India’s First Prebiotic Soda Brand Misfits Attracts Strategic Investors in Seed Round

Misfits, India's pioneering prebiotic soda brand, today announced the successful completion of its seed funding round, raising an undisclosed amount from a consortium of prominent investors. The round was led by Nu Ventures, seasoned angel investor Subba Rao Telidevara, Turiya Advisory Services’ Managing Director Bijoy Daga; and renowned corporate finance and strategic investment consultant Robert Pancras.

Founded by brothers Aditya and Yash, Misfits has disrupted India's beverage industry by introducing the country's first prebiotic soda that combines bold taste with gut-friendly benefits. The brand's flagship product contains zero added sugar and are low in calories, positioning itself as a healthier alternative to traditional carbonated drinks.

The funding will be utilized to enhance production capabilities, expand distribution networks, and accelerate market penetration across India. Since its launch, Misfits has gained significant traction with consumers seeking functional beverages that deliver both taste and health benefits.

Left to right - Aditya Pai & Yash Pai(Co-founders of Misfits)

"We are thrilled to partner with investors who share our vision of revolutionizing India's beverage landscape," said Aditya Pai, Co-founder of Misfits. "This funding validates our mission to provide consumers with a guilt-free alternative to sugar-loaded sodas while supporting gut health through innovative prebiotic formulation."

Yash Pai, Co-founder of Misfits, added, "The investment will enable us to scale our operations and introduce new flavors while maintaining our commitment to clean-label ingredients and functional benefits. We're excited to build a brand that resonates with health-conscious consumers across India."

The funding round reflects growing investor confidence in India's functional beverage market, where consumers increasingly prioritize health benefits alongside taste preferences. Misfits' unique positioning as India's first prebiotic soda addresses this evolving consumer demand.

"Misfits represents exactly the kind of innovative brand that can transform traditional categories," said Venk Krishnan, Founder of Nu Ventures.

"The founders have identified a genuine market gap and developed a product that delivers authentic functional benefits while maintaining the taste profile consumers expect from carbonated beverages. Their approach to building a health-focused alternative in the soda category has tremendous potential for market disruption." said Subba Rao Telidevara, angel investor and former industry executive.

Misfits differentiates itself through plant-based ingredients, natural sweeteners, and zero preservatives, appealing to conscious consumers who value transparency and health benefits. The company's clean-label approach includes providing third-party lab reports, enabling informed consumer decision-making and building trust in the functional beverage space.

Founded by brothers Aditya and Yash, Misfits is India's first prebiotic soda brand committed to providing healthier alternatives to traditional carbonated beverages. The Mumbai-based startup combines functional ingredients with bold flavors to create products that support digestive health while delivering the taste experience consumers expect from premium sodas. With its clean-label approach and innovative formulation, Misfits is redefining what fizzy drinks can be in the Indian market.

Go Zero picks up $1 Mn in Pre-Series A funding from DSG Consumer Partners, V3 Ventures, Saama

Go Zero, an innovative ice cream brand committed to offering guilt-free delight, has secured USD 1 Million in its pre-Series A funding round. The round was led by DSG Consumer Partners, Saama, and V3 Ventures, with participation from angel investors Shantanu Deshpande, CEO of the Bombay Shaving Company; Arjun Purkayastha, Regional – Head Greater China, Reckitt Benckiser; Nikhil Vora, Founder & CEO, Sixth Sense Ventures; Krishi Fagwani, CEO, Thrive; and many other notable founders and CEOs. Founded by Kiran Shah, the brand’s diverse product portfolio comprises zero-sugar, high-protein, and low-calorie ice creams.

Go Zero possesses the potential to establish itself as the pioneering brand in its category, with its distinct product portfolio, taste profiles, and vast domain expertise. Go Zero’s Founder and CEO, Kiran Shah, is a veteran of the food and beverages industry, having spearheaded Apsara Ice Cream’s operations from 2014 to 2022. At Apsara, he played an instrumental role in expanding it from its single-store operations to a nationwide chain with over 100 outlets. Although his family has run Apsara since 1971, Apsara had remained a single-store brand for over 50 years until Shah took over.

Go Zero has been focused on producing delicious ice creams without compromising on taste while ensuring its products contain zero added sugar. With a mission to provide health-conscious consumers with alternatives to traditional sugar-laden ice creams, the brand has rapidly gained popularity among individuals looking for healthier dessert options. Given that there are numerous emerging brands that provide low-calorie and zero-sugar options, Go Zero aims to majorly focus on the taste, sweetness, and flavour to stand apart from its peers. With the new financing, the company plans to expand its market reach, enhance its production capabilities, strengthen its distribution network, and introduce more innovative flavours and product lines.

According to Kiran Shah, Founder, Go Zero, “Post the pandemic, people have become conscious of what they are consuming. More and more consumers are switching to healthier snacking options. With Go Zero, we aim to make the ice cream and dessert eating experience a healthy and guilt-free one for all. All our products are completely zero sugar, sweetened with plant-based sweeteners, which are completely safe and low in calories. For example, my favourite is the Belgian Chocolate flavour, which was designed such that consumers never had to feel a compromise while consuming a no-sugar product. With a wide range of low-calorie, high-protein, vegan, and keto ice creams, there's something in it for everyone. Our wide range of zero-sugar popsicles will take you down memory lane. All products are made with natural ingredients, and there are zero artificial flavours or preservatives.”

“With this fundraise, we will look at expanding our presence in all major cities and on all e-commerce and q-commerce channels such as Swiggy, Zomato, Blinkit, Instamart, and Zepto. The funds will also be used for marketing and creating awareness about the brand,” added Kiran.

According to reports, the Indian ice cream market is poised for significant growth, with projections indicating a twofold increase by 2026 and a quadruple surge by 2039, reaching a substantial value of INR 410,398 million (USD 5.1 billion) with a CAGR of 15%. New-age brands that are sharply positioned and have high-quality ingredients are increasingly being preferred by the evolving consumer.

Considering that the better-for-you ice cream market is expected to be worth USD 500 million in 2030, there is a vast total addressable market for Go Zero to tap into. Given Go Zero’s significant market share in the first 12 months of its operations, Go Zero has the opportunity to be a leading brand in this category.

About Go Zero

Go Zero is an innovative ice cream brand that offers consumers guilt-free indulgence with its zero added sugar products. Go Zero has all the elements to position itself as an innovative brand in the better-for-you ice cream category, given its unique product portfolio, delightful taste profiles, and extensive domain expertise. With a dedicated focus on crafting delicious ice creams without any compromise on taste, Go Zero is here to delight people’s taste buds and conscience alike.

 

Anushka Sharma backs Millet Based Health Food Brand Millé

High-growth health food startup Wholsum Foods launches its second brand Millé offering a range of high plant protein and fibre-rich, millet-based products

Brand ambassador Anushka Sharma chooses Millé to power every meal, invites consumers to join the movement to bring supergrain millets back to the centre of our plates

Following the success of its childrens’ food brand Slurrp Farm, a 100 crore brand in 2023, health food startup Wholsum Foods recently launched its second brand Millé offering high plant protein, fibre-rich, millet-based health foods to customers of all ages. Combining the goodness of millets, lentils, and legumes, Millé is the perfect choice for health and fitness-conscious customers looking to enhance their meals with quality plant protein. With the increasing focus on wellness post-COVID-19, Millé’s range of delicious, nutritious products offers customers healthy food options with high plant protein and fibre, all-natural ingredients, and very low sugar. Its range of daily foods and snacks currently includes breakfast cereals, pancakes, cake mixes, and gluten-free grain alternatives to rice and wheat.

Earlier today, Wholsum Foods brand ambassador and Bollywood actor Anushka Sharma, who invested in the company in 2022 having been a customer of Slurrp Farm, took to Instagram to share glimpses of a typical day in her busy life. Known as an advocate of healthy living and sustainable eating, she shared how adding Millé to every meal is helping her stay active and light through the day, fight cravings, and enjoy healthy indulgences.

