Category: Beyond

Entrepreneur and artist, Ananya Birla, has announced her entry into the booming Indian beauty and personal care industry. Her new venture aims to introduce a range of innovative beauty and personal care brands across India throughout 2025. 

The Indian BPC market is expected to reach $34 billion by 2028, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 10-11 per cent, driven by increasing disposable incomes, e-commerce growth, and consumer openness to new products.

Ananya Birla's company will launch products in categories such as makeup and fragrances, targeting a diverse consumer base through a phased rollout. She emphasised that the Indian beauty industry is evolving rapidly, with consumers seeking products that reflect their individuality. 

The venture will focus on a product-first strategy, featuring differentiated packaging and international quality standards.

Ananya Birla's latest business move highlights her entrepreneurial journey, which began at 17 with the launch of Svatantra Microfin. She is also a mental health advocate through the Ananya Birla Foundation, which has partnered with over 25 nonprofits, affecting more than 30,000 people in five states. Ananya Birla also launched Sophius, an AI platform, at IIT Bombay, with plans for global expansion. 

Ananya Birla serves on the board of the Aditya Birla Group’s apex strategic body and contributes to the boards of Hindalco, Grasim, and ABFRL.

Kunal Shah-backed investment platform Stack Wealth is under the radar after an undated video featuring its CEO Smriti Tomar went viral on social media for all the wrong reasons. In this video, Tomar can be seen reprimanding a group of employees because they were unable to meet the sales targets. 

She can be heard telling a group of employees: "If you have not done enough sales, you are not getting your full and final (FNF) settlement. To make matters worse, she can be heard referring to an employee as "stupid". 

When one of the employees reads out the terms and conditions of the contract, she threatens that she'll send another mail with regards to the same. 

Needless to say, the viral video left netizens irate. They called the young CEO an "entitled brat" and batted for a structure and proper laws to hold people in power responsible for their actions. 

"I spoke to Smriti once, she is way too entitled brat and considers most people beneath her," a user said.

"I had interviewed here and almost planned on joining this, but the negotiations made me feel a bit off, so I didn't joined. And Thank god I didn't joined this," a second user wrote.

"I think we really need a structure and proper law to hold these people responsible, The startup ecosystem in India is getting pathetic day by day. My friend is working at ola and seriously the environment is so bad that I can even describe, same with my colleague at zepto. No working hours people are randomly working till 4-5 am in the morning," a third user commented. 

"I think she should sit and do the job of the sales man… People should realise that marketing and sales are one of the toughest jobs to do!! The company should have a strategy and teach the sales man to pitch the right way instead of putting all the burden on them and blaming for not making enough sales… I believe people do put in hardwork in private sector jobs because they don't want to go through this," another user noted. 

Yet another user wrote: "I got a call from Stealth for an opening. But then they ignored me even after following them quiet a few times. Extremely lucky to not be part of such a Workplace!"

Meanwhile, a former employee said in a LinkedIn post that he was terminated without any prior notice on January 4, while alleging the company withheld his salary for the month of December.

He said that he was informed only a day later that he wouldn't be receiving his salary and that several others were let go on the same day under similar circumstances.

When he sought clarification, all he was told was that his performance was not enough and he soon found out that Stack Wealth owes around ₹7.5 lakh in unpaid rent for their office building. 

A Bengaluru techie has compared his nine-year stint at one of India’s largest IT companies to "unchained slavery," revealing his shocking experience in a Reddit post. Despite nearly a decade of service, his monthly salary was just ₹35,000 when he left the company. 

Today, working for a global IT giant, his earnings have surged by nearly 400%, underlining the glaring pay disparity he endured.

His story sheds light on systemic issues plaguing the organization. Low annual increments—often between 4-6%—left salaries stagnant, while a system of "progression" merely shuffled employees to sub-levels without pay raises or expanded roles. "When I left after nine years, my monthly salary was ₹35k. Today, I earn ₹1.7 lakh," he wrote, calling for change in the corporate culture.

In his Reddit post, the techie criticized policies that ignored market salary corrections, unlike his current and previous employers, which routinely adjusted pay to match industry standards. 

Employees at his former company faced single-digit hikes, leaving them underpaid despite years of service. Referrals to his new employer often earned former colleagues an 80-100% salary increase, underscoring the discrepancy.

Beyond salaries, the techie detailed other burdens. Employees were charged ₹3,200 per month for transportation, while parking fees further added to their expenses. Cafeteria costs were steep, with a glass of juice priced at ₹40—double what he now pays at his current workplace.

The company mandated a minimum number of physical work hours, tracked through ID card swipes. This led to employees visiting the office on weekends for trivial reasons, like completing laundry, just to meet the required hours.

While the company’s leadership projected a philanthropic image, employees often joked that some of that generosity could have been directed toward staff welfare and better pay.

The techie urged for systemic reform, advocating for a "Minimum Wage Policy" across all sectors in India. His story is not just a personal narrative but a rallying cry for fair treatment, better pay structures, and labor policies that prioritize employee dignity.