CONFIDENTIAL — PITCH DOCUMENT — 2025
Slide 01 · Confidential Pitch Document · Delhi 2025
THE
FIRST
EDITION

India's first ultra-premium collectibles store.

Backed by NODWIN Gaming Group & Comic Con India
₹6CR
Total Capex
₹1CR
Monthly Revenue (M12)
Month 3
EBITDA Break-even
20%
DLF Rev-Share
₹0
Monthly Rent
₹10CR
Raise (24% Equity)
02 Why Now

The
Moment

India now has 13,600 ultra-high-net-worth individuals — growing at 6% annually and projected to surge 50% by 2028. Delhi NCR is home to a quarter of India's billionaires. When they want a first-edition Amazing Spider-Man, they fly to New York. That flight ends here.

The Gap

India has the wealth but zero ultra-premium physical collectibles retail. The market is abandoned to grey imports, middlemen, and 48-hour flights. North India — Delhi, Chandigarh, Lucknow — accounts for 35%+ of India's luxury spending (IMARC 2024), with no dedicated collectibles destination.

The Timing

Global collectibles crossed $500B in 2023 and are projected to hit $1T by 2033. Graded comics and limited figures are appreciating at 15–25% annually. India's collector community is young — 20% of Indian millionaires are under 40 (Anarock, 2024) — and growing fast.

Delhi & Gurgaon, specifically: A quarter of India's billionaires reside in Delhi NCR, with Gurgaon as their primary or secondary base. Delhi NCR recorded ₹1.53 lakh crore in residential property sales in 2024 — the highest ever, beating Mumbai and Hyderabad. Luxury homes (₹4CR+) in Delhi NCR surged 37.8% YoY in the first nine months of 2024. This is our customer's neighbourhood. This is where the store belongs.

13,600India UHNIs (2024)
Source: Anarock
+50%UHNI growth by 2028
vs 30% global avg
35%North India share
of India luxury spend
¼India's billionaires
reside in Delhi NCR
03 The Concept

What This
Is

A 1,000–1,500 sq ft curated sanctum in a premium DLF mall in Delhi. US and Japanese lore. Graded slabs, first-edition comics, limited figurines, and collectibles you cannot buy online in India. No e-commerce. No replicas. No compromise.

What it is

An Experience

A destination. Coming here is the purchase occasion. Anti-Amazon by design. The antithesis of a scroll-and-click.

What it sells

Provenance & Rarity

Graded slabs. First editions. Japanese limited figures. Items that appreciate. ₹8,500 entry. No ceiling.

What it is not

Not a Toy Store

No mass-market merchandise. No movie tie-in tat. No walk-in impulse aisle. Every item is considered and curated.

The Sourcing Universe

Two geographies. One store. A lore built from the comics that shaped a generation and the figures that define another.

USA

Marvel. DC. CGC/PSA graded slabs. Silver Age comics. Sports cards. American limited figures. Signed originals.

JAPAN

Bandai limited figures. First-run manga. Nendoroids. Dragon Ball. One Piece. Gundam Master Grade. Pokémon slabs.

The Price Architecture

Entry point₹8,500
Minimum spend expectation₹8,000
Average transaction (M1 → M12)₹20K → ₹25K
Grading service fee₹3,500 – ₹15,000
Top item (Amazing Spider-Man #1)₹85L+
04 The Experience

How a Visit
Unfolds

ACT I

The Floor

Main store. Curated walls. Display cases. The best of US and Japanese lore. Open to qualified walk-ins. Every item labelled with provenance and grade.

ACT II

The Consultation

A curator walks you through current acquisitions. Bespoke sourcing for UHNI requests. No transaction pressure. The purchase is a natural conclusion, not a sales pitch.

ACT III

Grading Upsell

Bring your own collection. Submit to our UAE-partnered grading desk. An upsell to every serious collector — before or after purchase. Pure margin, zero inventory risk.

ACT IV

The Vault

Invitation only. Earned by purchase history + curator approval. Items starting at ₹1L. Welcome to the real collection.

