These founders built a D2C cleaning solutions startup Beco that offers products made of Bamboo & Natural Bio-enzymes, backed by Dia Mirza

In a country where plastic bags, chemical cleaners, and single-use products dominate everyday life, changing consumer habits can feel almost impossible.

Beco, a Mumbai-based cleaning solutions startup founded in 2018 by Aditya Ruia, Anuj Ruia, and Akshay Varma, is trying to change that with chemical-free, plastic-free home and personal care products. 

Operating as a D2C cleaning solution startup, Beco sells through its website, marketplaces, and offline stores. The brand now serves over 1 million households, recorded ₹49.79 crore in FY24 revenue, and has raised ₹111 crore in funding.

Meet the Founders of Beco

Beco was founded by cousins Aditya and Anuj Ruia along with close friend Akshay Varma, each bringing complementary strengths to the business.

Aditya Ruia, a BITS Pilani graduate in electrical engineering, leads operations and strategy. His early involvement in environmental cleanups shaped Beco’s core thinking. Today, he manages supply chains, manufacturing partnerships, and sustainability advocacy.

Anuj Ruia focuses on execution and supply chain management. From bamboo plantations in Northeast India to cornstarch processors, he ensures consistency in sourcing, which is one of Beco’s toughest operational challenges.

Akshay Varma, an IIT Madras chemical engineering graduate with a consulting background, serves as CEO and the public face of the brand. He leads product innovation and go-to-market strategy. 

“We're prepared to enable a better lifestyle to consumers with natural everyday products,” Akshay said.

The Origin Story: How a Beach Cleanup Sparked Beco

The idea for Beco began during a 2017 beach cleanup in Mumbai when Aditya Ruia found a chocolate wrapper from the 1990s still intact, showing the persistence of plastic. Research revealed that most Indian households relied on plastic garbage bags, tree-pulp tissues, and chemical cleaners, with few viable alternatives available.

In 2018, Beco launched with three SKUs, bamboo tissues, kitchen towels, and cornstarch garbage bags, serving Mumbai. Initially bootstrapped and operating with limited funds, the company learned lean execution quickly. A ₹4 crore seed round in 2021 enabled investment in bio-enzyme cleaners. These took nearly two years of R&D to match chemical cleaners, ultimately opening the next growth phase.

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What Beco Does: Sustainable Product Portfolio

Beco creates powerful cleaning solutions, and the company believes powerful need not mean chemicals. Beco uses natural bio-enzymes, elements, and fibres to create products that destroy microbes, protect health, and leave homes sparkling.

The brand covers home and personal care categories, offering bamboo-based toilet paper and tissues, compostable garbage bags, enzyme-based floor, dishwash, and laundry cleaners, and bamboo toothbrushes. All cleaners are lab-tested to match chemical performance.

Challenges Faced

Scaling a sustainable startup in India has not been easy. Raw material volatility, inconsistent bamboo supply, and fluctuating cornstarch prices posed operational challenges. Developing enzyme cleaners at scale required multiple formula iterations and extensive testing.

Consumer perception was another challenge. Many households associated eco-friendly products with higher costs or weaker performance, making education and lab validation necessary.

Distribution also evolved over time, with offline stores initially hesitant to stock premium eco-products and high D2C customer acquisition costs. Marketing spend rose to nearly 30% of total expenses in FY24, contributing to wider losses.

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Financials, Funding, and Business Model

Beco’s revenue has grown rapidly, from ₹1.49 crore in FY20 to ₹49.79 crore in FY24, doubling year-on-year after 2021. Profitability remains a work in progress, with FY24 losses widening to ₹9.36 crore due to higher marketing spend and team expansion. EBITDA margin declined from -15.17% in FY23 to -18.4% in FY24.

The company has raised ₹111.67 crore across seed, Series A, and a $10 million pre-Series B round led by Tanglin Venture Partners, with backing from Rukam Capital, Titan Capital, and angel investors including Dia Mirza.

Beco follows an omnichannel model, selling through its D2C website, online marketplaces with the majority of sales, and offline retail partners such as Reliance and Spencer’s. 

Looking ahead, the brand aims to triple revenue to around ₹150 crore in FY25. An unverified Instagram claim suggests a ₹110 crore FY24–25 turnover run-rate.

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How Beco Achieved 2x Growth

Beco’s growth in FY24 was driven by category expansion, particularly high-value enzyme cleaners, along with rapid marketplace growth and increased offline presence. Marketing, including influencer campaigns and sustainability messaging, helped attract urban millennials.

Operational scale reduced costs, with higher production volumes lowering material costs by approximately 6 percentage points, enabling revenue to double while building long-term brand recognition.

The Road Ahead

Beco plans to triple production capacity, expand into Tier-2 cities, and enter Middle Eastern export markets. The company will also launch new personal care products and explore B2B sales for hotels and institutions.

Akshay Varma perfectly sums it up, “What the previous two decades were for technology, will be for sustainability going forward.”

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