Every day, a fragile work of art is shipped by Pune-based startup, PortraitFlip, to destinations across the world. A newborn’s face in watercolour, an oil painting of a couple on their wedding day, a charcoal drawing of a beloved pet, and an acrylic of a woman in a black lace dress have been some of the pieces that PortraitFlip has been commissioned to make.
Handmade paintings have mostly been the privilege of queens, presidents and actors, who have posed for portraits in the studios of renowned artists, through ages. PortraitFlip is making this service more widespread, for regular people and without the bother of sitting still for a painter. A startup, which was founded by Lavdeep Chahal, Shubhanshu Maheshwari and Sunny Choudhary, who were final-year engineering students at Vellore Institute of Technology, Chennai, in 2017, now services more than 10,000 customers and generates a turnover of Rs 6 crores.
“One of my friends, later a co-founder, wanted to get a handmade portrait for his girlfriend. We went online in search of such a service but didn’t find any likes in India. That’s when we thought of starting a venture that would fill the gap and help the artist community. My initial partners and I launched a website, learned the basics of digital marketing, and started spreading the word on Facebook,” says Choudhary over a Zoom interview. The team expected a few customers from India, to begin with, but received orders from the US.
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“This was very exciting because we were majorly focusing on India. One of the many reasons could be that our product was a little exorbitant compared to the Indian market. The sales were so good that we decided to continue the work through college,” he adds. With money borrowed from our family and friends, they rented an apartment in Keshav Nagar and built a better online presence. PortraitFlip now employs more than 100 artists spread across the world who create paintings from photographs in less than two weeks. Their market has grown to include Australia and the UAE, though 90 percent of the business is still from the US. “Compilation Oil Paintings” are the most popular among their offerings as it allows customers to use multiple photos to create a painting.
Art is an essential part of the Indian social and cultural fabric, with every region boasting a number of folk styles. Art schools in cities such as Mumbai, Kolkata, and Delhi train hundreds of young artists in forms ranging from traditional to experimental. Yet, the art market in the country pushes most artists to the margins and a number of them take up alternative work to make ends meet. PortraitFlip has, possibly, found the balance between art and commerce by enabling regular people to commission artwork. “At the start, we had offered two options, paintings for home decor and portraits, and expected the former to be a hit. It turns out that people preferred works that either captured a special moment of their lives on canvas or depicted a special person,” says Choudhary.
PortraitFlip was swamped with orders in the last few months of 2020. In fact, they were forced to put up a banner on their website stating that they were not accepting any more orders. By January 2021, they could rent a bigger office in Kharadi, and hire a full-time team of 10 people. The team is working to hit a revenue of Rs. 16 crores by the end of 2021.
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“Our latest innovation is to create paintings from two sets of people. This has become popular with families in which a grandchild may never have met its grandmother or grandfather. In the painting, we show the child and grandparents in a park or the customer’s preferred background,” says Choudhary. The other big demand, especially from Europe, is for the “Royal Oil Portraits” that comprise paintings showing a person’s face painted on the body of kings or queens, superheroes such as Batman, or historical figures such as Maharana Pratap.
“We have been reinvesting our earnings back in the business. Later this year, PortraitFlip is planning to start a round of fundraising in order to grow and reach more people. When people buy one of our oil paintings, they get a picture they like but also know that an artist’s hands have worked on it, an artwork that has the smell of colours and the strokes of brushes. It feels different,” says Choudhary.
Dipanita Nath is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. She is a versatile journalist with a deep interest in the intersection of culture, sustainability, and urban life.
Professional Background
Experience: Before joining The Indian Express, she worked with other major news organizations including Hindustan Times, The Times of India, and Mint.
Core Specializations: She is widely recognized for her coverage of the climate crisis, theatre and performing arts, heritage conservation, and the startup ecosystem (often through her "Pune Inc" series).
Storytelling Focus: Her work often unearths "hidden stories" of Pune—focusing on historical institutes, local traditions, and the personal journeys of social innovators.
Recent Notable Articles (December 2025)
Her recent reporting highlights Pune’s cultural pulse and the environmental challenges facing the city during the winter season:
1. Climate & Environment
"Pune shivers on coldest morning of the season; minimum temperature plunges to 6.9°C" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on the record-breaking cold wave in Pune and the IMD's forecast for the week.
"How a heritage tree-mapping event at Ganeshkhind Garden highlights rising interest in Pune’s green legacy" (Dec 20, 2025): Covering a citizen-led initiative where Gen Z and millennials gathered to document and protect ancient trees at a Biodiversity Heritage Site.
"Right to breathe: Landmark NGT order directs PMC to frame norms for pollution from construction sites" (Dec 8, 2025): Reporting on a significant legal victory for residents fighting dust and air pollution in urban neighborhoods like Baner.
2. "Hidden Stories" & Heritage
"Inside Pune library that’s nourished minds of entrepreneurs for 17 years" (Dec 21, 2025): A feature on the Venture Center Library, detailing how a collection of 3,500 specialized books helps tech startups navigate the product life cycle.
"Before he died, Ram Sutar gave Pune a lasting gift" (Dec 18, 2025): A tribute to the legendary sculptor Ram Sutar (creator of the Statue of Unity), focusing on his local works like the Chhatrapati Shivaji statue at Pune airport.
"The Pune institute where MA Jinnah was once chief guest" (Dec 6, 2025): An archival exploration of the College of Agriculture, established in 1907, and its historical role in India's freedom struggle.
3. Arts, Theatre & "Pune Inc"
"Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak were not rivals but close friends, says veteran filmmaker" (Dec 17, 2025): A deep-dive interview ahead of the Pune International Film Festival (PIFF) exploring the camaraderie between legends of Indian cinema.
"Meet the Pune entrepreneur helping women build and scale businesses" (Dec 16, 2025): Part of her "Pune Inc" series, profiling Nikita Vora’s efforts to empower female-led startups.
"How women drone pilots in rural Maharashtra are cultivating a green habit" (Dec 12, 2025): Exploring how technology is being used by women in agriculture to reduce chemical use and labor.
Signature Style
Dipanita Nath is known for intellectual curiosity and a narrative-driven approach. Whether she is writing about a 110-year-old eatery or the intricacies of the climate crisis, she focuses on the human element and the historical context. Her columns are often a blend of reportage and cultural commentary, making them a staple for readers interested in the "soul" of Pune.
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