Event Speakers

Karan Mendon Co- founder & COO, Adhira & Appa

With 17 years of experience in the retail business across diverse sectors, Karan Mendon has built his professional journey around two core strengths — understanding markets and building scalable networks. His experience spans market study, business development, retail expansion, franchise development, and identifying opportunities that can translate into sustainable business growth. Coming from a family background rooted in restaurants and hospitality, Karan developed an early understanding of the dynamics of the F&B industry, including consumer preferences, location strategy, operational challenges, and the importance of creating a strong customer experience. This foundation, combined with his extensive experience in organised retail, has shaped his approach to building consumer-facing brands.
A significant milestone in his entrepreneurial journey has been his role in taking Adhiraj & Appa from an initial concept and developing it into a structured café format with a scalable franchise-led expansion model. Under his business development and expansion efforts, the brand has grown to 27 live cafés across India, along with approximately 90 franchise sign-ups, establishing a presence across multiple cities and diverse retail environments. For Karan, expansion is not simply about increasing the number of outlets. His approach focuses on market selection, location potential, franchisee alignment, commercial viability, and creating a repeatable business model that can be replicated across markets without compromising the brand experience.