More than 70 founders, ₹30,000 Cr in collective revenue and three days on a private island. Those numbers might tell you who was in the room, but not what happened after. Between September 17-19, Raffles Udaipur became the setting for candid conversations, unexpected connections and stories that stayed off the record for India’s D2C and retail ecosystem.

The three days showed what happens when people building some of India’s most consequential consumer businesses get the time, distance, and trust to step away from the noise.

The founder journey changes as companies scale. Decisions become heavier. The problems become more complex. And finding people who understand those problems from experience becomes harder.

Set across a 21-acre private island framed by the Aravallis, the third edition of the retreat brought together founders from across India’s D2C, consumer and retail ecosystem for three days of conversations, connections and experiences, all under the Chatham House Rule.

The idea was simple: take founders away from the usual conference setting and create enough space for conversations that could continue beyond a stage or a scheduled session.

From conversations about growth and durability, reinvention, liquidity, and the changing role of the founder, to more personal questions about identity, relationships, and life beyond the company, the D2C Retreat created room for founders to talk about what rarely makes it onto a conference agenda.

Some of those conversations happened around tables. Others happened over meals, by the lake, on boat rides or late into the evening. And many had little to do with the formal programme at all.

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