Ather powers Milind Soman’s fitness and clean air mission “Green Ride 2.0” from Mumbai to Mangalore

Solo cycle ride will cover 1400 kms across 10 cities in 8 days

Mumbai…December 20, 2022… India’s supermodel and fitness icon Milind Soman is setting some major fitness goals and has once again embarked on the “Green Ride 2.0” – the 2nd edition of the multi-city solo cycle & electric bike ride powered by Ather from Mumbai to Mangalore.

The Green Ride is an initiative to create awareness amongst people, to encourage them to keep the environment healthy with pollution free clean air by making the right choices. It aims at promoting the cause of Sustainable Environment, Clean Air & Green Energy.

Starting from 19th December 2022 to 26th December 2022, Green Ride 2.0 will cover a total distance of over 1400 kms across 10 cities in 8 days. The cities covered enroute are; Mumbai, Pune, Karad, Kolhapur, Belgaon, Shegaon, Hirebennur, Tumkuru, Mysore, Mangalore. On his route, MILIND will visit solar energy plants, perform tree plantation drives and will engage with local NGOs dedicated to the cause of sustainable environment along the route

Speaking on the 2nd edition of Green Ride, Fitness icon Milind Soman said, ”My message to people is simple – all the progress and advancement that we have achieved as a society is futile if we do not have pure air to breathe. If each one of us makes a change in our day-to-day lives – walk/ cycle short distances instead of drive, plant a sapling, reuse/recycle etc. – we will collectively be able to make a significant difference to our environment. My experience last year on the first Green Ride was overwhelming, with the enthusiasm and interest shown by people all through the journey still fresh in my memory. And I am eagerly looking forward to this year’s Ride as we spread the message of pursuing a healthy and more sustainable existence.”

Ather spokesperson, Ravneet Phokela, Chief Business Officer, Ather Energy says

 “Electric vehicles are the single biggest hope for achieving a decarbonised world and faster adoption of EVs is the first step towards this goal. At Ather, we are proud to be pioneering the E2W movement in the country with our range of electric scooters and our widespread charging infrastructure. Each day, Ather users are riding more than 10 lakh kilometres saving 25,000 litres of petrol and 57.5 tonnes of C02. We are excited to partner with Green Ride 2.0 and Milind Soman to promote clean air and green energy. Milind’s zest for achieving the impossible while promoting a cause is what brings us together today.”

Insurance Partner Turtlemint spokesperson Anand Prabhudesai, Co-founder, Turtlemint said, “There are millions of people who look up to Milind Soman as the epitome of health and fitness and for the various initiatives, he is a part of. We are excited to partner with Milind Soman for Green Ride 2.0, which aims to educate people about being fit and choosing sustainability every day. We hope that this initiative reaches out to millions of people and they resonate with the cause like we do”

The first edition of Green Ride was launched in December 2021. Milind Soman completed a 1,000-km long bicycle journey from Mumbai to the national capital to raise awareness about air pollution. He cycled 150-km a day to promote the use of cleaner fuel and healthy lifestyle to tackle pollution.

 For further media queries, please contact:

Sonia Kulkarni | Hunk Golden and Media

9820184099 | sonia.kulkarni@hunkgolden.in

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MS Dhoni backed Shaka Harry to be the first plant-based meat brand to open an experience outlet at Bengaluru International Airport

The Dine in cum Grab and Go outlet to offer over two dozen plant based meat food varieties to the travellers

Bengaluru…December 16, 2022…Shaka Harry, India’s best performing plant-based meat brand has launched its first offline experience outlet at the Bengaluru International airport. The Dine in cum Grab and Go outlet will offer over two dozen plant based meat food varieties to the travellers seeking to enjoy a quick healthy meal while on the move.

Shaka Harry is the first plant based meat brand to open its doors to the passengers traveling from the Bengaluru International Airport thereby providing delicious alternate protein options to the flexitarian population. Shaka Harry’s range of meal and snacking products which are designed around the Indian cuisine and palate includes; snackables and meal accompaniments. Shaka Harry delivers a healthier experience to that of traditional meat dishes. For a growing population, current protein sources aren’t sustainably as scalable. They now have a choice to shift to smarter protein alternatives without compromising on taste and texture. The airport menu specially curated by Chef Manu Chandra is designed to satiate not only hunger but also taste across customer segment.

Anand Nagarajan, Co-founder and CEO of Liberate Foods said, “Shaka Harry aims at aggressive growth over the next 5 years. Our first offline outlet at the Bengaluru airport is a step in that direction. Our products are doing significantly better on taste and customer response. Our airport mini restaurant will only add to the overall experience of the discerning travellers. The passenger footfall at the airport is around 30,000 per day. We are targeting 10% of the same. While people can dine in at the outlet, it will also cater to takeaways. The idea is to sample as much and expose the customers to smarter protein food options packed with richness of health and taste. The thoughtfully designed menu offers a wide variety to customers which is a culinary treat thereby making the customer crave for more and keep trying the different options every time they travel to and from the city. Plant protein diets are inherently more sustainable and it’s health benefits are driving more customer adoption.”

Airport travellers can rejoice healthy versions of fast food favourites that are just like classic chicken nuggets, mutton seekh kebab, mutton seekh Kathi rolls with an interesting twist. Moreover there are wholesome meals and exciting combos on offer too. The menu has tempting snacks, breads n rolls, meals n more including plant based classic chicken nugget chaat, plant based mutton samosa, plant based chicken momos, plant based chicken shami pav, plant based chicken peri peri fries, plant based mutton keema stuffed paratha and kaali dal, chatpata plant based mutton seekh Pav, plant based chicken shami sliders, plant based mutton keema dosa, plant based mutton keema khichdi with tadka, plant based bhuna mutton rice bowl, plant based mutton biryani and lots more. All products and condiments are 100% plant-based.

Recently, Indian cricketer, MS Dhoni picked up equity in Shaka Harry on the backdrop of the company having earlier received USD2M in a seed funding round by global investors.

Shaka Harry is currently serving over 30,000 customers across 10 cities monthly, and expects to triple this number in the next few months. Shaka Harry will also be available on global shelves by the end of this year. Shaka Harry has been on the shelves for less than a year and already are category leaders in this fast growing sector. Celebrity investors, like MS Dhoni, only further validate both consumer and investor sentiments in a plant first future.

