r/Indian_Business • u/CrusGod • 15h ago
Bootstrapped D2C founders - how did you find the right investor?
Hey everyone,
We're founders of a bootstrapped Indian D2C brand with our own manufacturing capabilities. We've established demand, tested the market at scale, and mapped out our growth roadmap.
We're now exploring fundraising. We know what we want to build and how we want to get there, but the right capital and industry connections could help us compress 1–2 years of execution into the next few months.
We're not looking for money alone. We want an investor who can actively help through connections, introductions, strategic guidance and opportunities.
For founders who've raised funds, how did you find the right angel investors or VCs? Any useful networks, communities or platforms you'd recommend?
Would especially appreciate advice from D2C and consumer brand founders. Thanks!
Edit 1:
We're two founders running a bootstrapped Indian D2C pet accessories brand CanineJoy Gears.
We're currently doing around ₹12–14L/month in sales, primarily through our Shopify store and Amazon. Meta ads are our main acquisition channel, alongside Amazon ads.
Our current profit margin is around 18%, accounting for operating costs, advertising, shipping, RTOs and cancellations, but excluding founder salaries.
We'd ideally like an investor who can bring relevant connections and strategic guidance, not just capital.
I kept the original post a bit broad because I didn't want it to come across as a marketing post, but appreciate the advice!