When Pawan Gupta observed supply chain gaps in fashion manufacturing, he decided to design something entirely new: Production technology that solves problems and creates a more sustainable future.

Pawan is the Co-Founder and CEO of Fashinza, an AI-driven B2B marketplace and tech-enabled global supply chain platform for fashion brands, retailers and manufacturers. 

Fashinza is more than just manufacturing technology. They predict future fashion trends, help retailers modify and order designs, and connect with manufacturers to get timely delivery. By going thought-to-shelf in just 2-4 months, Fashinza helps deliver trends to consumers where, when, and how they want them.

Fashinza helps eliminate unsold stock by giving consumers more of what they want and none of what they don’t. Their impact on the environment has been substantial, fulfilling Pawan’s mission to reduce the impact of the fashion industry globally. 

Over the past 12 months, Pawan has led Fashinza through a period of 10x growth, surpassing $150 million an annualized GMV run rate while increasing the Company’s global footprint. As a serial entrepreneur for nearly a decade, Pawan co-founded and successfully led Curofy, India’s largest network of doctors to an all-cash acquisition by Seattle-based Edifecs. Prior to Curofy, he was an analyst at Deutsche Bank in London where he was involved in structuring derivative products and proprietary credit indices in emerging markets. 

Pawan is a mission-driven entrepreneur who believes that technology has the power to change the lives of the most vulnerable for the better. At Fashinza, he is improving the lives and working conditions of workers throughout the fashion supply chain while striving to bring sustainable design and increase efficiency.

Pawan Gupta was part of Forbes India’s 30 under 30 in 2018, Rising Stars by Bloomberg TV, and Young Turks by CNBC. He has also written guest columns in leading publications and has spoken at global events.

To grow a brand, identify a need

After the acquisition of his second successful company, Pawan was spending a lot of time at his parents’ house. He got an idea. 

Inspired by his father’s decades of experience in manufacturing, he saw a major gap: Retailers, producers and customers were largely disconnected. He saw their frustration in dealing with middlemen, who made their jobs more difficult and ate into their profit margins. He identified a need. 

By researching the gaps in the fashion supply chain, Pawan got to work with his friends and Co-founders to design something the industry had never used before: Technology that helps them predict trends, choose designs, order from manufacturers and get timely deliveries. Fashinza launched and they experienced explosive growth. 

Successful entrepreneurs get crystal clear

Pawan’s advice to any young entrepreneur is this: Don’t start a business until you get clear on what your goals are! 

While your reasons might be different from everyone else’s, you need to identify your true driving force in order to create the type of company you actually want. Whether you want to create a massive impact, make more money, retire early or launch a family business, approach this question with no judgment and complete clarity. Understanding your business goals helps you decide what steps to take as you launch, grow and scale your company. 

Enjoy this fascinating conversation with Pawan Gupta on The Business of You.

Quotes

“We don’t just accelerate the manufacturing process – we also help brands make a decision on what to manufacture and what kind of designs to launch, so that the industry only produces stuff the customers want! We are solving the problem of dead stock and overproduction, making fashion more sustainable.”

“I got super excited. How can we take these small manufacturing units and connect them with customers across the world?” 

“We value the integration of technology and how we could change the fragmented supply chain. It’s really challenging but the solution was really needed as well.”

“Be very clear on why you want to start a company. No judgment! It’s entirely your call, but be very clear on exactly what it is that you want to do. Don’t get swayed by propaganda. Not everyone does a job for the same reason. Your reasons could be personal. And your answer affects how you build your own company, as well.”

“We believe in providing absolute freedom and autonomy, and trusting that you do the right thing. This is exactly what our hiring and internal management philosophy is.”

“I want to make something super big. I care about the impact and what it brings to the supply partners and customers. I care about what it brings to society and millions of workers. This is the most important exciting part of our business.”

Links mentioned in this episode:

Podcast Resources

Learn all about Fashinza on their company website at https://www.fashinza.com/en-us

Connect directly with Pawan Gupta on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/pawaniitd/ 

Read Pawan Gupta’s interview in Medium Magazine at https://medium.com/authority-magazine/pawan-gupta-of-fashinza-on-the-supply-chain-and-the-future-of-retail-e68781e7e862 

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