Meghana Narayan, Co-Founder of Wholsum Foods (parent company of Slurrp Farm and Mille)

Launched in 2023 - the UN declared ‘International Year of Millets’, Millé is an innovative supergrain company actively promoting the consumption of the nutrient-rich, climate-smart grain which uses very little water and no fertilisers or pesticides. Working closely with a diverse group of stakeholders including leading Indian and international chefs as well as nutritionists and farmers, Millé is playing an important role in the movement to bring millets - known as the ‘mother of all grains’- back to contemporary food culture.

“Wholsum Foods has consistently brought us delicious millet-based foods over the last 7 years and the company has built a lot of trust. Millé offers the perfect combination of high plant protein and fibre that helps you eat right and live an active, healthy, fulfilled life at any age. We’re are happy to be a part of the millet movement which is bringing this ancient climate-friendly supergrain back to the mainstream”, Anushka Sharma, Wholsum Foods Investor, and Bollywood Actor.

“Millé is a supergrain food company that brings the health-conscious consumer fabulous, sustainable food, which is backed by science, rooted in traditional knowledge and easy to prepare. Millé offers our customers healthy food options with increased plant protein which comes from the unique combination of millets with lentils and legumes. With rising diabesity, cardiovascular diseases and an unhealthy eating culture, Millé helps people make a positive change towards a holistically healthier, happier way to eat using ancient supergrains that are inherently good for you and good for the planet”, Shauravi Malik and Meghana Narayan, Co-Founders, Wholsum Foods.

About Wholsum Foods

Founded in 2016 by Shauravi Malik and Meghana Narayan, Wholsum Foods is the parent company of the children’s food brand Slurrp Farm and the recently launched supergrain company Millé. Known for innovative, research-based and delicious products, the company mindfully creates food solutions that are backed by science and rooted in traditional knowledge. While the vision for Slurrp Farm was to provide healthy, natural, millet-based food options for young children and their parents, Millé aims to offer healthier and better food alternatives to consumers from all age groups. Both brands are currently retail in India through www.slurrpfarm.com and millesupergrain.com, as well as through leading e-commerce and quick commerce platforms such as Amazon, Big Basket, First Cry, and Swiggy Instamart, amongst others. Products are also available across leading modern trade stores in India and the UAE as well as online in the US and UK.

India's 1st Manless Takeaway Launched by Chennai Based Food Start up BVK Biryani in Chennai

Plans afoot for 12 more centres across Chennai & operations pan India. Company also announces 60 min delivery across Chennai for all orders on its "BVK APP"

Chennai based start-up BVK Biryani that serves authentic premium Wedding style Biryani freshly cooked with few hours of farm-to-fork meat, has launched first-of-its kind, unique state of art unmanned takeaway ordering experience centre in Kolattur, Chennai. Touted to be the Indias 1st and a unique experience for Biryani Lovers, the process itself promises to be is as simple as it is unique. Now Customers with Biryani hunger pangs can just walk in and not only satiate their hunger but experience a fast and amazing ordering experience. Just place your order on a 32" attractive and legible Display - Make payment by card or UPI - Watch the countdown timer - and Bingo! collect your popped-out freshly packed Order. All just in a jiffy. No Waiting and no one to talk to and explain. Just order and walk or drive away with your favourite Biryani to enjoy.

Indias 1st manless takeaway launched by BVK biryani in chennai

Started in 2020, BVK Biryani had lived up to its promise of maintaining the freshness of the cut though it was by far the most challenging factor in the restaurant business. The unique taste of their Muslim Wedding style Biryani come from their secret mix of spices and ingredients which are ground in-house everyday as per requirements. Nothing is pre-bought and stored. The Biryani continued to be served in eco-friendly reusable tin containers. True to their promise, the Company has now scaled up to offer 60-minute delivery across Chennai and hopes to further scale up to 30 min delivery in days to come. Ordering can be done online by either booking on their website www.thebvkbiryani.com or from their app "The BVK Biryani" available on google play and IOS app store. Orders can also be placed on Swiggy and Zomato food ordering apps.

For more details, please visit: www.thebvkbiryani.com.

Future Plans

The three-year-old biryani-centric food start-up, has raised the bar once again by its twin announcements. Launching the Indias first unmanned Takeaway Ordering facility and scaling up to offer 60 min guaranteed delivery for all orders on its homegrown BVK App. According to its Founder & CEO Mr. Faheem S the company has plans to launch 12 such centres across Chennai and later scale up its operations pan India.

Get-A-Way Raises $2 Mn Funding from the Parent Company of Biryani by Kilo

Get-A-Way founding team (Jash Shah, Jimmy Shah and Pashmi Shah)

Get-A-Way will now have an access to Biryani by Kilo’s 100+ cloud kitchen in 45+ cities

The partnership has helped the brand increase its footprint Pan-India

Healthy dessert brand, Get-A-Way has raised funding of around $2 million from Sky Gate hospitality, the parent company of Biryani By Kilo. The start-up founded in 2019, has launched healthy desserts which have no added sugar, are high in protein, keto-friendly and low in calories.

Get-A-Way is a start-up that appeared in Shark Tank India season 1 and bagged an investment of INR 1 crore from 3 investors, Aman Gupta, Ashneer Grover and Vineeta Singh.

Founded by Jash Shah, Pashmi Shah, siblings who quit their corporate marketing jobs in FMCG and Fashion, along with their mother, Jimmy Shah, a serial entrepreneur. The start-up has succeeded in making delectable desserts without compromising on the health aspect. The brand offers an array of desserts such as high-protein ice creams, low calories kulfis, popsicles, ice cream sandwich and much more. Healthy cakes and vegan ice creams will be launched soon.

The collaboration with Biryani by Kilo opens avenues for Get-A-Way and helps the brand broaden its horizon through a robust distribution network of over 100+ cloud kitchens in 45+ cities.

“At Get-A-Way, our aim is to make desserts that are healthy yet outrageously tasty. We have a deep-rooted conviction to change how people eat, without feeling guilty about giving in. We are thrilled to have partnered with Biryani by Kilo who also believes strongly in product innovation & consumer centric approach. These funds will enable us to innovate in terms of product, build an extremely agile distribution and create brand awareness,” said Jash Shah Co-Founder & CEO, Get-A-Way. 

Get-A-Way founding team (Jash Shah, Jimmy Shah and Pashmi Shah)

"We as F&B brand are always looking to push the boundaries and release innovative products for our consumers. With the extension of our strategic partnership with Get-A-Way, we will now have an array of healthy dessert options for our patrons to choose from. This strategic partnership extends Get-A-Way ice cream and dessert assortment to BBK 100+ outlets distribution channels and will diversifies the brand's retail footprint too” said, Kaushik Roy - Founder & CEO BBK. 

“We are elated to partner with Get-A-Way. Biryani is a perfect feast for every festive occasion and is considered to be a satiating and comfort food. We as a brand help celebrate special moments. With this partnership, we are combining our brand power to reach out to new and existing customers to offer a combination of delectable biryani with sumptuous desserts. With our investment and deep value-addition, we are confident in scaling Get-A-Way to become category creators as well as category leaders in several emerging categories.” said, Vishal Jindal, Founder & Co-CEO, Biryani by Kilo. 

With the prodigious amount of love shown by the customers, Get-A-Way plans to serve them with products that are truly innovative. The company will use the fresh capital to hire talent, expand manufacturing capabilities, widen product portfolio and create a robust sales channel. They also plan on launching healthy cakes, vegan ice creams and many more interesting products in the next 1-2 months. In continuation with this, the brand also plans to expand into new territories like the Middle East in 2023.

About Get-A-Way

Get-A-Way makes high protein, low calorie & no added sugar desserts such as ice creams, ice pops, ice cream sandwiches and diabetic-friendly kulfis. It sells across Zomato, Swiggy, Swiggy Instamart, Blinkit and many more platforms as well as their own website www.getawhey.in

They also retail out to multiple modern trade stores in cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and many more.

Facebook & Instagram @getawaydesserts

Twitter @getawayindia

LinkedIn: Get-A-Way

Website www.getawhey.in

About Biryani By Kilo

Founded in 2015, Biryani By Kilo is an F&B company that prepares and delivers authentic Biryani & kebabs. The company uses world-class technologies, processes & systems to give the best quality, standardization, hygiene & convenience to customers and the option to order online through the website & App or through the BBK call centre. The brand is committed to become the biggest & most loved Biryani and Kebab Chain across the country and making Biryani a popular dish worldwide.