05 Brand Identity

Five
Names

Each is aspirational. None signals India explicitly. All are globally defensible and work equally in English and Japanese contexts.

The First Edition
The single most powerful phrase in collectibles. Universally understood across comics, books, prints, figures. Implies rarity, authenticity, and primacy. No geography. Pure prestige. Works in gold foil on black or black ink on cream.
★ Recommended
Folio
A nod to the Folio Society and fine print collecting. Elegant. Monosyllabic. Works across US and Japanese categories without leaning either way. Luxury retail-ready. Type beautifully in serif or gothic.
Alt
Mint Condition
The collector's highest praise. Every serious buyer knows it. Slightly more accessible, slightly less abstract — strong for recognition-first positioning if the Vault needs to carry the premium weight.
Alt
Shōhin
Japanese for "item" or "article" — but also the smallest and most prized form of bonsai. A nod to Japanese lore, precision, and curation without being obvious. Distinctive in any font. Culturally resonant without alienating the US collector.
Alt
Nine
Minimal. Mysterious. CGC 9.8 is the holy grail of comic grading — the name does work silently for every collector who understands that. In both Western and Eastern numerology, nine signals completeness and mastery.
Alt

Visual identity direction: Clean serif or refined gothic — Criterion Collection meets collectibles heritage. No mascots, no neon, no pixel art. The logo works in black ink on cream and in gold foil on black. Typography is the brand.

06 Inner Sanctum

The
Vault

"You don't ask to be let into The Vault. You earn it."

A discrete room within the store. Invitation-only access. No signage visible from the floor. Items here start at ₹1,00,000. The kind of inventory that makes collectors reroute international travel plans.

Alternate Names for the Inner Room

The Vault
Placeholder and working title. Strong. Universally understood. Simple. May not need to change.
Working
The Alcove
Architecturally precise. Suggests intimacy and curation without the transactional feel of "Vault."
Option
The Reserve
Fine wine and whisky vocabulary. Signals rarity and held-back inventory. Natural luxury crossover language.
Option
Sanctuary
The collector's word for their personal space. Aspirational and personal. Works without explanation.
Option
The Archive
Institutional. Connotes preservation, heritage, and permanence. Strong for the literary/first-edition category.
Option

Access & Inventory

Access Model

Earned + Curated

Purchase history (min ₹2L lifetime spend) + curator approval. Both required. No exceptions.

Inventory Tier

₹1L Minimum

CGC 9.8+ slabs. First editions. Signed originals. Limited figures under 500 worldwide. Artist proofs.

Future Layer

Membership Program

Annual card. Private viewings. First-access acquisition calls. Pre-sales before the floor sees inventory.

07 The Customer

Who
He Is

Male. 32–52. Grew up with comics and manga. Now runs a company, manages a fund, or has inherited wealth. He has a Porsche, a whisky collection, and a corner of his home he calls "the room." We are that room, made retail.

Today, he does this

Orders from US/Japan eBay sellers — 3–6 week delivery, no recourse if counterfeit
Asks a friend who travels to "pick something up" in New York or Tokyo
Pays import duty, customs risk, and forgery risk simultaneously
Has no way to professionally grade his existing collection in India
Buys luxury watches and whisky because he can — but has no equivalent for collectibles

What he wants

A place that takes his collection as seriously as he does
Access to rare inventory without the logistics and provenance nightmare
Professional grading he can show at auction or to other collectors
An invitation to somewhere other people can't get into
A community of peers who share the obsession — not a fandom, a fraternity
08 Market

Market Size
& Timing

$500BGlobal collectibles market 2023
$1TProjected by 2033 (IMARC)
850KIndia HNIs today
(Anarock, 2024)
6thIndia globally
in UHNI population

India's wealth moment

India is adding UHNIs faster than any major economy — 6% annual growth vs 2% in China (Anarock, Dec 2024). The HNI population of 850,000 is expected to double to 1.65 million by 2027. Notably, 20% of Indian millionaires are already under 40 — the very demographic that grew up with the comics and manga we stock.

