups and their promise of cheaper and quickly built <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/first-3d-printed-house-texas-100-home-printed-community-photos-2023-7">3D printed homes</a>.</li><li>Construction-tech startup Icon's new collection of products could alleviate some of these issues.</li></ul>Over the last few years, several new startups have promised to build better homes using less labor, time, money, and materials — all with the help of a piece of technology: a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-rentable-3d-printed-homes-recycled-plastic-coming-california-2022-10">3D printer</a>.But amid this quest to alleviate the US housing crisis, the nascent <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/japanese-company-3d-printed-tiny-home-for-price-car-photos-2023-9">3D printing construction industry</a> has continued to face major roadblocks.A construction-tech startup in Austin now says it has the solutions.On Tuesday, Icon announced four products that could help solve for <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/3d-printed-home-iowa-demolished-alquist-2023-12">3D printing construction companies' biggest pain points</a>: a multi-story printer, a "low-carbon" concrete mix, a digital catalog of designs, and an AI printed-home designer.No, printed homes aren't something out of "The Jetsons." They're real — and already here.<div type="image" title="the BioHome3D by the University of Maine's ASCC" height="1725" width="2300" msid="108444585" hostid="261" sizebytes="320860"></div>In the last few years, startups — and even colleges — have unveiled 3D printed dwellings around the US.In Virginia, Alquist, a 3D printing construction company, has built three Habitat for Humanity houses using a 3D printer.In Texas, Icon is now working with construction giant Lennar to build the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lennar-icon-3d-printed-homes-start-construction-texas-2022-11">world's largest printed neighborhood</a>.And in Maine, a state university is now scaling up its manufacturing space to increase its production of fully recyclable printed dwellings.Startups like these say robotic 3D printers could alleviate the US's ongoing housing crisis. <div type="image" title="Icon's over 2,000-square-foot House Zero in Austin. The exterior of the home is made of layered printed concrete that hold up the wooden roof. The shaded area is the car park." height="1875" width="2500" msid="108444587" hostid="261" sizebytes="525416"></div>But their lofty goal of mass-producing <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-european-couple-moved-into-a-3d-printed-concrete-home-2021-5">affordable homes</a> still faces some big problems, including an underdeveloped workforce, the tech's inefficiencies and limitations, and the sky-high cost of materials and printers.On the latter note, most <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-see-icon-3d-printer-build-luxury-home-austin-texas-2022-4">construction printers</a> extrude a cement mix. However, concrete is far from being environmentally friendly.But a solution to some of these issues is now in sight, Texas-based Icon says, thanks to its new group of products.<div type="image" title="Icon's 100-home 3D printed community" height="1725" width="2300" msid="108444588" hostid="261" sizebytes="315482"></div>Think of it as a 3D printing home starter kit — starting with Icon's new printer, Phoenix.Many <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/3d-printed-home-224-500-detroit-see-inside-2024-3">3D printed family homes</a> — including Icon's previous builds — are single-story, with the only printed components being its walls.The rest of the house has to be built traditionally.Phoenix, which Icon plans to deploy in 2025 or 2026, could change this.<div type="image" title="prototype of Phoenix next to a printed building" height="1667" width="2223" msid="108444589" hostid="261" sizebytes="268990"></div>The "six-degree robotic arm" can create a multi-story building's foundation, walls, floors, and roof structures without stopping, Melodie Yashar, Icon's vice president of building design and building performance, told Business Insider. This printing process would then cut construction time, the number of excess building materials and workers, and subsequently, costs.<div type="image" title="prototype of 3D printer Phoenix" height="1405" width="1873" msid="108444592" hostid="261" sizebytes="184188"></div>Jason Ballard, cofounder and CEO of Icon, told Business Insider in a statement that Phoenix-built wall systems and foundations are estimated to be about 30% less expensive than conventional homebuilding methods.Regarding speed, he said the timeline for completing a home's printed elements could be "twice as fast as traditional construction."The new printer would use Icon’s newest printing material, known as CarbonX.