In a country where conversations about sex are still low-key at dinner tables and turn school classrooms awkwardly silent, brands like Sassiest are changing the script, one meme, conversation, and pleasure-positive post at a time. From cheeky Instagram content and relatable humour to refreshingly honest takes on intimacy, confidence, and self-exploration, the brand is helping young Indians approach sexual wellness with far less awkwardness and a lot more openness. Mehak Walia gets sassy with Aishwarya Dua and Karishma Chavan, the co-founders of Sassiest. And honestly, that shift feels long overdue. For years, discussions around pleasure and desire in India have either been buried under shame or treated like something too scandalous to say out loud, especially when women are leading the conversation. Founded by Aishwarya Dua and Karishma Chavan, Sassiest is pushing back against that discomfort with a voice that feels warm, inclusive, funny, and unapologetically real. Instead of sounding clinical or preachy, the brand creates space for conversations around boundaries, body confidence, emotional well-being, and modern relationships in a way that actually feels relatable to today’s generation. For Karishma, the inspiration behind the brand came from noticing just how disconnected many women grow up feeling from their own bodies. “Most conversations around intimacy here are either hidden, judged, or purely medical,” she says. “Nobody was really talking about pleasure, confidence, self-exploration, or emotional wellness in a way that felt normal, safe, and relatable.” That silence, she explains, extends far beyond intimacy itself. Shame and conditioning often shape confidence, relationships, and even the way women exist in the world. “I wanted Sassiest to feel less clinical and more like a movement,” Chavan shares. “A space where women and queer people could feel seen without embarrassment.” Of course, building a sexual wellness brand in India came with its fair share of

With rising awareness around clean eating and traceable food sources, Dam Good Fish is rethinking how fresh seafood reaches urban consumers. Co-founders Shobhit Gaur and Shailesh Patel share how their unlikely partnership, built on complementary strengths in branding and aquaculture, led to a venture that prioritises natural sourcing, transparency, and freshness in India’s rapidly growing seafood market. Tell us a little about yourselves, your backgrounds, and personalities. Shobhit Gaur (Co-Founder & CEO):With a Master’s in Business Management and several years as National Head at a leading advertising agency, my career has always combined creativity with strategy. I see myself as a big-picture thinker who enjoys building disruptive ideas in traditionally unorganised markets. I’m naturally outgoing and enjoy exploring new concepts, whether in business or food culture. When I’m not working, I’m usually tracking food trends or spending time working out. Shailesh Patel (Co-Founder):My background is rooted in science, followed by a Master’s degree in business. Over the past decade, I’ve worked with multinational organisations and helped build ventures centred around sustainable solutions. I’m very hands-on and detail-oriented, someone who thrives on execution. For me, strategy must always be backed by strong ethics and measurable results. How did two people from different professional worlds come together to build a venture centred around fresh, natural seafood? Our paths crossed through shared sporting networks, where casual conversations gradually shifted toward food, health, and sustainability. Shobhit’s expertise in media and branding combined naturally with my background in aquaculture. As we discussed clean-label foods and the gaps in India’s seafood ecosystem, it became clear there was a real opportunity. In 2023, we decided to bootstrap Dam Good Fish. The idea was simple: combine strong storytelling and consumer awareness with operational expertise that ensures traceability and quality. Our complementary skill sets helped turn that idea into

A homegrown Indian fashion brand redefining the sari as an everyday, breathable, and expressive garment. Combining Sujata’s structured, systems-driven approach with Taniya’s creative vision, they work closely with artisan communities across India to create clothing rooted in comfort, honesty, and human connection. Their journey blends entrepreneurship with sisterhood, building a brand that values trust, craftsmanship, and mindful fashion. Taniya, you left a stable career with the Tata group and IBM after IIM Lucknow, and Sujata, you pivoted from IIFT Delhi and corporate life. What was the exact moment when both of you realised that the corporate path wasn’t enough and that Suta was waiting to happen? Taniya: It wasn’t a rebellion. It was recognition. I had done everything “right”: engineering, IIM, a Consulting role that looked perfect on paper. But somewhere between late-night presentations and early morning meetings, I realised I was living life from the neck up. My hands missed fabric. My heart missed stories. I kept returning mentally to memories of wet saris drying on clotheslines, of Maa moving through the house with her pallu tucked in. One evening, over chai, I said it aloud to Sujata: I don’t think this is it. The moment I spoke it, Suta was born. Sujata: For me, it came as the discomfort of becoming someone I wasn’t. The corporate world had given me growth, but it had also hardened me. I remember thinking: If success requires me to lose softness, I don’t want it. My PhD was an attempt to find meaning, but even that felt academic, distant. What we really wanted was to build something with our hands, our intuition, and our values. Suta didn’t arrive as planned. It arrived as relief. From travelling through remote weaving clusters in Meghalaya, Varanasi, MP, and Odisha to working directly with artisan families,

February is the month of relationships, and at Hashtag, we’re celebrating the bonds that shape not just personal lives, but powerful businesses. This special edition explores entrepreneurs who share more than a company; they share roots. From siblings turning into strategic partnerships to spouses balancing love and leadership, we dive into the real dynamics behind relationship-driven ventures. This month, discover how strong relationships can become a business’s most valuable asset. Vijayaraghavan Venugopal is the Co-founder at Fast&Up and has been instrumental in building the brand in India. He has over 26 years of business experience in diverse fields, which includes pharmaceuticals, Healthcare and Information Technology. He has been responsible for business development in multiple geographies, including the Triad (USA, Europe and Japan). He has worked with TekFriday, Dr Reddy’s, Lupin and Emcure in different senior management roles. He was Lupin’s country head in China for three years between 2007 and 2010. He is a mechanical engineer and an MBA in International Business from the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, Delhi. He is one of the fastest amateur marathoners in the country, having run in sub-3-hour marathons 12 times in major cities throughout the world, including Paris, Boston, Chicago, Berlin, London, Tokyo and New York, all while leading the growth of India’s fastest-growing nutrition brand, Fast&Up. He also has the distinction of being the first Indian to do all six world marathon majors under 3 hours, and is the winner of the recently held Tata Mumbai Marathon in his age group. Varun Khanna is the CEO of Fullife Healthcare Pvt. Ltd., a company he started at the age of 23 with the sole purpose to focus on healthy living. A relentless passion to do something innovative for the millennial need for an active life drove him to launch India’s first effervescent