Muddabbir Ali

Founder/CEO @scentssecrets | 19 Perfume Outlets & 700,000+ customers | Bootstrapping 🇵🇰’s Most Loved Perfume Brand.

[Muddabbir Ali @MuddabbirAli]

Omni-channel including D2C, is the new pathway to 9-figures revenue company thats why many smart investors pouring in millions billions who knows this. Gruns, Bloom Energy, Ridge etc all are proven examples.

[Jordan Menard @jordanmenard]

an ecomm brand raising $1b from GC CVF or anyone for that matter would've been impossible 5 years ago.

there is a whole new world coming and most people have no idea.

[Muddabbir Ali @MuddabbirAli]

1. Will it compete with the likes of fortuner?
2. What’s your take on tank500?

[Nabeel Ali @Nabeel1124]

🚨 First Look impressions of Chery Tiggo 9 PHEV (test drive)

The long weekend finally gave me sometime to check out Pakistan’s first E segment PHEV crossover “ Chery Tiggo 9”.
It’s a fully loaded crossover with insane power (0-100 in 5 seconds), high tech features and extreme comfort. Tiggo 9 has an EV range of 150 kms from a 34.46 KWH lithium ion battery and is powered by Chery’s proven Super Hybrid System. Tiggo 9 can be charged via AC/DC fast charging.

Exterior of Tiggo 9 follows a classic theme with 20” Maybach inspired wheels and straight lines through the body with a wheelbase of 2800mm, one of the highest in its class. Tiggo 9 looks massive and sleek at the same time, due to its cutting edge modern led lights both at front and back. Front could have been a little bit more modern with a stylish grill though. Lastly, the lights give a welcome effect when vehicle is locked/unlocked.

Interior is where Tiggo 9 rips the competition apart. Insanely good materials with mix of wood, soft padded plastics, nappa leather and dual glazed windows. The build quality really surprised me; China has really upped their game and they are not inferior to other brands in anyway possible, even the buttons are so satisfactory to press. The features are endless; massaging/heated/ventilated seats, Sony sound system ( which isn’t that great but just good), ambient lights, climate control for rear passengers, heads up display, wireless Apple CarPlay / Android auto, etc. Just the second row and last isn’t that spacious and in second row, the centre passenger might not feel comfortable because seat is flat.

During my test drive, the thing I loved most was the power. It’s blazing fast, instant torque 920 nm is always available from the tri-motor setup. Secondly, the cabin is really quiet and lastly, the suspension set up is also well tuned not too hard nor too soft. In comparison it’s a little bit stiff than Santa Fe.

All in all, Tiggo 9 is really value money, at ex factory 137 lacs, no other vehicle offers this much technology and power. In proper review, I will cover up EV range, fuel average, comfort in day to day driving, navigation system and other aspects of the crossover. I am thoroughly impressed and finalised it as my next purchase.
@motasim @Huk06 @PakWheels @adeel_azhar @minoqtopus

[Muddabbir Ali @MuddabbirAli]

In cred. Meta has mastered WhatsApp global distribution but it has been struggling to monetize it at scale, which Kunal has mastered with Cred.

He got some really big shoes to fill now with WhatsApp.

[Muddabbir Ali @MuddabbirAli]

Much debate on why Kunal Shah left profitable growing multi billion dollar company for a corporate job? That too before an IPO.

I guess people generally don’t understand what job at such high level global stage means.

Meta didn’t hire a manager. It invested $900 million

[Kunal Shah @kunalb11]

It’s been a minute.

2015–2018
- Exited FreeCharge. Spent time learning and investing.
- Pondered about: Why can't trust be rewarded? Started with $1M of personal capital.
- Launched CRED to reward people for paying credit card bills on time.

2019–2025
- Built a system run by a team that values ownership, judgment, and craft.
- Grew from 0 to 17M members by aligning incentives with behaviour.
- Built several products during COVID lockdowns.
- Raised $900M+ from global investors. Did 4 ESOP buybacks.
- Made Indiranagar and IPL ads slightly more interesting.
- Received a full stack of regulatory licences.
- Lost 35 kilos.
- Scaled from 0 to ~$325M ( ~₹3,200 crore) in annual revenue across payments, lending, insurance, commerce, wealth, and credit cards.
2026
- First profitable quarter (yet occasionally asked what our business model is)
- Raised another $900M from Meta in primary and secondary capital.
- Announcing our 5th ESOP buyback.