Delhi & Gurgaon specifically

Delhi NCR accounts for roughly 30% of India's UHNI population. A quarter of India's billionaires reside here. Gurgaon alone drives 60% of NCR's real estate volume. Luxury home sales in Delhi NCR surged 37.8% YoY in 2024 — the highest of any Indian metro. Our customer is not aspirational. He is already here, already spending.

09 Competition

The
White Space

There is no direct competitor. The closest substitute is a ₹2 lakh return flight to New York. We are not competing with stores. We are replacing a journey.

India's current options

Mass-Market Retail

Landmark, Flipkart, local hobby shops. None stock graded items. None are premium. None have a Vault. None provide grading services.

Their workaround

eBay / Grey Import

No authentication. 6-week delivery. Customs risk. Forgery risk. No physical experience. No community. No returns.

What they actually want

Midtown Comics, NY

A world-class physical retail experience with curatorial credibility. That exists in New York. It doesn't exist in India. Until now.

10 Location

DLF
Partnership

No fixed monthly rent. DLF receives 20% of gross revenue — aligning both parties completely. A white space product for DLF's anchor malls. A category they don't currently have.

Promenade

OPTION 1
Vasant Kunj, New Delhi
Recommended — Fastest Path to Open
Family destination mall adjacent to Emporio. High foot traffic. Dads walk in with kids and discover us while the family shops. The "bored dad" becomes our core walk-in discovery moment. More approachable TG means faster trial, but lower average ticket than Emporio.
Pros
  • Highest pure foot traffic of the three
  • Best family walk-in discovery rate
  • Easier, faster DLF leasing
  • Proximity to Emporio's UHNI clients next door
  • Lower risk — broader audience seeds early traction
Cons
  • Less exclusive brand context
  • Lower average ticket environment vs Emporio
  • Risk of mass-market brand dilution over time

Emporio

OPTION 2
Vasant Kunj, New Delhi
Premium — Brand-Defining, Harder to Access
India's most exclusive luxury mall. Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Jimmy Choo. Predominantly women's fashion — men are the wallets. Contra-thesis: bored men waiting for their partners become our most captive audience. Zero pop-culture adjacency today means our category is entirely unclaimed.
Pros
  • Highest UHNI density and spending power
  • Brand elevation by adjacency to global luxury
  • Captive male audience while partners shop
  • No comparable tenant — white space is pure
  • International visibility and press value
Cons
  • Coldest walk-in culture — lowest foot traffic
  • DLF's most restrictive leasing process
  • Longest timeline to open — 6–12 months
  • Male discovery depends on partner co-visit

DLF Avenue

OPTION 3
Saket, South Delhi
Accessible — Lowest Fit for Price Point
South Delhi's lifestyle mall. Diverse premium footfall with young professionals and F&B-led traffic. Most flexible DLF terms and fastest open. However, the TG skews aspirational rather than UHNI — the lowest average ticket environment of the three. Price point justification is the key risk.
Pros
  • Best discovery and social media visibility
  • Most flexible leasing terms
  • Strong young collector audience
  • Adjacent to affluent South Delhi residential
Cons
  • Lowest UHNI density of the three
  • Price point vs walk-in TG mismatch risk
  • Brand must work harder for prestige signal
  • F&B-led traffic ≠ collectibles intent

Our approach: We recommend opening Promenade conversations first for speed, while simultaneously approaching Emporio — the aspirational anchor. DLF Avenue is the fallback if both are unavailable within 90 days. The brand should open in the most prestigious location accessible in the shortest timeline.

11 Space & Design

The Store
Blueprint

The Footprint

1,000–1,500 sq ft total. 70% floor — open, lit, curated display. 20% The Vault — separate controlled-access room, no external window. 10% Grading Desk — visible from the floor, creates theatre and signals expertise to every visitor, whether or not they submit.