About Shaka Harry

Liberate Foods Pvt. Ltd., a plant protein company with a meat alternate line, Shaka Harry, is founded by proven founders with prior experience and success in scaling businesses in India and globally. The co-founders include Anand Nagarajan, Sandeep Devgan, Hemalatha Srinivasan, Ruth Renita and Anoop Haridasan. The cofounders and leadership team consists of specialist, functional leaders with extensive experience in the food sector.

Shaka Harry products have a distinct advantage with access to proprietary taste and flavour solutions coupled with the brand’s partnership with Chef Manu Chandra, one of India’s top chefs. Shaka Harry aims at reaching every Indian household for their choice for plant based protein. The company’s products have zero trans-fat and are cholesterol free.

For more information, visit www.shakaharry.com

 For further information, please contact:
Sonia Kulkarni | Hunk Golden and Media
9820184099 | sonia.kulkarni@hunkgolden.in

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MS Dhoni picks up equity in the plant protein startup Shaka Harry

Bengaluru..October 11, 2022…Indian cricketer, MS Dhoni, has joined global      investors in backing India’s fastest growing plant protein startup, Shaka Harry and picks up equity in the company. This is a huge development on the backdrop of the company having recently received USD2M in a seed funding round led by Better Bite Ventures, Blue Horizon and Panthera Peak Ventures. Other investors include; Dexler Holdings, celebrity Chef Manu Chandra and a group of domestic family     offices and angel investors.

MS Dhoni, India’s most loved cricketer, is known to back sector-leading startups across the consumer segment. The plant protein segment has seen a lot of      celebrity backing globally. Plant protein diets are inherently more sustainable and it’s health benefits are driving more customer adoption.

Speaking about the partnership, MS Dhoni said, “I love everything chicken, but increasingly, I am looking at a more balanced diet. It is much easier with products from Shaka Harry, which has a wide range that delivers a healthier experience to that of traditional meat dishes. For a growing population, current protein sources aren’t sustainably as scalable. We now have a choice to shift to smarter protein alternatives without compromising on taste and texture. The plant protein       segment is an exciting consumer space. The team at Shaka Harry has all the        ingredients to build a great company.”

Anand Nagarajan, co-founder and CEO of Liberate Foods said, “We are very excited to have Dhoni partner with us in growing Shaka Harry. This is a validation of what we are building. Shaka Harry has the unique combination of the worlds best players.” On customer traction and plans going ahead, Anand added, “We are  serving over 30,000 customers across 10 cities monthly, and expect to triple this number in the next few months. Shaka Harry will also be available on global shelves by the end of this year.”

Varun Deshpande, Managing Director, at expert alternative protein nonprofit Good Food Institute India, said “Remaking our protein supply is our best bet at building sustainable economic prosperity for the 21st century – we’re still in the very early stages of the global smart protein transformation. Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s partnership with Shaka Harry is exactly the kind of leadership we need, bringing plant-based meats to his legions of adoring fans, breaking into the true multi-billion dollar mass market. We’re delighted that Mahi and Shaka Harry are forming this dream duo!”

GFI research with Deloitte indicates that the right investments in talent, R&D, manufacturing, and distribution could drive the Indian smart protein sector to a market size of nearly INR 19,000 Cr by 2030, including a sizeable export market.

Shaka Harry, India’s fastest growing plant based company, has strong food        technology bearings that provide an advantage in terms of superior product development capabilities.

“Shaka Harry is at the cutting edge of innovation. Our R&D team is constantly adding new products to our everyday essentials, celebrations, grab & go and world-cuisine ranges. We currently have an on-going consumer trial of our plant based diary line. With this investment, and our partnership with Dhoni, our        customer reach and new product launches will increase multifold” added Sandeep Devgan, co-founder of Shaka Harry.

Shaka Harry has been on the shelves for less than a year and already are category leaders in this fast growing sector. Celebrity investors, like MS Dhoni, only further validate both consumer and investor sentiments in a plant first future.

About Shaka Harry

Liberate Foods Pvt. Ltd., a plant protein company with a meat alternate line,     Shaka Harry, is founded by proven founders with prior experience and success in scaling businesses in India and globally. The co-founders include Anand Nagarajan, Sandeep Devgan, Hemalatha Srinivasan, Ruth Renita and Anoop Haridasan. The cofounders and leadership team consists of specialist, functional leaders with extensive experience in the food sector.

Shaka Harry, one of the fastest growing plant-based meat brand offers a range of meal and snacking products which are designed around the Indian cuisine and palate. The range includes; snackables and meal accompaniments. The product has a distinct advantage with access to proprietary taste and flavour solutions coupled with the brand’s partnership with Chef Manu Chandra, one of India’s top chefs.

Shaka Harry aims at reaching every Indian household for their choice for plant based protein. The company’s products have zero trans-fat and are cholesterol free.

For more information, visit www.shakaharry.com

For further information, please contact:

Sonia Kulkarni | Hunk Golden and Media

9820184099 | sonia.kulkarni@hunkgolden.in

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The Good Food Institute India (GFI India) launches the Delhi Smart Protein Project (DSPP) – India’s first chapter of the global Alt Protein Project

The Alt Protein Project is a global student movement dedicated to transforming universities into engines for alternative protein education, research, and innovation.

New Delhi…November 29, 2022… The central expert organization, thought leader, and convening body in the Indian ‘alternative protein’ or ‘smart protein’ sector, The Good Food Institute India (GFI India) launches India’s first student-led body championing alt protein with the Delhi University chapter, marking the first chapter from India to join the global Alt Protein Project. The smart protein sector is at the forefront of global food innovation, with companies making alt protein foods – plant-based meat, eggs, dairy, and seafood, for example – that taste the same or better and cost the same or less than their animal-derived counterparts, with vastly lower impacts on planetary and public health.

