Gaurav Kushwaha has made his own identity in the business world. He's not just the founder and CEO of Bluestone Jewelry. However, he is also a visionary who saw immense potential in the online jewelery store. This daring individual has a talent for starting successful yet revolutionary ventures. His company is backed by business giants such as Ratan Tata and Zerodha.
In 2011, Gaurav Kushwaha founded BlueStone jewellery, the Bengaluru-based startup has attracted investment from Ratan Tata, received priceless wisdom from the man.
The company plans to raise about Rs 2,000 crore through an initial public offering (IPO), as per recent media reports. This move could disrupt the jewellery industry by establishing the company as a formidable rival, standing up to listed behemoths like Senco Gold, Titan's Tanishq brand, and Kalyan Jewellers. BlueStone Jewellery was valued at about Rs 3650 crore, or $440 million, at its last valuation.
In 2011, before launching BlueStone Jewellery, Gaurav Kushwaha, then 27 years old, spent more than four years working for Amazon. He also founded his first website in 2006. The renowned Indian businessman Ratan Tata has fortunately made his desired personal investment available to the Bengaluru-based organisation.
The story of Gaurav's interaction with Ratan Tata is interesting. Gaurav had met Ratan Tata in Mumbai, and Tata started a conversation. In addition to looking for an investment, Gaurav also wanted to learn from the veteran businessman.
When Gaurav first met Ratan Tata in Mumbai, his wife had urged him to take a picture with him, and it was Ratan Tata who struck up a conversation with Gaurav. He wanted an investment from Tata.
Ratan Tata gave Gaurav some straightforward but insightful advise. He stressed the significance of developing a unique product, service, and culture while also adding value for clients. At BlueStone Jewellery, Gaurav and his team have used this guidance as a compass.
He said that Ratan Tata was intrigued by the company's online presence and that customers will start to relate to and trust the brand if these problems are fixed. According to reports, co-founder of Zerodha Nikhil Kamath gave Bluestone an investment of Rs 100 crore last year.
Apart from various other places, BlueStone maintains production centres in Jaipur and Mumbai. BlueStone was able to attain a net valuation of over $440 million last year after obtaining Rs 550 crore in financing from a range of new and experienced investors, including Nikhil Kamath, Ranjan Pai, Amit Jain, Deepinder Goyal, and 360 One.
