E193 - From 0 to ₹700 Crore: Our D2C Blueprint for Explosive Growth - Suyash Saraf, Dot & Key

Indian Silicon Valley with Jivraj Singh Sachar

In this episode, we sit down with Suyash Saraf, the co-founder of Dot & Key, a leading D2C beauty and personal care brand in India. Starting from scratch, Suyash and his team scaled Dot & Key to an impressive ₹700 crore business, which was recently acquired by Nykaa, a market leader in the beauty space. In this candid conversation, Suyash shares the strategies behind Dot & Key’s explosive growth and the hard-earned lessons from his bootstrapped journey. We dive deep into Suyash's insights on building a successful D2C brand, from navigating the challenges of early-stage product development, leveraging data to stay ahead of the competition, and developing a powerful marketing strategy. He offers a behind-the-scenes look at how Dot & Key landed a major acquisition offer, and what founders need to know about scaling profitably without external funding. Suyash also reflects on what it was like to bootstrap a business in a highly competitive industry, the highs and lows of running a business with his life partner, and his advice to new founders on navigating the entrepreneurial journey, including the critical decision of bootstrapping vs. raising funds. This episode is a must-watch for aspiring D2C founders, entrepreneurs seeking growth strategies, and anyone interested in learning how to build a brand from the ground up without relying on VC money. Timestamps: 0:00 - Introduction 2:22 - Dot & Key's story 7:20 - Early successes 10:10 - Dot & Key's scale 13:00 - Scaling channels 17:50 - Staying ahead of the curve 21:21 - Dot & Key's marketing strategy 30:00 - What kept Suyash on track 31:55 - Behind-the-scenes of product development 34:17 - Using data to their advantage 36:45 - Early hiring strategies 38:45 - Getting an acquisition offer as a bootstrap company 41:16 - Key points to consider during acquisitions 42:20 - Feeling of having ₹50 Cr in the account 45:05 - Suyash's advice for young founders 47:30 - Thoughts on raising funds vs. bootstrapping 51:40 - How Suyash’s team describes him 52:15 - How Suyash’s friends describe him 53:00 - Challenges in the Dot & Key journey 55:07 - Running a business with a life partner 56:45 - What Suyash would do if they hadn’t built Dot & Key 57:49 - Advice to his younger self 58:40 - Outro Instagram of Jivraj: instagram.com/jivrajsinghsachar #indiansiliconvalley #isv #indiansiliconvalleypodcast #isvpodcast #dotandkey #suyashsaraf #d2c #entrepreneurship #startups #founderjourney