From Rs 100 Cr to Global Ambitions, The Minimalist Co‑Founder at Startup Pe Charcha

At the Startup Pe Charcha event held under the Startup India initiative on Friday, Mohit Yadav, co-founder of skincare brand The Minimalist, shared candid insights from his entrepreneurial journey, emphasizing lessons from failure, evolving consumer awareness, and India’s shifting startup mindset. The session was moderated by Union Minister Piyush Goyal, and also featured founders such as Ritesh Agarwal (OYO) and Aman Gupta (boAt).

At the event hosted by Piyush Goyal, Union Minister and being co attended by Aman Gupta, Ritesh Agarwal, Yadav spoke about personal struggles, his plans of building minimalist, where they plan to go ahead, and his entire journey.  

Learning from Failures

Yadav traced his entrepreneurial journey back to 2008, right after college.

“My life has been all about failures. I started my first company in 2008 and for 10–12 years tried multiple things and failed multiple times. Each failure taught me one thing: the harder you work and the more you learn, the better your next venture will be,” he said.

He credited these early setbacks with preparing him to launch The Minimalist, which has since grown into a multi-crore brand with international exports.

Also read: Startup India Crosses 2 Lakh Recognised Startups, 21 Lakh Jobs: Goyal

Consumers Across India Are Smarter

Highlighting the role of technology and social media, Yadav noted a significant shift in consumer knowledge.

“If we talk about chemistry or science, earlier only a few understood it. Today, from metros to tier-2 and tier-3 cities, even people in remote areas are well-informed about products and ingredients,” he said.

He argued that this knowledge parity, coupled with digital connectivity, has created a level playing field for brands like Minimalist.

From Rs 100 Crore to Rs 1,000 Crore

Reflecting on investor sentiment during early funding rounds, Yadav recalled that most venture capitalists doubted whether a purely online brand could achieve Rs 100 crore in revenue.

“Eight out of ten would say building a hundred-crore brand online was very unlikely. Today, the question has shifted: how many years will it take to reach Rs 1,000 crore?”

This, he said, represents a mindset shift within India’s startup ecosystem, where scaling globally is no longer a dream but a planned trajectory.

Made in India, Selling to the World

Yadav also highlighted how Indian brands are increasingly confident in global markets.

“The dream of Made in India for the world is no longer just a philosophy; they are living it. Today, 25% of Minimalist’s business comes from exports.”

He emphasized that boldness, product integrity, and transparency are critical in building brands that can compete internationally.

The Takeaway for Founders

For Yadav, the path to building a successful brand is clear: learn from failures, understand your consumers, and be ambitious about scale.

“Build substance first. Scale later. The rest will follow,” he concluded.

Also read: How Tiger Global’s India Exit Structure Led to a ₹14,000 Crore Tax Claim