FoodTech Venture Pluckk Records ~$5 Mn Annualised Revenue Run Rate in October 2022

• Crossed 100k customers since the launch in January 2022
• Work with 1000+ farmers directly to sources fresh veggies and fruits
• Fruits & vegetables are ozone washed and sourced responsibly with full traceability
• Forged alliances with biggies like Amazon, Dunzo, Reliance Signature et al

Pluckk, a fresh produce food-tech venture owned by Fruveggie Tech Pvt Ltd. has clocked record revenues of USD 5mn in a short span of time since its launch in January 2022, making it one of the fastest growing D2C brands in the Fruits & Vegetables (FnV) category. The revenue growth was driven by the launch of the PLUCKK app in April which contributed to its stellar growth with 100k downloads in just 3 months.

The company also announced its expansion in Delhi NCR, where the pilot has already started in Gurugram and future plans include expansion in Pune and Hyderabad by end of FY 23-24.

Tie-ups with major ecommerce platforms like Amazon, Dunzo and Swiggy, Zepto and Reliance signature stores have been a major driving factor to the growth of this young start-up.

Pluckk has currently crossed over 100K customers, works with a network of 1000+ farmers & offers a range of 250+ products of essentials, exotics and pan ready meal kits. The company has plans to raise funding in the next 12 to 18 months and enter into newer geographies.

Mr. Pratik Gupta, CEO and Co-Founder of Pluckk says “The urban Indian upwardly mobile consumer today looks at health & lifestyle benefits in everything they consume. Around one third of the online fresh produce market is going to be driven by lifestyle oriented brands in the next 5 years. We at Pluckk identified this fast growing unaddressed white space and aim to provide customers with highest quality fresh food options in formats which will complement their lifestyle needs. We are extremely delighted to witness the successful response we have received by growing from USD 1m to 5m in just around nine months of our operations”.

The main differentiator of Pluckk is providing customers with highest quality - safe, hygienic, ozone washed, traceable, ethically grown farm to fork fresh food options in formats which solve for lifestyle needs.

The company which recently raised USD 5 million seed capital funding from Exponentia Ventures has put this capital to good use by positioning itself as a one-stop differentiated brand in the F&V space.

Pluckk’s proposition is centered on global food trends ranging from vegan, carb alternatives, gut health, immunity to plant-forward eating to prevent diabetes and mental health. The platform offers new and unique categories making it a one stop most reliable destination for FnV including meal kits, low carb meal replacements, cuts, salads, hydroponic, organic, stuffed etc.

About Pluckk

Pluckk is a B2C fresh produce food tech supply chain platform founded in July 2021. Co-founded by Pratik Gupta and seed-funded by Exponentia Ventures (EV) with current operations in Bangalore & Mumbai. It is the first of its kind digital lifestyle-oriented fresh food brand in Fruits and Vegetables (F&V) space. Pluckk provides a platform to facilitate the ‘farm-to-table’ concept. It offers a large variety of special selections of gourmet fruits and vegetables directly to end consumers, doing away with mediators. The platform has already on boarded 100 plus farmers across Mumbai and Bengaluru and plans to reach the 1,000 mark by March 2022.

Pluckk CEO and Co-founder Pratik is an IMT Ghaziabad alumnus and has previously built a leading online grocery venture Wadi.com, which was later acquired by MAF (Carrefour).

Venture Catalysts, others invest in health food brand WickedGud

A guilt-free brand on a mission to unjunk India one kitchen at a time

Venture Catalysts Group, India’s first integrated incubator and a leading early-stage investment platform for startups, along with other marquee investors led this round of investment for WickedGud. WickedGud is a d2C health food brand that is on a mission to make every day eating guilt-free and change the way the world consumes comfort food for the better, using mom-approved ingredients found in every kitchen.

This round of Venture Catalysts comes in as an addendum to the $ 1 Million seed round secured by WickedGud earlier this year in their seed round. The round also saw participation from investors such as Bunty Sajdeh (MD Cornerstone Sport & Entertainment Pvt Ltd), Sahil Gilani (MD Gits Foods), Binoy Khimji (MD UBR Capital), and others. With this investment, WickedGud has raised a total of $ 1.6 Million since their inception a year ago.

Launched in October 2021, WickedGud sells high-protein pasta made of lentils (dal), Brown rice (chawal), and Chickpea (chana)- the chief constituents of an average Indian meal- among other super grains. In August 2022, the brand launched its instant noodle portfolio, a category that is in desperate need for healthier alternatives while being dominated by legacy brands. WickedGud noodles are made with the goodness of oats, jowar, lentil, brown rice, and whole wheat, and are thereby 100% maida free, 100% oil free, while also being free of MSG and other harmful chemicals that are frequently used by incumbents. The brand claims to have sold more than 25,000 packs, PAN India, in little less than 6 weeks- showcasing exponential growth in a category dominated by stalwarts.

WickedGud was founded by Bhuman Dani (MBA - INSEAD; ex-BCG London, previously the Co-Founder at TGL Co.), Soumalya Biswas (previously the COO (Brand & Revenue functions) at Rostaa; ex- HT Media, Edelman India), and Monish Debnath (previously the Lead Strategist & VP Planning at Havas Worldwide, Ex-DDB, BBH, JWT). The company also has Rinka Banerjee as an Advisor. Rinka spent more than 15 years with Unilever - her latest role as the Director - R&D Foods division for their South Asia business. She will help the company build the R&D capabilities for the product portfolio.

Indulgence in tasty food and obtaining wholesome nutrition have often been viewed as opposing markers on a spectrum. WickedGud poses a healthy solution to this conundrum, bringing high quality nutritional offerings to consumers in the form of delicious Pasta and Instant Noodles. The market size in India for these categories is way past 15,000CR while also maintaining a double-digit annual growth.

Reflecting on successfully securing funds in this round, Bhuman Dani, Founder & CEO of WickedGud said, “WickedGud is on a mission to unjunk India, one kitchen at a time. Our core offering is Wicked Taste and Gud ingredients. Why should anyone worry about their nourishment quotient while having a moment with his/her favorite bowl of indulgence?”

Welcoming the start-up to their expansive network, Dr. Apoorva Ranjan Sharma, Co-Founder, Venture Catalysts & 9Unicorns said, “WickedGud’s novel initiative to bring healthy options for pastas and noodles into a market where the consumer base is largely young, health-conscious, and family oriented is a cause Venture Catalysts is thoroughly excited to be a part of. We want to further help the brand in this empowering journey to avail healthy alternatives to junk food for Indian households.”

About Venture Catalysts

Venture Catalysts is India’s 1st integrated incubator for startups. It combines capital, mentoring and network for startups and has a presence in 47 cities across India with international presence in UAE, HK, UK, USA, Canada and Singapore. Venture Catalysts invests in the range of INR 2 - 15 crores per startup through a network of HNIs, Family Offices, CXOs, etc.

About WickedGud

Owned by 100Percent Nourishment Private Limited, WickedGud is on a mission to make every day eating guilt-free and change the way the world consumes comfort food, for the better, using mom-approved ingredients found in every kitchen. It currently sells pasta and noodles and will venture into other staple categories in the future.

Their products are currently available on www.wickedgud.com in addition to Amazon India, BigBasket, Flipkart Grocery, Blinkit, CRED and other marketplaces. They are also a part of Amazon’s Global Seller Programme and are already selling on Amazon US. Additionally, WickedGud has also been inducted in the prestigious, invite only Amazon Top Brands program for the UK & EU market even before their launch in those markets. The brand shall also be launching in the UAE market by October 2022.

Traceable Organic Food Startup Organic Kitchen Bags Seed Funding of $1 Mn from Angel Investors

The company plans to use the latest stream of funds to strengthen its technology, consumer & farmer app, expand its product range, build a robust supply chain, ensure customer acquisition, etc.

Organic Kitchen, a firm that offers 100% certified, authentic, and organic products directly sourced from the farms in a transparent and traceable way, has recently acquired Seed Funding of USD 1 million. The company has raised the latest round of funding from a host of prominent angel investors, including Mr. Siddharth Chaudhary, Mr. Abhishek Dhaka, and Mr. Nitin Sahjwani.

