The Good Glamm Group (GGG), with backing from Warburg Pincus, has sold MissMalini Entertainment, a network for managing influencers and media. According to various media reports, marketing firm Creativefuel has purchased the Mumbai-based MissMalini for INR 6 crore in what appears to be a distress sale. Additionally, Creativefuel has just purchased the Pataakha and Hasley India YouTube accounts. The media company’s five business divisions—the marketing and content platform MissMalini, the women’s community platform Girl Tribe by MissMalini, the talent and celebrity management division Ignite Edge, the creative agency Agent M Creative, and the production company MM Studios—were acquired by GGG in 2021. The GGG had reportedly spent around INR 70 crore to seal this deal.
GGG Selling Other Businesses too
The Good Glamm Group, a content-to-commerce venture, has also listed some of its other businesses for sale. Brands like GGG’s Organic Harvest and The Moms Co. are for sale at a time when the content-to-commerce company is struggling financially and trying to raise money to stay afloat. Sirona and other previously owned businesses have been sold back to their original owners. ScoopWhoop, another company owned by GGG, is also sold. In September 2021, the creators of online parenting business BabyChakra, digital media platform POPxo, and direct-to-consumer startup Myglamm joined forces to form The Good Glamm Group. ScoopWhoop, St. Botanica, and a number of other brands are among the dozen brands the group has since bought.
GGG Navigating Through Troubled Water
Prominent investors such as Amazon, Accel, Bessemer Venture Partners, Prosus Ventures, Warburg Pincus, and others have contributed around $400 million to the Good Glamm Group in just nine years. These investments were raised at a valuation of $1.26 billion. Despite the fact that the Good Glamm Group had planned to go public in FY25, the company has faced difficulties along the way. When Sukhleen Aneja, the CEO of the company’s main business, left in April of last year, 150 workers were let go. Later, Aneja worked for Nykaa, a business that rivals The Good Glamm Group. After a 15-month lag, the Good Glamm Group’s FY23 statistics revealed that its losses had increased to INR 917 crore, 153% more than the INR 363 crore it had spent in FY22. Due to several acquisitions the firm made, its operational revenue was INR 603 crore, 185% more than the INR 211 crore recorded in FY22.
Malini Agarwal is the Founder and Creative Director of MissMalini Entertainment. She is an Indian digital influencer, TV host, entrepreneur and best-selling author under the pseudonym of MissMalini. Her blog MissMalini.com was founded in 2008 covering all the inside and outside gossip of Bollywood. Before founding MissMalini Entertainment, she used to work as a Radio Jockey on Mumbai’s Radio One (India) and served as the Head of Digital Content for Channel V India. She has authored a book named To The Moon: How I Blogged My Way To Bollywood, where she describes her fortunate journey so far.
Malini was born in Prayagraj, India. Her parents worked with the Indian foreign service, that is why she grew up in various countries. She currently lives in Mumbai. She is married to Nowshad Rizwanullah, who now serves as the CEO of MissMalini Entertainment.
Malini Agarwal – Education
Malini completed her graduation Maitreyi College, Delhi University. She pursued Bachelor of Arts specialized in English Literature. After completing her education, she moved to Mumbai, where she currently lives.
Malini Agarwal – Professional Life
Malini was a fluent dancer, she worked as a Professional Dancer at Ronica and The Planets from August 1995 to December 2000. She later shifted her professional background by working as a Copywriter at 1D8 Technologies Mumbai.
From 2000 to 2003, She worked as a radio jockey and cordially hosted her radio shows. She juggled with a full-time day job. At the same time, she has been contributing to a newspaper column and a blog, MissMalini.com.
She then joined Channel V to become their digital content head while continuing with her previous works at the same time. Soon, she decided to quit all her jobs and focus on her blog indeed. The blog eventually grew, she was inspired from international sites such as Perez Hilton, a celebrity American blogger, and Refinery29, a lifestyle portal for the youth.
Malini Agarwal- Radio Jockey
Malini’s radio career started as a Radio Jockey with WIN 94.6 in Mumbai, which was later named Go 92.5 and then Radio One 94.3. She hosted some shows like, Horn OK Please, 225, Tiger Time With Malini, Overdrive and Malini till Midnight.
She was eventually promoted as a Programming Director and later decided to shift to digital TV after becoming the Head of Digital Content of Channel V, India.
Although, she does not hosts her show currently but continues to be a part of it, through a weekly call-in with the BBC Asia Network. This is how she continues to serve as a regular contributor to radio shows.
Malini Agarwal – Success story
Malini founded her MissMalini.com blog in 2008, which was initially a hobby blog. Eventually it became a gossip column, which were solely written by Malini. These columns were published in a morning daily Indian compact newspaper, a Mumbai tabloid Mid Day.
One of her friend, Mike Mell who is currently her blog partner, initially offered help to Malini after checking on the business potential of blogging.
With an eye to make her blog more interesting and captivating, she left her job at Channel V and focused only on how to promote and grow her own blog. It drew inspiration from top international websites like PerezHilton and PopSugar and covers all aspects of Bollywood and celebrity life.
MissMalini’s blog also covers the Indian and International fashion trends, with lifestyle content such as Travel, Food, and Nightlife. The blog no longer was just a” desi girl’s diary” rather it became more diverse in its topics and arenas.
Malini’s decision to quit all her previous jobs to focus on her own creative blog proved to be worthwhile. The office of MissMalini Entertainment is based at Santacruz, Mumbai. She serves as the Founder and Creative Director at the company and her husband serves as its CEO.
In 2012, Malini with her team of 47 (13 of them were bloggers) decided to raise a small angel funding round to transcribe their hobby blog into a professional one. The funds were used to elevate their content and marketing operations.
The turning point came when the team decided to shift their focus from writing on basic topics to Bollywood gossip, events, fashion and lifestyle. This eventually took the blog to another level. People found it much interesting and this helped Malini to grow her blog by touching every aspects of Bollywood events and relations.
The MissMalini’s blog became popular in the year 2014, grown out with new revenue streams like TV shows and awards. The blog displayed a growth by a CAGR of more than 100% over 5 years. In the year 2017, she took private funding. The website today has 4 million visitors a month.
Malini has also a connect with her show named Inside access with Miss Malini where she meets various celebrities and does fun stuff & gossip. The show has successfully completed Season 1 and Season 2 is in progress, telecasted on channel vh1.
She has also guest anchored various television shows like, UTV Bindass’ Style Police and CNN-IBN’s Tech Toyz. She has also completed two seasons of MissMalini’s World, telecasted on TLC. Malini and her team is also planning to launch a huge show called Not Size Zero.
Malini Agarwal – Blogging Partner
MissMalini.com is also the official blogging partner for the famous fashion events in India like, Lakme Fashion Week, Blender’s Pride Fashion Tour, and India Resort Fashion Week. Moreover, the blog has also covered international events such as Cape Town Fashion Week 2012.
These blogs are also featured in the prominent digital and print fashion and lifestyle publications on a regular basis. Some of them include, Femina (India), Elle, Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar, Grazia, Glamrs.com and many others.
Malini Agarwal – FAQs
Who is Malini Agarwal?
Malini Agarwal is the Founder and Creative Director of MissMalini Entertainment. She is an Indian digital influencer, TV host, entrepreneur and best-selling author under the pseudonym of MissMalini.
