Vegan Food Start-up Wakao Foods Wins funding of INR 75 lakh on Shark Tank India
Wakao Foods, a vegan food company based on jackfruit, has become India's first business to receive support from all three female sharks on Shark Tank India.
In the first season of Shark Tank India, the brand got INR 75 lakh in finance for a 21 percent ownership stake from SUGAR Cosmetics, MamaEarth, and Emcure Pharmaceuticals.
Wakao Foods is a sustainable brand founded by Sairaj Dhond with the goal of bringing plant-based 'Ready to Cook' and 'Ready to Eat' products to the Indian market. Wakao's current jackfruit meat offering is ethically sourced and hand-picked from farms, as well as hygienically produced. Because of its adaptability, meat-like texture, and nutritional content, jackfruit has been a popular product option (high in fiber, low in calories and fats). Wakao products do not include any preservatives and have a one-year shelf life. They don't need to be refrigerated.
Wakao Foods obtained investment from Vineeta Singh, CEO and Co-founder of SUGAR Cosmetics, Namita Thapar, Executive Director of Emcure Pharmaceuticals, and Ghazal Alagh, Founder of Mamaearth, who were all impressed with the brand, pitch, and product.
Wakao Foods' founder, Sairaj Dhond, states, “As someone who grew up watching Shark Tank, coming on this globally acclaimed platform and getting funded has been a great milestone for me and my team. This further solidifies our belief and efforts to introduce innovative and disruptive F&B product categories that will change how consumers perceive plant-based meat. We are looking forward to aggressively expanding our footprint in the next few months and acquiring a bigger clientele in the industry.”
For Wakao Foods, the sharks who have joined them on this trip have helped to create the ultimate mash-up, bringing in essential skills that will help the company grow multi-fold. Emcure Pharmaceuticals, which is presently active in 70 countries, will be able to export its goods globally.
India's top D2C and E-commerce players, Mamaearth and Sugar Cosmetics, are the perfect role models for a D2C brand like Wakao Foods that is aiming to create offline properties in the future. They guide the brand to expand and scale its business and bring in a new and disruptive approach to the pulsing plant-based meat market with a sustainable focus.
In the first season of Shark Tank India, the brand got INR 75 lakh in finance for a 21 percent ownership stake from SUGAR Cosmetics, MamaEarth, and Emcure Pharmaceuticals.
Wakao Foods is a sustainable brand founded by Sairaj Dhond with the goal of bringing plant-based 'Ready to Cook' and 'Ready to Eat' products to the Indian market. Wakao's current jackfruit meat offering is ethically sourced and hand-picked from farms, as well as hygienically produced. Because of its adaptability, meat-like texture, and nutritional content, jackfruit has been a popular product option (high in fiber, low in calories and fats). Wakao products do not include any preservatives and have a one-year shelf life. They don't need to be refrigerated.
Wakao Foods obtained investment from Vineeta Singh, CEO and Co-founder of SUGAR Cosmetics, Namita Thapar, Executive Director of Emcure Pharmaceuticals, and Ghazal Alagh, Founder of Mamaearth, who were all impressed with the brand, pitch, and product.
Wakao Foods' founder, Sairaj Dhond, states, “As someone who grew up watching Shark Tank, coming on this globally acclaimed platform and getting funded has been a great milestone for me and my team. This further solidifies our belief and efforts to introduce innovative and disruptive F&B product categories that will change how consumers perceive plant-based meat. We are looking forward to aggressively expanding our footprint in the next few months and acquiring a bigger clientele in the industry.”
For Wakao Foods, the sharks who have joined them on this trip have helped to create the ultimate mash-up, bringing in essential skills that will help the company grow multi-fold. Emcure Pharmaceuticals, which is presently active in 70 countries, will be able to export its goods globally.
India's top D2C and E-commerce players, Mamaearth and Sugar Cosmetics, are the perfect role models for a D2C brand like Wakao Foods that is aiming to create offline properties in the future. They guide the brand to expand and scale its business and bring in a new and disruptive approach to the pulsing plant-based meat market with a sustainable focus.