Today

CRED is ready for its next phase. I am stepping back and @miten steps in as interim CEO, partnered with an incredibly talented team. He has been heading strategy and finance and suffering me since 2020. I’m stepping away from the operating role and will continue as a shareholder. My commitment doesn’t change. Just the role.

Extremely grateful to our members, partners, regulators, and investors who made this possible. And to our board, Shailendra, Micky, Saurabh for their extraordinary conviction.

Team CRED, I’ll still expect you to be a 10x version of yourselves.

As for me, I’ll be joining Meta to lead WhatsApp globally.

Meta comes in as a minority investor in CRED. No access to member data.

While it’s come very far, the delta between WhatsApp today and its full potential is massive. I look forward to working with Mark, Chris, and the leadership across Meta for the next step in WhatsApp’s journey. Will, thank you for scaling something the world relies on quietly, and for making this transition smooth.

Onwards.

[Muddabbir Ali @MuddabbirAli]

Following perfumes by Scents N Secrets.
1. Monaco (inspired by Imperial Valley)
2. Los Vikings (inspired by LV Immensite)
3. Petra (by Parfum De Marle)
4. Forbidden City (by office for men)
5. Taos Hum (by Ganymede)
https://t.co/fkB1llVoG6

[._amir @caffeinexher]

i want to try some pakistani perfumes, give me some suggestions that are worth buying.

[Muddabbir Ali @MuddabbirAli]

You get this Beach Resort & these beach views in 85K for 4 nights in Koh Samui, Thailand. No wonder those who could afford opt to other places with better services, infrastructure & value to money tourism.

[omar r quraishi @omar_quraishi]

With a long weekend coming up was looking at some possible hotel options in Pakistan

Love going to Nathiagali so checked out this one - many people highly recommended it - but the price per night is around $1400 plus!

In that price (for one night) one can get a Hilton in Milan (or just about any major European city) for 9 nights!

Wonder what’s so special about Hilton Nathiagali

[Muddabbir Ali @MuddabbirAli]

@jspujji Ugc

[Muddabbir Ali @MuddabbirAli]

Shows how bad economic crisis is in lower segments of our society.

4. Average 3K nano loan, less than a utility bill on average as mentioned, wondering for what reasons people are borrowing it.

5. Will we see lending available for businesses/SMEs in Pakistan in our lifetime?

[Muddabbir Ali @MuddabbirAli]

1. How to use Ai to improve your craft, read this article. Most visually engaging article you could ever read.

2. Beautifully summed up consumer & business banking, lending, fintec etc. all in one article.

3. Alarming numbers are 19M borrowers, almost 8-9% of our population.

[Faizan Siddiqi @faizansiddiqi]

Pakistan doesn't lack banks. It lacks banking.

A bank with the cheapest money in the country, that refuses to lend it. Being sold at the exact moment its old engines die.

Huge thanks to @Profitpk for letting me build this as an interactive piece, use the slider, run the loan, open the doors 👇

https://t.co/MRc4FgWOpE

[Muddabbir Ali @MuddabbirAli]

Perfumes*** (Ameen Summa Ameen) 🤲🏻

[zo @w1tvh]

ya allah pls introduce the concept of using deodorant to paki people

[Muddabbir Ali @MuddabbirAli]

Meezan bank ki app or ATMs fiscal year k end k qareeb atay hi kam krna q chor dete hain???

[Muddabbir Ali @MuddabbirAli]

As someone who ve built & scaled multiple D2C & Retail Brands across 🇵🇰 while living in Karachi, I support most of these points. Adding to this, real game is selling higher price/margin products to Tier-2,3-4 cities & not metropolitans, iykyk.

[Alex Fedotoff @FedotOff90]

Pakistan is the 5th most populous country on earth and almost nobody in US ecom is paying attention.