Since its inception in 2020, the Alt Protein Project has worked to center students in food systems conversations across the globe and has expanded to a total of 36 chapters across 17 countries and 5 continents, with chapters at Stanford, NYU, Duke, Johns Hopkins University, Brown University, Tufts, Berkeley, Cornell, Oxford, Cambridge, KU Leuven, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Wageningen University, Technische Universität Berlin, Tel Aviv University, The University of Nigeria Nsukka, the University of Melbourne, the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technical University, and others. Now, Delhi University chapter joins these prestigious ranks.

Visionary students from Delhi University – Armaan Dhanda, Palak Khanna, Samarth Bhatnagar, and Kartik Chauhan – have assumed leadership positions for the city-wide DSPP and are co-organizers of the project, with leadership support and guidance from GFI India. While the Delhi Smart Protein Project has established by students of the University of Delhi (DU), the project aims to branch out into a secretariat format involving institutes of prominence in and around Delhi such as the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT-Delhi) and the National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM). Situated in India’s capital, the DSPP has access to the best resources and talent required for the smart protein sector. Its close proximity to institutes such as the All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), IIT, and National Law University, Delhi will support building a robust alt protein ecosystem in the national capital.

Introducing the project, Devika Suresh, Innovation Associate, GFI India said, “Indian talent powers the global smart protein sector just as it does other strategically important industries, and we’re delighted to continue seeding the talent and research landscape through the Delhi Smart Protein Project. These student leaders will strengthen the ecosystem of education, incubation, and technology transfer in smart protein, and be propelled forward as the drivers of a more secure, sustainable, and just future of food.”

While felicitating the student organizers of the project, Dr. Chindi Vasudevappa, Director-VC at National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM), added, “Plant-based is the future we’re headed towards, and I’m delighted to see Delhi University students taking charge and innovating in this arena.”

The DSPP aims to advance initiatives under the following four-point goals:

  • Build a dedicated talent pipeline for the smart protein space by pushing for coursework at universities
  • Promote scientific research in critical whitespace areas and build infrastructure capacity for this at university ecosystems
  • Facilitate industry-academia collaboration leading to increased tech transfer, commercialization, and venture creation
  • Grow an active community of student leaders to raise awareness and generate discourse around smart protein

The DSPP is currently advancing their strategic planning for 2023, with a focus on expanding to other priority universities in Delhi-NCR, developing curriculum for the world’s first ‘Smart Protein Digital Lab’ (GFI India’s curated Massive Open Online Course for smart protein, developed for the India Smart Protein Innovation Challenge), introducing smart protein as a concept to schools across the national capital, piloting a global alternative seafood course by working with other global Alt Protein Project chapters, and organizing in-person events convening industry, academia, and government by hosting dedicated smart protein events at college fests and a parliamentarian dinner to advance policy support for the smart protein sector.

For more information about the Delhi Smart Protein Project, write to delhismartprotein@gmail.com and follow the Project on LinkedIn and Instagram.

About GFI: The Good Food Institute India (GFI India) is the central expert organization, thought leader, and convening body in the Indian ‘alternative protein’ or ‘smart protein’ sector. As part of an international network of organizations with partners in the U.S., Brazil, Europe, Israel, and Asia Pacific, GFI India is on a mission to build a secure, sustainable, and just global food future. With unique insight across science, business, and policy, we are using the power of food innovation and markets to accelerate the transition of our food system toward alternative proteins. In building the sector from the ground up in India, we’re aiming to establish a model for its growth all across the developing world.

 For further information on GFI India, visit www.gfi-india.org

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Funding Rundown: Spotnana bags $75M in Series-B; Windo, Bundle O Joy, Sudo Foods & Zipteams raise early-stage funding

Travel tech startup Spotnana raises $75 million in Series B Funding

Spotnana, a Travel-as-a-Service provider, raised $75 million in Series B funding led by Durable Capital Partners. Existing investors Madrona Venture Group, Blank Ventures, ICONIQ Growth, and Mubadala Capital participated in the round.

The new funding enables Spotnana to accelerate hiring and drive faster adoption of its Travel-as-a-Service Platform, which provides a single cloud-based technology stack to corporations, travel management companies, suppliers, and technology providers, the company said in a statement.

Founded by two Indian entrepreneurs — Sarosh Waghmar and Shikhar Agarwal — Spotnana seeks to provide an open platform that enables the entire travel ecosystem, lowering operating costs, accelerating innovation and improving travel experiences.

Web3 startup Artfi raises $3.26 million at a $100 million valuation

Artfi, a Web3 fine art fintech startup, raised $3.26 million at a valuation of $100 million in a funding round led by Sheikha Hend Al Qassemi (member of the ruling family of Sharjah), Raza Beig (Director, Landmark Group, UAE) and several angel investors.

Founded by Asif Kamal, Artfi is building an NFT platform for purchasing and selling fractionalized pieces of artworks by Picasso, VS Gaitonde, MF Husain, Sacha Jafri and Banksy among others. Rather than selling one painting to one individual, Artfi seeks to use a blockchain network such as Polygon to fractionalize an artwork into 5,000 to 10,000 pieces.

People can now invest in fine art with a very nominal investment and can liquidate it whenever they need to by using the secondary marketplace, the company said in a statement.

Crypto investing platform Crypso raises $3 million in seed funding

Crypso, a community-led investing platform for cryptocurrencies, raised $ 3 million in seed funding from Hashed Emergent, Athera Venture Partners (formerly Inventus), Better Capital, Whiteboard Capital, Polygon’s Sandeep Nailwal and Jaynti Kanani, CRED’s Kunal Shah of CRED and other angel investors.

Founded by Truebil.com founders — Suraj Kalwani, Ravi Chirania and Rakesh Raman — Crypso enables crypto users to learn and discover the latest crypto trends and invest via one-click trade signals in various altcoins generated by crypto experts.

The platform claims to have over 50,000 actively engaged users and more than 100 crypto influencers, creators and experts, who are using the app for daily crypto trends with more than 25 percent of the userbase trading via social signals.

Social commerce startup Windo raises $1.5 million in Pre-Series A round

Bengaluru-based social commerce platform Windo raises $1.5 million in Pre-Series A funding round led by Unicorn India Ventures. The round also saw participation from CapriGlobal, Aravind Sanka (CEO, Rapido), K Ganesh (Co-founder, Portea) and others.

