The Sweet Change Raises ₹70 Lakhs in Funding Led By IAN Angel Fund

IAN Angel Fund, the evergreen fund of IAN Group, has led a ₹70 lakhs early-stage funding round in The Sweet Change, India's cleanest natural sweetener brand, along with participation from Udaan Angel Partners.

The company plans to use the fresh capital to strengthen product development, expand its presence across e-commerce and quick-commerce platforms, grow brand awareness, and build a larger team as it scales operations across India.

Founded in 2024 by Manvi Agnihotri (Co-founder & CEO) and Sheen Hitashi (Co-founder & CBO), The Sweet Change was born out of a problem, observed at both a personal and professional level, that the co-founder Ms. Agnihotri witnessed closely during her years as a clinical nutritionist. Over the last 12 years, she has worked with more than 11,000+ patients dealing with diabetes, PCOS, insulin resistance, obesity, and lifestyle-related health conditions. One common challenge she repeatedly saw was the struggle to reduce sugar consumption without giving up taste.

The investment by IAN Angel Fund was driven by the growing demand for healthier food choices and the increasing awareness around metabolic health in India. The fund saw strong potential in the company’s clean-label positioning, differentiated product approach, and the founders’ deep understanding of consumer pain points.

The fund also viewed them as an emerging player in a category that is expected to see long-term growth as Indian consumers are increasingly moving towards preventive healthcare, fitness-focused lifestyles, and better nutritional choices. The company’s early customer adoption, repeat purchase trends, and capital-efficient growth further strengthened investor confidence.

Today, the company offers products made with natural ingredients, while avoiding artificial sweeteners. Its products are positioned as zero calorie, zero-sugar, zero-glycemic alternatives designed for health-conscious consumers as well as people managing medical and lifestyle conditions.

Manvi Agnihotri, Co-founder & CEO, The Sweet Change, said –

India deserves a sweetener it can trust. For 12 years, I watched people fail to quit sugar, not because they lacked discipline, but because the market failed them. This investment let us fix that - and put a clean, honest sweetener in every Indian kitchen that struggled to avoid sugar.

The Sweet Change has demonstrated strong early traction within a short span of launch. In just over a year, the brand has crossed ₹1.5 crore in revenue and fulfilled 12,000+ orders across India through its website alone. Built with a capital-efficient D2C model, the company is now gearing up to scale further through marketplaces and quick-commerce expansion.

For the Co-founder Sheen Hitaishi, the focus has been on building a brand that makes healthier choices simpler and more approachable for consumers.

While several sugar substitutes existed in the market, many contained artificial ingredients, had an unpleasant bitter aftertaste, or failed to build long-term consumer trust. This gap led to the creation of The Sweet Change, a brand focused on offering cleaner, more transparent, and better-tasting sugar alternatives for Indian consumers.

The company plans to continue expanding its omnichannel presence across D2C, marketplaces, and quick commerce, while also exploring opportunities in cafés, hospitality, and institutional partnerships over time.

About The Sweet Change

Founded by a clinical nutritionist after working with 11,000+ patients struggling with diabetes, PCOS, insulin resistance, and other lifestyle disorders, The Sweet Change was built on a powerful belief: people should never have to choose between health and sweetness.

The Sweet Change is building India’s next-generation clean sweetener brand creating natural alternatives that deliver the taste and experience of sugar, without the spike, guilt, or compromise. With a strong focus on clean ingredients, trust, and everyday usability, the brand is making healthier sweetness simple, enjoyable, and accessible for modern Indian consumers.Vision is to lead India’s shift away from refined sugar and build the country’s most trusted clean-sweetness brand for the next generation.

Mission

To bring healthier sweetness into 600 million Indian homes by creating products that make reducing sugar effortless, sustainable, and joyful - without compromising on taste.

About IAN Angel Fund

IAN Angel Fund, the evergreen fund of IAN Group, is a SEBI-registered Category I AIF and part of India’s leading early-stage investment platform, which pioneered angel investing in the country. Today, IAN invests through its Angel Fund and venture capital funds, backed by a network of ~500 investors, including iconic entrepreneurs and industry leaders from India and overseas. The platform enables founders to raise capital from ₹50 lakh to ₹50 crore as they scale, while offering investors a diversified early- stage portfolio across both emerging and growth-stage startups.

About IAN Group

IAN Group is India’s largest horizontal platform for early-stage investments, comprising the IAN Angel Fund, BioAngels, and a series of SEBI-registered venture capital funds, including the US$100 million IAN Alpha Fund. IAN supports entrepreneurs with capital, mentoring by experienced founders, and access to global markets. Forbes has recognised IAN as one of the most iconic business and economic developments of Independent India over the last 75 years, alongside institutions such as LIC, NASSCOM, the RBI, and Naukri.com.