Odore, where brand advocacy and authentic engagement converge

What was the catalyst for launching Odore?

[Karan] The idea for Odore sparked during a conference, where we spoke with beauty marketers looking for innovative ways to drive engagement and online sales. Six months later, that idea came to life, and we created solutions to help brands navigate and accelerate their digital transformation. We recognised a shift happening in the beauty, wellness, lifestyle and CPG sectors, where brands were eager to go digital and invest, but there was a lot to tackle - especially for large enterprise brands, which became our main focus. We were fortunate to join LVMH’s Retail Lab and later partnered with L’Oréal, which really validated our idea early on.

Tell us about the business – what it is, what it aims to achieve, who you work with, and how you reach customers.

[Armaan] Odore is focused on helping brands connect more effectively with their customers. Our platform offers a range of products, with our flagship solution helping brands build advocacy and ambassador programmes. We recognised that brands needed a better way to build genuine relationships with their customers and promote their products authentically. Our technology allows brands to build and manage creator and ambassador programmes at scale. When it comes to enterprise-level needs, working with just 50 creators isn’t enough. To make a real impact, brands need to engage with thousands - even 10,000 or 20,000 creators. No tool can manage that kind of scale manually, and that’s where our platform excels. Odore offers an all-in-one solution for creator identification, community building, and generating user-generated content (UGC).

We make it easy to recruit the right ambassadors and nano-influencers, engage with them through missions, challenges, and rewards, and build bespoke communities. We streamline the entire process - from recruitment to management and engagement - so brands can create meaningful connections and resonate with their customers. On top of that, we help brands acquire and profile customer data more effectively through lead generation campaigns across over 100 channels, ensuring brands can drive long-term engagement and build results-driven partnerships.

How has the business evolved since its launch?

[Armaan] We launched Odore a few years ago with an initial focus on helping brands collect customer data more effectively from the most relevant channels. We built over 100 integrations across social media platforms, publishers, and more because brands wanted to own their data and relationships, rather than relying on expensive ads and third-party platforms. As time went on, we noticed brands looking for new ways to engage with customers, which led to the development of our brand ambassador feature. This has now become our biggest and most popular solution, helping brands build bespoke communities, recruit the right ambassadors and nano-influencers, and engage with them in meaningful ways.

Tell us about the working culture at Odore.

[Karan] We’re a fast-growing company where every role is essential to our success. While performance is key, we also invest in fostering talent and promoting from within. We provide our team with the tools they need to thrive, all while keeping client value central to everything we do. Our culture is performance-driven yet supportive, encouraging collaboration and innovation at every level.

[Armaan] At Odore, our culture is also supportive, inclusive, and competitive but in the best way. We believe in bringing on people who are deeply passionate about this space, customer-centric, and who strive to be the best in their roles - not just within the company but across the industry as a whole. While we encourage collaboration, as we know it’s crucial for success, we also push each other to excel.

How are you funded?

[Karan] We’ve raised $8M in venture capital to date, which has been instrumental in scaling our operations and driving the continued development of our platform.

What has been your biggest challenge so far and how have you overcome it?

[Karan] Launching during COVID was a major challenge. Budget freezes and market uncertainty made it difficult to get started and gain momentum. Building credibility in an unfamiliar space was also tough, but by partnering early with supportive brands and staying agile, we were able to overcome these obstacles and successfully grow our footprint.

[Armaan] Another big challenge has been keeping up with the fast-paced, ever-evolving digital marketing space. New trends and channels emerge every day, and brands are always seeking fresh ways to promote their products. While it’s exciting, it’s also been a rewarding challenge to ensure our platform stays ahead of the curve, providing solutions that help brands optimise their strategies in this constantly changing landscape.

How does Odore answer an unmet need?

[Karan] As consumer discovery habits shift toward social platforms, there’s a growing demand for genuine, authentic content. Brands need to tap into this shift at scale, but often lack the specialised tools to do so effectively - especially enterprise brands that need to engage consistently with a large number of nano-influencers to make a real impact.

Our ambassador and community-building platform bridges this gap by offering unparalleled scalability and efficiency. It provides a unified solution that covers the entire lifecycle of advocacy and ambassador programs, allowing brands to amplify authentic, consumer-driven content at scale while nurturing long-term relationships with creators. This makes Odore the best choice for brands looking to build, manage, and engage with their ambassador communities and drive significant impact through these programmes.

What’s in store for the future?

[Karan] We’re focusing on international expansion, continuing to develop platform features to meet the changing needs of brands, and selectively incorporating AI where relevant. Our goal is to continue to drive consistent value for our clients and keep enhancing their community-building efforts in meaningful, impactful ways.

[Armaan] Looking ahead, we plan to grow alongside the industry and our customers. Our goal is to become the go-to solution for brands, covering all aspects of the marketing funnel.

What one piece of advice would you give other founders or future founders?

[Karan] Build quickly and iterate. Your first idea probably won’t be perfect, but testing, gathering feedback, and refining based on real-world use cases is more important than aiming for perfection from day one.

[Armaan] Hire people who are smarter than you, and listen to your customers very carefully. They know what they need, and if you pay attention, they’ll guide you in the right direction.

And finally, a more personal question! What’s your daily routine and the rules you’re living by at the moment?

[Karan] I start my day with a quick workout and a coffee, then I prioritise my key goals for the day. I’m currently focused on optimising time management - ensuring I tackle the most impactful tasks first while staying adaptable when plans change.

[Armaan] With so many different things to work on, it’s easy to get pulled in multiple directions. I try to compartmentalise my time and allocate specific hours to different tasks. When I’m focused on one area, I dedicate a few hours to it without getting distracted by other things. Outside of work, I aim to hit the gym 4-5 times a week and always make time to walk my dog. It helps me stay balanced and clear-headed.

Odore, founded in 2020 by Karan Gupta and Armaan Mehta. Karan and Armaan