Consumer health startup The Stack has raised Rs. 5.5 crore in its first institutional funding round, marking a key milestone in its journey to build a science-led supplements brand for Indian consumers. The pre-seed round was led by OTP Ventures and Huddle Ventures, with participation from a group of angel investors including Ultrahuman founder Mohit Kumar.
Founded by Shreya Jain and Kshitij Rihal, The Stack operates in the fast-growing supplements category, with a clear focus on clinically studied ingredients, transparent sourcing and formulations designed for long-term outcomes. The founders say the brand was born out of personal frustration with the quality and credibility of supplements available in India.
Rihal, who was training for long-distance running, struggled to find products locally that matched international standards. He partnered with Jain, a chemical engineer with experience in pharmaceutical manufacturing and prior startup exposure, to investigate the gap. Their research pointed to inconsistent formulations, unclear ingredient sourcing and limited manufacturing transparency across the category.
Currently, The Stack is focused on targeted health areas such as sleep and gut health. Rather than expanding rapidly across multiple segments, the company has chosen to concentrate on a small portfolio of products backed by research and repeat usage data. According to the company, select products have scaled more than 40 times in the last year, supported by follow-up rates of 35 to 50 percent at a SKU level in mature customer cohorts.
Investors backing the round pointed to the founders’ deep involvement in formulation and product development as a key differentiator. Partners at OTP Ventures and Huddle Ventures highlighted the brand’s emphasis on efficacy, unit economics and consumer trust over short-term marketing-led growth.
The fresh capital will be deployed toward research and development, expanding the product pipeline, building the early team and strengthening brand identity and packaging. Having grown steadily while bootstrapped so far, The Stack now aims to scale with discipline while staying anchored to its core principles of science, transparency and measurable consumer outcomes.
With increasing scrutiny from informed consumers, The Stack is positioning itself as a long-term player in India’s evolving health and wellness market.