Mood Direction

Black walnut shelving. Glass cases with internal LED lighting. Clean walls punctuated by single key pieces. The Apple Store's discipline, the warmth of a private library. No clutter — every inch intentional. Think Criterion Collection packaging as an interior design language.

Zone A — The Floor

Open Collection

Curated rotating stock. Graded slabs on wall mounts. Display cases for figures. One marquee item always featured centre-floor as an island.

Zone B — Grading Desk

Visible Expertise

Visible from the floor. Two stations. Backlit reference charts. The process is the show — it converts curious visitors into grading clients and builds trust in the floor stock's authenticity.

Zone C — The Vault

Invitation Only

Private room. No windows. Dedicated seating. Premium lighting. Items handled with white cotton gloves. The physical separation alone communicates hierarchy.

CAPEX — ₹2.5CR INTERIORS: Fit-out, lighting, display cases, Vault construction, signage, AV, POS.  ·  ₹1.5CR STOCK: US graded slabs (₹50L), Japanese figures/manga (₹40L), Vault seed collection (₹40L), consignment buffer (₹15L), working capital (₹5L).

12 Inventory

The Product
Universe

USA ↗

CGC/CBCS graded comic slabs — Silver, Bronze, Modern Age
First edition graphic novels — signed, numbered, limited print runs
Limited Hasbro / Sideshow Collectibles figures
Sports card slabs — PSA 10 tier, football and basketball
Original production artwork — framed, certified, documented provenance

JAPAN ↗

Bandai limited run figures — Dragon Ball, One Piece, Gundam
First-run manga volumes — first printing, first edition only
Nendoroids / Figmas — limited event exclusives, sealed
Gundam Master Grade / Perfect Grade — sealed original run
Pokémon card slabs — PSA/CGC certified, vintage sets
13 Grading

India's Only
In-Store Grading

Professional grading — the act of certifying a collectible's condition — is what separates a ₹2,000 comic from a ₹2,00,000 slab. We bring this service to India for the first time, via a UAE-based CGC-affiliated grading partner. Importantly, this is an upsell to existing collectors — a separate revenue stream that operates independently of floor stock.

The Service

Walk-In Submission

Customer brings their item. Our desk assesses, submits to UAE partner. 2–4 week turnaround. Certified slab returned. No minimum value.

The Revenue

₹3,500–₹15,000

Per item, by tier. Near-100% gross margin service line. No inventory risk. Creates floor traffic from non-buyers who become repeat grading clients.

The Moat

Unique in India

Currently collectors ship personally to the US or UAE. We eliminate that. This alone drives destination traffic from Mumbai, Bangalore, and beyond — expanding catchment nationally.

14 The Team & Backing

The
People

Credibility in collectibles is personal. Our team combines India's most respected pop-culture institution with the country's most ambitious gaming and esports group.

NODWIN Gaming
Strategic Backer & Majority Shareholder · 51%
India's leading esports and gaming entertainment company. The institutional infrastructure behind this venture — corporate governance, capital deployment, media relationships, and brand credibility across India's youth entertainment economy.
Comic Con India
Community & Distribution Partner
India's largest pop-culture movement — 10+ cities, hundreds of thousands of fans. Our built-in marketing network, collector community, and launch platform. Founded by Jatin Varma, who leads our curation.

The Curators

Jatin Varma
Chief Curator
Founder, Comic Con India  ·  Chief Trustee, The Comic Book Trust of India
In 2011, Jatin bet that India was ready for its first Comic Con. Almost nobody agreed. Fourteen years later, that experiment had become India's largest pop-culture movement — spanning 10+ cities, hundreds of thousands of fans, and a successful acquisition. His words: "Physical experiences build communities that screens never can." That philosophy is the foundation of this store.
Beyond Comic Con, Jatin runs AUM (creative studio behind Foundation Comics and Golden Kela Awards), has seeded ₹1 crore into The Comic Book Trust of India, and is launching The Indian Comic Book Awards in Mumbai in May 2026. He knows every serious collector in India and every key supplier in the US.
Comic Con India — Founder 16 years in pop culture US supplier network Young Entrepreneur of the Year University of Washington, Economics
Ritesh
Chief Executive Officer
Head, Penguin Random House India
The institutional credibility layer. His presence signals that this is not a hobbyist project — it is a serious cultural retail venture with publishing and literary heritage behind it. Essential for the fine print, first-edition, and literary collectibles categories.
As CEO, Ritesh provides operational leadership and a network spanning India's publishing, literary, and cultural elite — an audience that naturally intersects with the ultra-HNI collector profile of our Vault clients.
Penguin Random House India Publishing establishment network Literary collectibles expertise UHNI relationship network
15 Risk