Organic Kitchen would utilize the funds to build technology, develop the consumer and farmer app, and expand its range of products to over 250+ certified organic fruits, vegetables, and groceries. The company will deploy supply chain strategies for organic food products through this latest funding by developing farmer clusters and dronas in four agro-climatic regions: Solan (Himachal Pradesh), Nawalgarh (Rajasthan), Palla (Delhi), and Sundana (Haryana). These regions would not just enable authentication for the incoming supply but also act as a marketing tool for the backend. Through these centers, the company wants to create farmer profiles, train farmers in organic farming, and buy from farmers at the farm gate.

Organic Kitchen will utilise the funds to ensure offline customer acquisition and cluster formation at the society level to optimise last-mile delivery costs.It believes that implementing digital marketing initiatives will enable it to acquire customers through specific hero products and allow customers to order across categories.

Speaking about the seed funding, Krishnank Atrey, Executive Director and Co-founder of Organic Kitchen, said, "With the support of our investors, we are excited to move forward with our plans for transforming conventional kitchens into organic kitchens and promoting organic food consumption culture across Indian households. Today, consumers have become more conscious about what ends up on their plate and don’t want to consume food laced with harmful chemicals and pesticides that deplete their health and immunity levels. They are significantly shifting their preferences toward organic farming methods and organic food items for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. " .

"With increasing demand coupled with our latest fund stream, we intend to build a profitable supply chain and strengthen our PAN India procurement and supply, expand across 35 major Indian cities, and roll out our presence into 15 Agro-Climatic Zones, 150 Dronas (farming hubs). Our team is also working hard to onboard over 12 lakh farmers and attain 1 crore customers that align with our long-term plans.", he added. .

Addressing the funding development, Sidharth Chaudhary, Angel Investor of Organic Kitchen, said, "The demand for organic produce is massive these days, and the Organic Kitchen is on the right path to deliver authentic organic products straight from the farms to customers’ doorsteps. I’m impressed with the team’s noble concept of implementing organic farming methods and their initiatives for rightly complementing the farmers’ efforts and overall well-being. I look forward to investing in Organic Kitchen throughout its future journey and supporting them financially as they progress towards this remarkable impact-driven journey. "

So far, Organic Kitchen has onboarded almost 1900 farmers and helped them increase their income by 60%. As per its short-term strategies, the company plans to onboard over 4500 farmers, attain over 6000 customers, and expand to six agro-climatic zones with six dronas (collection centres). .

About Organic Kitchen.

Incorporated in 2021, Gurugram-based Organic Kitchen commenced its operations on January 1, 2022. It is the brainchild of Monika Dhaka (Managing Director & Co-founder), Krishnank Atrey (Executive Director & Co-founder), Nikhil Hooda (Director of Operations & Co-founder), and Sparsh Verma (Director of Technology & Co-founder). 

The company has focused on a robust business model that allows customers to track their entire food journey from harvesting to the time food enters their kitchen. Organic Kitchen facilitates customers to access organic land certifications, lab test reports, organic farm inputs, dates, pictures, and the location of the harvest by just scanning a QR code. The firm sources all organic produce directly from the farmers and provides them with a platform to sell their organic produce. Organic Kitchen also enables the farmers to reach thousands of households through farmer profiles, helping the farmers gain a sense of pride and paying them the correct prices that complement their efforts. .

AI-driven Food Supplements Marketplace Getsupp Raises ₹ 9.5 Cr in Seed Funding Led by General Catalyst, Better Capital and Others

GetSupp is pleased to announce its Seed round of INR 9.5crores. The round is led by General Catalyst and Better Capital along withl marquee angel investors like Saurabh Garg (Founder, NoBroker), Ankit Nagor (Founder, Curefoods), Kunal Shah (Founder, Cred), Rohit Kapoor (Global CMO, Oyo), Mohit Sud (VP Marketing, Unilever), We Founders Circle and others.

GetSupp is an AI-driven nutrition and food supplements marketplace for users to learn, discover & buy the best supplement through a tailored purchase experience and see visible results via a personalized post purchase journey. It has built a proprietary AI-driven technology for both pre and post sales experience.

“The Indian consumer today is discerning and demands more,” said Anand Chandrasekaran, Partner, General Catalyst. “As she manages both her personal well being as well as that of her family’s, she will choose a high quality service which combines the simplicity of a health concierge with the trust and quality of the products recommended to her. GetSupp has a world class founding team that is building this service, and we are excited to partner closely on this journey.”

Food supplements market in India is at $5.5 bn right now and growing rapidly to scale to $18 bn in the next 5 years. India is seeing an unprecedented focus on health consciousness. Large population now believes that nutrition solutions can be very useful to overcome lifestyle concerns and problems.

“India is heavily nutrient-deficient and everyone discovers this at some point. But there is no solution that helps them comprehensively from learning about the deficiency correctly to starting the use of supplements and getting help for ongoing adherence. GetSupp is addressing exactly this problem with a solution that is tailored to each user & we are excited to be founding stage partners to Arpit & Deven", said Vaibhav Domkundwar of Better Capital.

In the near term, GetSupp will focus on strengthening their technology across the value chain to improve customer experience and make the entire journey seamless and easy for the users. It would partner with major brands in the nutrition space to provide best options to all customers.

“Our mission is to help every Indian discover the power of nutrition and how right supplementation can help overcome concerns and increase quality of life significantly. As of now, the entire journey from discovery to right usage to adherence is broken - And that is the reason why penetration of supplements is miniscule when compared to other countries. GetSupp helps the customers discover the right supplements and handholds them through the entire journey”, said Co-founder & CEO Arpit Gupta who is an IIT Guwahati & ISB alumni with more than 5 years of health and nutrition experience.

There has been a massive influx of products and brands in the nutrition category over the last 4 years. And this number is set to triple in the next 5 years. This also means that users have a lot of confusion and questions.

“Current ecommerce platforms have not been designed for discovery and consultation of supplements - GetSupp solves that problem. Our entire tech stack has been built to empower users, guide them, and answer any queries they might have during their supplement journey. Our content and AI-based consultation acts like a very knowledgeable consultant to make sure users get the best results”, said Co-founder and CTO, Deven Vyas who has been leading health and nutrition technologies for 8 years with a stint at Practo where he met Arpit.



GetSupp has a nimble, capital-efficient, and scalable business model. Backed by marquee investors, who share the strategic vision of founders - the firm has ambitions to grow aggressively in near future.

About GetSupp

GetSupp is India’s first AI-driven Nutrition and Food Supplements Marketplace. It helps users understand and discover the best supplement for them and then handhold them through the entire journey for better adherence and results. It has built a proprietary tech-stack for the entire journey and that makes it highly efficient and scalable. It was founded by Arpit Gupta and Deven Vyas who have combined more than 12 years of experience in the nutrition and health space. For more details check: www.getsupp.com

About General Catalyst

General Catalyst is a venture capital firm that invests in powerful, positive change that endures — for our entrepreneurs, our investors, our people, and society. We support founders with a long-term view who challenge the status quo, partnering with them from seed to growth stage and beyond to build companies that withstand the test of time. With offices in San Francisco, Palo Alto, New York City, London, and Boston, the firm has helped support the growth of businesses such as: Airbnb, Deliveroo, Guild, Gusto, Hubspot, Illumio, Lemonade, Livongo, Oscar, Samsara, Snap, Stripe, and Warby Parker. For more: https://www.generalcatalyst.com/

About Better Capital

Better is an early-stage venture firm investing in India-as-a-thesis building companies for India and for the world from India. Better has a top tier portfolio of 175+ companies, has been an early backer of several breakout companies and has 2 unicorns in its portfolio. Better partners with founders very early and invests with deep conviction and helps its companies build in a systematic manner from idea to early PMF to traction to follow-on fund raises and more. For more details check: https://www.bettercapital.vc/

WickedGud Raises $340K in a Pre-seed Round Led by Titan Capital and Other Marquee Investors

Funds to be utilized for building the brand across D2C channels and strengthening the team to support its initial growth

Delhi, 13 September 2021: WickedGud, a brand owned by 100Percent Nourishment Private Limited, has announced raising $340,000 in a pre-seed round led by Titan Capital. The round also saw participation from many successful founder angels and marquee investors such as Archana Priyadarshini Partner at Point One Capital, Gaurav Ahuja, MD at Chrys Capital, Amit Chaudhary, Founder, Lenskart, Aman Gupta & Sameer Mehta, Co-founders, boAt, Harsh Vakharia, founder, Invideo and Jorge Fernandez Vidal, Investment Director at Liechtenstein Group.