Founded in 2020 by Rakesh Vaddadi and Silus Reddy, Windo aims to help solopreneurs, influencers, small and mid-sized businesses set up online stores. The Windo Shop app seeks to help increase orders and market products with ease to customers on Instagram.

The Windo Shop app can understand more than 100 languages, enabling users to create an online store in a language of their choice. It has 50,000 monthly active users, spanning across more than 140 countries. Currently, it hosts more than 100,000 online shops. Windo is now targeting an ARR of $1 million in the next 12 months.

Bundle O Joy raises Rs 3.9 crore in pre-seed funding led by CIIE.CO

Bangalore-based online shopping platform for children, Bundle O Joy raised Rs 3.9 crore in pre-seed funding round led by CIIE.CO. The round also saw participation from Dexter Angels, Kunal Shah (Cred), Sujeet Kumar (Udaan), Revant Bhate (Mosaic Wellness), Shivani Poddar (Fab Alley), Anil Goteti (Protonn) among others.

Founded in February 2022 by Akriti Gupta, Bundle O Joy is a children’s shopping platform that makes discovery of the right products or brands easier for new-age parents. Currently, it operates in apparels, footwear, toys, books and accessories.

The company plans to use the fresh funds in enhancing technology offerings, streamlining supply chain, adding more categories addition and acquiring talent.

Plant-based meat maker Sudo Foods bags seed funding from Java Capital

Bengaluru-based Sudo Foods raised seed funding from Java Capital, Betaplus Capital and prominent angel investors such as Ravi Saxena (MD, Wonderchef), Deep Bajaj (Co-Founder & CEO, Sirona Hygiene) and Ajay Garg (Founder & MD, Equirus Capital) among others.

The fundraising news comes on the heels of Sudo Food’s launch a few weeks ago, when the startup emerged from stealth mode and started retailing its plant-based chicken and mutton dishes on its website, Big Basket and other online platforms.

Founded by Abhinav Chawla and Sadhika Agarwal, the foodtech startup currently offers plant-based chicken samosas, chicken seekh kebabs, chicken popcorn, and mutton galouti kebabs. The fifth product is expected to be launched soon.

Zipteams raises $700,000 in seed funding led by IndiaQuotient

Zipteams, a conversational intelligence platform for inside sales and customer support teams, raised $700,000 in seed funding round led by IndiaQuotient with participation from angel investors.

Founded by Akash Chatterjee and Siddhartha Srivastava, Zipteams offers intelligent meeting rooms that are powered with automatic identification of next steps for sales follow-up routines, self-guided nudges for sales teams to onboard and get trained faster on the job, and a complete repository of customer meetings to keep all their context in one place.

With fresh capital, the company seeks to strengthen its engineering and machine learning teams to enhance product offerings and achieve user growth in India and the US markets within the next 12-15 months.

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More early-stage funding in ecosystem: Windo, Sudo Foods, Propsoch raise money

Software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform Windo, on Tuesday said it has raised $1.5 million (around Rs 11.7 crore) in pre-Series A funding round, led by Unicorn India Ventures.

The round also saw participation from a clutch of prominent angel investors and family offices including Capri Global, Aravind Sanka (chief executive and co-founder at Rapido) and K Ganesh (co-founder of Portea), among others.

Founded in 2020 by Rakesh Vaddadi and Silus Reddy, Windo aims to help small businesses and solopreneurs build their online store in under minutes by converting their Instagram page into an online store.

The Bengaluru-based startup, operated by Rare Bits Technology Pvt. Ltd, will use the fresh capital for product development and expanding its overseas footprint.

“The SaaS space is large enough that multiple profitable apps can sustain and we approach the problem differently than our peers as we are keeping it affordable and flexible,” said Silus Reddy, co-founder and CEO, Windo.

“We’ve seen a huge wave of small and midsize D2C brands take to social media platforms to establish their businesses. With the expansion, there is a rapidly growing need for platforms that can support social commerce entrepreneurs,” said Sparsh Kumar, Senior Investment Associate, Unicorn India Ventures.

Founded in 2015, Unicorn India launched its Rs 300 crore ‘Fund II’ in 2019 which has invested in 20 companies so far. From its first fund, the venture capital company invested in 18 companies including Sequretek, Pharmarack, Genrobotics, NeuroEquilibrium, SmartCoin and Open Bank.

Sudo Foods

Plantly Delight Pvt. Ltd, which runs direct-to-consumer (D2C) plant-based meat brand Sudo Foods, on Tuesday said it has raised an undisclosed seed funding from Java Capital and Betaplus Capital.

The round also saw participation from angel investors including Ravi Saxena (Wonderchef), Deep Bajaj (Sirona Hygiene) and Ajay Garg (Equirus Capital), among others.

Launched earlier this year, the startup will deploy the fresh proceeds to expand its team across food technology, food production, safety, compliance and culinary applications.

Founded by Abhinav Chawla and Sadhika Agarwal, Sudoku Foods claims its chicken-based food items are are 100% plant-based.

“With this fundraise, we intend to invest heavily in marketing and R&D, as well as expanding the team and distribution network,” co-founder Chawla said.

“Plant-based meat is one of the fastest growing markets in the world, mostly fuelled by ‘flexitarians’ taking to meat alternatives in addition to meat. Sudo Foods have doubled down on taste and nutrition and their products are centered around the Indian consumer,” said Bhargavi V, founding partner at Java Capital.

Java Capital is a venture capital firm run by career venture capitalists and startup ecosystem enablers with over 15 years of experience. Its primary focus areas include sectors such as fintech, health tech, software as a service (SaaS), mobile internet, and deep technology.

Propsoch  

Thinkr Proptech Pvt. Ltd, which operates proptech startup Propsoch, on Tuesday said it has secured undisclosed angel funding from Godrej Properties’ chief and Bhaskar Bhat, former managing director at Titan Company.

The Bengaluru-based firm plans to use the fresh funding for brand building, key hires and scaling up technology.

Incorporated in March this year by Ashish Acharya, Propsoch is a tech-enabled platform which provides homebuyers detailed insights based on data analytics and in-house expertise.