<div type="image" title="3D printed walls, wavy" height="1848" width="2464" msid="108444594" hostid="261" sizebytes="292900"></div>Despite its widespread use, concrete isn't great for the environment: The global production of cement, which is an ingredient of concrete, makes up 8% of the world's carbon emissions, triple the aviation sector's global output, The Washington Post <a target="_blank" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2023/06/27/concrete-greenhouse-gas-emissions-cement/">reported</a>.To address this, Icon says it created a “low-carbon” concrete printing material.<div type="image" title="3D printed walls, wavy" height="1250" width="2500" msid="108444596" hostid="261" sizebytes="274576"></div>Like other <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/3d-printed-tiny-home-guatemala-earthquke-resistant-photos-2023-11">cement mixes made for 3D printers</a>, CarbonX would still be fireproof, mold-proof, and insect-proof, Yashar told Business Insider.The formula would be available to other homebuilders in April, with more environmentally friendly mixes already in Icon's pipeline.Unlike the cement mix, the average Joe could use Icon’s third new product: Codex.<div type="image" title="rendering of a 3D printed home" height="1150" width="2300" msid="108444597" hostid="261" sizebytes="271254"></div>"Many times, developers, builders, and city planners come to us and don't know where to start," Yashar said. "They don't know what's possible in terms of designs or the best product for them."To help with this, Icon created Codex, a digital catalog of printed home designs.The database has more than 60 homes separated into five categories: Texas modern, fire resilient, storm resilient, affordable, and avant-garde.<div type="image" title="rendering of a 3d printed home" height="1150" width="2300" msid="108444600" hostid="261" sizebytes="313124"></div>Avant-garde, as in some buildings are U-shaped, Yashar said. Others were designed to be "very affordable" — some of the units could be built for $99,000 or less.To compare, the startup's first six builds in its upcoming <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lennar-icon-3d-printed-homes-start-construction-texas-2022-11#the-two-over-1470-square-foot-three-bedroom-homes-started-at-almost-476000-while-the-larger-2010-square-foot-four-bedroom-unit-started-at-566000-22">100-home neighborhood</a> were listed between $476,000 and $566,000.Developers can then browse this catalog, select their preferred designs, and tap Icon to build these properties.Home buyers, on the other hand, can also select their dream residences from the catalog.<div type="image" title="rendering of 3D printed homes" height="1150" width="2300" msid="108444603" hostid="261" sizebytes="399484"></div>They can then either send Icon a deposit on the model (if there's already one ready to purchase) or join a waiting list that would alert them if their ideal design has hit their market.Some of Icon's projects, including those at its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/icon-el-cosmico-upcoming-3d-printed-hotel-homes-texas-photos-2023-3">development in Marfa, Texas</a> — where homes "start in the upper $900,000s," according to Icon's website — will be available through Codex.However, people who’d rather design their unit from scratch can instead use Icon’s fourth new product: Vitruvius.<div type="image" title="rendering of a 3d printed home" height="864" width="1152" msid="108444605" hostid="261" sizebytes="113486"></div>Yashar said Vitruvius, an AI-based system, was created to "democratize" Icon's design process. However, the company didn't say how much it would cost to use the tech, which is still in beta.When it's complete, people can use Vitruvius to create floor plans and renderings — while considering requirements like budgets and permits — of their ideal printed residence.Homeowners with no prior experience in designing printed homes would be able to use Vitruvius instead of hiring a “prohibitively expensive” architect, Yashar said.<div type="image" title="AI rendering of a 3D printed home" height="864" width="1152" msid="108444608" hostid="261" sizebytes="100214"></div>"In the future, I believe nearly all construction will be done by robots, and nearly all construction-related information will be processed and managed by AI systems," Icon's CEO said in a release.Architects could use Vitruvius to "accelerate" the home design process.With these four new products — the printer, printing material, catalog, and AI system — Yashar said Icon could create higher-quality and more affordable dwellings without “sacrificing dignity, resilience, and beauty.”<div type="image" title="rendering of 3d printed buildings" height="1150" width="2300" msid="108444610" hostid="261" sizebytes="424940"></div>"I want to build a better world faster and cheaper," Icon cofounder Ballard told Business Insider in 2022.Two years later, with the release of this new suite of products, it seems Ballard could still be on track with his goal.

