VS Mani & Co. has raised $370,000 in an angel funding round led by an array of angel investors including Haresh Chawla (partner, True North Co), Anupam Mittal (founder and CEO, People Group), Ashish Hemrajani (founder and CEO, BookMyShow), Sidharth Rao (group CEO DentsuMB), Rajan Navani (founder and CEO JetSynthesys), actor Rana Daggubati, and Sattva Group’s family office. With the fresh funds, the brand aims to take its online-first business to other channels and expand its product line to include South Indian snacks.
Many South Indian foods are popular across the country, GD Prasad, founder, VS Mani & Co, stated. “But there are hardly any pan-India players who have consolidated this opportunity into a comprehensive, ready-to-consume range of South Indian delicacies. We want to create a ‘national South Indian brand’, so to speak – and we have a strong brand story to facilitate this,” he added.
For Anupam Mittal, VS Mani strikes a chord with its brand story, transporting consumers to the South Indian home of GD Prasad’s childhood years. “It is well placed to grow into a leader in the specialty South Indian foods segment, one where there are hardly any national players,” he said.
For Yashas Alur, co-founder and head of growth, VS Mani & Co, currently naerly 90% of the brand’s sales come from the platform’s channel. “We have acquired customers profitably – and with healthy repeat rates, have also proven that we have a solid product,” he said.
“Now, the plan is to scale via online marketplaces and offline retail – not just in India, but also abroad, where there is a significant diaspora to cater to,” Rahul Bajaj, co-founder and head of operations, VS Mani & Co, added.
Founded by GD Prasad in 2020, VS Mani & Co. is a Bangalore based FMCG company that offers South Indian packaged foods and beverages.