“From years of failure to a ₹100 crore brand”: Mohit Yadav at Startup India with Piyush Goyal

At the Startup Pe Charcha event under the Startup India initiative, Minimalist co-founder Mohit Yadav opened up about his entrepreneurial journey from repeated failure to building one of India’s most dynamic skincare brands. 

The session, moderated by Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, when posted on social media, inspired a wide startup audience.

"Listen toMohit Yadav, Co-Founder of The Minimalist, as he shares his experience of building a startup," Goyal shared on LinkedIn.

"Truly inspiring for everyone who has faced setbacks in their entrepreneurial journey!" the Minister added.

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Mohit Yadav shares inspiring Minimalist journey

Yadav traced his entrepreneurial roots back to 2008, emphasising that failure was not a setback but a rigorous teacher.

“My life has been all about failures,” he told the audience, recalling 10–12 years of trying and failing before Minimalist took shape.

He said each setback imparted vital lessons that sharpened his resilience and business instincts.

Founded in 2020 with co-founder Rahul Yadav, Minimalist was built on a vision of transparent, science-driven skincare, a break from conventional marketing-heavy brands.

The approach resonated widely, with the company achieving a remarkable scale of crossing ₹100 crore in revenue within its first year online, challenging early investor scepticism about direct-to-consumer potential in India.

At Startup Pe Charcha, Yadav noted a fundamental shift in the Indian market that consumers today are more informed and ingredient-savvy than ever before.

He credited the new consumer behaviour for helping startups like his compete on product merit rather than advertising alone.

“From metros to tier-2 and tier-3 cities, even consumers are well-versed with science and skincare,” he said.

Yadav also spoke about the broader startup ecosystem’s evolution, noting that the question has moved from whether a digitally native brand can reach ₹100 crore to how quickly it can aim for ₹1,000 crore.

He remarked that the investor mindset shift has led to growing ambition and confidence among Indian founders.

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