Why early-stage consumer brands are increasingly foraying abroad in 2025

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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. India's early-stage consumer brands in the premium segment are eyeing international expansion much earlier in their journey this year, targeting global markets where demand for expensive products outpaces purchases back home.

Unlike mass-market brands that have established a strong foothold in India, high-end products across sectors like beauty and personal care, food and packaged goods, and over-the-counter pharmaceuticals often struggle to find enough takers among price-sensitive consumers in India, pushing them to explore global markets, experts told Mint. Tego Fit, a Mumbai-based brand selling premium fitness products like yoga mats and activewear at prices starting at ₹1,999, has begun conducting tests across marketplaces in the US, Australia, and UAE to gauge product resonance, its co-founder Krishna Chandak said. “While some products have shown stronger traction in certain regions, the US stands out for its potential to scale," he added.

Anicut Capital, an alternative investment firm based in India, is increasingly taking bets on early-stage companies with global aspirations. "We're doing a lot of India-to-abroad kind of opportunities.

That's a trend that we are liking where we make an investment in a very small company, but we think it's of high prospect as a design-led D2C brand with the aspirations of the founder now global," said Ashvin Chadha, managing partner and co-founder of Anicut. HUL-backed nutraceuticals firm Wellbeing Nutrition, which ventured into UAE last year, is gearing up to enter the US through offline retail stores, founder Avnish Chhabria told Mint.