It's hard to use printers to build houses. This startup says it's found a solution — by creating a 3D printed home starter kit.

<ul><li>The investment, which is <keyword id="18635" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amazon">Amazon</keyword>’s first in an Indian consumer brand, pegs <keyword id="3030142" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="MyGlamm">MyGlamm</keyword>’s valuation at $100 million.</li><li>Founded in 2017 by Darpan Sanghvi and co-founded by Priyanka Gill, MyGlamm competes with the likes of SUGAR, Purplle, Plum among others.</li><li>MyGlamm now records revenues 200% of pre-Covid levels and also claims to have achieved EBITDA profitability.</li></ul>Direct-to-consumer (DTC) beauty and skincare brand MyGlamm has raised ₹175 crore from Amazon, <keyword id="10862" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Wipro">Wipro</keyword> Consumer and Ascent Capital. The investment, which is Amazon’s first in an Indian consumer brand, pegs MyGlamm’s valuation at $100 million. However, Amazon’s individual investment amount remains undisclosed. Founded in 2017 by Darpan Sanghvi and co-founded by Priyanka Gill, MyGlamm competes with the likes of SUGAR, Purplle, Plum among others. MyGlamm has over 600 products across makeup, skincare and personal care, with a content-to-community-to-commerce platform approach. “We are really excited about all that we will be able to learn from both, Amazon and Wipro Consumer along with the financial rigour that Ascent Capital brings, as we move forward to fulfil our vision of building India’s largest beauty company leveraging DTC, digital, and data,” said Sanghvi in a statement. MyGlamm had earlier <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/popxo-gets-acquired-by-mumbai-based-beauty-commerce-platform-myglamm/articleshow/77398634.cms">acquired</a> six-year-old <keyword id="3128172" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="POPxo">POPxo</keyword>, the online community startup for women. With the acquisition, POPxo’s investors Chiratae Ventures, Kalaari Capital, and Neoplux Venture Capital had joined the board of MyGlamm. Along with a digital presence, MyGlamm also focuses on offline retail with over 10,000 points of sales across 70 cities in India. The company, which claims to have grown by 400% in 2019, had to halt its Series C round, initially intended to be closed by April 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the company said that from zero revenue during the months of strict lockdown, MyGlamm now records revenues 200% of pre-Covid levels and also claims to have achieved EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) profitability in December 2020. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/indian-spacetech-startup-pixxel-space-gets-7-3-million-funding-before-the-launch-of-its-first-satellite/articleshow/81562421.cms">Indian spacetech startup Pixxel gets $7.3 million in funding as it announces a new product even before the launch of its first satellite</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/airtel-adds-3-times-more-subscribers-than-reliance-jio-vodafone-idea-turns-positive-for-the-first-time-in-15-months/articleshow/81562851.cms">Airtel adds 3 times more subscribers than Jio while Vodafone Idea gets net addition first time in 15 months</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/kishore-biyani-future-group-appeals-to-the-singapore-arbitrator-to-exclude-future-retail-from-the-fight-with-amazon/articleshow/81562016.cms">Ahead of Delhi High Court's decision, Future Group appeals to the Singapore arbitrator to exclude Future Retail from the fight with Amazon</a>

Amazon, Wipro Consumer and Ascent Capital invest in beauty brand MyGlamm

<ul><li>On Monday, Gunjan Patidar, Zomato’s co-founder and chief technology officer tendered his resignation.</li><li><keyword id="7349800" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bharatpe" source="Orion">BharatPe</keyword>’s CEO Suhail Sameer has quit the top job to become its strategic advisor.</li><li>There has been a lot of churn in new-age companies like Nykaa, and also big techs like Meta India, WhatsApp Pay, Amazon India and more.