Biofortified Grains Startup Raises Rs 10 Cr in Strategic Growth Round
Lucknow-based food-tech firm Better Nutrition has raised Rs 10 crore in a new funding round supported by a group of strategic investors. The brand, which has been featured on Shark Tank India, is gaining traction in the rapidly growing biofortified food space by targeting the prevalent issue of hidden hunger through nutrient-rich staples.

The funding round witnessed participation from a strong list of family offices, high-net-worth individuals (HNIs), and angel investors, including

Namita Thapar, Executive Director, Emcure Pharmaceuticals

Shantanu Deshpande, Founder & CEO, Bombay Shaving Company

Olympian PV Sindhu

Apurva Chamaria, Global Head—Venture Capital & Startups, Google

Karan Jindal, India Lead—Content Marketing, Meta

Arjun Vaidya of V3 Ventures

Akshay Ghulati, Co-founder, Shiprocket

This round also saw participation from Aclr8.vc and members of Deshpande’s The BarberShop network. It comes after an earlier Rs 3.1 crore raise in 2022 by IIM Ahmedabad Ventures for Better Nutrition’s parent entity, Greenday.

What Better Nutrition vouchers
Better Nutrition is a company co-founded by Prateek Rastogi and Aishwarya Bhatnagar that creates and markets biofortified cereals—staple foods naturally enriched with key nutrients like zinc, iron, calcium, and protein. In contrast to synthetic fortification, the cereals are naturally fortified using agronomic methods and breeding techniques, providing people better nutrition without changing people’s eating habits.

Working with more than 15,000 farmers, the company procures nutrient-dense grains and has established an integrated value chain to provide assurance and sustainability. Its mission is in sync with mitigating “hidden hunger”, a public health issue encompassing a shortage of crucial micronutrients in diets.

Post-Shark Tank Impact
Since being featured on Shark Tank India, Better Nutrition has achieved phenomenal traction:

5X revenue growth

10X increase in web traffic

More than 25,000 orders shipped

The brand has also expanded its presence in quick-commerce and online grocery platforms such as Blinkit, Zepto, Swiggy Instamart, and BigBasket, increasing both visibility and reach.

Investor Endorsements
Namita Thapar, who has invested in the venture, highlighted the need to address micronutrient deficiencies:

“Better Nutrition is solving one of the most critical yet largely under-the-radar problems – hidden hunger. Their mission brings together health and business impact in a way that’s both scalable and meaningful.”

Shantanu Deshpande complimented the founders’ strategic clarity:

“It’s a rare combination—purpose-driven vision, data-backed execution, and deep founder clarity. Better Nutrition is not just a company; it’s a movement in the making.”

Capital to Fuel Scale, Awareness, and R&D
This round of funding was “constructed, not just raised”, according to co-founder Prateek Rastogi, built to attract stakeholders who could bring more than capital—logistics expertise, content-commerce expertise, governance expertise, and global expansion expertise.

The capital will be invested in:

Scaling product offerings from staples to pulses, oilseeds, and other core crops

Enhancing D2D and retail distribution in Tier I and Tier II cities

Scaling farmer training and sustainable sourcing initiatives

Investing in R&D for nutrition innovation and consumer education initiatives

A Rs 1,000 Crore Vision
Co-founder Aishwarya Bhatnagar described the company’s ambitious goal:

“We’re on track to build a Rs 1,000 crore brand by the end of the decade. The next phase is about applying our proprietary biofortification tech across more categories to truly mainstream better nutrition.”

The startup’s next frontier includes institutional partnerships, export markets, and corporate wellness collaborations, tapping into the growing demand for clean-label and functional foods.

Conclusion
Better Nutrition’s recent fundraise is an indicator of investor confidence in India’s biofortified food industry—a segment which is set for exponential growth in the face of growing health awareness. With marquee startup and tech leaders behind it, the company is ready to spearhead a new revolution of nutrition-dense, sustainable staples for the Indian consumer.

As the dialogue between nutrition, agriculture, and preventive health becomes richer, Better Nutrition’s model presents a compelling roadmap for food-tech startups with both scale and purpose in mind.