Himanshu Adlakha, co-founder of direct-to-consumer brand Winston India, has reflected on the company’s journey from a fledgling operation to closing FY26 with Rs 75 crore in gross merchandise value (GMV), in a recent LinkedIn post.
“Not too long ago, we were at Rs 15 lakh… nothing about us looked like a ‘brand in the making’,” Adlakha wrote, describing the company’s early days operating out of a single room with a three-member team handling multiple roles.
He described the grind behind the scenes, from handling operations, managing rising orders and working without breaks. “Orders piling up. Sleepless nights. No Saturdays and Sundays. Bas kaam hi kaam,” he said via the LinkedIn post. Pushing back against the perception of startup life, he added: “From the outside, it always looks like—startup hai… mast life hogi. But BTS? Only founders and the founding team really know.”
The uncertainty, he suggested, was constant. “The constant ‘yeh kaise hoga?’—and still showing up every single day.”
Focus on brand-building over profits
Adlakha said the company has been profitable since its inception, but emphasised that profitability was not the primary objective. “Profit was never the end goal. Brand banana tha,” he wrote.
He also acknowledged the role of early supporters, including employees, customers and personal networks, in sustaining the business through its initial phase. “Rs 75 crore feels great. But more than that, it feels like we’re just getting started,” he added. The post drew reactions from industry participants, including investor Anupam Mittal, who described Winston as “one of the top cos coming out of Shark Tank India.”
The company was featured in Shark Tank India Season 2, where the founders managed to receive a funding of Rs 1 crore for 10% equity from Vineeta Singh and Anupam Mittal. At that time, the company’s revenue stood at Rs 4.8 crore in FY23 as per Tracxn data.
Business sees rapid scale-up
Founded in 2021 and based in Faridabad, Winston operates as an internet-first beauty appliances brand, offering products such as epilators, trimmers and facial care devices.
The company has seen strong growth in recent years. Revenue rose to Rs 32.8 crore in FY25 from Rs 13.3 crore in FY24 and Rs 4.8 crore in FY23, as per data from Tracxn.
Net profit stood at Rs 76.8 lakh in FY25, compared with Rs 50.8 lakh a year earlier, Tracxn data said.
Funding and positioning
The company operates in the competitive beauty and personal care devices segment, alongside a mix of funded and bootstrapped players.
Winston’s product range includes epilators, eyebrow trimmers, blackhead removers and facial cleansing devices for women. The company has also expanded into men’s grooming with launches in 2023, as per Tracxn data.
The company was co-founded by Himanshu Adlakha, an MBA graduate from IMT Ghaziabad with experience in global electronics distribution, and Nikita Malhotra, a graduate of Jesus and Mary College.