</li></ul>New age companies in India have been hit by a flurry of exits by top executives, leaving them scurrying for replacements. This comes at a time when startups have been battling funding winter and elevated inflation, in a rising interest rate regime. BharatPe, a fintech is amongst those with multiple high profile exits, including its co-founder and former managing director Ashneer Grover, along with his wife Madhuri Jain Grover – who not only had to leave the company, but were also sued by BharatPe in December 2022 for ₹88.6 crore. The company alleged that both husband and wife engaged in misappropriation of funds including creating fake bills, enlisting fictitious vendors and so on. Adding to BharatPe’s woes is the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/bharatpe-ceo-suhail-sameer-to-step-down-five-months-after-taking-over/articleshow/96703750.cms">departure</a> of its CEO Suhail Sameer on January 3. Sameer took over as the company’s CEO in August 2021, a year after being appointed as the company’s president. He will now serve as a strategic advisor starting January 7, 2023. Before Sameer, BharatPe witnessed the departure of four other high level executives last November. This includes Nehul Malhotra, head of PostPe which is BharatPe’s ‘Buy Now Pay Later’ arm. The others were the CTO Vijay Aggarwal; Rajat Jain, the chief product officer; and Geetanshu Singla, VP of technology. They moved on to pursue their own entrepreneurial passions, the company had then said in a statement. Zomato rocked by multiple top level exits, too Sameer’s resignation comes hours after Gunjan Patidar, Zomato’s co-founder and chief technology officer, tendered his resignation. Patidar was one of the first few employees of Zomato who built the core tech systems of the company. “Over the last ten plus years, he (Patidar) also nurtured a stellar tech leadership team that is capable of taking on the mantle of leading the tech function going forward. His contribution to building Zomato has been invaluable,” said the company. Patidar’s exit is the third high-level exit at the food delivery giant in two months. In November last year, another one of Zomato’s co-founders Mohit Gupta tendered his resignation. Its head of new initiatives Rahul Ganjoo; and Siddharth Jhawar, vice-president of global growth also quit in the same month. The list goes on as in September 2022, Zomato’s deputy CFO Nitin Savara also tendered his resignation. The company has been bleeding money and it reported a consolidated loss of ₹251 crore in Q2 FY23. New age companies’ top heads move in and out of big tech companies There is a lot of churn among top executives of new-age tech companies as well as big techs. Online beauty retailer Nykaa’s CFO Arvind Agarwal, who had been with the company through its IPO, quit and joined fintech major PayU as its India CFO, this November. On the other hand, new-age companies have also been able to attract executives from major companies into their fold as well. Case in point is Sugar Cosmetics who brought in Amit Aggarwal, Marico’s head of finance of its India business, as its CFO. Adding to it, Amazon India’s director of grocery, food and health Sameer Khetarpal resigned and moved to Jubilant FoodWorks as CEO, a franchisee that runs Domino’s Pizza, Dunkin Donuts outlets in India. Meta India country head Ajit Mohan tendered his resignation in November 2022, to join rival Snap as the President of Asia Pacific. Following this, WhatsApp India’s head Abhijit Bose and Meta India’s public policy head Rajiv Aggarwal also resigned. The latter joined Samsung India. WhatsApp Pay’s director and head Manesh Mahatme also left his position in September to join Amazon India as director, product and engineering. Last but not the least, another shocking exit was of Parag Agarwal, former CEO of Twitter who was fired by Elon Musk in October, a year after he was appointed for the position. Soon after his ouster, Agrawal changed his LinkedIn bio to “Not the CEO you are looking for”. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/radiant-cash-management-shares-debut-at-a-10-premium-after-company-reduces-ipo-size/articleshow/96727374.cms">Radiant Cash Management shares debut at a 10% premium after company reduces IPO size</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/entertainment/news/shark-tank-indias-season-2s-sharks-meet-the-serial-investors-cas-and-iit-and-iim-alumni/articleshow/96714262.cms">Shark Tank India’s Season 2’s sharks: Meet the serial investors, CAs, and IIT and IIM alumni</a>

Zomato, BharatPe, Nykaa and more: the revolving door for top execs at new age companies

