Filli & Me

What Filli & Me does

Filli & Me, incorporated as Kutum Lifestyle Private Limited, is an India-based direct-to-consumer kids accessories brand founded in 2025 by Shikha Pahwa and Vishal Verma. The company's flagship product is the HugBag, an ergonomically designed school bag for children aged 2-8 featuring a proprietary soft-yarn harness system, front closure mechanism, padded spine-aligned back panel, and the 'Filli' Indian ginger cat mascot designed to ease the emotional transition from home to school. The product line is segmented into three age-specific variants — Preschoolers (2-3 years, ₹2,819), Kindergarteners (4-5 years, ₹2,999), and Primary Graders (6-7 years, ₹3,289) — with a complementary accessories line of Grippies clip-on charms (₹150 each) and Bag Covers (₹199) for personalization and gifting use cases.

The business model is a unit-priced one-time-purchase D2C model operating through an own Shopify storefront (filliandme.com) with Cash on Delivery and prepaid options, supplemented by a multi-channel retail partnership with FirstCry. Marketing is concentrated on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, a content blog (Fillipedia), and email capture with a 10% first-purchase discount; the company is also plugged into the D2C Insider Super Angels ecosystem for investor and founder community leverage. The company is headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana, has 1-10 employees, and closed a Rs 1.5 crore (~$161,200) pre-seed round in April 2025 led by D2C Insider Super Angels with participation from other angel investors, structured as a mix of equity and debt intended for product development, brand building, and D2C channel expansion. No revenue, ARR, or GMV figures are publicly disclosed.

Name

Filli & Me

Legal name

KUTUM LIFESTYLE PRIVATE LIMITED

Website

https://filliandme.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2025

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Filli & Me is an India-based D2C kids accessories brand selling the HugBag, an ergonomically designed school bag with a soft harness system and Filli mascot, targeted at parents of children aged 2-8 years. Revenue is generated through unit-priced D2C sales via its Shopify site and FirstCry retail.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Gurugram

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel

Revenue model

1. HugBag Sales: Direct-to-consumer sales of ergonomic school bags for children aged 2-8 years. Products sold at one-time purchase prices ranging from ₹2,819 to ₹3,499 per HugBag.
2. Accessories (Grippies): Sale of customizable clip-on charms (Grippies) priced at ₹150 each, and bag covers at ₹199.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Filli & Me designs, manufactures, and sells the HugBag, an ergonomically designed school bag for children aged 2-8 years featuring a soft yarn harness system with front closure, padded back panel, and Filli mascot branding. The product is offered across three age-specific variants (Preschoolers 2-3, Kindergarteners 4-5, Primary Graders 6-7) and is complemented by clip-on Grippies charms and protective bag covers.

Product overview

Filli & Me is a Direct-to-Consumer kids accessories brand offering the HugBag as its core product—a uniquely designed school bag featuring an ergonomic harness system that wraps around children's shoulders and waist for comfort and security. The product line is organized across three age groups: Preschoolers (2-3 years), Kindergarteners (4-5 years), and Primary Graders (6-7 years). Each HugBag comes with complimentary Grippy accessories and a bag cover. The accessory line includes individual Grippies sold separately, allowing children to customize and personalize their bags with themed clip-on charms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• HugBag

Quantifiable outcome

• 100+ parents surveyed during product development

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• FirstCryminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMulti-channel retail partnership for distribution of Filli & Me products through FirstCry's parenting and kids products retail network

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Hamleys India: Iconic global toy retailer with India operations selling licensed kids accessories and bags adjacent to Filli & Me's category through flagship stores and online.

Broad incumbents

• Skybags (VIP Industries): Flagship youth and casual backpack brand of VIP Industries, one of India's largest luggage manufacturers, competing across kids and adult segments with strong retail presence.
• VIP Industries: Parent company of Skybags and American Tourister in India, the dominant listed luggage conglomerate whose scale and retail relationships dwarf Filli & Me's emerging presence.
• Aristocrat Bags: Indian luggage and backpack brand with a kids and youth segment, competing in similar price tiers through general trade and modern retail.
• Cello World: Large Indian household products manufacturer and brand with backpack and bag categories, competing on price-value rather than ergonomic differentiation.
• American Tourister: Global luggage and backpack brand with a significant kids backpack offering, leveraging VIP Industries' India distribution and premium brand positioning.

Direct peers

• Babyhug: Indian D2C and multi-channel brand selling baby and kids products including school bags, directly comparable to Filli & Me's kids accessories focus and price tier.
• Wildcraft: Indian outdoor and lifestyle brand with a dedicated kids backpack line, competing for the same school-going child segment with broader distribution.
• FirstCry (own brand & marketplace): India's largest parenting and kids products retailer; simultaneously a key distribution partner for Filli & Me and a direct competitor through its private-label kids bag range.

Regional players

• Mothercare India: International mother-and-baby brand with India retail footprint selling kids accessories including bags in a similar premium-ergonomic positioning.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=61568522790283
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/filliandme
• Instagraminstagram.com/filliandme

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Filli & Me