Bhuman Dani

WickedGud was founded in July 2021, by Bhuman Dani (MBA - INSEAD; ex-BCG London, previously the Co-Founder at TGL Co.), Soumalya Biswas previously the COO(Brand & Revenue functions) at Rostaa; ex- HT Media, Edelman India), and Monish Debnath (previously the Lead Strategist & VP Planning at Havas Worldwide, Ex-DDB, BBH, JWT). The company also has Rinka Banerjee as an Advisor. Rinka spent more than 15 years with Unilever - her latest role as the Director - R&D Foods division for their South Asia business. She will help the company build the R&D capabilities for the product portfolio. WickedGud has at its helm experienced professionals with decades of proven track record at building and growing consumer brands.

Several studies have demonstrated the necessity of nutrition and protein-rich foods and their beneficial effects on human health. WickedGud is on a mission to make everyday eating guilt-free and change the way the world consumes comfort food for the better using indigenous and high nutrition ingredients. The brand is firmly built on three core pillars – Indulge, Transform & Nourish with the aim of building a robust product portfolio with ‘Wicked Taste & Good Ingredients’.

Speaking of the funding, an ambitious Bhuman Dani, Founder, WickedGud, said --

Having lived across the globe for more than a decade and being an avid foodie, I truly understand the importance of balancing taste and health. With the backing of a titan like Titan Capital and some incredibly smart founder angels and marquee investors, I am extremely excited to embark on this journey of transforming wicked indulgences into truly good and nourishing meals.

"We look forward to building the brand across D2C channels and further strengthen the team to support our initial growth and ambitious future plans of adding WickedGud products into the kitchens of every Indian household," Bhuman further added.

Talking about their investment, Bipin Shah, Partner, Titan Capital, said, "WickedGud is as human as a brand can ever get. It's an enabler for all the mothers out there who constantly worry about their family's health. The brand promise is unique, the formulation story is unheard of, and the team is high octane. I look forward to seeing them disrupt this space for the better!"

Another Investor, Amit Chaudhary, Founder, Lenskart, said, "I invested in Bhuman and his team. He has tremendous hunger for delivering goodness to consumers. With WickedGud, he is on this mission to un-junk the junk from our daily comfort foods."

Today, Generation Z dictates household purchasing habits, mothers have begun to domesticate junk food, resulting in them compromising at all levels. They are constantly looking out for healthier options that offer high nutrition without any meaningful compromise in taste. Therefore, brands like WickedGud are solving this problem by empowering these very mothers by deconstructing "junk" and reconstructing it with fresh, nutrition-rich, homely versions to avoid the constant compromise with food and offer 100% nourishment to their families.

About WickedGud

Founded in July 2021 by Bhuman Dani, – a second-time entrepreneur, ex-BCG – London, MBA from INSEAD – WickedGud is owned by 100Percent Nourishment Private Limited and is on a mission to make eating guilt-free and change the way the world consumes comfort foods for the better by using indigenous, high nutrition ingredients. To begin with, they are looking to disrupt the pasta and instant noodle categories before venturing into other categories in the future.

Website: https://wickedgud.com/

TagZ Completes A Pre-series A Round of ₹ 4 cr. Led by Venture Catalysts, Agility Ventures and Dexter Angels

Funds will be utilized to launch new products and enter new markets

• Fresh capital to assist in expansion of product line, distribution and production capacity
• TagZ plans to expand to overseas markets soon
• Aims at pioneering the sustainable and biodegradable packaging for packaged food industry
• Over 3 lakh consumers have loved the brands snacking experience in a short span

Bengaluru, 29th July 2021: TagZ Foods, a premium GenZ snack company, today announced that it has raised an amount of INR 4 crores in Pre-series A funding from Agility Ventures and Dexter Angels. The fresh round of capital will be utilised for launching new product offerings, expanding distribution and production capacity. Eminent DTC and consumer brand founders such as Arjun Vaidya (Co-founder CEO of Dr Vaidya’s), Dharamveer Chouhan, Parth Choudhary, Mohanlal Menon and Dhruv Toshniwal also participated in the funding.

TagZ is an uber premium urban GenZ snack brand that crafts innovative, lip-smacking, and fitter savoury snack for a healthier and sustainable snacking experience. The GenZ brand led by Mr.Anish Basu Roy as Co-founder & CEO and Mr. Sagar Bhalotia as Co-founder, received a seed funding of INR 1.5 crore by a consortium led by 9 Unicorns VC in October 2020.

“We are deeply excited to partner with Agility Ventures and Dexter Angels in this journey towards building a truly premium and international snack brand in India as we move to the next orbit of strong growth in our DTC business,” said Mr. Anish Basu Roy, Co-founder & CEO, TagZFoods.

“Our mission is to help our GenZ consumers eat fitter and also to encourage them to lead a more active lifestyle. We want to help our consumers to pursue their passions for travel, music, sports, and the outdoors, while our products make sure they are never far from fit and sustainable snacking options. ”, he further added.

Mr. Prashant Narang, Co-founder of Agility Ventures, said, “We see a tremendous opportunity for growth in TagZ. In just a matter of 15 months, the brand has demonstrated fierce advancement by covering various milestones, such as product innovation, geographical reach, on boarding sales channel partners, online presence, as well as environment sensitivity. Our investment is an acknowledgement of the brand’s strategic bright future."

TagZ set to strengthen its market-size

TagZ is the first brand in the country to manufacture popped potato chips with 50% less fat in 5 lip-smacking flavours. The GenZ snack brand will be strengthening its business, both product wise and distribution wise. Soon an affordable range of popped potato chips with 50% less fat from the brands stable will be launched for consumer delight. It also plans to launch premium international flavours of popped potato chips, enhance its range of fit bar-snacks and add exciting flavours to its range of international gourmet dips.

TagZ with its enhanced product offerings, production capacity and distribution will soon be entering international markets as well.

Sustainability for sustainable growth

TagZ already has committed itself to recycling as much plastic as they consume and hence become the first potato chip brand to be plastic neutral. TagZ will soon be shunning single use plastic and replacing it with reusable PET canisters to reduce its plastic footprint. They will be pioneering the sustainable and biodegradable packaging movement for the packaged food industry.

“We have a young, deeply motivated team that believes in building not just a premium brand but an environmentally sustainable business as well. We believe that growth which does not align with the environment is not viable growth. We want to be the pioneers of this sustainable shift in packaged food industry,” said Mr. Sagar Bhalotia, Co-founder, Tagz Foods.

Adding on the competition in the snacks market, he says “With our core competence to build and market differentiated products which invariably find strong product-market-fit and strong growth opportunities, TagZ is geared to carve its niche market. There are white spaces in the snack market and we are targeting just that.”

Growth story

The premium GenZ snack brand in its modest journey of 15 months has recorded stellar growth and basked in enormous consumer love for its innovative and fit snacks. The brand expanded its presence from just one city to 6 major cities of India, from available on one online e-commerce platform to currently on almost all leading platforms that includes Amazon, Big Basket, Swiggy, Grofers, etc. These have added volumes to its successfully running DTC website. Retail business presence also grew from just 50 to whopping 2000+ retailers across India.

Brands flagship product, Popped potato chips with 50% less fat, was launched in only 3 flavours but now is offered in 5 exciting flavours. These include Masala Trekkin’, Salt Trippin’, Cream Onion Divin’ and Beer n Barbeque. It also launched fit bar snacks and a range of international gourmet dips to expand the experience of healthy snacking. Its fit snacks have already been able to provide lip-smacking snack experience to over 3 lakh consumers across country.

About TagZFoods

TagZ Foods is a Bengaluru-based GenZ snack company. Its brand TagZ is an uber premium urban GenZ snack brand. It crafts innovative, lip-smacking, and fitter snacking experiences. Its first range of products is popped potato chips with 50% less fat. It makes this in flavors such as Masala Trekkin’, Salt Trippin’, Cream Onion Divin’ and Beer n Barbeque along with a range of International Gourmet Dips.

