Bengaluru-based Gubbachhi, a young toy brand rooted in Indian culture and storytelling, has raised an undisclosed pre-seed round from the D2C Insider Super Angels Fund. The fresh infusion of capital marks an important milestone for the startup as it looks to strengthen its operations, widen its product range, and connect with more Indian parents who seek meaningful, culturally rich playtime for their children.
Where Play Meets Heritage
Founded in 2023 by Abhijith and Pallavi Shetty, Gubbachhi was born out of a simple but heartfelt vision, to bring India’s heritage, stories, and traditional art forms into everyday play.
The duo of husband and wife wanted children to grow up in an environment full of toys that reflect their roots and not just imported ones that are alien to the Indian culture. Gubbachhi’s entire range of products, from bright puzzles and soft toys to make-believe play sets, is a festival of the different India, taking its lyrical, quaint, historic, and celebratory inspirations from the rich and varied Indian folk tales, crafts, monuments, and festivals.
Not one to just provide fun, every toy is an instruction to the child to develop his/her inquisitiveness, imaginative power, and a strong psychological and emotional bond with the culture, thereby bringing learning into the lore. Currently, Gubbachhi is marketing its toys through its own website, some online marketplaces, and a few partner stores all over India.
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Backed by India’s Top D2C Founders
This money is provided by the D2C Insider Super Angels Fund, which is India’s first operator-led investment fund that is focused on new consumer brands. The fund was established in 2024 with a corpus of ₹25 crores and has attracted the support of many prominent personalities, among them are Anupam Mittal (Shaadi.com), Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal (Titan Capital, Snapdeal), and Hitesh Dhingra and Bhisham Bhateja (The Man Company).
Unlike traditional venture capital, this fund brings together successful D2C founders who offer not just capital but also mentorship, strategy, and real-world operational experience. For Gubbachhi, that means access to a network of entrepreneurs who have scaled brands from scratch and know exactly what it takes to build consumer trust in a competitive market.
Riding the “Made in India” Wave
India’s toy industry has been transforming itself pretty much under the radar. The timing couldn’t have been better. As per the ministry of commerce data, the trend over these five years, from 2018 to 2023, was that toy exports have increased more than 60% while toy imports have decreased almost by 50% which is indubitably a strong indication that the nation is progressing in the direction of self-reliance and local innovation.
This shift aligns perfectly with Gubbachhi’s mission. The brand isn’t just making toys, it’s helping redefine the idea of Indian manufacturing by creating high-quality, culturally meaningful products that resonate with modern families. Its storytelling-driven designs also tap into a broader global trend: parents wanting toys with purpose, not just plastic distractions.
The Road Ahead for Gubbachhi
With the new funding, Gubbachhi plans to take several strategic steps to scale its impact. The team will:
- Expand its product line to include new collections inspired by India’s diverse cultural regions.
- Strengthen its digital presence through deeper e-commerce partnerships and a sharper social media strategy.
- Build a strong parent community focused on screen-free, imaginative, and heritage-inspired learning.
At the same time, the founders are working on improving design innovation and supply chain efficiency to ensure the brand’s growth doesn’t compromise its authenticity or handcrafted charm.
Redefining “Made in India” for the Next Generation
For quite a long time, the space has been dominated by global toy brands, but Gubbachhi is a different kind of brand as it presents stories. It inhabits Indian folklore, art, and symbolism in the new playroom, mixing education and design in such a way that they make sense to today’s conscious parents.
The brand’s rise to fame is also a part of a larger thing: a growing ecosystem of Indian startups that are resolute in their intention to make “Made in India” a brand of quality, creativity, and pride.
As D2C Insider keeps on supporting consumer ventures that are promising, Gubbachhi’s path can be the source of a wave of local brands that use the cultural heritage as a base for playful innovation, hence, they are the ones that prove that every toy is a storytelling medium.
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