“We are currently tracking close to 1.5 lakh homes in Bengaluru on 200+ data points related to the location, accessibility, design, pricing, legal and approval. Mohit, Bhaskar and other investors will help Propsoch deliver on its mission and gain a significant Market share in the $1 billion transaction advisory business. Our vision is to be the default home buying platform in India,” said Acharya.

“Real estate is both a financial and emotional decision in India. Unfortunately, homebuyers have never had access to the right insights which could help them make truly smart decisions. Ashish and his team at Propsoch aim to bring much needed information, insight and transparency into an otherwise asymmetric market,” Bhaskar Bhat said in a statement.

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Bundle O Joy, Crypso, Windo, Zipteams, and others raise early stage round

Online shopping platform Bundle O Joy raises Rs 3.9 Cr in a pre-seed round led by CIIE.CO 

Bengaluru-based online shopping platform for children, Bundle O Joy, has announced that it has raised Rs 3.9 crore in pre-seed funding round led by CIIE.CO. The round also saw participation from Dexter Angels, Kunal Shah (Cred), Sujeet Kumar (Udaan), Revant Bhate (Mosaic Wellness), Shivani Poddar (Faballey), Anil Goteti (Protonn), among others.

The company plans to use the fresh funds in enhancing its technology offerings, streamlining its supply chain, category addition, as well as talent acquisition.

Founded in February 2022 by Akriti Gupta, Bundle O Joy is a children’s shopping platform that evolves as the child grows and makes discovery of the right products/brands easier for new age parents. They currently operate in apparels, footwear, toys, books and accessories.

Community-led crypto investing platform Crypso raises $3M in seed round

Community-led investing platform for cryptocurrencies, Crypso, has raised $3 million in seed round from Hashed Emergent, Athera Venture Partners (formerly Inventus), Better Capital, Whiteboard Capital, Polygon founders Sandeep and Jaynti, Kunal Shah of CRED, and other prominent angel investors.

The company will use the fresh round of funding to grow its user base and increase the breadth of product offerings and technology.

Founded in 2022 by Truebil founders Suraj Kalwani, Ravi Chirania, and Rakesh Raman, Crypso enables crypto users to learn and discover the latest crypto trends, and invest via one-click trade signals on various altcoins generated by crypto experts.

Social commerce focused startup Windo raises $1.5M in Pre-Series A round

Bengaluru-based social commerce focused technology platform for individual and small-sized sellers, WINDO, has raised $1.5 million in Pre-Series A round led by Unicorn India Ventures. The round also saw participation from prominent angels like CapriGlobal, Aravind Sanka, CEO, Rapido, K Ganesh, Co-founder Portea and a few others. The company plans to use the funds to focus on product development and also expand in a few countries apart from India.

Founded in 2020 by second time entrepreneurs Rakesh Vaddadi and Silus Reddy, Windo helps solopreneurs, influencers, small and mid-size businesses set up their online stores in minutes. After it raised a seed round last year, Windo aims to create a truly global SaaS app that aids businesses worldwide. To that effect, a team of developers at the company have been working on enhancing their on-app experience.

The Windo Shop app can now understand more than 100 languages, enabling users to create their online store in a language of their choice.

Zipteams raises $700K in seed round led by IndiaQuotient

Zipteams, a conversational intelligence platform for inside sales and customer success teams, has raised $700K in its seed round led by IndiaQuotient and a group of angel investors. Zipteams uses AI to make customer conversations more contextual, engaging, and fruitful by enabling sales teams to bring the right data points to their customers at the moment of need.

The funding will enable Zipteams to invest further in its unique concept of intelligent digital salesrooms that have the capability to harness data and bring real-time customer insights to inside sales and customer success teams in virtual meetings. The company will look to strengthen the engineering and machine learning teams to enhance product offerings and seeks to achieve significant user growth in India and the US markets within the next 12-15 months. IndiaQuotient’s experience with a vast network of successful product companies will aid Zipteams in taking strategic go-to-market decisions to achieve an exponential product-led growth journey.

Plant-based meat brand Sudo Foods raises seed funding from Java Capital and others

Homegrown Bengaluru brand Sudo Foods has raised seed funding from Java Capital, Betaplus Capital, and prominent angel investors such as Ravi Saxena (MD, Wonderchef), Deep Bajaj (Co-Founder & CEO, Sirona Hygiene), and Ajay Garg (Founder & MD, Equirus Capital), along with others.

The fundraising news comes on the heels of Sudo Food’s launch a few weeks ago, where the startup announced that after a year of operating in stealth mode, its plant-based chicken and mutton dishes were now retailing on the website and on popular online platforms like Bigbasket.

Sudo Foods’ ‘kind’ meat alternatives aim to ‘unjunk’ packaged food and offer India’s vast non-vegetarian population delicious, nutritious, sustainable snacking options.

Its plant-based chicken samosas, chicken seekh kebabs, chicken popcorn, and mutton galouti kebabs use ethical ingredients which are all 100% plant-based.

Nora Fatehi becomes brand ambassador of CakeZone; invests in parent company Curefoods

CakeZone has announced Nora Fatehi as its brand ambassador. Nora Fatehi has also turned an investor in the parent company Curefoods with this association. This investment has inked a long-term association, with a national brand campaign to be launched this year. Curefoods is a cloud kitchen company which houses brands like CakeZone, EatFit, Frozen Bottle, and Great Indian Khichdi.

CakeZone offers a range of cakes and pastries to its users, which is followed by a 100% hygiene and care protocol and no artificial ingredients, making desserts fun and a reliable eating option.

Software development analytics platform Insightly AI raises $1M seed round led by Together Fund

Insightly Analytics, a software development analytics platform, has raised $1 million in seed round led by Together Fund as it seeks to help engineering leaders build better teams and ship software faster.

Started in 2022, Insightly is used by CTOs and Engineering VPs, who collectively lead over 12,000 engineers across four continents with teams in the US, India, Kenya, and Israel. These teams use Insightly to gain org-level visibility into critical metrics like DORA and more that can help them augment gut decisions with data.

