Suggestions
Simran Khara
Founder at Koparo; ex-McKinsey, Star TV, Juggernaut
Simran Khara is the founder and CEO of Koparo, a D2C brand specializing in natural home and hygiene products.14 She founded Koparo in 2020 with the goal of creating effective, plant-powered cleaning and hygiene products that are safe for use in all homes.4
Simran has 17 years of work experience across multiple industries, including D2C, media, and consulting.1 Before founding Koparo, she held several notable positions:
- Chief Executive Officer at Juggernaut Books (August 2017 - December 2020)
- Strategy role at Hotstar (August 2016 - July 2017)
- Various leadership positions at Star TV Network (2010 - 2016)
- Senior Associate at McKinsey & Company (June 2006 - December 2009)
Her educational background includes:
- MBA in Marketing and Finance from Indian School of Business (2005 - 2006)
- MSc in Management from The London School of Economics and Political Science (2002 - 2003)
- BA in Economics from Shri Ram College of Commerce (1999 - 2002)
Under Simran's leadership, Koparo has raised significant funding, including a pre-Series A round led by Saama Capital in February 2023.3 The company offers a portfolio of over 15 products across core cleaning, specialty cleaning, and accessories, available through its website, e-commerce platforms, and select retail stores.2
Highlights
It was 2012, when I was in ad sales, and we were given a tough job. To sell a Sunday morning show focused on telling the hard truth. That show was Satyamev Jayate.
Several moons ago but I still vividly remember the brief, “... find companies who believe in nation building. They may not be your biggest advertisers but if they believe in India, they will back the show.” The biggest support for the show came from deeply Indian companies who were invested in the nation. Companies like Amul (GCMMF), airtel, Reliance Foundation, Maruti Suzuki India Limited among others. The large FMCG players sat it out.
Something happened last week that reminded me of this time. The same big boys have taken notice of Koparo and the love we have from customers. They (plural) have sent us legal notices that among other things, tell us that
- Reference to “everyday cleaner” attacks their brand since they are the leaders!
- Questioning toxicity of ingredients and colours is unacceptable since they use “permissible amounts”
- Oh and yes, they want us to issue a “public apology” for disparagement
My first reaction to these legal notices was to be overwhelmed, but then I realized something had spooked them. Why are brands that are decades old and thousands of crores in size worried about what a tiny new startup has to say?
Possibly, the truth. The truth that challenges the large, high-margin, slickly-advertised business of household cleaners.
Koparo is a business that sells non-toxic cleaning products. But it also has a mission to tell the truth and make you, the consumers aware. To ✔️ Discuss cleaning ingredients from bleach to dyes to BAC ✔️ Offer smart choices, so inform you on when you need disinfection vs cleaning to prevent indiscriminate use of chemicals that can cause antimicrobial resistance ✔️ Provide clean AND affordable alternatives, our cleaning products sans harmful chemicals, artificial dyes, and outlandish promises. This too at a superb price! ✔️ Force transparency by working with the government to get the MNCs to disclose their ingredients and potential side effects in their ads and on their labels.
We welcome discussion and debate on this with the big brands. In beauty, the clean movement is unstoppable and so big brands have jumped on the bandwagon. Perhaps, here they feel it is still stoppable.
Besides these notices, our business is also being targeted. Usually, the challengers target the big brands. Here it is the reverse - our Brand CPCs on popular ad platforms have shot up as bids on our keywords are now 3-4x that of the top brands!
With your help, our mission will continue. I ask you to share this post, spread the good word about our mission and when you search for #Koparo and our products please 🙂 do not click on their ads!
With your help, Koparo will prevail. Truth will triumph.
🇮🇳सत्यमेव जयते 🇮🇳 Kshitij Ranjan Gaurvika Khurana Mahika Sachdeva Samni Dhiman Vishal Singh Anoop Singh Rawat Sahil Gaba Saurabh Nidar
Koparo is looking for 3 positions urgently. Please email [email protected] with your resume. (Do not DM)
All positions are NCR-based, in-office.
-
Customer Service Associate: Resolve customer concerns, and answer queries via e-mail/call/WhatsApp. Min. 2 years of work experience in customer service is a must.
-
Production Planning: Work with the team to plan production, manage production schedules and course correct for deadline misses with supply chain partners. Min 2 years work experience in D2C ops.
-
Creative Intern: Work with the social media team to plan, shoot and deliver creative assets including videos at scale. Strong interest in social media with basic video editing skills and influencer management.
#hiring #D2Cjobs #ncrjobs
