The Divine Foods, a direct-to-consumer (D2C) foodtech startup headquartered in Chennai, has secured an undisclosed investment from acclaimed actor Nayanthara and her spouse, director Vignesh Shivan.
Established in 2019 by Kiru Maikkapillai, The Divine Foods specializes in crafting items derived from ancient superfoods like turmeric, moringa, millet, and more. Their product lineup encompasses offerings like turmeric oil, golden turmeric milk, masks, turmeric-infused beverages, turmeric powder, honey, and an array of other selections.
Shivan took to social media to announce the partnership. “Happy to be a part of bringing the traditional foods of Tamil Nadu to your home. Superfoods are only Super if they’re sourced holistically! Me and Nayanthara are happy to join hands with divine foods in this pure journey,” he said in a post on Instagram.
Maikkapillai disclosed that the startup intends to utilize the newly acquired capital to enhance its infrastructure and broaden its range of products.
“We are happy that Nayanthara and her husband Vignesh came forward and invested in our early-stage startup that creates rural impact,” he said.
While refraining from divulging the exact funding figure, the founder expressed that these funds would be instrumental in building brand recognition among the general public and inspiring other celebrities to champion the expansion of local enterprises.
Previously, this D2C startup had been awarded a grant through the Tamil Nadu government’s prominent seed funding initiative, TANSEED 4.0. Following that, it had not secured any investments from external investors.
The funding comes at a time when a number of actors and other celebrities have backed homegrown companies. The popularity of the celebs has helped early-stage startups reach a wider audience and grow their revenue.
In the earlier part of this year, actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu extended her investments to the D2C superfoods brand Nourish You. Additionally, in May 2023, Shilpa Shetty allocated an undisclosed sum to support the agritech startup KisanKonnect. Meanwhile, Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar and Virender Sehwag showed their support for Two Brothers Organic Farm through their investments.
According to an analysis, the Indian direct-to-consumer (D2C) market is projected to experience significant growth, with an anticipated market size of $100 billion by the year 2025.