India’s beauty market is projected to grow from $5 billion in 2023 to $28 billion by 2030. On September 16 2026, Gurugram-based Firi raised $3 million seed led by 360 ONE Asset, with Better Capital, Kunal Shah, and other operators. Follow India D2C stories at BestStartup India.
Firi and India’s $28 Billion Beauty Opportunity
Firi is entering a market that is structurally underserved by every existing platform. The India beauty and personal care market is one of the fastest growing consumer sectors globally. Firi’s AI-curation model and nine-minute delivery combination positions it to capture the premium segment of that growth — consumers who want quality-verified products delivered instantly, not just the cheapest option available fastest. That combination does not exist in the Indian market today. Firi is the first company to build it at scale. Follow every India beauty and D2C story at BestStartup India.
What Firi Does Differently
Firi uses AI to analyse more than 50 million consumer reviews. From over 3 lakh global beauty products it shortlists 3,000. Every product passed an AI quality filter before listing. AOV is nearly 2X that of Nykaa and Tira. Nine-minute delivery in select Gurugram locations. Curation and speed simultaneously. Read more D2C stories at BestStartup India.
Founders. Former Uber India Executives.
Founded in 2026 by Vivek Madani and Karishma Rathaur. Both former Uber India early team. Madani later built deep tech at Flipkart Labs. The cofounders built Honestly, an AI beauty discovery platform, before Firi. Firi is the commerce and delivery layer on top of that discovery insight.
Why Kunal Shah and 360 ONE Asset Backed Firi
Kunal Shah is one of India’s most discerning consumer investors. He backs companies with genuine product differentiation. His Firi investment signals conviction that AI-curated high-AOV beauty quick commerce is a structural category, not a trend. 360 ONE Asset’s lead reflects its thesis of backing aspirational consumer categories serving customers who pay premiums for quality. Firi’s 2X AOV is exactly that proof point.
What the $3 Million Funds
Category expansion into makeup and fragrances. More dark stores in Gurugram before new cities. Continued AI product discovery development. Firi is deepening before expanding. That is the right sequencing for a quick commerce company where dark store costs are significant and failure modes are operational.
Also read: India startup funding September 16 2026 full roundup and Mokobara Rs 74 crore Series C D2C travel. Follow every India D2C story at BestStartup India.
Key Takeaways
Firi raised $3 million seed September 16 2026 led by 360 ONE Asset. Kunal Shah and Better Capital participated. Founded 2026 by Vivek Madani and Karishma Rathaur, former Uber India executives. AI analyses 50 million reviews to shortlist 3,000 products. Nine-minute delivery in Gurugram. AOV nearly 2X Nykaa and Tira. Launched pilot January 2026. India BPC market to grow from $5B to $28B by 2030. Funds cover makeup and fragrance expansion, more dark stores, and AI product discovery.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Firi?
Firi is a Gurugram-based AI-curated beauty quick commerce startup founded in 2026 by former Uber India executives Vivek Madani and Karishma Rathaur. It raised $3 million seed on September 16 2026 led by 360 ONE Asset, with Better Capital and Kunal Shah participating.
How is Firi different from Nykaa?
Firi shortlists 3,000 products from 50 million reviews. AOV is nearly 2X Nykaa. Nine-minute delivery. Nykaa lists everything. Blinkit delivers at speed but does not curate at quality. Firi does both.
Where can I follow India D2C and beauty startup news?
Follow every India D2C and beauty startup story at BestStartup India — updated every week.
