One Insert at a Time: Ketan Gupta on Building Snabitty

Ketan Gupta is not your typical founder. An engineering dropout who later graduated from IIT Hyderabad with a degree in design, Ketan spent over six years working as a digital product designer before deciding to take the plunge into entrepreneurship. His venture, Snabitty, brings fashion into the world of phone accessories by introducing phone cases with swappable inserts. Think of it as outfit changes for your phone. We spoke to Gupta about what sparked the idea, how the journey has been so far, and what makes Snabitty stand out in a sea of phone accessory brands.

Could phone covers be fun?

“It all began with frustration, honestly. I was looking for phone cases that looked good and didn’t cost a fortune. Most brands focused on protection—drop tests, anti-yellowing materials, and all that— but the designs were just boring. It felt like there was no room for fun or expression”, Gupta shares on how the idea for Snabitty came into light.  “I had a moment of clarity. Phone cases are often overlooked as fashion accessories. They’re always marketed as protective gear. I wanted to change that. Printed cases felt rigid and expensive—paying ₹700 or more for just one design didn’t sit right with me. So I thought, what if we let people decide what their phone looks like?

That’s how the idea of the brand came to life”, mentioned Gupta. While this is an unconventional path to follow, Ketan Gupta only had good things to share about it. “The beginning was nerve-wracking. Some people said things like, “I’d rather print it at home,” or “it’s just paper.” That scared me a little, but I knew I had something better. The inserts we use are made from a paper and plastic blend—they’re non-tearable, waterproof, glossy, and durable. It’s not regular paper at all.”

More than Just a Phone Case 

He was pleasantly surprised by the interest it generated amongst the customers. “They started asking for inserts for other phone models, suggested ideas for designs, and even tagged us in their custom styles. It picked up faster than I expected. Of course, then came the copycats. One brand with 40,000 followers copied our idea, while we had barely 1,500. That stung, but I had anticipated it. If anything, it confirmed that we were onto something meaningful." Launched on May 1, 2025, the brand has already garnered a lot of attention. “Before that, I ran a small MVP in November 2024 with friends and family just to test things out. Once I refined the idea and added more designs, I quit my job to go all-in on building this brand.”

However, what stole the show was the name of the brand. “As for the name, it came from a need to reflect speed and change. I explored words across Hindi, English, and even Japanese before landing on "snabbt," which means "quickly" in Swedish. It just clicked. We kept that essence of speed and turned it into something more playful. Snabitty might sound like a delivery app to some, but I like how it feels light and fun.”

When Ketan could not sleep!

While the venture began with iPhone users, it will soon expand to include phone cases and covers for Samsung, Pixel, and Nothing users. But, despite this, Snabitty is a novel idea. What sets Snabitty apart isn’t just about phone cases; it’s about giving people the ability to swap and change their look whenever they want. “Even our unboxing experience is different. We place the second-best-looking insert inside the clear case so it’s the first thing the customer sees. But we save the best one—their favourite—for the envelope. That small moment of surprise and discovery is what we’re really selling. It’s not just a product; it’s an experience”, Gupta adds. 

Wrapping up our tête-à-tête, Ketan Gupta recounts what did not let him sleep. “There was this one video that went viral, and it completely changed everything. We earned more in a single day than we used to in an entire month. We went from restocking once a month to twice a week. I barely got any sleep during that period. We also crossed 2,000 Instagram followers—almost entirely through organic growth. That was a big moment for us.”