Brands
Tuco Kids appoints former Curefit executive as co-founder
MUMBAI: Children’s personal care brand Tuco Kids has appointed Chanakya Gupta as co-founder, bolstering its leadership following a £1.6 million seed funding round led by Fireside Ventures and Whiteboard Capital.
Gupta joins from Curefit, where he served as business head of play and CHRO. His 23-year career includes senior roles at Flipkart, where he spearheaded strategic partnerships and launched initiatives including the D2C brand accelerator Flipkart Boost. He previously spent a decade at Hindustan Unilever, managing retail partnerships and soap brand development.
Founded in 2023 by Aishvarya Murali, Tuco Kids produces natural personal care products for children aged 3-12, including soaps, lotions and deodorants. The company emphasises environmental responsibility, using reclaimed plastic for all packaging.
The brand retails through major e-commerce platforms including Amazon, Flipkart and Nykaa, alongside quick commerce channels. The recent funding round was led by Fireside Ventures and Whiteboard Capital.
“His expertise in scaling consumer businesses will be invaluable as we expand our presence,” said Murali of the appointment.
Brands
ZEEL transfers syndication business, invests Rs 505 crore in IP push
Restructuring, stake buy and FCCB moves signal sharper content strategy
MUMBAI: In the content economy, owning the story is half the battle monetising it is the real game, and Zee Entertainment Enterprises is doubling down on both. The company has approved the transfer of its syndication and content licensing business to its wholly owned subsidiary ZI-IPR Enterprises, alongside an investment of Rs 505 crore aimed at strengthening its play in content intellectual property (IP) acquisition, management and monetisation. The move, effective April 1, 2026, will see the business transferred on a slump sale basis at book value, including all associated assets, liabilities and commercial rights effectively consolidating IP operations under a more focused structure.
At its core, the restructuring signals a strategic shift. As content consumption increasingly fragments across digital and global platforms, the value of IP lies not just in creation but in how efficiently it can be distributed, repackaged and monetised across markets. By housing its syndication engine within ZI-IPR Enterprises, ZEEL appears to be building a more agile and scalable ecosystem, one that can better extract value from its vast content library while adapting to evolving distribution models.
But the company’s ambitions are not limited to restructuring. ZEEL has also approved an investment of up to Rs 20.09 crore in Culture of Real Experiences (CORE), acquiring a 51 per cent stake in the entity. The move expands its footprint into the broader creative and experiential space, suggesting a push beyond traditional broadcasting into areas where content, culture and immersive experiences intersect.
At the same time, ZEEL has moved to tidy up its financials, approving the redemption of $23.9 million in outstanding foreign currency convertible bonds (FCCBs) and cancelling an unused $215.1 million commitment. The twin steps are expected to ease pressure on its treasury, freeing up capital and improving financial flexibility as the company invests more aggressively in its IP strategy.
Taken together, the decisions reflect a company in recalibration mode streamlining legacy structures, sharpening its focus on content ownership, and exploring new avenues for growth. In a market where the lines between television, streaming and experiential entertainment are increasingly blurred, ZEEL’s latest moves suggest it is not just creating content, but building a system to make that content travel further and pay better.
