Inc42 & Simpl Host The CXO Lounge To Spotlight The Builders Powering India’s Startup Growth

India’s startup ecosystem has matured rapidly over the past decade. With more than 175K DPIIT-recognised startups and 121+ unicorns, the country fosters the third-largest startup ecosystem in the world. Not to mention, this ecosystem is growing at a breakneck speed.

For context: The homegrown startup ecosystem has minted as many as nine unicorns since January 2024, while 14 startups have made their public market debut. Not just this, Indian startups have raised more than $161 Bn since 2014, witnessing a cumulative valuation of $650 Bn, as per Inc42 analysis.

However, behind this growth is the brigade of unsung heroes — CXOs, growth heads and product leaders, who have long been operating in the shadows of founders and even investors. 

Understanding that thousands of success stories are waiting to be shared, Inc42, in partnership with Simpl, has paved the way for an invite-only gathering for the leaders shaping India’s most ambitious startups from the inside — The CXO Lounge.

Inc42 and fintech platform Simpl hosted the first edition of The CXO Lounge in Bengaluru on May 15, 2025, to foster authentic conversations among the builders behind India’s startup growth story. 

The evening brought together more than 20 senior leaders, including CXOs, product heads and founders from the country’s most exciting startups across D2C brands, ecommerce, logistics, mobility, healthtech and more.

A platform for high-context conversations and meaningful networking, The CXO Lounge focusses on enabling real dialogue around business growth, customer experience and team building — going beyond just founders.

The event hosted leaders from companies such as Rapido, Dogsee Chew, CureSkin, DrinkPrime, Snitch, WOW Skin Science, AppsForBharat and others, creating a rich cross-section of perspectives from the startup ecosystem.

Moving Beyond Ads And Cashbacks

The evening also featured a candid fireside chat between Vaibhav Vardhan, the cofounder and CEO of Inc42, and Nitya Sharma, the cofounder and CEO of Simpl. 

With rising acquisition costs, platform dependency, and rapidly shifting user expectations, consumer internet startups are being pushed to look beyond splashy marketing and instead double down on product-led growth and customer retention.

In a sharp, thought-provoking conversation, Sharma of Simpl delved into his growth philosophy.

“Growth is not just IPL ads, cashbacks or television spends. It’s often about removing friction, improving Net Promoter Score (NPS) and building something that feels intuitive to the user,” Sharma said. 

He shared that one of the guiding principles for his product team is subtraction over addition — identifying pain points in the user journey and simplifying them. “A painter adds layers. A sculptor removes what’s unnecessary to reveal beauty. That’s how we build,” he added.

The discussion resonated with the operators in the room, working on reducing friction and improving the end-to-end experience of customers. 

Powering India’s Startup Operators

The conversations continued late into the evening, with peers exchanging insights and challenges around building resilient teams, scaling sustainably and staying ahead of consumer expectations in a dynamic market.

The room was filled with operators such as Rishikesh SR of Rapido, Praharsh Chandra from Shadowfax, Sneh Sharma of Dogsee Chew, and Himanshi Tandon of Palette Brands. Besides, growth and product leaders like Harshit Duggal of AJIO, Comet’s Akash Singh, Shubra Singh from Bewakoof, Abhishek Verma from TatvaCare, Shridhar Gopalan from 10Club graced the evening with their thought-provoking ideas.

As India’s startup ecosystem matures, platforms like The CXO Lounge aim to fill a crucial gap where seasoned operators can step away from the daily hustle, connect meaningfully and learn from one another.

To support the broader innovation economy through curated, high-impact community experiences, this was just the first of many such gatherings planned by Inc42 and Simpl.  The CXO Lounge is set to become a trusted space for India’s startup leaders to share strategies, exchange playbooks and contribute to India’s evolving growth narrative.