In the sleek, minimalist corridors of Nothing’s Londonheadquarters, the air usually hums with the quiet intensity of a boutique design house. But if you listen closely to the transatlantic—or rather, transcontinental—conversations happening today, the accent has shifted. The focus is no longer just on the aesthetics of Shoreditch; it is on the industrial heartbeat of Chennai and the bustling tech corridors of Bengaluru.
On a landmark Thursday that will likely be remembered as the
"Day of Independence" for the brand, Nothing announced a tectonic
shift in its corporate anatomy. CMF, the vibrant, budget-friendly sibling of
the main Nothing brand, is cutting the umbilical cord. It is becoming an
independent subsidiary, and more importantly, it is packing its bags and moving
its entire brain trust—R&D, manufacturing, and operational headquarters—to
India.
The Human Architect of a Digital Dream
At the centre of this whirlwind is Akis Evangelidis. To many
in the tech world, he is the Co-founder and the face of Nothing’s expansion. To
the team in India, he is the man currently tasked with bridging two worlds.
Akis’s promotion to a more expansive role isn’t just a corporate title change;
it’s a recognition that for Nothing to survive the brutal "Smartphone
Wars" of the mid-2020s, it must stop acting like a London visitor and start
living like an Indian local.
"India isn't just a market for us anymore," Akis
says, his enthusiasm palpable. "It’s our engine room."
When Nothing first launched CMF in 2023, the industry saw it
as a clever side-hustle—a way to sell stylish earbuds and smartwatches to those
who couldn't quite justify the premium price of the flagship Phone (2). But the
market spoke louder than the analysts expected. CMF didn't just sell; it
dominated. By the time the brand introduced its own smartphones, it was clear
that the "affordable" tag wasn't a compromise—it was a catalyst.
The $100 Million Bet
The sheer scale of this move is staggering. Nothing has
pledged to pour upwards of $100 million into the Indian ecosystem over the next
three years. In an era where venture capital has become notoriously stingy,
this is a massive show of confidence.
The money is destined for more than just marketing
billboards. It’s being funneled into a sophisticated joint venture with
Optiemus, a titan of Indian Original Design Manufacturing (ODM). While the
precise ownership split remains a closely guarded secret—as is the fashion with
startup "unicorns"—the real-world impact is undeniable: 1,800 new
jobs. These aren't just assembly-line roles; they represent the high-level
R&D talent that Nothing hopes will infuse Indian engineering with London’s
design DNA.
Critics might ask where this sudden influx of cash
originated. It’s no secret that Nothing recently secured a $200 million funding
round led by the heavyweights at Tiger Global. While the company has been coy
about exactly how many pounds sterling are being converted into Indian rupees,
the correlation is clear. They aren't just spending money; they are building an
empire.
Why India? The Logic of the 42%
To understand why a London-born startup would move its
subsidiary's heart to India, one only needs to look at the data—and the streets.
In the second quarter of 2025, the International Data Corporation (IDC)
revealed a startling statistic: over 42% of all smartphones shipped in India
occupied the $100 to $200 price bracket.
This is CMF’s "sweet spot." While the likes of Apple and Samsung battle for the high-ground of the 1,000-pound flagship, CMF is winning the hearts of the masses. In 2024, Nothing was the fastest-growing brand in the country, boasting an eye-watering 577% year-over-year growth. You don't get those kinds of numbers by being a niche player; you get them by providing a product that feels premium at a price that feels fair.
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The "Make in India" initiative, once a government
slogan, has become a survival manual for global tech. By manufacturing the
upcoming Phone (3a) series in Chennai, Nothing is bypassing the logistical
nightmares of global shipping and the heavy duties of importation. But more
than that, they are gaining "street cred." There is a burgeoning
pride in Indian manufacturing, and Nothing is leaning into it with both
shoulders.
The Brick-and-Mortar Blitz
In a world that has increasingly moved online, Nothing is
doing something refreshingly old-school. Akis and his team aren't just
satisfied with being a "digital-first" brand. They are expanding
their offline footprint to over 12,000 stores across the subcontinent.
"We want someone in a Tier-2 city to be able to walk
into a shop, feel the unique texture of a CMF device, and see that it wasn't
just designed for them—it was built for them, by people who live in the same
time zone," a company insider noted.
This is the humanisation of tech. It’s about moving away
from the "black box" of Chinese manufacturing and creating a
transparent (pun intended, given Nothing’s design language) ecosystem where the
consumer feels a sense of proximity to the creator.
The Chennai Connection
The upcoming launch of the Phone (3a) on March 4th is being
treated with the reverence of a moon landing. Set for 3:30 PM IST, the launch
isn't just about a new processor or a brighter screen; it’s a proof of concept.
If Nothing can successfully mass-produce a design-led, high-quality handset in
Chennai that meets the exacting standards of the London design team, the
"CMF as an independent subsidiary" experiment will be hailed as a
masterstroke.
The challenge, of course, is maintaining that
"distinctive, design-led" soul while scaling up to the millions of
units required by the Indian market. It is a tightrope walk between the
artisanal and the industrial.
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The Road Ahead
As CMF transitions into its new life as an Indian-based
subsidiary, the tech world will be watching closely. This isn't just about
Nothing; it’s a litmus test for the "China+1" strategy that many
Western firms are desperately trying to implement.
Nothing has proven it can make tech look cool. Now, under
the leadership of Akis Evangelidis and the manufacturing prowess of Optiemus,
it has to prove it can make tech at scale, in a market that is as demanding as
it is rewarding.
The London startup that started with a pair of transparent
earbuds is now a multi-national player with a hundred-million-dollar stake in
the future of the Global South. It turns out that "Nothing" was
actually quite a lot.
A Note on the Cultural Shift
What makes this story truly human is the collision of
cultures. The Nothing aesthetic is famously "less is more"—inspired
by Dieter Rams and mid-century modernism. India, by contrast, is a land of
"more is more"—vibrant, chaotic, and bursting with colour. CMF (which
stands for Colour, Material, Finish) is the perfect bridge between these two
philosophies.
By moving the R&D to India, Nothing is effectively
saying that the next great design innovations won't just come from the quiet
studios of Europe, but from the energetic streets of Chennai and Delhi. They
are betting that the Indian engineer’s knack for "Jugaad" (innovative
problem-solving) combined with Nothing’s obsessive attention to detail will
create something the world has never seen.
As we look toward the March 4th launch, one thing is certain: the eyes of the tech world have shifted. The compass no longer points North; it points firmly toward the Indian peninsula.
By - Aaradhay Sharma
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