Quick Commerce Startup Firi Raises $3 Million to Expand AI-Driven Beauty and Personal Care Platform

Quick Commerce Startup Firi Secures $3 Million for Beauty Platform Expansion

Gurugram-based Firi, a quick commerce startup specializing in beauty and personal care products, has raised $3 million in a seed funding round led by 360 One Asset1

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. Better Capital, CRED founder Kunal Shah, and several angel investors participated in the round1

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. The startup currently offers deliveries in as little as nine minutes in parts of Gurugram through its first Beauty Studio2

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Expansion Plans Target Makeup and Fragrances

Firi plans to use the fresh capital to expand its assortment beyond skincare, haircare, and bodycare into makeup, fragrances, and other beauty categories2

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. Cofounder Vivek Madani told ET that the company will add more dark stores as it deepens operations in Gurugram1

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. The startup will be adding two more dark stores in Gurugram before expanding to additional cities1

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. This expansion strategy reflects the company's measured approach to scaling its operations while maintaining service quality.

Former Uber India Executives Build AI-Driven Platform

Founded by former Uber India executives Karishma Rathaur and Vivek Madani in 2026, Firi positions itself as an opinionated beauty store that reviews and shortlists products instead of listing a wider catalogue2

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. The duo was part of Uber's early India team and worked on categories such as Uber Premier and Rentals, while Madani later worked on deeptech products at Flipkart Labs2

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. Before launching Firi, the cofounders built Honestly, an AI-powered beauty search and discovery platform1

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AI-Led Product Discovery Analyzes 50 Million Reviews

Firi uses an AI-driven approach to research and list high-quality beauty and personal care products from premium brands on its platform1

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. The company claims to use AI tools to analyse Reddit discussions, YouTube reviews, ingredient lists, and other product information to identify products with high repeat-purchase potential2

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. Firi has analysed more than 50 million reviews and shortlisted about 3,000 products from over 300,000 beauty products available globally1

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. This curated selection differentiates Firi from competitors who offer broader catalogues.

Strong Early Performance and Customer Metrics

Madani stated that Firi focuses on high-quality products that people buy on repeat, irrespective of price1

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. The company ran a pilot in January this year and after seeing good results, started full operations in September1

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. Firi claimed that its average order value is nearly 2X the reported AOV of large online beauty retailers such as Nykaa and Tira, despite currently operating across only three product categories2

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. Customers are also purchasing products across multiple categories in a single order, indicating strong cross-category appeal2

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Investor Confidence in Differentiated Beauty Commerce Model

Abhishek Nag, head of venture capital at 360 One Asset, commented on the funding round led by 360 One Asset, saying Firi is building a differentiated model for beauty commerce with a curated and opinionated selection rather than seeking to replicate the entire beauty catalogue1

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. He noted that the combination of AI-led discovery, deep product research, and fast fulfillment has the potential to build trust with consumers while creating a more effective distribution channel for high-quality brands1

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Competing in a Crowded Beauty Commerce Market

Firi operates in a crowded Indian beauty commerce market dominated by players such as Nykaa, Reliance-backed Tira, and Purplle2

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. Horizontal ecommerce platforms such as Amazon and Myntra, along with quick commerce players Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart, and Zepto, are also expanding their BPC offerings2

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. The startup targets consumers who do not spend significant time researching beauty products or consuming beauty-related content and instead depend on recommendations from friends or family2

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Growing Vertical Quick Commerce Sector

This funding round comes at a time when multiple startups have emerged in the vertical quick commerce sector1

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. India's BPC market is expected to grow from more than $5 billion in 2023 to over $28 billion by 20302

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. Beauty and personal care is emerging as an important high-AOV category for quick commerce platforms as they expand beyond groceries and seek to capture a larger share of consumer spending2

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. Watch how Firi's AI-powered curation model performs against established players as it scales operations and whether its focus on repeat purchases can sustain growth in an increasingly competitive market.