Ananta Ananta Capital × Indian School of Business

The Ananta
Boardroom

Build a ₹100 Cr brand plan.

Alongside a real CEO who has already done it. And if you are good at it, we will ask you to go and actually do it.

What is on the table

Win outright

₹3 lakh+ in prizes

Cash prizes for the winning teams and exciting goodies for the top teams.

Exclusive networking

Engage with the boardroom

Ananta's leadership team, D2C founders, brand CEOs and investors.

This is not just another case competition. It is an exclusive opportunity to build your own disruptive D2C brand alongside real business OGs.

One of India's most iconic consumer stories.

In 1987 the Taparia family incorporated Famy Care in Mumbai and entered a category nobody wanted to talk about: women's reproductive health, beginning with intrauterine devices. No consumer glamour, no venture money. Two decades later it was the largest generic manufacturer of oral contraceptive pills not just in India, but the world – on roughly 50% EBITDA margins and a 35% return on capital employed.

In 2010 a private equity fund put in USD 40 million and left with five times its money. In 2015 Mylan bought the women's healthcare business for roughly USD 800 million. In 2022 Viatris took the ophthalmology business for about USD 325 million. When acquirers keep returning, they are not buying assets – they are buying operators.

In 2020 the family institutionalised itself into a buyout platform pointed at one sector – the Indian consumer. Then it started buying the shelf your generation actually shops from.

₹1,600 CrTotal capital invested
3,100+Team members across brands
2.25 lakh+Distribution points globally

Timeline — tap a year

    The Ananta Boardroom

    Four stages. The core is to build a ₹100 Cr brand plan.

    Stage 1

    1

    Registration

    Two to four of you. Pick people you would actually start a company with.

    Stage 2

    2

    The Qualifier

    A real D2C business, a real data set. Two days, three slides.

    Stage 3

    3

    Building a ₹100 Cr plan

    Create a new brand for Ananta, working with a serving brand CEO.

    Stage 4

    4

    Face the Board

    Present to Ananta's leadership. They will ask what a real board asks.

    Board Evaluation Scorecard

    • Category thinking20%
    • Product portfolio20%
    • Positioning & branding15%
    • Channel strategy15%
    • Commercials & economics15%
    • Future scalability15%

    What the cohort wins

    Winning team₹2,00,000

    Cash prize plus exclusive goodies.

    Runners-up₹1,00,000

    Cash prize plus exclusive goodies.

    Top qualifying teamsPre-placement interview

    Join Ananta Capital through the flagship CEO in the Making (CTM) role.*

    Top qualifying teamsExclusive networking

    Engage with Ananta's leadership, board members, founder network and angel investors.

    * The CTM role is Ananta's flagship track – own a P&L at a portfolio brand, then run the company. Know more about the CTM role →

    A PPI that can put you on the CEO track

    Own a P&L from day one. Fast-track your journey to a CEO.

    Not a typical shadow-a-leader role. As a CEO in the Making with Ananta Capital you literally own a significant P&L stream of one of our portfolio companies from day one, mentored by a serving D2C founder or CEO. Prove it, and we hand you a complete company to lead.

    The whole business, not a slice

    Revenue

    Scaling revenue across D2C channels and global marketplaces – Amazon, Flipkart, Noon, TikTok Shop.

    Category

    Category creation and expansion – consumer research, product innovation, economics, launches and GTM.

    Marketing

    All forms of branding and content – performance, social and awareness led, online and offline.

    Operations

    Supply planning, procurement, demand planning and fulfilment – the engine under the growth.

    The destination

    D2C Brand CEO

    Ambitious timeline

    in 24–48 months

    Based out of Mumbai or Gurugram – mapped to business requirement and confirmed during the process.

    Rather build a company than take a PPI?

    We think that is a great outcome too. Ananta invests in exactly the kind of businesses ambitious ISB graduates want to build – from early traction to full buyout, through both minority and control investments, across beauty, wellness, nutrition, food and beverage, fashion, lifestyle and home. The Boardroom gives you a head start: access to our investment team and angel network months before you might otherwise get a meeting.

    Team details
    Campus
    Team members
    Declarations

    Please confirm each of the following on behalf of your team.