Knowledge Series Agenda
CMPL EXPO, JWCC, BKC, Mumbai
Day 1, 14TH may 2025
wednesday, 14TH may 2025
10.30 am to 11.45 am IST
Inauguration and Keynote
wednesday, 14TH may 2025
12.00 pm - 12.45 pm IST
Retail Confidential
India, Global & Q-Com — Redefining Consumer Experience & Product Strategy
The session will include:
The future of retail isn’t just about where consumers shop—it’s about what they find on the shelf and how fast it reaches them. As Indian retail giants, international supermarket chains, and Q-commerce platforms reshape the landscape, there’s a growing shift toward exclusive assortments, curated experiences, and quietly expanding private label portfolios.
This session brings together retail leaders across India, global markets, and quick commerce to decode how they’re blending formats, personalizing experiences, and rethinking product strategy—including collaborative innovations with manufacturers and private label suppliers.
What to Expect:
- How Indian, international, and Q-commerce retailers are shaping omnichannel strategies
- Exclusive offerings and the evolving role of private labels across categories
- Speed, agility, and trust: Strengthening supplier partnerships for product success
- Creating loyalty through differentiated assortments and fast fulfilment
- Consumer trends influencing product development and innovation
- What the future of retail looks like—from shelf to screen
wednesday, 14TH may 2025
1.15 pm - 2.00 pm IST
The Investor Files:
What VCs & PE Funds Really Want
The session will include:
Funding may be flowing—but not for everyone. What separates a pitch deck from a signed term sheet? In this high-stakes session, top venture capitalists and private equity leaders reveal what truly drives investment decisions in the consumer space.
From product-market fit to founder mindset, scalability to sustainability, this is where you’ll get unfiltered insights into how investors evaluate consumer brands—especially in the FMCG, D2C, and private label landscape.
What you’ll learn:
- What investors look for in early-stage vs. growth-stage brands
- Key red flags and common pitch mistakes
- The metrics that actually matter to VCs and PE funds
- Why some categories are hot—and others are cooling off
- What makes a founder truly investable
- Whether you're fundraising or future-proofing, this session gives you the investor lens—straight from the source.
wednesday, 14TH may 2025
2.15 pm - 3.00 pm IST
The Beauty Personal Care Blueprint:
How Indian Brands & Manufacturers Are Taking Over the Global Market
The session will include:
India is no longer just a consumer of global beauty trends—it’s creating them.
In this session, visionary founders of India’s rising beauty and personal care brands join forces with top contract manufacturers to share how they’re crafting globally competitive products, scaling across markets, and shaping the future of modern beauty. From Ayurvedic roots to biotech-backed formulations, from clean beauty to refillable formats—discover the strategies driving India’s evolution from product makers to global tastemakers.
What you’ll learn:
- How Indian brands are balancing heritage with innovation for global appeal
- The role of contract manufacturers in powering scale, speed & science
- Cracking export markets: from formulation to compliance to distribution
- What global buyers are looking for—and how Indian players are delivering
- This is the blueprint for building beauty brands that are made in India, loved everywhere.
wednesday, 14TH may 2025
3.00 pm IST onwards
The ScaleX Pitch Battle
By Invite only
The Pitch Showdown: 20 Startups. 7 Minutes. 1 Shot
Live Pitch Session | Featuring Emerging Consumer Startups + Top Investors
Watch 20 high-potential FMCG, D2C startups pitch their brands live to a panel of top investors. Each founder gets 7 minutes to make their case—no filters, just bold ideas, disruptive products, and real ambition.
What to expect:
- Rapid-fire pitches from India’s next-gen consumer brands
- Investor reactions and insights in real time
- This is where breakout brands are born—and backed.
Day 2, 15TH may 2025
THURSDAY, 15TH may 2025
11:00 AM - 12.00 PM IST
Powerhouse Founders Unfiltered:
Hustle. Hack. Disrupt.
The session will include:
Get ready for a no-fluff, founder-first roundtable where India’s most disruptive D2C and omnichannel leaders go unfiltered. From early hustle to scaling smarts, from bold bets to brutal lessons — this is where the real stories come out.
In Powerhouse Founders Unfiltered: Hustle. Hack. Disrupt., a curated mix of trailblazing entrepreneurs share what it really takes to build, break, and bounce back in today’s FMCG and retail landscape.
