The Era of Influencer CEOs is Here
It’s 2025, and your favorite influencers aren't just sharing discount codes anymore. They're building empires. From skincare lines to fashion drops, India’s digital creators are flipping the script and becoming full-blown entrepreneurs. What started with affiliate links has evolved into creator-led brands that are winning both hearts and market share. This isn't just a trend but a shift. And if you’re still thinking of influencers as just content creators, it's time to update the perspective.
Examples: Real Creators, Real Brands
Kusha Kapila – UnderNeat Kusha Kapila, known for her razor-sharp wit and candid persona, entered the entrepreneurial space with the launch of UnderNeat, a brand that champions inclusive and comfortable innerwear. With a focus on body positivity, breathable fabrics, and everyday functionality. Her brand reimagined "basics" while also reflecting Kusha’s unfiltered voice -honest, relatable, and rooted products and content for real people. By pairing functionality with personality, UnderNeat is already resonating with young Indian audiences who are tired of traditional innerwear.
Sarah Sarosh – Impulse Coffees
Beauty and wellness influencer Sarah brewed something beyond skincare with her brainchild, Impulse Coffees. Her D2C brand offers premium, flavored instant coffees made with clean ingredients and no-nonsense formulations. With quirky names like “Rage Roast” and “Nutty Affair,” the brand has carved a fun, youthful space in India’s growing coffee culture. Sarah’s loyal beauty community helped Impulse Coffees achieve rapid traction, transforming casual caffeine lovers into repeat customers. The brand is a testament to how a niche creator can convert community trust into commercial success.
Even YouTube powerhouse Ranveer Allahbadia (BeerBiceps) continues to expand Level Super Mind, his mental wellness app, showing how content + community + commerce = scalable impact.
Why This Matters
This isn’t just a disruption but rather a wake-up call. Traditional brands now compete with creators who have:
Built-in audiences
Instant credibility
Cultural fluency
And they are not just waiting for endorsement deals anymore. They are launching direct-to-consumer and writing their own rules.
But here’s the exciting bit: it doesn’t have to be brand vs. creator. There’s massive potential in co-branded launches, capsule collabs, and licensing models that marry a brand’s scale with a creator’s influence. Emma Chamberlain is one such example who was the face and creative voice for Bad Habit beauty, created with Forma (which also owned Morphe). Though not an official "co-founder," Chamberlain's role involves assisting in product development and the creative process, while Forma Brands owns and operates the brand.
The Agency POV: Beyond Campaigns, Into Ventures
For agencies like Greenroom, the playbook has changed. We’re no longer just campaign managers, we’re potential collaboration advisors, product consultants, and pitch-deck wingmen. The real opportunity? Helping creators build brands from scratch by shaping product-market fit, retail strategy, and even funding introductions. We also need to focus on brand-influencer mergers to explore potential opportunities in the future.
After all, the next big skincare, fashion, or wellness brand might not come from a boardroom. It might start with a reel.
Conclusion: New Age Creators Are Becoming CEOs - Are You Their Strategic Partner?
As India’s creator economy matures, influence is about ownership, not just reach. Brands want performance. Creators want purpose. And audiences? They want products that feel as real as their favorite creators.
The agencies and brands that see this shift as a blueprint will be the ones leading the next wave of creator-led innovation.
So ask yourself: are you promoting the next big brand… or helping build it?
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