Skip the agency. Hire an ex-D2C founder to run your growth.
Ajay SoniFounder · ex-Bombay Shaving Co. · 10 yrs in D2C
For early-stage D2C founders · Jaipur, India
Growth for challenger D2C brands — run by an ex-founder, not an agency.
I work with a handful of early-stage brands with a genuinely different product — founders who aren't ready to build an in-house team and are done with typical agencies. You work with me directly.
Book a free intro call →No pitch deck. No pressure. Just a look at what's actually happening.
10 years · Ex-Bombay Shaving Co.
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Who this is for
Built for founders at the hard stage.
A good fit if you…
- Have a product that's genuinely different — a challenger in its category
- Are pre-launch, or doing up to roughly ₹25L a month
- Aren't ready to hire a full in-house growth team yet
- Want someone senior in the seat, not a junior account manager
Probably not a fit if you…
- Sell a me-too product and want to win on ad spend alone
- Only want someone to "manage the ads" without touching the funnel
- Need a large agency team and daily status decks
- Expect results in two weeks, without a testing phase
4Xrevenue growth
₹38Lmonth-one revenue, 300% over target
85%CAC cut
200%revenue growth
10years, operator-side
Growth stories
Zero-to-one is where I do my best work.
Brands I personally owned, end to end — launches, first-year scale-ups, and the ones that grew big.
CANDYLAND (MY OWN BRAND)
₹10–12L
Monthly revenue, bootstrapped from zero
- ✓Launched a nootropics gummies brand with my own money
- ✓First batch sold out within 3 months
- ✓Built positioning, site and acquisition myself
- ✓Shut down after a trademark dispute — every lesson now goes into client brands
NootropicsFounder · Zero-to-one
HAPPI PLANET
4X
ROAS at ₹20L/month
- ✓Launched the brand from zero
- ✓Scaled D2C revenue to ₹20L/month
- ✓Owned performance + creative direction
D2C · LaunchZero-to-one
MISTERS.IN
₹38L
Revenue, month one (300% over target)
- ✓4X ROAS delivered on Meta & Google
- ✓Scaled blog traffic 20K → 50K/month
- ✓Landing page conversion 10% → 16%
- ✓Contributed to follow-on funding round
Men's HealthEarly-stage D2C
UNSWEETENED BEAUTY
85%
CAC reduction
- ✓Scaled to ₹18L/month at 3X ROAS
- ✓Rebuilt acquisition funnel end to end
- ✓Fixed targeting & creative fatigue
BeautyEarly-stage D2C
BLEU CARES
200%
Revenue growth
- ✓4.5X ROAS on Meta
- ✓3X ROAS across marketplaces
- ✓End-to-end performance strategy
HealthGrowth-stage D2C
BOMBAY SHAVING CO.
4X
Revenue growth
- ✓Owned ₹30–50L monthly budget across Facebook, Google, SEO, Amazon
- ✓Built the digital marketing function from scratch
- ✓Cut acquisition & retention costs by 60%
- ✓Doubled conversion rate via A/B testing
GroomingSeries-stage D2C
LOTUS DAIRY
₹3Cr
Monthly quick-commerce revenue, from zero in 1.5 years
- ✓Built the quick-commerce ad stack from scratch: Blinkit, Zepto, Instamart, Amazon
- ✓Scaled monthly Q-comm revenue from ₹0 to ₹3 crore
- ✓Owned platform strategy, ROAS targets, and placement negotiations
- ✓Ran this while managing the full growth function in-house
Dairy & FMCGQuick Commerce Growth
←
→
Recent results
Scaled a fashion accessories brand.
Onboarded April 2026. Real Shopify analytics, before and after.
Before — April 2026
After — August 2026
Scaled a bootstrapped FMCG brand.
Onboarded April 2026. Real Shopify analytics, before and after.
100% COD
→
30% Prepaid
70% Partial Prepaid
Before — April 2026
After — June 2026
Scaled a women's apparel brand.
2 months. Real Shopify analytics, before and after.
3X ROAS
→
3.5X ROAS
Before — June 2026
After — August 2026
What clients say
Straight from the founders.