Expect candid takes on:
- Growth beyond playbooks
- Building moats in crowded categories
- Product obsession, team building & scaling chaos
- What’s next for the D2C wave in India
THURSDAY, 15TH may 2025
12:15 PM - 1.00 pm IST
The Innovation Deficit:
Why R&D Deserves a Bigger Seat at the Table
The session will include:
While innovation drives brand storytelling, R&D teams remain behind the scenes — often underfunded, undervalued, and viewed as cost centers rather than growth engines.
This high-level session brings together R&D heads, product developers, and business leaders to explore a growing gap: why is the function that powers innovation getting the least attention? With mounting pressure to deliver cleaner, faster, smarter products, it’s time to ask: why isn’t R&D at the center of the conversation — and the budget?
Key Talking Points:
- The R&D Paradox: Why the most vital function is often the least funded
- Making the case: How to position R&D as a growth enabler
- Innovation theatre vs. scientific depth — closing the gap
- What underinvesting in product science is costing your brand
- Building synergy: R&D, marketing & manufacturing in lockstep
- Fast isn’t always smart: Risks of speed without science
- Creating long-term value through future-facing R&D pipelines
- Investing in AI, labs & formulation tech that actually deliver
This is a call to rethink priorities — and put R&D where it belongs: at the core of innovation.
THURSDAY, 15TH may 2025
2:00 pm - 2:45 pm IST
Pack Like a Pro:
Smart, Sustainable & Sensorial – The Packaging Evolution That Sells
The session will include:
Packaging today is more than function—it’s a blend of innovation, sustainability, and consumer experience. This session explores how FMCG brands are using packaging as a growth lever across categories like food, beauty, and wellness.
What to expect:
- Smart Packaging & Innovations – QR codes, NFC tags, anti-counterfeit features that drive engagement
- Sustainable Packaging – Compostable, refillable, and recyclable materials aligned with global compliance
- Brand Perspective – How sensorial, minimal, and emotionally resonant packaging builds brand loyalty
- Manufacturer & Labeling Insights – Print, production, and regulatory challenges brands must navigate
- New-Age Packaging Trends – Frozen food packs, fridge-compatible perfumes, and high-barrier, format-specific materials
From shelf appeal to shipment strength—this session is for brands and manufacturers shaping the future of packaging that sells and sustains.
THURSDAY, 15TH may 2025
3:00 pm - 3:45 pm IST
The Reignmakers:
Women Who Turned Hustle into Empires
THURSDAY, 15TH may 2025
6:30 pm ist onwards
Disruptors Awards
Day 3, 16TH may 2025
THURSDAY, 16TH may 2025
11:00 AM - 12.00 pm IST
From Trend to Empire
Cracking the Code of Influencer-Led Brand Building & Marketing
The session will include:
What does it take to turn online influence into a lasting, scalable brand? This session brings together top creators, influencer-founders, and agencies to explore how content, credibility, and community fuel brand success.
From why some influencer-led brands thrive to how agencies co-create for long-term growth, discover what truly drives impact in the creator economy—where influence meets entrepreneurship.
Key Takeaways:
- Why influencer-founded brands succeed (and when they don’t)
- How agencies are co-creating brands with long-term growth in mind
- The role of content, community & authenticity in brand building
- Building scalable, influence-powered D2C brands
This is where influence becomes impact—and creators become CEOs.
THURSDAY, 16TH may 2025
12:30 PM - 1.15 pm IST
The New Recipe for Success:
Health, Taste & Transparency in Food & Beverage
The session will include:
Going green sounds great—until the cost hits your bottom line. This session gets real about the hidden trade-offs in sustainable product development. Hear from FMCG founders, supply chain leaders, and packaging partners on how they’re navigating cost pressures, consumer expectations, and compliance mandates—without compromising growth.
What to expect:
- How to make eco-packaging work without hurting margins
- The true ROI of sustainability – when does it pay off, and how?
- How manufacturers and suppliers are making greener options affordable
- From ingredients to distribution – where to focus for the biggest impact
- What investors and retailers really expect when they say “sustainable”
A candid, solution-focused conversation for brands that want to do good—and still win.
TITANIUM PARTNERS
PRINCIPAL PARTNERS
PLATINUM PARTNERS
ASSOCIATE PARTNERS
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
BRAND DESIGN PARTNER
ASSOCIATION PARTNER
MEDIA PARTNER
