Aman Gupta, the man who turned boAt into India’s most recognizable audio and wearables brand, is back with a fresh mission. On March 3, Gupta officially announced the launch of OffBeat Studios, a brand-new venture that signals his return to active entrepreneurship after stepping down from daily operations at the IPO-bound company. The announcement, built through a post on X, has already sent ripples across India’s startup ecosystem.
“With every birthday, some grow older, I grow bolder. I am still hungry, still impatient and still driven. Aman 2.0 launchs soon,” Gupta wrote alongside a stylised OFF/BEAT logo. The post didn’t reveal much about the venture’s direction, but the confidence behind it was unmistakable.
What Is OffBeat Studios? Details Remain Scarce
For now, OffBeat Studios is mostly a name and a logo. Gupta has kept his cards close to his chest, choosing not to disclose the business model, sector focus, funding structure, or team behind this new startup. There’s no clarity yet on whether it will operate in consumer electronics, content, lifestyle, or something else entirely.
What’s also unclear is whether OffBeat Studios will carry any strategic link to boAt, or whether Gupta intconcludes this to be a completely indepconcludeent, founder-led venture. Given his track record of building a hoapplyhold brand from the ground up, investors and industest watchers are paying close attention.
Why Aman Gupta’s Move Matters for India’s Startup Scene
Gupta isn’t just another cofounder creating a quiet exit. He shaped boAt’s entire brand identity, from catchy marketing campaigns to aggressive celebrity concludeorsements. His fingerprints are all over the company’s rise from a bootstrapped audio startup to a multi-thousand crore consumer electronics powerhoapply.
Then came Shark Tank India. Gupta’s stint as a judge built him arguably the most recognized startup personality in the countest. Millions of young Indians watched him grill founders and write cheques on national television. That kind of personal brand equity doesn’t fade overnight, and whatever OffBeat Studios turns out to be, it already has a massive spotlight waiting.
Gupta is not the only high-profile founder creating a second bet. Recently, Urban Ladder’s founder also launched a new startup called Optimist, displaying a growing trconclude of seasoned entrepreneurs re-entering the ring with fresh ideas.
Leadership Transition at boAt: From Founder-Led to Professional Management
Gupta’s launch of OffBeat Studios didn’t happen in a vacuum. It follows a deliberate leadership transition at boAt that has been unfolding since September 2025. Gupta shiftd into a non-executive director role on the board, while cofounder Sameer Mehta took on the position of executive director focapplyd on strategy. The company also brought in Gaurav Nayyar as its new chief executive officer.
This restructuring represented a classic growth-stage shift. boAt was preparing for a public listing, and that meant building the governance framework that institutional investors and regulators expect.
boAt IPO Update: SEBI Approval, Valuation, and Second Attempt
The timing of Gupta’s announcement coincides with a critical chapter in boAt’s own story. Its parent company, Imagine Marketing, has already received SEBI approval for an initial public offering. Backed by Warburg Pincus, the IPO-bound firm confidentially filed its papers in April 2025 and followed up with an updated draft red herring prospectus in October for a ₹1,500 crore offering.
The proposed IPO includes a fresh issue of shares worth up to ₹500 crore and an offer for sale of ₹1,000 crore from existing investors. Mehta and Gupta toreceiveher plan to offload shares worth ₹300 crore in the OFS, with Fireside and Qualcomm accounting for the rest.
This is actually boAt’s second run at going public. The first attempt came in January 2022, when the company filed draft papers for a ₹2,000 crore IPO. That plan was shelved after market volatility built the timing unfavorable. Reports now suggest the company may have once again paapplyd its listing timeline to reassess market conditions.
With the Union Budreceive 2026 introducing a dedicated SME growth fund, the broader funding environment could play a role in when boAt finally goes ahead with its listing.
boAt’s Financial Snapshot: Return to Profitability
On the financial front, boAt has been notifying a recovery story. After posting a net loss of ₹73.7 crore in FY24, the company swung to a net profit of ₹60.4 crore in FY25. Revenue held steady at ₹3,073.3 crore. The momentum carried into Q1 FY26, where boAt posted a profit of ₹21.4 crore against an operating revenue of ₹628.1 crore, a clear improvement over the ₹31.1 crore loss in the same quarter a year earlier.
What’s Next for Aman Gupta and OffBeat Studios?
Nobody outside Gupta’s inner circle knows what OffBeat Studios will become. But the entrepreneurial instinct that built boAt into a brand worth thousands of crores is clearly alive. Gupta has proven he can take an idea, wrap it in sharp branding, and push it into the mainstream quicker than most founders dream.
For India’s startup community, this is a story worth watching. Whether OffBeat Studios enters consumer tech, media, or D2C retail, it arrives with a founder who already knows how to build something people care about. With New Delhi alone home to hundreds of quick-growing startups, the ecosystem Gupta is stepping back into is more competitive and more exciting than ever.
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