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Shaka Harry, best performing plant-based meat brand raises seed funding of US$ 2 Million led by Better Bite Ventures, Blue Horizon and Panthera Peak

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], July 19 (ANI/Hunk Golden and Media): Liberate Foods Pvt Ltd, a plant protein company with a meat alternate line, Shaka Harry has received a total investment of US$ 2 M in a seed funding round led by Better Bite Ventures, Blue Horizon and venture debt fund – Panthera Peak. Other investors include; Dexler Holdings, Chef Manu Chandra and a group of domestic family offices and angel investors.

Liberate Foods is founded by proven founders with prior experience and success in scaling businesses in India and globally. The co-founders include Anand Nagarajan, Sandeep Devgan, Hemalatha Srinivasan, Ruth Renita and Anoop Haridasan. The cofounders and leadership team consist of specialist, functional leaders with extensive experience in the food sector. Shaka Harry, one of the fastest growing plant-based meat brands offers a range of meal and snack products which are designed around Indian cuisine and palate. The range includes; snackables and meal accompaniments. The product has a distinct advantage with access to proprietary taste and flavour solutions coupled with the brand’s partnership with Chef Manu Chandra, one of India’s top chefs.

Anand Nagarajan, Co-founder, Shaka Harry said, “It is the most exciting time to launch a consumer brand on the smarter protein platform. We are already the best performing brand in the online stores where we have presence. Our products are doing significantly better than competition on taste and customer response. When we think about sustainability, we usually think about energy and transportation. Food is an area that can move the sustainability needle much more. Winning a consumer segment in the food space needs a well designed product range, deep expertise in taste and flavour and consistent customer experience. The team at Shaka Harry, with in-house flavour and taste solutions coupled with an experienced team is poised to build the market leading brand in plant-based products.”

Sandeep Devgan, Co-founder, Shaka Harry commented, “Plant-based meats have a huge scope of acceptability in India, particularly among the growing flexitarian population. Yet not many brands have been able to make a mark due to the inability to replicate real meaty tastes in vegetarian profiles. That’s where Shaka Harry has been able to make a difference. By partnering with top flavourists, who are masters in recreating impactful meaty top notes using vegetarian ingredients, we have been able to offer Indian consumers a first-of its-kind ‘just-like-chicken’ and ‘just-like mutton experience’ minus the guilt.”

The company has a monthly customer base of 25,000. The monthly growth expected for the next few quarters is around 20 to 30 per cent. Shaka Harry aims at aggressive growth over the next 5 years. Shaka Harry range of products are available across Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Ahmedabad and Gurgaon.

Simon Newstead, Founding Partner, Better Bite Ventures said, “As an Asian alt protein fund, Better Bite Ventures invests in early-stage startups creating a more sustainable food system in the most populous region in the world. And as such, we’re particularly optimistic about India’s opportunity. The nation has a clear opportunity to become a regional leader in plant-based foods and leapfrog other countries in adopting climate-friendly smart proteins, driven by a growing movement of conscious consumers motivated by taste, health and the environment. Which leads us to our investment in Shaka Harry, who brings a range of crave-worthy, locally resonant plant-based products to market. We’ve been impressed by both the team, technology and traction with consumers and channels alike. Anand’s vision to have products to enjoy from morning till night, from snacking to main meals, and for everyone resonates strongly. We’re excited to support the team for long term success in this important market.”

Bjoern Witte, CEO, Blue Horizon said, “We are very excited about our first investment in India. Shaka Harry is one of the first mover in a new sector offering a wide product range tailored to the Indian cuisine. This will work well not only in India but also internationally. In a very recent study, a large consumer survey conducted by Blue Horizon and BCG, we found that taste, nutritional value and health aspects rank highest when considering to increase the consumption of alternative proteins. Shaka Harry addresses all these points and we look very much forward to working together with this highly focused and impact-driven team.”

Nikhil Bhandarkar, Founding Partner and CEO, Panthera Peak Ventures highlighted, “We invest in early stage startups led by visionary entrepreneurs. This is one of the main reasons we have backed Shaka Harry as the founding and leadership team bring in lot of experience and expertise of the sector. The growth of plant-based meat sector in India, coupled with the Direct-to Consumer boom underscore a massive potential for the Shaka Harry range of products. Further, their vision of becoming a plant based meat platform beyond just a product company opens doors for significant market expansion.”

Experts at non-profit Good Food Institute India work closely with Liberate Foods and across the industry for advancement across science, business, and policy. Varun Deshpande, Managing Director, Good Food Institute India, said “With leading companies like Shaka Harry bringing plant-based meats to consumers across India, the last year has been smart protein’s breakout moment in the country. But funding in Indian smart protein companies continues to lag far behind, remaining at a tiny fraction of the $11b invested globally over the last decade. Respected investors like Blue Horizon, Better Bite Ventures, Panthera Peak Ventures and Manu Chandra bring deep credibility and expertise through their food and startup investing track record. Shaka Harry’s fundraise is a further mark of the growing momentum in the Indian smart protein sector, as we enter a new phase of growth and centre India in the global landscape – all in service of protecting public and planetary health and improving food security.”

Chef Manu Chandra stated, “If I could convert from a skeptic to a believer in plant-based futures, I’m sure, so could a lot of you. We’ve come such a long way from the once dreaded rubbery substitutes with dubious processes – to clean labelled and delicious alternatives. Intervening as a chef to take the Shaka Harry product ranges to the next level of taste and texture has been an enriching experience, in realising how far this category can be pushed. The future is plant-based, start now.”

India is becoming an increasingly lucrative market for plant-based meat startups, with a large population of non-vegetarians looking to cut down their meat consumption due to a combination of concerns like sustainability and health. Contrary to popular opinion, 77 per cent of Indians self-identify as non vegetarians as per the latest National Family Health Survey – NFHS 5. The Indian market is ripe for transformation, with consumers looking towards plant-based alternatives for a simple switch, without giving up the delicious appeal of meat. Research from expert nonprofit Good Food Institute India found that 63 per cent of Indian consumers are very extremely likely to purchase plant-based meat in a cross-country consumer acceptance study. This response from consumers most of whom are currently ‘early adopters’ of plant-based meat compared favourably with the U.S. and China.

