D2C consumer goods company, Palette Brands (earlier White Inc.), has raised around $2 million in a Pre-series A funding round. The round was led by Rockstud Capital, along with participation from existing investors including IPV and Dholakia Ventures, and angel investors including Stoffer Anko Norden and Apurva Salapuria. The funds will be directed to the launch of the Ember cookware brand, R&D, and team expansion. 

Palette brands was founded in 2022 by Siddharth Gadodia, Young Yun, Himanshi Tandon, and Bret Recor. According to the company, it is powered by technology-enabled growth infrastructure that spans consumer research, product development, supply chain, marketing, and sales, all designed to rapidly develop, launch, and scale modern consumer product brands.

Siddharth Gadodia, Founder, said: “This funding will predominantly focus on the launch of Ember, a cookware brand as this category is ripe for innovation - with consumers looking to upgrade their kitchens while making healthier choices. This is a huge white space - marrying form and functionality. Ember aims to solve this by bringing forward a non-toxic cookware brand with non-stick properties and stunning looks.”

According to a report by Goldman Sachs Research, the cohort of affluent consumers in India will increase from around 60 million in 2023 to 100 million people by 2027, indicated a company statement. It also stated that the company is targeting aspirational affluent consumers who seek great product design and value.

Design aesthetics

As per the company, its brands offer high-performance materials, design aesthetics, superior functionality, and value-for-money pricing. Current brands include ‘Unbottle’, which is a reusable and sustainable drinkware product, and ‘Totem’, which creates accessories for Apple’s consumer base in India. It will soon be launching the cookware brand ‘Ember’, a non-toxic product inspired by the Indian lifestyle and modern décor. 

“In today’s era, aesthetics often takes precedence, with consumers prioritising the visual and tactile appeal of the products which has led to higher-priced items that do not offer superior functionality. Palette Brands distinguishes itself by combining high-quality design, materials, and performance, thus providing excellent value for money,” said Ivy Chin, Partner, Inflection Point Ventures. 

Inflection Point Ventures (IPV) is an angel investing platform with over 16,000 CXOs, HNIs, and Professionals. So far, it has invested over ₹750 crore across more than 200 start-ups. The firm provides entrepreneurs with monetary and experiential capital and connects them with a diverse group of investors. IPV has also launched a $50 million CAT 2 Alternative Investment Fund (AIF), Physis Capital, to invest in pre-Series A to Series B growth-stage start-ups. 

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