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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Bianca Ingrosso is a Swedish influencer from a family known as the "Kardashians of Sweden."</li><li>In 2018, Ingrosso cofounded beauty brand Caia Cosmetics, and is now bringing it to the UK and US.</li></ul>In Sweden, influencer Bianca Ingrosso is a fixture. Known as one of the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.voguebusiness.com/story/beauty/can-the-kylie-jenner-of-sweden-take-her-beauty-brand-caia-abroad">"Kardashians of Sweden,"</a> she has over a million followers on Instagram, and is a singer, presenter, and reality-TV star.But the 28-year-old says her real calling is entrepreneurship. In 2018, she cofounded a direct-to-consumer beauty brand, Caia Cosmetics, alongside her manager and business partner Vanessa Lindblad and Swedish beauty-industry veterans Mikael Snabb and Jesper Matsch. The company sells a range of mid-priced makeup, skincare, and haircare products. "My entire childhood was sitting in different makeup chairs with the best makeup artists in the country, literally growing up on tour," she said in an interview with Business Insider. With Caia, she's trying to combine her love for makeup with what she learned growing up in traditional entertainment."I am an artist, in my type of way," she said. Now, Caia is dipping its toes into international expansion, including the US and the UK, after a successful run in several other European countries, like Germany and Denmark. Despite a crowded market, Ingrosso thinks the company can snatch a piece of the beauty pie, which is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.statista.com/outlook/cmo/beauty-personal-care/worldwide#revenue">estimated</a> to be worth $625 billion worldwide.The European private-equity firm Verdane <a target="_blank" href="https://verdane.com/leading-nordic-direct-to-consumer-brand-caia-cosmetics-partners-with-verdane-to-expand-internationally/">acquired a majority stake</a> in Caia in 2020, in a transaction that valued it at 505 million Swedish krona (about $48 million today), per <a target="_blank" href="https://my.pitchbook.com/profile/437575-87/company/deals#deal-140482-72T">PitchBook</a> data (the company declined to comment on the valuation). Caia CEO Johanna Eriksson Hamrén said the company had passed $50 million in revenue in 2023 and that it had seen 30% growth year-over-year. Ingrosso said she's aware that the company's early success was largely due to her fame in Sweden. Her family, the Wahlgren-Ingrossos, are well embedded in the Swedish music and entertainment scene. Her mother Pernilla Wahlgren is a singer, and her father Emilio Ingrosso is a dancer, composer, and restaurateur. Her grandparents were both actors, and her brothers and cousins are DJs and musicians.But Ingrosso said she is confident that Caia can succeed beyond her fame in Scandinavia, citing high-quality products; attention to customer needs; and a multi-pronged approach to marketing, both online and in traditional entertainment.<div type="image" title="Bianca Ingrosso, cofounder of CAIA Cosmetics." height="1490" width="1986" msid="105967877" hostid="261" sizebytes="145282"></div><h2>Caia works to provide value to customers beyond its products </h2>The beauty industry is a competitive sector, and achieving longevity can be challenging.Some influencer-founded brands have struggled, including <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sephora-addison-raes-item-beauty-hyram-yarbros-selfless-dropping-2023-1?r=US&amp;IR=T">Item Beauty</a>, launched by TikTok star Addison Rae, which shut down earlier this year after a decline in interest from consumers. Even billion-dollar beauty darling <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/glossier-founder-emily-weiss-tech-dreams-derailed-beauty-skincare-brand-2022-2">Glossier</a>, founded by blogger Emily Weiss, has reportedly struggled with a lack of innovation, difficulty expanding its customer base, and allegations of a poor work culture."Celebrities and influencers with their respective embedded communities can be wonderful brand amplifiers and early adopters; however, simply being a talent-led brand today is not enough," an investor who focuses on beauty startups previously told <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sephora-addison-raes-item-beauty-hyram-yarbros-selfless-dropping-2023-1">BI</a>. Ingrosso acknowledged