Ganesh Balakrishnan, Co-Founder of Flatheads and Growth Marketing Advisor
Ganesh Balakrishnan is the co-founder of Flatheads, India's all-day work sneaker brand built for the country's tropical climate, using breathable, sustainable materials. He is widely recognised both for building the brand and for his memorable appearance on Shark Tank India Season 2, where he walked away from an offer by Peyush Bansal and Vineeta Singh , a moment that resonated with thousands of founders for its honesty about the real pressures of building a business.
Today, Ganesh actively advises D2C and retail businesses on omnichannel growth strategy, helping brands move from simply being present on multiple channels to creating integrated customer journeys that connect marketplaces, D2C websites, exclusive brand stores, and performance marketing into one seamless experience.
He spends his time helping founders and marketing teams understand what "omnichannel" truly means in practice , not just channel presence, but tracking, personalisation, and consistency across every touchpoint a customer interacts with.
Background & Journey
Ganesh studied Mechanical Engineering at IIT Bombay before completing his MBA at IIM Bangalore. Before founding Flatheads, he built his career across companies including Honeywell, Bain & Company, Ingersoll Rand, and ShopClues , roles that gave him deep ground-level experience in how stores, marketplaces, and digital assets must work together. He launched Flatheads in 2019 alongside co-founder Utkarsh Biradar, handling the entire demand side of the business , branding, marketing, channels, and international expansion , while his co-founder ran design and supply chain. Flatheads was one of three earlier ventures Ganesh attempted before this; each one built his understanding of what consumers actually need versus what founders assume they need.
On Dilse Omni Talks
Ganesh Balakrishnan appeared on Dilse Omni Talks with host Saurabh Agrawal, where the conversation explored “What omnichannel really means for D2C brands , and how to build a retention engine that actually works.”
3 Key Takeaways from the Episode
● Omnichannel is about meaningful presence, not being everywhere. Ganesh explains that brands must map actual consumer journeys , understanding when customers prefer to discover online but experience in-store before buying, and designing the connection between those moments intentionally, not accidentally.
● Retention is a layered system, not a single campaign. True retention is built from collecting and using first-party data, segmenting customers intelligently, building automation and content that speaks to different stages, and creating a loyalty experience that feels consistent whether a customer is online or in a store.
● Founder-led branding and authentic storytelling drive long-term loyalty. Customers increasingly buy from people and experiences, not just logos. Combining a genuine founder narrative with strong performance marketing is what creates durable customer relationships in today's market.
