Arjun Vaidya
Founder, Dr. Vaidya's and Venture Capitalist
Arjun Vaidya is a pioneering entrepreneur and venture capitalist who transformed his family's 150-year-old Ayurvedic legacy into India's first successful D2C Ayurveda brand. Graduating with honors in International Relations and Economics from Brown University, Arjun initially pursued private equity, working at L Catterton Asia from 2013, where he invested in India's burgeoning consumer sector and witnessed e-commerce's transformative rise firsthand. However, a promise made to his grandfather before his passing would redirect Arjun's career trajectory entirely. In October 2016, he quit his lucrative job to honor that commitment and revive his family's centuries-old Ayurvedic formulations.
Dr. Vaidya's was born from Arjun's vision to repackage ancient Indian Ayurvedic wisdom for modern consumers. Within four years, the brand reached over 2 million consumers across 500+ cities and 16,500+ pin codes in India, launching 80+ products and becoming India's largest online Ayurveda brand. The company's formulations, passed down through generations and manufactured at their ISO 9001:2015 approved, GMP certified, US FDA registered factory in Silvassa, combined traditional wisdom with contemporary packaging and marketing. Arjun became the first Ayurvedic entrepreneur featured in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia List and BusinessWorld 40 Under 40 List. Dr. Vaidya's also won Amazon's Youth SMB of the Year and the Retail Startup Award from the Retailers Association of India.
In June 2019, Dr. Vaidya's partnered with the $4 billion RP Sanjiv Goenka Group, culminating in the group's acquisition of the brand in March 2021, one of India's first major successful D2C exits. Following this achievement, Arjun co-founded V3 Ventures, Verlinvest's India-focused arm, where he now leads venture investing in early-stage consumer businesses. As an active angel investor with over 80 portfolio companies, he mentors brands across India's D2C and e-commerce ecosystem.
Beyond investing, Arjun hosts the podcast "Direct to a Billion Consumers," exploring India's complex FMCG ecosystem, and runs one of India's largest cohort-based courses on D2C business models. He serves as a World Economic Forum Global Shaper, mentor at the Atal Innovation Mission, and member of Brown University's Young Alumni Advisory Council. Arjun's journey exemplifies how honoring heritage while embracing innovation can create category-defining businesses that bridge tradition and modernity.
