Forbes Asia — December 2017

RETAIL &

E-COMMERCE

JUDGES

Rebecca Kaden, partner, Union

Square Ventures

Neil Parikh, cofounder, Casper

(Under 30 Class of 2015)

Kendra Scott, founder, Kendra

Scott Jewelry

Emily Weiss, founder, Glossier

(Under 30 Class of 2015)

64 | FORBES ASIA DECEMBER 2017

Seema Bansal, 26

COFOUNDER, VENUS ET FLEUR

You can only stop to smell the roses if

they’re still alive. And a garden-variety bou-

quet doesn’t last longer than one week in

a vase.

The roses from the green-

thumbed Seema Bansal, on the

other hand, last an entire year in

full bloom without water. “We treat

them with our proprietary wax-

based solution,” explains Bansal,

who bootstrapped the New

York-based e-commerce

business with her now-fi -

ancé Sunny Chadha, 28, in

2015. “But the rose’s tex-
      ture, its shape and a little
      bit of its scent remains.”
      Bansal (born in Can-
      ada to Indian immigrants)
      and Chadha grow the fl owers
      on a farm in Ecuador, where they’re
      cut before being delivered to New York
      by air. From there, “we remove the color from
      the roses, then we can go ahead and dye them
      any Pantone color,” she says. Besides traditional
      shades of red, champagne and white, customers
      can opt for blue, green, silver or lavender. Pric-
      es start at $39 for a single rose, with shoppers
      typically spending between $300 and $1,500 for
      large arrangements.
      Venus ET Fleur is profi table, and revenue,
      estimated at $7.5 million, has grown 226% in the
      past year. By the end of the year, Bansal and
      Chadha plan to open their second distribution
      center, in Los Angeles, where their long-lasting
      fl ora is already the talk of the town. Back on Val-
      entine’s Day 2016, Khloe and Kourtney Kardashi-
      an posted Venus ET Fleur bouquets on Insta-
      gram. “Our phones did not stop ringing,” Bansal
      says. “And the emails kept pouring in.”
      —Clare O’Connor, Vicky Valet and Katherine Love

3O 3O

SEEMA BANSAL WEARS A JACQUARD AND POLYESTER DRESS BY ST. JOHN

JIMMY CHOO ($895). EARRINGS ($245), ($1,395) AND LEATHER SANDALS BY

5-LINE BANGLE BRACELET ($545) AND 11-LINE BANGLE BRACELET ($1,340)

BY OFFICINA BERNARDI. GOLD LOVE BRACELET ($6,300), JUSTE UN CLOU

BRACELET ($6,800) BY CARTIER.

Sarah Ahmed, 28

Founder, Warp + Weft

Seema Bansal, Sunny Chadha, 26, 28

Cofounders, Venus ET Fleur

Parker Burr and Taylor Off er, 24, 24

Cofounders, FEAT Socks

Jan Bednar, 26

Founder, ShipMonk

Henry Burner, 14

Founder, Buttonsmith

Meghana Dhar, 29

Director, retail partnerships, B8ta

Jess Edelstein, Sarah Ribner, 29, 28

Cofounders, PiperWai

Alexandra Fine, 29

Cofounder, Dame Products

Beatrice Fischel-Bock, 26

Cofounder, Hutch

Marshall Haas, 27

Cofounder, Need/Want

Cathy Han, Nicolas Porter, 28, 27

Cofounders, 42 Technologies

Rami Helali, Benjamin Sehl,

Mackenzie Yeates, 29, 29, 28

Cofounders, Kotn

Alexis Irene, 24

Founder, Static Nails

Dylan Jacob, 23

Founder, BrüMate

Robert Kirstiuk, Joseph Lee, 22, 22

Cofounders, Coastline Market

Caroline Klatt, 29

Cofounder, Headliner Labs

Andy Krantz, 28

Cofounder, Paravel

Ali Kriegsman, 26

Cofounder, Bulletin

Lynn Le, 29

Founder, Society Nine

Alissa Lentz, 28

Founder, HERO New York

Alex Lin, 26

Cofounder, Hush

Michael Markesbery,

Rithvik Venna, 25, 24

Cofounders, OROS

Brad McDonald, 29

Cofounder, Agroy

Jeremy Miller, 29

Founder, Label

Jordan Nathan, 25

Founder, Vremi

Iyore Olaye, 23

Product development engineer,

Walker & Co.

Akash Shah, 29

Cofounder, Care/of

Lauren Stokes, 28

Founder, Lauren James

Julia Zhu, 27

Founder, Few Moda

Amanda Zuckerman, 26

Cofounder, Dormify

STYLE ASSISTANTS: MAXIMILLIAN PARKINSON, DEB MILSTEIN, PATTIE BARBOSA; HAIR AND MAKEUP: SUZANA HALLILI