D2C personal care brand Clensta raises Rs 75 Cr in a new round

Direct-to-consumer personal care brand Clensta International has raised Rs 75 crore in its pre-Series funding led by TradeCred and the Royal Family of the UAE.

According to an ET report, the round also saw participation from Export-Import Bank of India (EXIM Bank), Mumbai Angels, Keiretsu, LetsVenture and O2 VC Fund and actor Parineeti Chopra, who has joined the company as an investor, partner and brand ambassador.

The funds will be used for product innovation and development, leadership team development, and performance-driven marketing. It also plans to expand its footprint to over 50 cities.

Founded in 2016 by Puneet Gupta and Mitesh Shah, Clensta is a personal care and home care D2C e-commerce brand that focuses on a recurrent customer base. Initially, Clensta sold its goods through retail chains before establishing its own e-commerce platform and utilising online marketplaces.

According to Gupta, the company's net revenue in FY23 was Rs 35 crore, while its gross merchandise value (GMV) was Rs 100 crore.

Previously, the startup had raised $2.6 million (Rs 20 crore) in a Series A round led by Hem Securities Limited, Venture Catalysts and Inflection Point Ventures in December 2021. Prior to that, it raised an undisclosed amount in seed funding from Indian Angel Network (IAN) and others in 2018.