The premium healthy snack company’s mission is to help GenZ consumers eat fitter and also to encourage them to lead a more active lifestyle. It was incorporated in 2019 and received seed funding of INR 1.5 crore from a consortium led by 9 Unicorns VC in 2020.

Two young Entrepreneurs Launch India’s 1st Ayurveda-Inspired Functional Chocolate Brand

AWSUM is India’s first functional chocolate brand for millennials who are dealing with modern-day lifestyle disorders like stress, mid-day lethargy insomnia, depression, etc.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, when immunity boosters are driving people crazy, one would not be able to assimilate the fact that Chocolates can also boost your immunity and can be made of Ayurvedic herbs and botanicals.

The pandemic forced the urban workforce to quickly adapt to the remote working model. As a result of working from home, the lines between professional and personal life began to get blurry. The millennials, who love to eat out, shop, and travel, were now confined to their rooms. The increased screen time hampered their circadian rhythm due to which they are struggling to get a good night sleep. This has also led to a surge in disorders like stress, insomnia, mid-day lethargy, depression and other ailments.

Designed to help the urban working millennials deal with their modern-day lifestyle disorders, two friends Pranav Sharma and Kritik Thakur, have launched India’s first Functional Chocolate brand, Awsum. Awsum is first of its kind chocolate brand which is using Ayurvedic principles to make products healthier that nowhere compromises on taste. Awsum uses the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda and combines it with premium dark and milk chocolate to create exciting products that come with functional benefits.

The Functional Chocolate as a category is very new and novel for the Indian markets with no similar brands available in the same space. These Chocolates are packed with herbs and nutrients that help the body to deal with the modern-day lifestyle health disorders and are very relevant for the current scenario where we are all dealing with a pandemic like COVID. The chocolates have a rich and smooth texture and do not come at a compromise of taste.

Awsum has initially launched 4 variants to start off with which are: Daily Energy, Sleep, Goodbye Stress and Active Immunity.

“The mission of the brand is to inspire lifelong healthy habits by bringing simplicity, inspiration and delight to the world of supplements and nutraceuticals. These functional chocolates immensely help you to fight and deal with modern day lifestyle problems- from sleep deprivation to stress and anxiety. So, a product like this has become all the way more relevant in the current scenario where India is fighting a battle with a global pandemic, wherein everyone is looking for immunity boosting products and problems like sleep deprivation stress and anxiety has aggravated all the way more”, said the Co-founders, Pranav Sharma and Kritik Thakur.

The idea of Awsum was conceived in the backdrop of nationwide lockdown declared by the government last year in 2020 when the co-founders themselves grappled with problems such as sleep deprivation, daytime lethargy, and anxiety. And their own experience led to the creation of the brand that aims to help people deal with these problems in a more convenient and an exciting way. Their ‘Awsum’ thought took shape at Gurugram based start-up incubator, Huddle that closely works with selected high-growth start-ups. The company is also backed and mentored by a group of highly accomplished individuals and industry experts.

People irrespective of class, gender, region, love chocolates, and many medical researchers have already proved that they are a good source of antioxidants. Awsum just gave us more reasons to munch chocolates and compensate for vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.

Website: www.awsum.life

9Unicorns leads seed round in TagZ Foods – An urban, GenZ Snack Brand with Over 1 Lakh Consumers

The funding will support further disruption of the Indian snack food industry with fitter snacking experiences crafted for the urban GenZ consumer 

9Unicorns -India’s first accelerator VC fund, has recently led a seed investment in TagZ Foods, an urban GenZ snack brand. The round also saw participation from Umang Bedi (Co-founder, DailyHunt), Malhar Anaokar (Head – Cloud Business, NetApp), AL Jagannath (Sr Director –VMWare), Shesh Kondi (Sr Director – Salesforce) among others. Shailesh Ghorpade (Managing Partner – Exfinity Ventures) has been on the Board of the company.

Founded in 2019 by Anish Basu Roy and Sagar Bhalotia, TagZ Foods aims to craft lip-smacking, innovative and fitter snacking experiences for the urban GenZ consumers. TagZ is on mission to help its GenZ consumers eat fitter and lead a more active lifestyle. It is the first brand in India to manufacture popped potato chips- that are never fried, never baked - and have50% less fat. TagZ Foods uses cutting-edge food technology, to make these potato chips which have no cholesterol, no transfat, no artificial colors or preservatives.

Speaking on the investment, Sagar Bhalotia – TagZ Foods, said, “Our mission is to bring global innovation in food-tech for the Indian GenZ consumers, with our lips-smacking and better-for-you snacking experiences. At the same time, we want to help this future generation beat obesity and truly enjoy active passions such as travel, outdoors & sports. After all, life is much more than mobile games and binge-watching! Also, we are a 100% made-in-India product and have already helped over 1 lakh consumers shift to fitter potato chips and quit the fatty fried ones.”

Dr. Apoorva Ranjan Sharma, Co-founder & Managing Director – 9Unicorns, added, “There is, currently, a major tech-led transformation afoot in the Indian snack food industry. TagZ Foods is at the forefront of this disruption with its innovative manufacturing processes and specialised foodtech. We have full faith in the founding team’s vision to craft an Indian GenZ brand and fulfill the growing demand for fitter snacking experiences.”

TagZ Foods is available on all online platforms such as Amazon, Big Basket, Supr Daily, and over 1,000 premium retail stores in Bangalore and other cities. Since its launch, the brand has served more than 1 lakh consumers. With the funding, TagZ Foods will now improve its distribution and capacity in other major cities across the country.

9Unicorns is India's First Accelerator VC. It provides acceleration support & seed funding to early-stage startups. 9Unicorns provides funding of upto $100K per startup in the first round, and may further invest $500K-$2Mn in successive rounds with its co-investors. From idea stage to angel stage, it supports startups across various themes & sectors.

9Unicorns' strength & focus is on a hands-on support ecosystem for startups, beyond capital. 9Unicorns, besides investment, offers access to a wide network of successful founders, category-leaders, CXOs of large corporations, seasoned angel investors & partners of global VC funds. Every portfolio company receives an acceleration support for 3 months & post-investment support of 18 months.

Wow! Momo raises INR 45 Cr debt funding from Anicut Capital, Repays Back old Debt from Avendus Finance

• Debt goes towards old loan repayment of INR 35 crores to Avendus Finance raised in 2018 and fresh influx of Growth capita
• The Company has availed the Loan Facility of INR 45 Crores now with an option to raise another 15 Crores by April 2021.
• Business is back to 65 % of Pre-Covid Numbers & is expected to touch 75 to 80 % of Pre-Covid numbers for October, 2020, keeping the festivity season in mind.

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Wow! Momo Foods -- which owns and operates two quick-service restaurant brands Wow! Momo and Wow! China – today announces raising 60crores debt funding from Anicut capital as it sees a bounce-back from the slowdown witnessed as the coronavirus crisis took hold. While a number of restaurant chains in India have filed for bankruptcy due to the on-going pandemic, Wow! Momo on the other hand continued to expand even at the time of global crisis.

From launching a new business vertical during lockdown to new outlets - to being the fastest to bounce back Wow! Momo has ensured they run, walk or crawl but never stop. One of the largest QSR chain in India, Wow! Momo currently has a total of 357+ stores across Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune and Kolkata. Out of this 290+ are currently operational and over 60 of them are still shut & Yet to re-open.

From plummeting to 10 % of monthly business in April 2020 as compared to February 2020 to 65% of topline in September, the company is growing stronger with delivery business getting back to 180% if compared to pre-covid times. Wow! Momo recorded a whopping 3 lakhs online orders last month. The company expects to get back to 75 % to 80 % of Pre-Covid numbers in Octoberr with an aim to touch 4 lackhs online orders.

Talking about the announcement, Sagar Daryani, CEO & Co-Founder at Wow! Momo Foods, commented, "Ours has been a story of agility and adaptability. These crucial times may have brought our business down initially but we always found new ways and undertook initiatives which helped us stay afloat. We have been more robust than ever with a change in business models, newer collabaration with Café Coffee Day to open Shop-In- Shop formats. Setting up new business verticals & total of 31 new point of sale opening in past 6 months. We have also taken a conscious call to shut down over 30 non performing Outlets nationally & the compete focus is to get back to profitability at the earliest as was the scenario in Pre-Covid times "

Wow! Momo has been backed by The Indian Angel Network & Light House Funds in the past. Last year the company was valued at over INR 860 crores by US based Tiger Global with an infusion of INR 120 crores directly into the business & an additional 60 crores as a secondary partial exit to members of The Indian Angel Network who made a whopping 8x return against their initial investment.