Dead Inventory
Mitigation

Five structural protections built in from day one.

01

50% Consignment Model

Half our initial stock held on consignment — returnable within 90 days at zero cost. We never permanently own unsold inventory we can't move.

02

50% Gross Margins

Even on inventory we own outright, we maintain 50% gross margin. The business can absorb meaningful slow-movers without going underwater.

03

Zero Fixed Rent

20% DLF rev-share means we pay nothing when we sell nothing. Fixed cost base is pure opex — staff, utilities, insurance. No rent cliff, no arrears risk.

04

Monthly Inventory Offload

Slow-moving items (90+ days) offloaded at cost monthly — to dealers, grey market, or back to suppliers. Cash always recovered. Nothing ages indefinitely.

05

Break-Even at Month 3

EBITDA positive by Month 3 at just 97 transactions. A conservative target given our curators' existing collector networks. We don't need 12 months to confirm viability.

16 Capital

Capital
Structure

₹6CRTotal Capex Required
₹3.5CROps, Marketing & Fit-Out
₹2.5CROpening Stock
₹0Monthly Rent Obligation

Where ₹3.5CR goes

Fit-out & interiors₹50L
Sourcing & logistics₹75L
Overheads (Year Zero ops)₹1.0CR
Marketing (incl. ₹28L launch)₹1.0CR
Miscellaneous & contingency₹25L

Where ₹2.5CR goes

Toys & figurines (US + Japan)₹1.25CR
Vault seed collection₹50L
Exclusive comics & slabs₹50L
Exclusive accessories & apparel₹25L
17 Year Zero + Year 1

From Launch to
Steady State

Year Zero (Oct 2026 – Mar 2027): First 6 months of operations. Big launch burst. Monthly EBITDA break-even by Feb 2027. Year 1 (Apr 2027 – Mar 2028): First full FY. ₹16.8CR revenue at steady ₹1.4CR/month.

Year Zero — Oct 2026 to Mar 2027
MONTHLY REVENUE (₹ LAKHS) █ Break-even █ Pre break-even
Oct 2026
₹11L (₹28L launch mktg)
Nov 2026
₹23L
Dec 2026
₹36L Festive
Jan 2027
₹31L
Feb 2027
₹45L ★
Mar 2027
₹57L ◆
MonthTxnsAvg TicketRevenueGM (50%)DLF (20%)EBITDA
Oct 2026 (Launch)50₹22,000₹11,00,000₹5,50,000₹2,20,000−₹30,70,000 (launch mktg)
Nov 2026100₹23,000₹23,00,000₹11,50,000₹4,60,000−₹5,60,000
Dec 2026 (Festive)150₹24,000₹36,00,000₹18,00,000₹7,20,000−₹1,70,000
Jan 2027130₹24,000₹31,20,000₹15,60,000₹6,24,000−₹3,14,000
Feb 2027 ★180₹25,000₹45,00,000₹22,50,000₹9,00,000+₹1,00,000
Mar 2027220₹26,000₹57,20,000₹28,60,000₹11,44,000+₹11,16,000
Year Zero Total830avg ₹24,500₹2.03CR₹1.02CR₹40.7L−₹28.98L (cumulative)

