From activewear and lab-grown diamonds to luxury real estate and wellness, four entrepreneurs are building brands that reflect the evolving aspirations of India’s modern consumer. India’s luxury and lifestyle landscape is entering an exciting new phase, driven by consumers who increasingly value design, quality, transparency and experiences alongside traditional notions of luxury. At the forefront of this shift are entrepreneurs building businesses across categories while challenging conventional ideas of what luxury and lifestyle can represent.

Akshay Khubchandani – Founder, Bird Eye Akshay founded Bird Eye in 2022 after choosing entrepreneurship straight out of school, building the brand from the ground up with no prior professional or entrepreneurial experience. Today, Bird Eye has served 66,000+ customers, gained recognition across leading publications, won HackerNoon’s Startups of the Year 2024 in Fashion, and expanded from digital-first beginnings into offline retail. His story offers an interesting perspective on building a homegrown activewear brand for the Indian consumer, with a strong focus on product, quality and long-term brand building.

Armaan Sunil Kothari – Founder & Managing Director, Keemti Armaan comes from the Kothari Group’s three-decade legacy in jewellery manufacturing and exports and is now building Keemti as a design-led lab-grown diamond jewellery brand. Backed by the Kothari Group and entrepreneurs Nikhil Kamath and Kavin Shah, Keemti is focused on making contemporary diamond jewellery more accessible through design, transparency and a direct-to-consumer approach. Under his leadership, the brand has expanded across Mumbai, Delhi, Pune and Indore, with further retail expansion planned.

Vaibhav Karnavat – Founder & CEO, House of Quadri A Chartered Accountant who spent over eight years leading a gold and platinum diamond-studded jewellery manufacturing unit, Vaibhav combines financial discipline with deep manufacturing experience. He founded House of Quadri around the idea of making luxury more inclusive and relevant to everyday life, with a focus on lab-grown diamonds and the philosophy of “Luxury as a Habit.” His journey from finance and manufacturing to building a new-age luxury jewellery brand could make for an interesting founder profile.

Aditya Kilachand – Founder & CEO, Avās Wellness With over 15 years of experience in luxury hospitality and property development, Aditya previously founded India’s first members-only nightclub, Prive, followed by the Japanese restaurant Tetsuma. His experience in hospitality and Alibaug real estate eventually led to Avās Wellness & Living, a luxury community built around wellness, nature and high-end living. His entrepreneurial journey offers an interesting perspective on the growing intersection of luxury real estate, hospitality and wellness.