240 million people. Median age 22. Mobile penetration above 85%. The 4th largest country in Asia by population after India, China, and Indonesia.

Almost zero US-style direct response presence in the entire country.

Urdu content works. English works in tier 1 cities (Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad). Cash on delivery dominant across all tiers (80%+ of online orders). Meta CPMs at $1-2 in beauty and supplements. EasyPaisa and JazzCash handle digital wallet payments but recurring billing is not standard infrastructure.

The Pakistani consumer market for personal care is estimated at $3B+ annually. Skincare and beauty alone clears $800M-$1B. Supplements around $500M. All categories growing double-digit YoY. None of these markets are served by US-style direct response brands.

A friend's cousin runs a hair growth brand exclusively in Pakistan and UAE. $410K/month run rate, 2 years in. Single product. CAC $11 on paid traffic, but COD changes the real math: 25-35% of cash-on-delivery orders get refused at the door, so effective cost per delivered order runs closer to $16. AOV $34. Reorder rate within 60 days around 31% (the entire retention play is repeat purchase via WhatsApp re-engagement, not auto-subscription, because the infrastructure isn't there yet).

What's hard about it: regulatory compliance for supplements requires DRAP (Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan) registration which takes 4-6 months. If you're entering with a skincare brand, the regulatory path is faster (cosmetic notification only, 60-90 days). The supplement category is bigger but the regulatory lift is real.

The next $20M brand in supplements isn't being built in the US. It's being built in Karachi by someone you've never heard of who runs Meta ads in Urdu and never plans to ship a single bottle to North America.

The world is bigger than 30M Americans you're bidding against.

[Muddabbir Ali @MuddabbirAli]

@SendCheesecake Give @ScentsnSecrets a try, you wont regret. Especially dessert inspired perfumes like Lataffa.

[Muddabbir Ali @MuddabbirAli]

“where egos get buried quietly, with no funeral”.
Brutal truth about business.

[Faizan Siddiqi @faizansiddiqi]

https://t.co/mRzVWZLUu5

[Muddabbir Ali @MuddabbirAli]

In a world full of Allahwala, Farhans & Al-rehman’s biryani, Naseeb biryani will always top the list.

[Sameer Siddiqui #TaxTheRich @SenatorSameer]

Miss Karachi a little more on Fridays. Every friday, every friday, i used to go to Frienddzzz, or Naseeb with my office boys. Miss you @ my country Karachi (pls get well soon asap)

[Muddabbir Ali @MuddabbirAli]

Yes. & people will pay if it can help save them time, energy etc. One example is SocialChamp @SocialChampSays, locally built but sold globally too, it could be in any vertical.

[Sohail Abid @sohailabid]

If you can get people to pay a subscription fee of Rs. 1000/month for a service in Pakistan, is that a good business model?

(The service is not for general public and only useful for businessmen.)

[Muddabbir Ali @MuddabbirAli]

One of the best reads about building a brand. Beautifully put.

Positioning is the ultimate game.

[Shaun Eng @shauneng]

https://t.co/sYrkEfc6qy

[Muddabbir Ali @MuddabbirAli]

@kamal_razzak @binghott @iamshackelford @DenneyDara @sourfraser @MatthewGattozzi @pkennedy93 @thedennis @harrydelmege_ @heyitsalexP Strat

[Muddabbir Ali @MuddabbirAli]

@kamal_razzak @binghott @iamshackelford @DenneyDara @sourfraser @MatthewGattozzi @pkennedy93 @thedennis @harrydelmege_ @heyitsalexP Start

[Muddabbir Ali @MuddabbirAli]

time and comfort for you and your family.

[Muddabbir Ali @MuddabbirAli]

Unpopular opinion: Youngsters (especially middleclass) shouldn’t buy a car, its depreciating asset is an accounting talk.

I grew up listening this, but my life experience changed my perspective.

One should buy a car because without it, What depreciates is your time,

[Muddabbir Ali @MuddabbirAli]

your comfort, & your control over your life.

No appreciating asset in this world can buy you comfort for you & your family, travel with safety & dignity, and bring control over your time.

The respect you get from society is plus.

You can earn money again, but cant buyback