Category Manager

# Category Manager – Home & Kitchen Appliances ## Company Overview 100X100 is building a **new-age Home & Appliances brand**, starting with the Cooling category, with ambitions to develop a differentiated portfolio across multiple home and appliance categories. The company is backed by **100X.VC**, providing access to an established startup and investor ecosystem. The organization values innovation, ownership, and building from the ground up. ## Job Summary The **Category Manager – Home & Kitchen Appliances** will take end-to-end ownership of building and scaling new categories, primarily focusing on the Cooling segment initially. This role is ideal for a proactive individual who enjoys creating and executing strategies from scratch, working across consumer insights, product development, pricing, distribution, and demand generation. The candidate will be a key part of the founding team, contributing to the growth of a disruptive brand in the home and appliances space. ## Responsibilities - **Category Strategy & Building** - Identify whitespace opportunities across Home & Kitchen Appliances. - Understand consumer pain points, needs, and demand drivers. - Develop category strategies from scratch, including product positioning and pricing. - Build comprehensive category plans based on market data and consumer insights. - **Product & Portfolio Development** - Identify, evaluate, and launch new products aligned with consumer demand. - Assess product-market fit and translate consumer insights into product features. - Collaborate with procurement, manufacturing, and R&D teams for product development. - Build a differentiated, sustainable product portfolio through iterative market testing. - **Pricing & Unit Economics** - Own the commercial economics of the category, including product costing, margins, and pricing architecture. - Manage channel margins, distributor economics, and marketplace economics. - Optimize promotional strategies and demand-generation initiatives to maintain profitable unit economics. - **Omnichannel & Go-to-Market** - Scale the category across online platforms (Amazon, Flipkart, D2C, quick commerce) and offline channels (Croma, Reliance Digital, retail chains, local electronics retailers). - Understand and manage the complete distributor-to-consumer ecosystem, including margins and incentives. - Drive product launches, marketplace scaling, pricing, promotions, and channel activation. - **Consumer & Data Analytics** - Leverage consumer insights and data to identify business opportunities. - Analyze demand trends and validate assumptions using marketplace and consumer data. - Build business cases for new products and categories based on data-driven insights. - **Hands-on Execution** - Personally drive product launches, marketplace scaling, pricing, and promotional activities. - Lead demand analysis, consumer research, vendor negotiations, and commercial discussions. - Ensure timely and effective execution of category strategies. - **Cross-functional & Founding Team Ownership** - Collaborate closely with product, procurement, supply chain, marketing, pricing, distribution, and commercial teams. - Take ownership beyond traditional category management, contributing to broader business decisions and growth initiatives. ## Qualifications - Strong experience in **Home & Appliances, Consumer Electronics, or related consumer categories**. - Proven track record in **building or launching products/categories from scratch**. - Deep understanding of **consumer behavior and category dynamics**. - Excellent **analytical and data-driven approach**. - Strong knowledge of **pricing, margins, and unit economics**. - Experience with **marketplace platforms and online demand generation**. - Demonstrated **hands-on execution ability**. - Entrepreneurial mindset with high ownership and initiative. - Ability to thrive in an **early-stage, fast-paced, and ambiguous environment**. - Educational qualifications: **BTech, BSc, MBA, or relevant degree**. ## Preferred Skills - Experience working in startup environments or new brand launches. - Knowledge of supply chain, procurement, and manufacturing processes. - Strong negotiation and stakeholder management skills. - Familiarity with digital marketing and demand generation strategies. - Ability to analyze large datasets and derive actionable insights. ## Experience - **Mid-level** experience in category management, product launch, or consumer electronics/home appliances. - Typically **3-7 years** of relevant experience in building or managing consumer categories. ## Environment - The role is based in **Bangalore** with openness to candidates across India. - The work environment involves **collaborative, cross-functional teamwork** within a startup setting. - The role requires **hands-on execution** and active engagement in product, marketing, and distribution activities. - The position may involve travel for vendor, distributor, and retail engagement. ## Salary - Not specified; competitive compensation package with **equity participation** and performance-based incentives. ## GrowthOpportunities - Opportunity to be part of the **founding team** and shape a **disruptive home & appliances brand**. - Significant exposure across **product, commercial, supply, marketing, and distribution** functions. - Potential for **career growth** into senior leadership roles as the company scales. ## Benefits - Equity participation alongside fixed compensation. - High ownership and autonomy in decision-making. - Opportunity to build and lead a new category from inception. - Backing by **100X.VC** ecosystem, providing access to a broad network of investors and industry experts.