"Ajay is quite hard-working and played a pivotal role in our early-days scale-up. He's been instrumental in the growth of multiple early-stage D2C brands."
Shantanu DeshpandeFounder, Bombay Shaving Company
"Ajay helped me scale my brand, Bleu Cares, while navigating the restrictions the sexual wellness category faces online — and helped guide us through our eventual acquisition by Sirona. He's a gem."
Komal BaldwaFounder, Bleu Cares
"Ajay scaled our business, and the traction helped us secure a funding deal with Fireside Ventures. A true rockstar."
Nimeet DhokiaFounder, Happi Planet
Quotes shared directly by the founders.
Working together
What working together actually looks like.
No account managers, no hand-offs. You get me on the calls, in your ad account, and on WhatsApp — the same person who reads your numbers is the one making the changes.
1
Free 30-min callI look at your ads, site and numbers and tell you what I'd fix first — useful even if we don't work together.2
One-month paid pilotTracking audit, account cleanup and a first testing plan. You see how I work before committing.3
Monthly retainerFlat fee. No lock-in, no advance. Ad spend stays in your own accounts.4
Performance-linkedOnce growth is proven, part of the fee moves to a variable model tied to results.Pilot month: ₹35,000 · Retainers from ₹50,000/month for up to ₹10L monthly ad spend. Creative strategy, scripts and briefs included.
See services & process by stage →
Why Undercover
What you actually get
An operator, not a vendor
I've built and run D2C brands myself — you get what actually worked, not theory.
Zero-to-one specialist
I work best with challenger brands in their first year or two — not brands looking for someone to manage spend.
Fewer clients, on purpose
A handful of brands at a time, so yours gets real attention — not leftover hours.
The difference
Typical agency vs. Undercover Labs
| Typical agency | Undercover Labs | |
|---|---|---|
| Lock-in period | 3–6 months | None |
| Advance payment | Usually required | None |
| Who runs your account | Junior media buyer | Founder, directly |
| Client load | 20–50+ accounts | A handful, on purpose |
| Pricing | Often hidden fees | Flat, transparent |
Lock-in
None
Advance
None
Pricing
Flat, up to ₹10L spend
Questions, answered
Before you ask.
We've just launched, or haven't yet. Is it too early?
No — it's the stage I like most. Before and just after launch, I set up tracking, sharpen positioning and build the first testing plan, so you don't burn your first few lakhs learning the basics.
Is there a minimum ad spend?
No fixed minimum. For Meta to learn properly, I usually suggest starting around ₹1,000–1,500 a day. On the intro call I'll tell you honestly if a budget is too small to test with.
Who makes the ad creatives?
I own creative strategy — the angles, hooks, scripts and briefs for every ad. Production can be done by your team, or I bring in designers and editors I trust.
How soon will we see results?
Tracking fixes and account cleanup usually show up within the first few weeks. Reliable, repeatable growth typically takes 2–3 months of testing — anyone promising it in two weeks is guessing.
What do you need from me?
Access to your ad accounts and store, 30 minutes a week for a check-in, and honest numbers on margins and stock. The decisions stay yours.
Is there a minimum commitment?
No lock-in. Month-to-month by default. If it's not working for either side, either of us can walk away with 30 days' notice.
Who owns the creative and strategy if we part ways?
You do. Every ad, every doc, every piece of strategy work stays with your brand — nothing is held back or license-gated.
Do you work with competing brands in the same category?
No. One brand per category at a time — your growth playbook doesn't end up informing someone competing with you.
How fast can you actually start?
Typically within a week of signing — account access, tracking audit, and the first working sprint plan.
What happens after the initial retainer period?
Once the growth curve is proven, we usually move to a model with a variable component tied to performance — so the incentive stays aligned as you scale.
Do you handle ad spend, or just strategy and execution?
Ad spend stays in your own accounts, billed directly to you — full visibility, no markup, no black box.
Taking on 2 more brands this quarter — after that, waitlist.
Let's see if it's a fit.
30 minutes. I'll tell you exactly what's working, what isn't, and what I'd do differently.