India-based beauty-tech startup Kult App is under scrutiny following the resignation of its head of creative, Adyasha Roy Tomar, who claimed that employees have not been paid salaries for several months.
Tomar took to LinkedIn to reveal that she had not received her salary since December, and she alleged that many other employees were also facing the same issue, with some not being paid for up to four months. She further accused the company of partiality in payments, claiming that certain “favoured” employees, particularly those working on investor-facing materials like decks and creatives, had been paid while others had not.
This controversy comes after employee grievances were brought to light through a now-deleted post on Kult App’s official Instagram account. The post reportedly called on the company’s management and investors, including M3M India Private Limited, to release pending salaries. Employees cited growing financial strain, including difficulties in covering medical bills, school fees, and daily expenses.
Tomar explained that there was disagreement with the company’s leadership regarding compensation practices, alleging that salary payouts were dependent on investor funding and internal financial factors. She also claimed that employees were instructed to pressure investors for salary payments.
On LinkedIn, Tomar wrote, “Employees of Kult have not been paid since December. Wait, I have that wrong. SOME employees have not been paid since then because the so-called favourites of the CEO seem to have been paid. The people who were required to quickly churn out investor decks and creatives – paid.”
The startup has not yet responded to the allegations. These events shed light on concerns over financial management and employee well-being in India’s startup scene, especially given the current challenging funding environment.
[Context: Kult App is an India-based beauty-tech startup facing allegations of unpaid salaries and favoritism in compensation practices.] [Fact Check: The article was first published on March 31, 2026, at 18:38:57 IST.]
