Vedant Lamba: A Sneakerhead Turned Entrepreneur His startup The Mainstreet Marketplace has served about 30,000 customers till now through products and more than 3 million people through content
By S Shanthi
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Vedant Lamba, founder of The Mainstreet Marketplace was 17 years old when he learned about the sneaker culture in India and kept reading more and more about the space. He felt like he was diving headfirst into a rabbit hole. And, when he looked up, he realized there was no one around in the space. This looked like a big gap to fill. And that was the moment he knew he was on to something.
"We were the first physical outlet in India to sell limited edition sneakers. This whole industry is still very niche but we've been lucky enough to play a pivotal role in helping it grow in India. There is a massive enthusiasm for collecting limited edition sneakers and apparel, and we're building access to this product and spreading awareness around this space via our content as well," says Lamba.
The startup has served about 30,000 customers till now through products and more than 3 million people through content. The startup's clientele includes many Bollywood celebrities like Ranveer Singh, Ranbir Kapoor, Karan Johar, Deepika Padukone, Shah Rukh Khan, Badshah, Arjun Kapoor, Malaika Arora, Salman Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, and others.
"I'm big on the idea that if you do the right things at a fundamental level, consistency will always drive success. I'm very lucky to have a plethora of mentors across the board. I consider a small part of most of my professional relationships to be teaching me so much. It's great," he says.
Talking about how the past year has been, he says, "2022 was absolutely beautiful in teaching me about life, stability, slowing down, and more. I learned a lot of things I didn't know I needed," he says. The startup has been profitable since the first real year of operating - 2022. It is expanding its retail footprint this year and will be dropping an app soon, both of which will be massive growth levers in 2023. The startup also plans to invest in advertising to grow faster.
FACTSHEET
- Age as on February 1, 2023: 23
- Number of employees: 30
- Year of inception of the company: 2020
- Key investors in your idea: Kunal Shah, Tanmay Bhat, Mouni Roy, Ashish Chanchlani
