From Years of Failure to a ₹100-Crore Brand: Minimalist Founder Mohit Yadav at Startup India

At the Startup Pe Charcha event under the Startup India initiative, Mohit Yadav, co-founder of Minimalist, offered a candid account of his long entrepreneurial journey marked by years of failure before eventual success.

The session was moderated by Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, who later shared excerpts from the discussion on social media, calling Yadav’s story “truly inspiring for everyone who has faced setbacks in their entrepreneurial journey”.

A Decade of Trial and Error

Tracing his entrepreneurial roots back to 2008, Yadav said failure played a defining role in shaping his approach to business. “My life has been all about failures,” he told the audience, recalling nearly 10 to 12 years of unsuccessful ventures before finding the right idea and execution.

Rather than viewing those years as lost time, Yadav described them as formative. Each setback, he said, sharpened his instincts, resilience and understanding of what it takes to build a sustainable company.

Building Minimalist on Transparency

Founded in 2020 with co-founder Rahul Yadav, Minimalist set out to challenge traditional skincare brands by focusing on science-backed formulations and ingredient transparency, rather than heavy marketing.

That approach struck a chord with Indian consumers. Within its first year of online operations, Minimalist crossed ₹100 crore in revenue, defying early scepticism from investors who questioned whether a direct-to-consumer skincare brand could scale rapidly in India.

A More Informed Consumer Base

At Startup Pe Charcha, Yadav highlighted a significant shift in the Indian market. Today’s consumers, he said, are far more informed and ingredient-conscious than in the past.

“From metros to tier-2 and tier-3 cities, even consumers are well-versed with science and skincare,” Yadav noted, adding that this change has enabled young brands to compete on product quality rather than advertising budgets alone.

Changing Startup Ambitions

Yadav also reflected on the evolution of India’s startup ecosystem. According to him, the conversation has moved beyond whether a digitally native brand can reach ₹100 crore in revenue.

“The question now is how fast you can aim for ₹1,000 crore,” he said, pointing to a shift in investor mindset that has encouraged greater ambition and confidence among founders.

As India’s startup ecosystem matures, Yadav’s journey from repeated failures to building a ₹100-crore brand served as a reminder that persistence, learning and timing often matter as much as the idea itself.