Food Startup Homefoodi On-boards more than 250 Home Chefs

Homefoodi is a Mobile Application for Home Food made by Home Chefs that empowers and connects the society. Based out of Noida, the company offers a wide range of regional cuisines to facilitate cooking for those who prefer a healthy home-cooked meal. The endless variety of cuisines from the widest range of Home Food and Bakery products prepared by home chefs will leave you not just drooling but will also take care of you and your loved ones. With a significant increase in the number of Home chefs associated with Homefoodi, it has now touched the 250 mark.

During the inception of Homefoodi, they initiated a research across the Metro cities and met up with over 2000 respondents (Homemakers & Consumers) which indicated that over 10% of the Homemakers would be keen to start up a Home Kitchen if they had a platform that could address their challenges and help them do a business in a professional way. 

Having a concrete expansion plan, Homefoodi plans to be present across the top 10 cities of India with over 1 lakh Home Chefs on their platform within the next 2 years. Starting from the grass-root level Homefoodi is climbing up its own way to triumph aiming to create India’s biggest self-employment chain by creating a Culture of Home Chefs through a mobile platform to earn from home being a Home Chef.

The company aims towards initiatives like Healthy India, Women empowerment, which empowers every Homemaker towards nation-building and healthy India. The screening criterion for potential chefs is a comprehensive process. To deliver 100% authenticity, the Homefoodi team visits the aspiring Home chefs for food tasting, food quality, hygiene and cleanliness of their kitchen and Packaging standards. All Home Chefs are 100% FSSAI Certified. 

Children’s Healthy Snack Brand Timios Launches WhatsApp based Bot to Directly Connect with Consumers

Timios, a Bangalore based packaged healthy snack brand for children has launched a WhatsApp based bot to sell products directly to customers. This move is in line with the company’s plan to focus on direct to consumer channels to explore newer categories of consumers and to strengthen communication with existing customers. 

Timios has a range of healthy food products designed for children. Timios products are age appropriate covering age ranges starting from 6 months to 12 years. (Babies, toddlers and schoolers). Each product is made with 100% natural ingredients and contains zero preservatives. With 7 categories of products, Timios offers finger food, munchies, energy bars, breakfast cereal, biscuits, probiotic bites and much more. Each of these products are designed in suitable portions to provide the necessary nutrition. 



Customers can now order these products on Timios WhatsApp store through this link  https://bit.ly/2UFuBGc

Commenting on this  Aswani Chaitanya, CEO and Co-Founder of Timios said “ Selling directly to consumers is becoming increasingly popular among retailers, brands and consumers. For a customer, ordering products on WhatsApp is easy, flexible and quick. On the other hand, for brands it’s a great way to build stronger relationships with their target audience and to engage with newer categories of customers. In addition to this, due to the current situation and extended stays at home, a lot of parents are happy to order directly from brands rather than waiting to place an order through other online marketplaces that are already inundated with increased traffic. The turnaround time in a direct order is much faster and the whole process offers a seamless experience"

Timios was founded by brother sister duo Aswani Chaitanya and Hima Bindu in 2016. The idea came about when Aswani moved to India from the UK in 2014 after spending about 15 years at top tier investment banks. Once he returned with family, as parents,Aswani and his wife were  in search of healthy age appropriate snacks for their two young boys. Unlike in the developed markets, there were no options for healthy yet tasty snacks designed for children. He realized the gap in the market and teamed up with his sister Hima Bindu, who holds a Masters degree in Nutrition and has worked as a research associate at an agriculture university and as part of the research and development team of a leading FMCG company. The duo founded Timios to create healthy yet flavourful and age appropriate food products  for children. 

In addition to the Whatsapp store, Timios is also available on their website www.mytimios.com, online platforms like Amazon, Bigbasket, Firstcry and Flipkart. With 250+ orders every day, the company also sells its products in over 350 offline stores (organic stores and kids/baby stores). 

About Timios - Timios, part of FirmRoots Pvt Ltd, is a packaged healthy snack brand for children. Founded by brother sister duo, Aswani Chaitanya and Hima Bindu in 2016, Timios has a range of healthy food products designed for children. Timios products are age appropriate covering age ranges starting from 6 months to 12 years. (Babies, toddlers and schoolers). Timios is funded by MTR Foods Pvt Ltd,Mysuru-based Rangsons Technologies LLP and Paipal Ventures LLP. 

Children’s Healthy Snack Brand Timios Raises Funding led by Mysuru-based Rangsons Technologies

Timios, a Bangalore based packaged healthy snack brand for children has raised Pre Series A funding led by Rangsons Technologies LLP, part of NR Group. The round also saw participation from Paipal Ventures LLP. The funds will be used towards product development, strengthening the existing distribution network and enhancing the technology platform. Timios had earlier raised funding from MTR Foods Pvt Ltd in 2018. 

Timios was founded by brother sister duo Aswani Chaitanya and Hima Bindu in 2016. The idea came about when Aswani moved to India from the UK in 2014 after spending about 15 years at top tier investment banks. Once he returned with family, as parents, Aswani and his wife were  in search of healthy age appropriate snacks for their two young boys.

[caption id="attachment_145977" align="alignleft" width="300"] Aswani Chaitanya_Timios_ CEO[/caption]

Unlike in the developed markets, there were no options for healthy yet tasty snacks designed for children. He realized the gap in the market and teamed up with his sister Hima Bindu, who holds a Masters degree in Nutrition and has worked as a research associate at an agriculture university and as part of the research and development team of a leading FMCG company. The duo founded Timios to create healthy yet flavourful and age appropriate food products  for children.

Commenting on the announcement,  Aswani Chaitanya, CEO and Co-Founder of Timios said “A  lot of millennial parents today are extremely conscious about what their children consume as part of their healthy diet. This increasing awareness and shift towards healthy, natural and organic food choices for children have been the key reasons behind the success of our products. The response we have received so far has been overwhelming. With new investment, we will continue to develop more innovative products and expand our footprint. We are very pleased to bring on board Rangsons Technologies LLP and Paipal Ventures LLP to be a part of our next phase of growth. In addition to the investment, we value the tremendous experience and strategic vision they bring to the table".



Pavan G Ranga, CEO, Rangsons Technologies LLP said “We are very excited to onboard this journey. We believe this to be a unique category and the team has developed a very relevant product line to address the current need in the market. Timios has demonstrated impressive growth within a very short period of time. We truly believe that Timios is addressing a large unmet need in the category of healthy packaged snacks for children. With an experience rich team and new innovative products, Timios has the potential to capture a significant share in this category."

Ajith R Pai, Partner, Paipal Ventures LLP said “Aswani and his team bring in passion and energy in everything they do.  Their effort over the last few years has laid the foundation for the brand and the company to be well positioned to grow in this under-served market for healthy and nutritious food for children.  I am confident that with this new investment Timios can scale up significantly to be the defining brand in the category it operates."

Timios has a range of healthy food products designed for children. Timios products are age appropriate covering age ranges starting from 6 months to 12 years. (Babies, toddlers and schoolers). Each product is made with 100% natural ingredients and contains zero preservatives. With 7 categories of products, Timios offers finger food, munchies, energy bars, breakfast cereal, biscuits, probiotic bites and much more. Each of these products are designed in suitable portions to provide the necessary nutrition. Timios will soon be introducing weaning food and other snacks  for toddlers and schoolers. 

Timios is available on their website www.mytimios.com, online platforms like Amazon, Bigbasket, Firstcry and Flipkart. With 250+ orders every day, the company also sells its products in over 350 offline stores (organic stores and kids/baby stores). 

Timios, part of FirmRoots Pvt Ltd, is a packaged healthy snack brand for children. Founded by brother sister duo, Aswani Chaitanya and Hima Bindu in 2016, Timios has a range of healthy food products designed for children. Timios products are age appropriate covering age ranges starting from 6 months to 12 years. (Babies, toddlers and schoolers). 

