Known to the world as Coco Chanel , this French designer, whose real name was Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel, is credited for popularizing sporty and casual chic as a feminine standard of style in the post World War I era. While there are many facts known about this French businesswoman, there are still a few unknown ones. Check out some of these unknown facts here!
Unknown facts about Coco Chanel
1) Pack of 6
Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel was the second child born to Eugene Jeanne Devolle and Albert Chanel. She had one elder sister and of all her six siblings, only five survived. The five siblings and their parents lived in a one room lodging till the death of Coco’s mother due to tuberculosis. The five kids were then eventually abandoned by their father.
2)The singing Coco
After turning 18, Gabrielle moved to Moulins and started performing in cafes. Because of her beauty and charm, the audience, which mostly consisted of soldiers, started calling her Coco because of the song Qui qu’a vu Coco. This is how Gabrielle became Coco.
3) The Little Black Dress
Before Coco, black was considered a mourning color. However, as black was Coco’s favourite color, Coco created the first little black dress in 1926. She called the dress Chanel’s Ford as it was practical and accessible to all just like the Ford Model T. This Little Black Dress has since become a symbol of elegance.
4) A hat for a start
Even though Chanel created many iconic products, she started her career by designing hats. She was taught to sew during her time at an orphanage, where she was sent after her father abandoned her and her siblings. Sewing helped her start her business and she opened her first shop selling only hats in 1913. With increasing popularity, she eventually started selling designer clothes as well.
5) No. 5
The now iconic perfume Chanel No. 5 was the first perfume to be named after the designer. The number 5 was, in fact, the lucky number of Coco, as suggested by a fortune teller. Moreover, the perfume was the first one which advertised at the Super Bowl.
6) A suite life
For more than 30 years of her life, Coco lived in a suite of Hotel Ritz at Place Vendome, Paris. This suite was very special and close to her heart. It was in this suite she took her last breath in 1971. The hotel named the suite after her and kept all her decorations and personal belongings as it was. Today, spending a night in this suite costs almost 20,000 euros.
The legacy of Coco Chanel and her fashion will live on forever. Her humble background and determination to never stop working hard resulted in Chanel becoming one of the most famous fashion houses in the world. Coco Chanel continues to be an inspiration for women everywhere who dream of becoming entrepreneurs.
MobiKwik is venturing into the stock broking sector with the launch of its subsidiary, MobiKwik Securities Broking Private Limited (MSBPL), following approval from the Ministry of Corporate Affairs on March 3, 2025. This move aims to diversify MobiKwik’s offerings beyond its core digital payments services and compete with established players like Zerodha and Groww.
MSBPL will provide a range of brokerage services, including trading in shares, securities, commodities, and derivatives. The subsidiary has an initial capital of Rs 1 lakh, with plans for an additional Rs 2 crore investment to support its operations.
As MobiKwik enters this competitive market, it brings a substantial user base of 172 million and a merchant network of 5 million. Despite recent financial challenges, including a reported loss of Rs 55.2 crore in Q3 FY25, the company aims to leverage its existing infrastructure and user engagement to capture a share of the growing investment technology market, projected to reach $74 billion by 2030.
This strategic expansion aligns with MobiKwik’s broader goals of enhancing its financial service
Nazara Technologies has sold its entire 71.54% stake in Sports Unity Private Limited, the company behind the multiplayer quiz game ‘Qunami’, for INR 7.15 lakh. This divestment, effective March 25, 2025, signifies a strategic shift for Nazara, which had previously acquired a controlling interest in Sports Unity in 2019 for INR 7.5 crore.
The decision to offload the stake comes as Sports Unity has faced financial difficulties, reporting no active business operations and a negative net worth of INR 0.45 crore at the end of FY24. This move aligns with Nazara’s broader strategy to streamline its operations and concentrate on more profitable ventures within the gaming sector.
This sale follows Nazara’s recent divestment of a 94.85% stake in another subsidiary, Open Play, to Moonshine Technologies for INR 104.33 crore. Despite reporting record quarterly revenue of INR 544.7 crore in Q3 FY25, Nazara experienced a 53.5% decline in net profit year-over-year.
Nazara continues to focus on enhancing its portfolio through strategic acquisitions and investments in high-potential gaming platforms while navigating the competitive landscape of the gaming industry.
Hypergro.ai, a Bengaluru-based marketing technology startup, has raised Rs 7 crore in seed funding led by Silverneedle Ventures, with participation from Huddle, TDV Partners, HME Ventures, Dholakia Ventures, FiiRE, and angel investors. Founded in 2022 by Rituraj Biswas, Neha Soman, Abhijeet Kumar, and Arijit Mukhopadhyay, the company aims to revolutionize digital marketing by addressing challenges like high Customer Acquisition Costs (CAC) and low Return on Ad Spend (ROAS).
The startup leverages AI to create hyper-personalized video ads using user-generated content (UGC). The fresh capital will be used to enhance Hypergro.ai’s AI capabilities, expand operations, and build a specialized team focusing on data analysis, predictive algorithms, and automation.
Since its inception, Hypergro.ai has collaborated with over 70 brands, including several from Shark Tank India. The company’s innovative approach has led to its selection for Google’s Startups Accelerator: AI First (India) program in July 2024, providing access to critical training, mentorship, and state-of-the-art AI tools.
Hypergro.ai’s platform now supports a community of over 300,000 creators across India and has partnered with more than 100 brands, significantly enhancing its AI model’s accuracy and improving revenue generation for clients. As it continues to expand and refine its AI-powered marketing solutions, Hypergro.ai is set to transform the digital advertising landscape, offering businesses more effective and efficient customer acquisition and engagement strategies.