Shashank Pawar

Zetwerk is in the business of helping brands meet their design and manufacturing needs. It is into eleven business verticals and is recently valued at $2.5 Billion USD
I had the honor of initiating, "Footwear and Accessories" division for Zetwerk. My job profile came with no description but with a single mandate to build and scale the category. My work involves looking out for factories, doing in depth due-diligence and inking out agreements which forms foundation for the supply. On the other end, we use this capacity to market to brands and buyers in India and abroad.
I single handedly drew out a global strategy, designed a team structure ideal for scale and then went on to hire and bring in business which now boasts of a booking plan worth Rs. 135.89 Cr and all of this in just 9 months time and staying P&L positive second quarter onwards
At Zetwerk's Footwear and Accessories division, my team and I were able to bring in domestic clients like Flipkart, Wildcraft, Mensa, Ecoright, Cult fit and international clients like Pianeta from Italy, Aeroking from West Africa and MVA from East Africa. We had to consciously avoid more US and Europe clients due to economic slow down and war. As on date; Amazon, Udaan, Jack and Jones, Van Heusen and Mercedes are in the advanced stages of conversion.

As lead of alliances and partnerships, I am entrusted with responsibility to strategize means to reach out to SMEs which do not use any SAAS products and engage them in ATL sales funnel. The biggest challenge in fintech is that all the organizations use the same channels to address prospects. We had to quickly figure out segment which is untapped and figure out a way to get their attention. Based on research, we zeroed down on reaching out to regional trade bodies and associations. In 6 months, my team and I were able to establish relationships with trade bodies across India. Potentially impacting Million+ SMEs directly and indirectly.

Rizzle is a short video platform app. Post TikTok ban, short video platform is now the most competitive segment in India. As Entrepreneur-in-house and Community Lead, I am entrusted to help establish Rizzle's dominance in South of India. One of the initiatives which I helped implement is Rizzle Studios, where we help users become social-media influences through curated webinars.

An other issue which Rizzle was facing is creator retention. To address this, I designed an offline strategy where we tied up with Dance academies and Acting academies to directly on-board their students to Rizzle hence ensuring not just a sustainable pipeline but also a quality one.

An other direction I set for Rizzle is tie-ups with production houses in the South of India where we plan to connect talent from Rizzle Studios to TV shows, this is one of a kind initiative in social-media vertical.

A start-up which was highly recognized by media and sustainable fashion enthusiasts. Most of us buy footwear just for a certain occasion or to match them with a particular outfit but not realizing the effect it has been causing on the planet due to landfills. Fashion industry is the highest contributor to landfills globally! In order to address this, I developed a changeable strap footwear where once can change look and feel of footwear in under a minute.

I was able to ideate, conceptualize, design and execute the whole idea. From identifying materials to looking for suppliers to setting up distribution channels to handling the whole of digital marketing and accounting. It has been a rewarding journey as we ensured we employed grass root workers and stuck to traditional methods of footwear making and in the process built a sustainable business.

Website: www.murtle.in

We are all aware of the rising air pollution and the deterrent effects its causing on all of our lives. Air pollution is responsible for increasing cancers and other respiratory diseases. On the other end of spectrum is obesity, weight management and diabetes. As a graduate in mechanical engineering, I worked on building I.Z.A

I.Z.A stands for Intutive Zero-emission Automobiles. We designed and manufactured two models in electrical bicycles one for working class and students and the other one for adventure enthusiasts. I was responsible for ideation, market identification, fund raise and distribution. The electrical bicycles would not just address the pollution problems but also help with health management.

We have witnessed merchandise for Hollywood movies and TV series but what about the other next in line big movie industries - Bollywood, Kollywood and Tollywood which serves a very large population who look up to protagonists as Gods.

WhozHigh.com was born out of college hostel room and later went on to officially merchandise for famous Tollywood movies which includes the likes of Baahubali. It also went on to merchandise for AAP and London Business School in later days