Shaka Harry has a large assortment of plant-based “Ready to Eat” foods range for customers looking to substitute/ supplement their meat intake with plant based foods. The goal is to offer Shaka Harry as a healthy and tasty meat alternative and to deliver Shaka Harry products to every Indian household to begin a trial.

Shaka Harry is a brand that is here to disrupt the food market with its delicious and innovative plant-based meat products that not only taste just like meat but are also better – both for yours and the planet’s health. Plant-based food has proven to be a rich source of protein and other nutrients essential for humans, with its recipe being all natural and the vegan plant-based category is a healthy choice for people and the planet. Get zero trans-fat and cholesterol-free products.

For more information, visit www.shakaharry.com

Better Bite Ventures is Asia Pacific’s first alternative protein regional fund, backing early-stage founders transforming the world’s largest food market for the better. The $US 15 Million fund has invested to date in 10 high-potential Asia Pacific startups, harnessing plant-based and cellular agriculture technologies to create climate-friendly meat, dairy, egg and seafood alternatives that are better for people, animals and planet. Better Bite Ventures was created by two operators turned impact investors, Michal Klar and Simon Newstead. With a combined 20 years as plant-based, sector expertise including running the Future Food Now newsletter and Vegan Startup podcast, and a track record of investing and venture building in food and tech, both are keen to help power new wave of startups.

https://www.betterbite.vc/

Blue Horizon is accelerating the transition to a Sustainable Food System that delivers outstanding returns for investors and the planet. The company is a global pioneer of the Future of Food. As a pure play impact investor, Blue Horizon has shaped the growth of the alternative protein and food tech market. The company invests at the intersection of biology, agriculture and technology with the aim to transform the global food industry. Blue Horizon was founded in 2016 and is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerld. To date, the company has invested in more than 70 companies. Its business model offers an attractive opportunity to invest in the evolution of the global food system while contributing to a healthy and sustainable world. www.bluehorizon.com

This story is provided by Hunk Golden and Media. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/Hunk Golden and Media)

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Shaka Harry, best performing plant-based meat brand raises seed funding of US$ 2 Million led by Better Bite Ventures, Blue Horizon and Panthera Peak

Shaka Harry aims at aggressive growth over the next 5 years

Bengaluru…July 19, 2022…Liberate Foods Pvt. Ltd., a plant protein company with a meat alternate line, Shaka Harry has received a total investment of US$ 2 M  in  seed funding round led by Better Bite Ventures, Blue Horizon and venture debt fund – Panthera Peak. Other investors include; Dexler Holdings, Chef Manu Chandra and a group of domestic family offices and angel investors.

Liberate Foods is founded by proven founders with prior experience and success in scaling businesses in India and globally. The co-founders include Anand Nagarajan, Sandeep Devgan, Hemalatha Srinivasan, Ruth Renita and Anoop Haridasan. The cofounders and leadership team consists of specialist, functional leaders with extensive experience in the food sector. Shaka Harry, one of the fastest growing plant-based meat brand offers a range of meal and snacking products which are designed around the Indian cuisine and palate. The range includes; snackables and meal accompaniments. The product has a distinct advantage with access to proprietary taste and flavour solutions coupled with the brand’s partnership with Chef Manu Chandra, one of India’s top chefs.

Anand Nagarajan, Co-founder, Shaka Harry said, “It is the most exciting time to launch a consumer brand on the smarter protein platform. We are already the best performing brand in the online stores where we have presence. Our products are doing significantly better than competition on taste and customer response. When we think about sustainability, we usually think about energy and transportation. Food is an area that can move the sustainability needle much more. Winning a consumer segment in the food space needs a well-designed product range, deep expertise in taste and flavour and consistent customer experience. The team at Shaka Harry, with in-house flavour and taste solutions coupled with an experienced team is poised to build the market leading brand in plant-based products.”

Sandeep Devgan, Co-founder, Shaka Harry commented, “Plant-based meats have a huge scope of acceptability in India, particularly among the growing flexitarian population. Yet not many brands have been able to make a mark due to the inability to replicate real meaty tastes in vegetarian profiles. That’s where Shaka Harry has been able to make a difference. By partnering with top flavourists, who are masters in recreating impactful meaty top notes using vegetarian ingredients, we have been able to offer Indian consumers a first-of-its-kind ‘just-like-chicken’ & ‘just-like mutton experience’ minus the guilt.”

The company has a monthly customer base of 25,000. The monthly growth expected  for the next few quarters is around 20 to 30%. Shaka Harry aims at aggressive growth over the next 5 years. Shaka Harry range of products are available across Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Ahmedabad and Gurgaon.

Simon Newstead, Founding Partner, Better Bite Ventures said, “As an Asian alt-protein fund, Better Bite Ventures invests in early-stage startups creating a more sustainable food system in the most populous region in the world. And as such, we’re particularly optimistic about India’s opportunity. The nation has a clear opportunity to become a regional leader in plant-based foods and leapfrog other countries in adopting climate-friendly smart proteins, driven by a growing movement of conscious consumers motivated by taste, health and the environment. Which leads us to our investment in Shaka Harry, who brings a range of crave-worthy, locally resonant plant-based products to market.  We’ve been impressed by both the team, technology and traction with consumers and channels alike. Anand’s vision to have products to enjoy from morning till night, from snacking to main meals, and for everyone resonates strongly. We’re excited to support the team for long term success in this important market.”

Bjoern Witte, CEO, Blue Horizon said, “We are very excited about our first investment in India. Shaka Harry is one of the first mover in a new sector offering a wide product range tailored to the Indian cuisine. This will work well not only in India but also internationally. In a very recent study, a large consumer survey conducted by Blue Horizon and BCG, we found that taste, nutritional value and health aspects rank highest when considering to increase the consumption of alternative proteins. Shaka Harry addresses all these points and we look very much forward to working together with this highly focused and impact-driven team.”

 Nikhil Bhandarkar, Founding Partner & CEO, Panthera Peak Ventures highlighted, “We invest in early stage startups led by visionary entrepreneurs. This is one of the main reasons we have backed Shaka Harry as the founding and leadership team bring in lot of experience and expertise of the sector. The growth of plant-based meat sector in India, coupled with the Direct-to-Consumer boom underscore a massive potential for the Shaka Harry range of products. Further, their vision of becoming a plant based meat platform beyond just a product company opens doors for significant market expansion.”