the competition but emphasized that Caia is not taking its success for granted, and is exploring a number of avenues to market the product — like tapping into entertainment. "We don't really settle with having a really good product," she told BI. "We want you to be entertained. Every time you see Caia in your [social media] feed, you want to stop and watch it. In the beginning it was like a show that never stopped." Caia has had some high-profile collaborations in entertainment, including with the Swedish Netflix series Barracuda Queens earlier this year. The company sponsored a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CtrOKhuOMDL/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&amp;igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==">launch event</a> for the show and tapped actresses from it to participate in Caia <a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CtMfrU0rc0w/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&amp;igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==">glam shoots</a>.The brand also collaborated with MTV to produce a cover of the hit song <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x929b2qfFZ8">"Superstar" by singer Jamelia</a>. The music video, which utilizes Ingrosso's singing talents, has racked up over half a million views on YouTube. Caia even released a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kz1zBCuJmMI">collection of beauty items</a> in conjunction with MTV. When it comes to the products, Ingrosso said they fill a gap in the market that keeps customers coming back. When she founded Caia, she wanted to capitalize on what she called the "Scandinavian glow" — dewy, healthy, moisturized skin."We didn't really have a makeup company that did that," she said. "It was mostly products that were supposed to give a lot of pigment on your face, or give a lot of dry powder, and I wanted to create something that really melted into your skin."This type of look — sometimes referred to as "glass skin" — has gained <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/tiktok-cloud-skin-glass-skin-skincare-trends-2023-4">popularity</a> on social media in the past few years, and other companies, like Selena Gomez's Rare Beauty and Hailey Bieber's Rhode, have launched products around it.Ingrosso said Caia also tries to provide value beyond the products themselves.For example, Caia's social-media content includes <a target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@caiacosmetics/video/7201450984223100166">makeup tutorials and a guide</a> to educate customers, so "they feel really safe" when buying products, Ingrosso said."I think that so many companies today just showcase the product and expect people to know what it is, but we reach out to a lot of different people who watch us," she said.When Caia's 2021 advent calendar was criticized by customers for being too expensive and providing mostly mini products, Ingrosso publicly <a target="_blank" href="https://metromode.se/noje/kunderna-rasar-mot-bianca-ingrosso-och-caia/">apologized,</a> and the company changed its approach by offering full-sized products after that.Ingrosso and Eriksson Hamrén said this open channel of communication between the brand and its customers has been a key to Caia's success.<h2>'Caia is so much bigger than just me' </h2>Ingrosso's next challenge is growing the brand internationally. Caia has its work cut out to stand out against other popular celebrity beauty brands like Kylie Cosmetics, Rihanna's Fenty Beauty, and Rare Beauty. Ingrosso said she's confident that Caia has the potential to continue growing and succeed in the UK and the US, partly because the brand has had success beyond her — Caia has over 400,000 followers on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/caiacosmetics/">Instagram</a> and almost 150,000 followers on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@caiacosmetics?is_from_webapp=1&amp;sender_device=pc">TikTok</a>. "Caia is so much bigger than just me, and I'm not even in the campaigns, or not all of them," Ingrosso said.Eriksson Hamrén pointed to the company's success in Germany, where Ingrosso is relatively unknown."We obviously have proven that we managed to build a brand without the community knowing about [Ingrosso]," she said. "Caia is super well-fitted in the UK and US because we are not a shy company."

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