About Rangsons Technologies LLP 

Headquartered in Mysuru, Rangsons Tech LLP are a diversified business group with presence in Defence and Aerospace, Education, Infrastructure, Agriculture and Healthcare.

Rangsons Tech LLP is a part of NR Group, which was established in 1948, and today it is one of the largest business houses in South India. It’s flagship company N. Ranga Rao & Sons is the market leader in Indian Incense Industry led by its brand ‘CYCLE Pure Agarbathies’.

About Paipal Ventures LLP 

Paipal Ventures is an early stage family office investment fund that invests in passionate founders with a vision to scale.  Coming from a family of entrepreneurs it looks to support and nurture businesses that are unique and have an opportunity to dominate the market segment they are in.   Its past investments have been in diverse verticals such as Edtech, Agritech, Solar, Fashion & FMCG.

Paipal Ventures is part of the Mysuru based VWF Group founded in 1980 which began its journey as a manufacturer of lighting components. Over the years it has diversified into LEDs, Diamond tools & Agri Fresh Produce. 

B2B Food Commodity Marketplace TechnifyBiz Raises $2 Mn Seed Funding from Omnivore and Insitor

TechnifyBiz announced today that it has raised over USD 2 million (INR 14 crore) in Seed funding from Omnivore and the Insitor Impact Asia Fund. TechnifyBiz is a digital B2B marketplace for non-perishable food commodities, including nuts, seeds, dry fruits, specialty grains, and honey.

Shashank Kumar and Harshil Mathur, co-founders of Razorpay, also invested in the round. Existing angel investors include R Narayan (Power2SME), Rajnish Gupta (Aakash Namkeen), and Indigram Labs, which have likewise served as mentors for the company.

Based in Delhi, TechnifyBiz was co-founded by Akash Sharma and Abhishek Agarwal shortly after graduating from IIT Delhi and IIT Roorkee, respectively. TechnifyBiz works closely with SME food processors and farmer groups on the supply side and wholesale buyers on the demand side. Suppliers benefit by increasing their overall value realization from more efficient processing and aggregated volumes, while customers benefit from transparent daily pricing, consistent quality, and faster delivery timelines.

Despite having never previously raised institutional capital, TechnifyBiz is tracking a monthly revenue run rate of INR 10 crore and will cross INR 75 crore of sales revenue in FY 2019-20, an increase of 5x from FY2018-19, when sales were INR 15 crore.

According to Akash Sharma, Co-Founder of TechnifyBiz, “There is massive unmet demand for high quality food commodities in India, which TechnifyBiz is helping to bridge by developing backend supply infrastructure and technology-enabled services.”

Abhishek Agarwal, Co-Founder of TechnifyBiz, noted, “We are thrilled to partner with Omnivore and Insitor. The current round of funding will help TechnifyBiz double our base of SME food processors and farmer groups across the country, and strengthen our supply clusters across Bihar, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Jammu, and Orissa.”

Commenting on the transaction, Jinesh Shah, Managing Partner of Omnivore, said “We are very inspired by TechnifyBiz’s supplier focus, which is creating tremendous value for farmer groups and SME food processors. Omnivore is excited to support the TechnifyBiz team as they organize value chains in their targeted food commodities.”

Abhijit Nath, Country Manager of the Insitor Impact Asia Fund, likewise added, “We believe TechnifyBiz has the ability to create a scalable, high impact business that is focused on reducing inefficiencies in the agricultural supply chain. Insitor is very excited to partner in this journey, in what will be our first agricultural investment in India.”

About TechnifyBiz: TechnifyBiz is a digital B2B marketplace for non-perishable food commodities, including nuts, seeds, dry fruits, specialty grains, and honey. For further information on TechnifyBiz, please visit: http://technifybiz.com

About Omnivore: Omnivore is a venture capital firm, based in India, which funds entrepreneurs building the future of agriculture and food systems. For further information on Omnivore, please visit: http://omnivore.vc

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Tech Startup Happient Launches OHIEO to Revolutionize Food Catering Services in Bengaluru

Catering services in Bengaluru are as cosmopolitan as the city. When researching for the best caterers in the city, customers are often overwhelmed by the sheer number of service providers. Scouring through several recommendations, menus, price packages and more, can be quite a daunting task.

Leveraging technology to address this issue of finding the best Bengaluru-based catering services, two techies Amit Vyas and Prasad N T, Co-Founders of Happient Info Services Private Limited, have launched OHIEO, an online platform that brings together over 300 kitchens from across the city.

Potential customers can peruse pre-set menus for a range of events, with group sizes going from as low as 25 to as many as 6000, in a range of Indian and international cuisines. Customers can select and customize a menu, compare services and prices, make a booking and pay on the site as well. A single point of contact assigned to each event/order ensures the human touch to this service. This executive looks after all the minute details, from table settings to delivery to set-up, serving of the food and anything the client may need.

Addressing Gaps in the Market

[caption id="attachment_140479" align="alignleft" width="300"] Founders of OHIEO[/caption]

Explaining the gaps that OHIEO plans to address with its launch, Prasad, N T, Co-Founder, OHIEO says, "The catering sector in Bengaluru currently stands at around $12.8 million each month. Traditionally, the food market has been referral-based, but in the last decade with the emergence of online aggregators and delivery services, there has been an increase in demand for online options in catering for personal events and corporate food catering services. There is even a growing demand for catering for smaller groups of 25-50 people."

OHIEO aims to address the lacuna. Their services can be used by a cross-section of people for a range of events, going from corporates looking for snacks, daily lunches, dinners as well as boxed meals to corporate events and parties. OHIEO's services are dynamic and are geared towards handling personal events like weddings, house-warming functions, birthday parties and other social events.

"We decided to have a Christmas party for our staff at the office at the last minute. We could not find a caterer willing to take the job on. OHIEO came in at the right time and did a brilliant job of our event. They were courteous and on-point with all their interactions with us. They took care of all the minute details, from the menu to the service, the delivery, and the lovely thematic presentation. The service staff were efficient, well turned out and interacted well with our staff. We are sure to use their services again and will recommend them as well," says Maheshwari Verma from Bonito Designs.

Leveraging the Power of Technology

Speaking on the OHIEO experience, Amit Vyas, Co-Founder of OHIEO says, "For the internet savvy consumer of today, one looks for every service required online. Our use of technology has been to give customers a refined experience. We understand the premium on time and ensure that customers have a worry-free experience. Features such as being able to browse and compare catering menus online, pay using flexible options, placing an order online, receiving regular updates as well as tracking the order helps customers' focus on their events better. The single point of contact to help customize menus and ensure all minor details are taken care of, ensures our service is outstanding."

Subhash from Quantum Power Systems, Bengaluru can attest to that. He speaks of an online order placed with OHIEO for New Year 2020 celebrations. "It was on short notice and we were sceptical about it being done. The OHIEO team was extremely cooperative and ensured that we got just what we wanted. The food arrived on time, was well set up and presented. The staff were courteous all through the service and ensured every member of our office was well taken care of. It was a party that will be well remembered by our employees and our senior management leadership appreciated the food."

The founders of OHIEO believe that each of the orders received and executed on the platform are profitable, due to the order size, niche market and the kitchens associated with the business.

"We have no competition in some of our markets, as we are a service that provides solutions to hitherto unaddressed problems. Kitchens associated with OHIEO have the benefit of a platform reaching out to a larger audience. In turn, we pass on the benefits of competitive pricing to the customer. They are also assured of finding a menu in premium cuisines of their choice and the ability customize orders to their specific preferences," explains Amit

"In a competitive market like Bengaluru, it is difficult for a new catering business to be able to break in and be profitable. Getting onto the OHIEO platform and being associated with them exclusively as a kitchen a few months ago, changed that for us a business. From being restricted to small catering projects, we now cater to large corporates and are constantly finding newer clients to work with," explains Venkatappa Nayak of Chamundeshwari Kitchens in Bengaluru.

OHIEO currently operates in Bengaluru with plans to launch in Hyderabad by the end of 2020 and plans to be operational in all metros by 2022. OHIEO is also offering franchise opportunities to cloud kitchens that would like to associate with them.