Sumedh Battewar, co-founder of the electric cycle startup EMotorad, is entering the pet food industry with a new venture called Zoomies, a clean-label pet food startup.
Zoomies has successfully raised ₹5 crore in a Pre-Seed funding round led by D2C Insider Super Angels, with contributions from Pallavi Mohadikar (founder of Palmonas), Unacademy co-founders Gaurav Munjal and Roman Saini, and Puneet Gupta, CEO of Astrotalk, among others.
Founded by Battewar and Spriha Choubey, Zoomies is a nutrition-first pet food brand offering meals made from 100% real, human-grade meat. Their products are free of additives, preservatives, and synthetic supplements, while being competitively priced and having a shelf life of up to 18 months.
What will be the funds used for?
The funds will be used to enhance manufacturing and supply chain capabilities, scale brand-building efforts, develop proprietary intellectual property, and expand distribution through quick commerce. The company is launching its products through nationwide Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) channels and Amazon, with a specific focus on expanding in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Chennai.
According to Battewar, the Indian pet food market is growing at nearly double the rate of traditional FMCGs, driven by the increasing trend of pet humanisation and a heightened focus on pet nutrition. However, most commercially available pet food products are ultra-processed, lack transparency in ingredient lists, contain fillers, and often rely on synthetic fortification.
Zoomies aims to fill this gap by offering a clean, transparent, and affordably priced range of nutritional products. The brand is launching with a comprehensive lineup of cat food options and a limited selection of dog food. Their pricing strategy spans a wide spectrum, from high-volume, mass-market items to premium products that utilise freeze-dried technology. All products contain 100% real meat, with no additives or synthetic vitamins.
Battewar said that with Zoomies, they are demonstrating that clean, meat-based nutrition can be shelf-stable, scalable, and competitively priced, and that the market is finally ready for such a change. Choubey points out a disconnect between what pet parents desire and what the market currently offers and Zoomies aims to meet the demand for higher-quality pet food.