One Year of Rize D2C+: Building Together, Growing Together!

Celebrating one year of Razorpay Rize D2C+, a community built on real connects, shared wins & founder support. Here's to everything we’ve built & everything that’s yet to come.

Jul 16, 2025

Building a D2C brand is thrilling until it’s 2 AM and you’re printing labels, troubleshooting website bugs, replying to a customer DM, and wondering if that influencer campaign was even worth it.

Founders often talk about the freedom of entrepreneurship. But what they don’t talk about enough is the isolation. The invisible weight of decision fatigue. The endless tabs open in your brain and on your browser. The loneliness that creeps in when you’re navigating it all alone.

And that’s why Rize D2C+ was born, bringing together retail, eCommerce & D2C founders across India.

Not as another group chat, not as a one-size-fits-all playbook, but as a community- a living, breathing space where founders could be real, with their challenges, doubts, data, and dreams.

A place where:

You can prepare for your first or first of many festive seasons through knowledge sessions and the Rize D2C+ festive brochure
You can ask a “silly” question and get 10 generous answers
Someone always reminds you: you don’t have to build alone

We weren’t sure how big it would become or how fast. But what we knew and hoped was that there were other founders out there who needed this, too. And one year in, here we are- 100s of stories, 1000s of messages, wins, learnings, friendships, and a whole lot of passion.

Why Communities Matter- Especially for Startup Founders

Building a D2C brand is exhilarating but often lonely. You’re moving fast, juggling margins, marketing, supply chain, and customer delight while pretending you’re fine.

And here’s the truth: Startups are marathons in disguise. And most founders quit not because of a bad business, but because they burn out. Being around people who get it helps you stay sane, grounded, and reminded of why you started. That’s where community comes in.

In the last year, we’ve seen firsthand what happens when founders have a trusted circle. One where they can:

Shortcut learning curves

Why reinvent the wheel? In a founder community, every misstep becomes shared wisdom. You skip the rookie mistakes and gain tested insights, like which logistics player has the best rates for a certain region and package weight, tools that can enhance growth, and service providers to stay miles away from!

Get real, unfiltered answers

Communities offer what social media can’t: honesty. Here, founders talk about what’s really going wrong, not just what looks good in a newsletter. Your group chats are filled with practical tips, voice notes of encouragement, and even midnight “we got this” check-ins.

Need feedback on a campaign? A reliable 3PL contact? Last-minute designer help? You’ll get 10 answers before your chai gets cold.

Move faster, together

Low AOVs, high CACs, abandoned carts, these challenges can keep you up at night. But here’s what helps: being part of a community where founders facing the same hurdles share what’s worked, what hasn’t, and what’s worth trying, and often these can end up as collaborations. When you learn from others who are building alongside you, you don’t just feel less alone- you actually move forward faster.

A Year of Firsts, Wins & Learnings

Here’s a quick snapshot of what the Rize D2C+ community has done in just one year:

250+ passionate founders in the community
70+ founders launched new products, pitched to VCs, featured on TV and celebrated new wins
50+ hours spent in 1:1 conversations through office hours with industry experts
20+ expert-led sessions on branding, logistics, exports & more
10,000+ WhatsApp messages of questions, insights, feedback & banter

And, countless collaborations from vendor referrals to co-created campaigns! But numbers aside, what stood out most? The generosity. Founders helping founders.

Rize D2C+ Community for Founders: In Their Words

What's Next for D2C+?

As we step into Year 2, our focus is clear: We’re doubling down on what made this community special: relevant conversations, knowledge, and genuine relationships.

Here’s what’s coming your way in the months ahead:

More offline meetups in new cities
Cohort-based learning for deeper, founder-led knowledge exchange
Workshops on scaling, exporting, and automation- tailored to your stage
Hands-on toolkits and resources co-created with community members

And maybe a few surprises along the way!

To Everyone Who Helped Build This: Thank You!

We started Rize D2C+ as a thought, a name, a logo and the urge to Rize. And now we know, together we really do!

Whether you joined a session, dropped feedback on someone’s brand, or just read along quietly- you helped shape this community. Your curiosity, generosity, and honesty made D2C+ what it is. Here’s to the conversations we’ve had, the ones waiting to happen and everything we’ll build together.