Amazon India today announced Auric, ISAK, and Fix My Curls as the winners of its Propel Global Business Accelerator Season 4. Auric founded by Deepak Agarwal, ISAK Fragrances founded by Vidushi Vijayvergiya, and Fix My Curls by Anshita Mehrotra will collectively be awarded a $100K equity-free grant from Amazon to support their international growth ambitions. The programme, designed to empower Indian brands to reach global customers through e-commerce exports, saw overwhelming participation with over 900 applications from more than 15 cities across India.
Building on this success, Amazon has launched Season 5 of the initiative, with applications open until July 15. The new season will support up to 100 high-potential D2C brands in their international expansion journey. This is in line with Amazon’s commitment to enable $80 billion in e-commerce exports from India by 2030.
"I would like to congratulate all the winners and finalists of Propel Global Business Accelerator Season 4. It's inspiring to see such innovation and ambition to build global brands across India — a testament to the rapid adoption of e-commerce exports. We are grateful for our partners' support in creating this opportunity for Indian entrepreneurs and will continue to empower businesses of all sizes to reach customers worldwide,” says Srinidhi Kalvapudi - Head, Amazon Global Selling India.
Propel Global Business Accelerator Season 4 was launched in May 2024 in association with venture capital (VC) firms Amazon Smbhav Venture Fund, Peak XV Partners, Fireside Ventures, DSG Consumer Partners, IPV, V3 Ventures, and Elevation Capital. The fourth season got an overwhelming response with 900+ applications by D2C and emerging brands from 15+ cities across India. 54 D2C brands were selected as finalists including brands like Auric, Isak Fragrances, Fix My Curls, and Lattooland among others.
What to expect in Propel Season 5?
As part of Propel Global Business Accelerator S5, Amazon has put together a dedicated mentorship board comprising Amazon leaders, VC partners, and seasoned industry experts. This board will work closely with emerging D2C brands, offering personalised resources, one-on-one mentorship, and workshops covering global demand trends and strategies for building a successful e-commerce exports business.
In addition, Amazon will host peer learning sessions featuring experienced entrepreneurs and Propel alumni, giving participating D2C brands a chance to connect, exchange insights, and grow within a thriving support network. The programme will conclude with a demo day, where participants will have the opportunity to present their business ideas to top VC firms and potentially secure funding to scale their operations.
Reiterating Amazon’s commitment to help emerging D2C brands in India, Srinidhi says, “Propel began with a vision to help emerging companies create globally recognised brands. Over four years, we've supported over 120+ Indian D2C brands including Minimalist, Sirona, Shumee, PLIX, Butterfly edu, Confect amongst others. With Propel S5, we plan to support up to 100 Indian D2C brands launching globally this year, a key part of our commitment to drive $80 billion in e-commerce exports from India by 2030."
One of the winners of Propel Global Business Accelerator Season 4, Vidushi Vijayvergiya, says, “Amazon's marketplace has been crucial to our vision in India, and the Propel program was the perfect guide for our global expansion. It truly has been the most wonderful opportunity to take our products worldwide. Propel helped us navigate every aspect of global selling, connecting us with industry leaders, VCs, and peers. These invaluable insights into global business and diverse customer preferences have given us the confidence to scale into multiple new international markets in the coming years.”
Who can apply to Propel Season 5
D2C brands in the consumer products space with a vision to expand their business to global markets can apply to be a part of the accelerator. The entries will be evaluated by an Amazon led cross-disciplinary panel based on the business idea, scalability, and strength of the business plan/model, along with business metrics and founding team credentials among other criteria.
The top 100 applicants will be inducted into a two-month mentorship where they will receive marketplace insights as well as compliance and logistics support to launch in global markets.
This cohort will also receive 1:1 account management support from Amazon including guidance on identifying key products and categories to sell globally, inventory planning and demand forecasting, ads optimisation strategies, preparing for global sale events, and more. They will also get to interact with senior leaders from Amazon and the industry on areas like ‘go to market’ approach, finding the right ‘product-market fit’ etc.
The programme will culminate with a Demo Day, the top D2C brands from the finalist cohort will pitch their business propositions to a panel comprising of leaders from Amazon, VC partners, and others. The panel will select the top three winners of the programme, who will receive a combined $100K in equity free grants from Amazon.
For more information, please visit http://www.amazon.in/propel
