The idea of Blend Community was triggered during the pandemic when I saw how badly the F&B industry suffered and I wanted to help food brands revive their business without bleeding for profitability, courtesy the food aggregators. I noticed there weren’t any platforms that caters to these three themes specifically.
1. Tell us more about your background and journey.
I started my career in banking sales, but I always had a penchant for communication which made me make an early switch to advertising. I realized I had a passion for shaping brands and consumer perceptions. I lead Dell India’s Consumer and Small Business marketing efforts.2. What led you to start The Blend Community and how is it different from other similar start-ups out there?
The idea of Blend Community was triggered during the pandemic when I saw how badly the F&B industry suffered and I wanted to help food brands revive their business without bleeding for profitability, courtesy the food aggregators. I noticed there weren’t any platforms that caters to these three themes specifically.
3. Tell us more about Blend For Food.
Blend for Food is a super-app that is a one-stop destination for all things food - choicest restaurants, curated home chefs, D2C food brands for kitchen needs, favourite Food Influencers, and much more.
BFF is on a mission to create an impact in the food business and ecosystem via the creator economy and community tech. In today’s world, food businesses don’t need just another food aggregator platform but a partner. BFF equips food businesses with end-to-end order management, integrated platforms, and tools to scale their business.
4. What challenges did you face with the start-up and how did you overcome them?
The Blend community as an idea was born during the pandemic, our vision was to use the platform to bring back excitement towards the food industry through content and storytelling. It was a bit tough to venture out to different spots to create content with curfew limitations but over time things got better with our model of creator collaborations.
5. What do you think is most important for a successful start-up?
For any start-up entrepreneur, it's important to believe in the process and never stray from your vision of why started.
6. What are some of the best career advice that
you have ever received?
My mentors and peers have always told me I have a “go-getter attitude” and it
would be perfect for the startup world. The best advice I have ever gotten is
to build my own start-up
7. What are your future plans for The Blend
Community?
Our plan for The Blend Community is to continue growing it from strength to strength, making it India’s most relevant platform for Food, Fashion, and Fiction. Our vision is to enable brands in amplifying their stories via content creation.
8. Your mantra to success.
“It is never the end until you decide to give up.”
9. Your favorite book/show and why?
My favorite show recently has been Queens Gambit on Netflix. Becoming By Michelle Obama is my all-time favorite book. A good story is something that will always keep me hooked, whether it's fiction or non-fiction.
Bio -
Razia is a proud MOM-trepreneur, who loves ideating with people from varied niches and finds great joy in helping translate them into realities. Being married at 19 and a mother at 20, didn’t stop her from living and accomplishing her professional dreams like, having her own start-up. She loves fashion, lifestyle, and food and has travelled solo to 19 countries in 3 years.
She has experienced the transition of advertising and marketing from the traditional offline media days to new-age media. An industry veteran with 16+ years of experiences in organizations such as Dell and AMD, she has a strong ability to adapt to trends. She has leveraged her passion towards brands, fashion, and food and her experience in the advertising and marketing industry and brought to life a brand and community of her own. The ability to do that, in a male-dominated, food-tech industry is what sets her apart.
Career Summary - She has over 16 years of experience in managing brands, marketing, and business operations and has always proclaimed her love for IT brands. From a humble beginning, with banking sales, but a penchant towards communications, it didn’t take long for Razia to join the myriad world of advertising only to realize her passion for shaping brands and consumer perceptions. Along with her full-time job as an OEM lead at AMD, she is also running her own start-up ‘Blend For Food’. BFF is a community-powered, content-led food commerce platform that leverages content for commerce thus redefining the food consumption ecosystem.
1. Women Trailblazer in IT – 2019
2. Dell Aarambh - A PC for Education Campaign
3. Effies 2018 Finalists
4. Winner INDIAAA Awards - 2015: Consumer Electronics
5. Best Back to School Campaign
6. Bangalore Hot 50 Brand Managers 2015 – Dell
7. CMO Asia Awards 2015
8. Best Campaign of the Year & Best Consumer Insight – Electronics
9. 2021 Best India OEM Lead - AMD for fastest Market share growth
Interviewed By - Nimisha Dutta
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