★ Monthly EBITDA break-even  ·  Opex: ₹6L/month  ·  Marketing: ₹28L launch (Oct) + ₹6.5L/month (Nov–Mar, from ₹1CR capex)  ·  DLF: 20% of gross

18 3-Year View

Three-Year
Projections

Year Zero — Oct'26–Mar'27
₹2.03CR
Gross Margin₹1.02CR
DLF Rev-Share₹40.7L
Launch Mktg (capex)₹28L (one-time)
Ongoing Mktg₹6.5L/mo (from capex)
Monthly break-evenFeb 2027
Year 1 — FY Apr'27–Mar'28
₹16.8CR
Gross Margin₹8.4CR
DLF Rev-Share₹3.36CR
Opex (₹5L/mo)₹60L
EBITDA₹4.44CR
Run rate₹1.4CR/mo
Year 2 — FY Apr'28–Mar'29
₹21.6CR
Gross Margin₹10.8CR
DLF Rev-Share₹4.32CR
Opex (₹6L/mo)₹72L
EBITDA₹5.76CR
Possible City 2Mumbai

The ₹6CR total capex is recoverable within Year 1 (FY Apr'27–Mar'28) EBITDA. Year Zero (6 months) returns a cumulative −₹29L — driven by the one-time ₹28L launch spend, not structural losses. By Year 2, this is a ₹4.4CR annual EBITDA business on ₹4CR invested — a 110% return on capital in 24 months, before any valuation upside.

19 Valuation

The
Valuation Case

We are raising ₹10 crore for 24% equity, implying a post-money valuation of ₹41.7 crore. This is anchored to Year 2 forward revenue and EBITDA multiples — conservative for a category-creating, high-margin, asset-light specialty retail business.

Valuation Methodology

Raise amount₹10 Crore
Equity offered24%
Post-money valuation₹41.7 Crore
Pre-money valuation₹31.7 Crore
Year 2 Revenue (forward basis)₹16.8 Crore
Revenue multiple (Y2 forward)2.5x Revenue
Year 2 EBITDA₹4.44 Crore
EBITDA multiple (Y2 forward)9.4x EBITDA
BenchmarkSpecialty retail businesses in India trade at 8–12x EBITDA. This is within range.

Exit Thesis — 4x Revenue Target

Year 2 revenue (steady state)₹16.8 Crore
Target exit valuation (4x Y2 rev)₹67.2 Crore
Investor share at exit (24%)₹16.1 Crore
Return on ₹10CR invested1.6x cash-on-cash
Timeline to exit target24 months
4x revenue rationaleCategory-creating, brand-moated, high-margin specialty retail commands premium multiples at exit. NODWIN's media platform drives organic distribution value.

Cap Table

₹41.7CR POST-MONEY
NODWIN Gaming Group
51%
Strategic majority & capital
External Investors
24%
₹10 crore raise
Ritesh (CEO)
29%
Sweat equity (CEO)
Jatin Varma (Curator)
20%
Sweat equity (Curator)
20 Partnership

The
Ask

What We Need from DLF

1,000–1,500 sq ft premium retail space — Promenade first, Emporio preferred, DLF Avenue as fallback
No fixed monthly rent — 20% of gross revenue, paid monthly, fully auditable
5-year lease with a 3-year break clause — standard for a category first
DLF to co-market the opening as a premium Indian retail first
90-day fit-out window post-signing before the rev-share clock starts

What DLF Gets

20% of a business targeting ₹1CR/month by Month 12 — upside tied entirely to our success
A category-defining first in Indian luxury retail — a genuine story for DLF's positioning
A destination tenant — our UHNI male clientele is exactly the DLF Emporio target profile
Zero rent-default risk — no fixed obligation, no arrears, no eviction pressure
First right of refusal on any future city expansion — we grow, they grow with us
21 Closing

THE
FIRST
EDITION

India's collector community has been waiting for this for twenty years.
It exists now, or it never does.

Curated by Jatin Varma × Ritesh  ·  Backed by NODWIN Gaming Group & Comic Con India  ·  Delhi 2025