Aukera raises ₹90 crore debt to expand lab-grown diamond jewellery retail

Lab-grown diamond brand Aukera secured ₹90 crore in debt funding led by Alteria Capital to accelerate store expansion. The brand has grown from 13 to 35 outlets across Bengaluru, Pune, Hyderabad, Delhi-NCR and other cities, targeting the premium segment.

— Source publishedFri, 10 Jul, 2026, 17:08 IST·First seen Fri, 10 Jul, 2026, 17:15 IST·Source ET Small Business

What happened

Lab-grown diamond jewellery brand Aukera raised ₹90 crore debt funding led by Alteria Capital to fund retail expansion, having grown from 13 to 35 stores across

Key facts

  • ₹90 crore
  • $10 million
  • $15 million
  • 35 outlets
  • 13 outlets
  • ₹1,000 crore

Why this matters

Aukera's rapid premium-segment expansion makes it a watch-list target for consolidation or partnership as lab-grown diamond jewellery matures into a competitive branded category.

What to watch

  • Same-store sales growth vs new-store cannibalisation reports
  • Global lab-grown diamond wholesale price index movements
  • Competitor expansion by Giva, De Beers Lightbox, or legacy jewellers entering lab-grown
  • Aukera equity fundraise announcement or additional debt tranches
  • Consumer sentiment shift on lab-grown resale value
  • Concentrate new stores in high-AOV metros (Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru) before entering tier-2 cities
  • Push private-label design and certification narrative to defend premium pricing against commoditisation
  • Layer in omnichannel/online-to-offline to lift per-store productivity and lower CAC
  • Signal a follow-on equity raise to de-risk the debt on the balance sheet