Selected from 103 applications, the creative ventures explored revenue growth, customer demand, pricing and profitability during the five-day incubation programme.
THE BRIJ Incubator concluded the second cohort of its Foundry programme in Jaipur on October 9, 2026, with 15 creative startups presenting their business models and growth strategies following five days of mentorship, workshops and industry interactions.
Held from October 5 to 9, the residential programme brought together ventures selected from 103 applications across 12 cities and regions in India. The participating startups represented sectors including fashion, textiles, furniture, cultural tourism, wellness, food, design and traditional crafts.
The programme focused on helping creative entrepreneurs strengthen their commercial strategies, with particular emphasis on pricing, unit economics, customer acquisition, product-market fit and generating repeat business.
Speaking to exchange4media and MartechAI, Mehar Zariwala, Lead, THE BRIJ Incubator, said the founders had demonstrated significant improvement in articulating their business propositions compared with their presentations before the programme.
“The sessions helped them look beyond the product or creative idea to focus more on unit economics, pricing, the value they create, and how to balance commercial viability with their purpose,” Zariwala said.
She added that while exhibitions, retail partnerships and institutional enquiries had helped several ventures gain market visibility, converting these opportunities into consistent revenue remained a priority.
“While these channels do provide visibility and early market access, the focus for founders is on understanding which ones bring greater quantum of sales and repeat demand,” she said.
Among the participating ventures, fashion label Lafaani, founded by Drishti Modi, presented its growth strategy centred on contemporary clothing, artisan collaboration and circular design. The company reported partnerships with more than 30 omnichannel retailers in India and international markets and a portfolio of approximately 300 SKUs.
Modi outlined plans to strengthen business-to-business partnerships and pursue threefold growth during the year. The brand’s product proposition included repair services, adjustable and reversible garments, and accessories developed using pre-consumer textile waste.
Cocoa and Jasmine founder Sayali Goyal discussed the company’s expansion from publishing into curated cultural travel and creative consulting. According to Goyal, demand from readers interested in experiencing destinations featured in the publication had prompted the development of its travel business.
“We actually didn’t intend to create a travel company. The market kind of got created in 2021,” she said.
The venture reported serving approximately 15 bespoke travel clients annually, alongside organising retreats and offering creative consulting services.
Wellness and movement brand Vaha Flow, founded by Siddhant M, presented plans to expand its institutional customer base through schools, sports academies, corporate parks and wellness studios. Its products included balance boards, slacklines and swinging flutes.
“We want to be a premium brand in the global scenario, and in India we want to be a mass premium brand,” Siddhant said.
He also outlined ambitions to enter the US market while acknowledging that domestic unit economics could make India a more viable starting point.
Other participating ventures included Bhavini Parikh’s Bunko Junko, which focused on textile-waste upcycling and circular products. Its venture profile reported more than 100,000 products sold and over 15 corporate clients.
Mukul Doley’s Majuli Music Festival presented plans to expand beyond its annual cultural event into year-round tourism and local enterprise opportunities. The festival’s materials reported five editions and more than 60,000 cumulative footfalls.
The cohort also featured Artizenry, represented through Origin & Objects, which focused on contemporary handloom clothing; Kabila, a craft-led design and research practice; and PilliKothi Home, which developed premium handloom products and customised textile solutions for hospitality and residential customers.
Other startups included Rituras Jaipur, Newblue, Laari Futures, Chaudharāin, Studio Denew, Dorii Stori and Crafted Fibers, representing business propositions across indigenous food, ceramics, street-vending infrastructure, furniture, fabrication and sustainable textiles.
The programme brought together industry experts and mentors to address different aspects of business development.
On the concluding day, Dharmendra Bana of IICD conducted sessions on financing, cash-flow cycles and funding choices, while Dilnawaz Khan of Powerdeck worked with founders on storytelling, customer-specific communication and value propositions.
Earlier sessions featured Anuradha Singh of Nila House on cultural value, Ayush Kasliwal of AKFD on documentation and production systems, Sanjay Gopinath of MathWorks on customer discovery, and Chintan Bakshi of IIMA Ventures on market segmentation.
Kavya Saxena of Khamir addressed business viability, Surucchi Khubchandani of Third Soil discussed impact measurement, and Sai Kumar of Next Bharat Ventures examined unit economics.
According to Zariwala, the next phase of incubation would focus on helping founders systematically evaluate their sales channels, validate customer demand and strengthen their product-market fit.
“Building one product or offering well, validating demand and establishing a viable business model before expanding the portfolio will be critical to their growth,” she said.
The programme concluded with founders outlining their commercial priorities, as THE BRIJ Incubator shifted its focus towards supporting the participating ventures in translating their creative propositions into sustainable businesses.
Disclaimer: All quotes are either sourced directly or attributed to public statements.