Sandeep Karwa takes over as AJIO CEO as Reliance sharpens fashion etail bet

Reliance has installed Sandeep Karwa as CEO of AJIO, signaling a leadership reset at its flagship online fashion arm. The move lands amid a quiet funding week for Indian startups ($128M, down 56% WoW), with Scapia ($63M) and upGrad (~$38M) leading rounds and Snabbit pushing into salon-at-home beauty.

— Source publishedSat, 23 May, 2026, 12:36 IST·First seen Sat, 23 May, 2026, 12:40 IST·Source Entrackr · Newsletter

What happened

Ajio · Indian startup weekly roundup: Sandeep Karwa named AJIO CEO; Country Delight raised Rs 65 cr debt; Snabbit entered salon-at-home beauty; Flipkart-India

Key facts

  • $128.36M total weekly funding
  • 14 startups funded
  • Scapia $63M round
  • upGrad Rs 361 cr (~$38M)
  • Country Delight Rs 65 cr NCD
  • 56% WoW decline

Why this matters

AJIO's leadership change opens a window for partnership, brand-onboarding, and selective M&A conversations as Karwa reshapes the portfolio—map adjacent fashion, beauty (Snabbit-style), and logistics targets that could plug into a sharper Reliance fashion stack.

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