Gruhas, Jubilant Bhartia Family Office, DLF Family Office, and Anthill Ventures have come together to announce the unveiling of the first cohort of Gruhas Gusto – a unique food and food tech accelerator program. This Cohort features seven remarkable startups poised to reshape the landscape of the food and food tech industry. This dynamic initiative will empower these startups with strategic investments, expert guidance, and unparalleled market access opportunities, fostering innovation and sustainability throughout the sector. The program officially launches in Gurgaon’s Quorum on 18 March 2024 with an event that will circulate on introductions, keynote addresses, and extensive networking.
The selected startups cover a diverse range of groundbreaking solutions in areas including food logistics and infrastructure, health foods, technology-powered solutions, agritech and packaging technology, food waste management, FMCG, cloud kitchens, restaurants, QSRs, and retail distribution.
Included in the chosen startups are:
- Evolve Snacks: Evolve Snacks specializes in health-focused snacks, with their product catalog comprising nuts, dried fruits, chews, chips, and other snack varieties.
- Grabenord: Grabenord is a plant-based gourmet food brand offering a variety of products including vegan cheese, vegan butter, kombucha, apple cider vinegar, and a selection of plant-based cheeses.
- The Fresh Press: The Fresh Press is a cold-pressed juice company driven by the belief that everyone deserves a healthy lifestyle. Serving an assortment of delicious and nutritious options such as cold-pressed juices, smoothies, shakes, fruit platters, desserts, and more, all crafted from wholesome natural fruits.
- Rio: Rio presents a range of enticing beverages, from the revitalizing BUBBLY FRUIT DRINK (BFD) featuring exotic blends, honey, and Vitamin C for a “better for you” choice, to the energizing BOOM ENERGY DRINK, designed as a value-packed booster catering to 18 to 35-year-olds and rapidly gaining traction in Tier 2 towns.
- The Naturik Co: The Naturik Co aims to establish itself as the go-to breakfast brand, featuring a protein-rich, healthy, tasty, and convenient product lineup.
- Hemptyful: Hemptyful offers a range of products made from hemp seeds, including dips and cold-pressed oils. These premium offerings are crafted with care to provide a rich source of protein, omega-3, and essential nutrients, promoting a wholesome and balanced diet.
- Recipeat: Recipeat is developing a centralized recruitment SaaS platform for restaurants and hotels to expedite staff hiring by threefold, utilizing its AI-driven match-making algorithm and rating system.
Continue Exploring: Investor appetite grows for homegrown food and beverage startups as demand skyrockets
Gruhas Gusto aims to foster innovative solutions for enhanced well-being and dining experiences, offering start-ups extensive support in various business aspects. The program provides scaling opportunities and market access through collaborations with industry pioneers. It will conclude with an event where each startup will have the opportunity to pitch to a room full of sector-specific investors.
Abhijeet Pai, Co-Founder of Gruhas, said, “The Food & Beverage Tech industry is at its inflection of innovation, market size and potential. Gruhas understands that after AgriTech, food and foodtech demand more attention going forward. With this thought, we look forward to supporting this first incoming Cohort of Gruhas Gusto as they navigate the F&B Tech industry and scale new innovations and concepts.”
Sailesh Sigatapu, Partner at Anthill Ventures, stated, “With our extensive experience, our objective is to offer these startups a speed scaling ecosystem like no other that helps expedite their growth while establishing a viable business model. We accomplish this by building a strong product-market fit from the start and refining their business model before assisting them in developing a measurable plan for long-term growth. We provide a venue for founders to bring their vision to life while ensuring that their idea is commercially feasible and financially healthy by delivering a combination of concentrated mentoring, information sessions, and money. We are devoted to assisting each cohort to exceed its potential and making a difference in the industry.”
Continue Exploring: A-Listers Spice Up Their Portfolios with Bold Bets on India’s Booming F&B Startups
The program is further bolstered by strategic partnerships with RPSG Capital Ventures, Omnivore, Caspian Equity, Sathguru Catalysers, Venture Catalysts, Mumbai Angels, Upaya Social Ventures, Lead Angels, FAAD Network, HT Media, Startup Story, Tamada Media, Let’s Influence, StartupNews.fyi, Food Safety Works, Fierce Kitchens, Finance Box, TiE Mumbai, WEQ Technologies, Ciba Goa, Headstart, CoKarma, Indigram Labs, F6S Partner Network, Kanchan Metals, SocialPi, The Mend Packaging, The New Shop.
The second brainchild of Gruhas, Jubilant Bhartia Family Office, DLF Family Office, and Anthill Ventures, Gruhas Gusto comes shortly after the success of their foray into Proptech with Gruhas Aspire rounding off its second successful cohort.