Kolkata: calmer city execution
A founder from Dot & Key said Kolkata offers lower attrition and higher hunger compared with bigger hubs, which can make local teams more stable and execution easier. That founder-level observation highlights how hiring and team durability vary across second‑tier cities (businesstoday.in).
Kolkata is getting a fresh look from founders who say the city’s calmer labor market can make startups easier to run. (businesstoday.in) Dot & Key co-founder Suyash Saraf told Business Today on April 12, 2026 that Kolkata offers “lower attrition” and “higher hunger” than bigger startup hubs. He said the city also has fewer distractions than Mumbai and Delhi, which he argued helps founders execute with more clarity. (businesstoday.in) Saraf is speaking as a founder who built Dot & Key in Kolkata after launching the skincare brand in 2018 with Anisha Saraf. Nykaa first bought a 51% stake in Dot & Key in 2021, then approved the purchase of another 39% stake in August 2024, taking its holding to 90% after the deal closed in September 2024. (d2cstories.com, nykaa.com, inc42.com) That makes the comment less about civic pride than about a hiring model: keep teams in a city where employees switch jobs less often, and operating rhythms can stay steadier. Saraf’s point lands at a time when Indian startups have spent the past two years chasing profitability, tighter costs, and more predictable growth after the funding boom cooled. (businesstoday.in, nykaa.com) Kolkata is still not India’s dominant startup center, but outside trackers show it is no longer invisible. StartupBlink’s 2025 ecosystem page lists Kolkata at No. 187 globally with about 550 startups, and a separate March 2026 report in Ahmedabad Mirror said the city ranked ninth in India and had drawn about $1.8 billion across 18 months to September 2025. (startupblink.com, ahmedabadmirror.com) The counterpoint is that a calmer city can also mean a thinner support system. At Infocom 2025, founders and investors told The Telegraph that Bengal has a talent edge but still faces gaps in mentorship, incubators, investor engagement, governance readiness, and liquidity. (telegraphindia.com) The state has tried to close some of that gap through Startup Bengal, a West Bengal government platform that connects founders with investors, incubators, and support programs. Its public site describes a “Kick Starter Fund” and other ecosystem services aimed at early-stage companies in the state. (startupbengal.in) Dot & Key’s own growth gives Saraf’s argument more weight than a generic founder sound bite. Nykaa’s disclosures and multiple business reports say the brand’s revenue reached about ₹198.3 crore in financial year 2024, up sharply from ₹57.7 crore a year earlier, while Nykaa has continued to position it as a major “House of Nykaa” brand. (startupstorymedia.com, nykaa.com) So the Kolkata pitch is becoming more specific: not just lower costs than Bengaluru or Mumbai, but a team that stays put long enough to build. Saraf’s claim will be tested by whether more companies can scale from the city the way Dot & Key did. (businesstoday.in, nykaa.com)