Experts at non-profit Good Food Institute India work closely with Liberate Foods and across the industry for advancement across science, business, and policy. Varun Deshpande, Managing Director, Good Food Institute India, said “With leading companies like Shaka Harry bringing plant-based meats to consumers across India, the last year has been smart protein’s breakout moment in the country. But funding in Indian smart protein companies continues to lag far behind, remaining at a tiny fraction of the $11b invested globally over the last decade. Respected investors like Blue Horizon, Better Bite Ventures, Panthera Peak Ventures and Manu Chandra bring deep credibility and expertise through their food and startup investing track record. Shaka Harry’s fundraise is a further mark of the growing momentum in the Indian smart protein sector, as we enter a new phase of growth and centre India in the global landscape – all in service of protecting public and planetary health and improving food security.”

Chef Manu Chandra stated, “If I could convert from a skeptic to a believer in plant based futures, I’m sure, so could a lot of you. We’ve come such a long way from the once dreaded rubbery substitutes with dubious processes – to clean labelled and delicious alternatives. Intervening as a chef to take the Shaka Harry product ranges to the next level of taste and texture has been an enriching experience, in realising how far this category can be pushed. The future is plant based, start now.”

India is becoming an increasingly lucrative market for plant-based meat startups, with a large population of non-vegetarians looking to cut down their meat consumption due to a combination of concerns like sustainability and health. Contrary to popular opinion, 77% of Indians self-identify as non-vegetarians as per the latest National Family Health Survey – NFHS 5. The Indian market is ripe for transformation, with consumers looking towards plant-based alternatives for a simple switch, without giving up the delicious appeal of meat. Research from expert nonprofit Good Food Institute India found that 63% of Indian consumers are very or extremely likely to purchase plant-based meat in a cross-country consumer acceptance study. This response from consumers – most of whom are currently ‘early adopters’ of plant-based meat – compared favourably with the U.S. and China.

Shaka Harry has a large assortment of plant based “Ready to Eat” foods range for customers looking to substitute/ supplement their meat intake with plant-based foods. The goal is to offer Shaka Harry as a healthy and tasty meat alternative and to deliver Shaka Harry products to every Indian household to begin a trial.

About Shaka Harry

Shaka Harry is a brand that is here to disrupt the food market with its delicious & innovative plant-based-meat products that not only taste just like meat but are also better – both for yours and the planet’s health. Plant based food has proven to be a rich source of protein and other nutrients essential for humans, with its recipe being all natural and the vegan plant-based category is a healthy choice for people and the planet. Get zero trans-fat and cholesterol-free products.

For more information, visit www.shakaharry.com

About Better Bite Ventures:

Better Bite Ventures is Asia Pacific’s first alternative protein regional fund, backing early-stage founders transforming the world’s largest food market for the better. The $US 15 Million fund has invested to date in 10 high-potential Asia Pacific startups, harnessing plant-based and cellular agriculture technologies to create climate-friendly meat, dairy, egg and seafood alternatives that are better for people, animals and planet. Better Bite Ventures was created by two operators turned impact investors, Michal Klar and Simon Newstead. With a combined 20 years as plant-based, sector expertise including running the Future Food Now newsletter and Vegan Startup podcast, and a track record of investing and venture building in food and tech, both are keen to help power a new wave of startups.

https://www.betterbite.vc/

 About Blue Horizon:

Blue Horizon is accelerating the transition to a Sustainable Food System that delivers outstanding returns for investors and the planet. The company is a global pioneer of the Future of Food. As a pure play impact investor, Blue Horizon has shaped the growth of the alternative protein and food tech market. The company invests at the intersection of biology, agriculture and technology with the aim to transform the global food industry. Blue Horizon was founded in 2016 and is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. To date, the company has invested in more than 70 companies. Its business model offers an attractive opportunity to invest in the evolution of the global food system while contributing to a healthy and sustainable world. www.bluehorizon.com

For further media queries, please contact:

Sonia Kulkarni | Hunk Golden and Media
9820184099 | sonia.kulkarni@hunkgolden.in

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Paridhi Jain announces the release of ‘The Unlikely Friendship: a book About Down Syndrome”

Mumbai, 18, May, 2022…For the purpose of creating a children’s book which is focused on Down syndrome, and therefore raise awareness about it, while sensitizing it for the future generation, making sure they would know how to treat people with the same. Paridhi Jain is all set to launch the book; An Unlikely Friendship: A book about down Syndrome. The book has been illustrated and conceptualized by Anaya Jain, On 24th of May 2022.

The book launch will be held on 24th of May, 2022, at Title Waves, Bandra West Mumbai. The book launch event is to start from 4;00 PM onwards.  The book will be launched by Tara Sharma Saluja, present at the launch.   From there Chetan Jain, will hold the stage to provide a brief introduction about the book.  This will be followed by a fireside chat between Tara Sharma Saluja and Anaya Jain. After the fireside chat, there will be unveiling of book along with a photo session. To be followed by a press interaction to provide a better insight to media. Thereafter concluding the event with a vote of thanks and book signing session.

About Anaya Jain

Anaya Jain is a 15-year-old from Mumbai, India. She is currently in the tenth grade, studying in Oberoi International School. A child prodigy with a great level of emotional intelligence.

Growing up, art has always been a huge passion of hers. She has always believed in looking at things with a kinder perspective. She is glad to have been able to express that through this book: The Unlikely Friendship: A book about down syndrome, while bringing light to such an important topic of Down Syndrome.

The Book: “The Unlikely Friendship”, is conceptualized and illustrated by Anaya Jain. Giving the book an essence of utter innocence and child’s point of view. Which will enable the readers to connect better with the book.

About the Author

Smriti Rathi is the author of the children’s picture book, ‘The Dream Seller.” After completing her master’s degree in marketing from the London School of Economics, she founded The Book Baker, an organization that helps children write and design their own storybooks. She is very passionate about sharing her love for reading and children’s literature with the world.

For further media queries, please contact:

Sonia Kulkarni | Hunk Golden and Media

9820184099 | sonia.kulkarni@hunkgolden.in

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