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  • Wholsum Foods brings in Anushka Sharma as investor & brand ambassador

    Wholsum Foods brings in Anushka Sharma as investor & brand ambassador

    Mumbai: Millet-based startup Wholsum Foods on Tuesday announced the onboarding of Bollywood actor Anushka Sharma. As part of this strategic partnership, Sharma will serve as investor, brand ambassador and advocate for flagship brand Slurrp Farm, and all future brands from Wholsum Foods, it said. 

    Wholsum Foods was founded in 2016 with the launch of Slurrp Farm, a brand that draws on the power of millets to provide healthy, yummy options for young children and  parents. The brand currently clocks in Rs 55 crore of revenue run rate and aims to reach Rs 150 crore annual revenue run rate in March 2023. Sharma’s investment comes soon after a $ seven million funding round led by Investment Corp of Dubai, the sovereign wealth fund of the Government of Dubai, and Indian multi-stage venture fund Fireside Ventures, according to the statement.

    “Ahead of the International Year of Millets in 2023, we couldn’t have asked for anyone better than Anushka Sharma on board with us as we take millets to the world. The partnership is an important milestone as we build Wholsum Foods into a house of brands that makes food better for us and for the planet,” stated Wholsum Foods Pvt Ltd co-founders and co-CEOs Meghana Narayan and Shauravi Malik.  

    “Sharma is a lifelong advocate of healthy, conscious choices. Now as a new mom herself, her values strongly align with that of Wholsum Foods’ core purpose – developing millet-based products with zero junk ingredients that are better for us and our planet. The investment comes at a time when consumers across the world are rediscovering the wisdom of ancient Indian millets like ragi, jowar, and bajra,” said the brand in a statement.

    “I’ve always believed you are what you eat – real, wholesome, sustainable food choices go a long way in setting the tone for a healthy and happy life. It’s a realisation that hit home even harder after I became a mother – I want my daughter to develop a healthy relationship with food and I have to start her on that journey early on,” shared Anushka Sharma. “Wholsum Foods was started by two mothers so their mission to unjunk the plates of kids and families across the world resonates with me strongly.”  

    Wholsum Foods’ flagship brand Slurrp Farm currently retails in India via slurrpfarm.com as well as through leading e-commerce and quick commerce platforms such as Amazon, Big Basket, First Cry, and Swiggy Instamart amongst others. Products are also available across leading modern trade stores in India and the UAE as well as online in the US and UK.  

  • Rage Coffee onboards Virat Kohli as brand ambassador & investor

    Rage Coffee onboards Virat Kohli as brand ambassador & investor

    Mumbai: Rage Coffee, a Delhi-based FMCG company that manufactures, markets, and distributes packaged coffee products has onboarded cricketer Virat Kohli as an investor and brand ambassador. With this association, the coffee brand said it seeks to entrench itself as a fan favourite in the market and create a pathway for customer acquisition.

    “I’ve been using Rage Coffee products for some time, and I am excited to be a part of its growth journey. The team at Rage Coffee has shown high levels of business execution and stupendous growth over the last couple of years,” commented Virat Kohli. “Rage Coffee has developed some trailblazing products that conform with my innovative approach and align with my lifestyle. I see tremendous potential for the brand to become one of the most iconic coffee companies of our time.”

    Previously, the digitally native coffee company had raised five million dollars of growth capital as part of its series-A funding round led by Sixth Sense Ventures in August 2021.  

    The brand is planning to expand its online presence and offline footprint pan-India and will utilise the fresh capital for marketing and distribution purposes, according to the statement. “Rage Coffee will use the funds to scale production, launch innovative new products and add senior management talent,” it added.

    “Virat Kohli has set some unrivalled records in the top echelon of world cricket and is rightly known as the best batsman in the world,” said Rage Coffee founder and CEO Bharat Sethi, about roping in Virat Kohli as a brand ambassador and investor. “Apart from being a world-class athlete, Virat is also a fitness enthusiast who is committed to an attitude that fosters a healthy lifestyle and it seamlessly aligns with the ethos that Rage Coffee promotes. Our association with him sets us on a journey where we envision perfection through our constant efforts directed at being the best in our segment. Rage Coffee and Virat both share a mutual objective – to strive for excellence!”  

  • Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal joins Unacademy’s board of directors

    Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal joins Unacademy’s board of directors

    Mumbai: Homegrown learning platform Unacademy on Thursday announced the appointment of Zomato founder and CEO Deepinder Goyal on the company’s board of directors.

    “Deepinder has been an advisor for several years and it was only a matter of time before that association transformed into a formal partnership,” stated Unacademy Group co-founder and CEO Gaurav Munjal. “His experience with building and scaling a successful consumer technology company will help us tremendously as we build the country’s largest learning platform.”

    Goyal is an investor in Unacademy and participated in the company’s series H fundraise in August. “I am thrilled to join the Unacademy board. I think it’s one of the best product companies being made in India, and I am looking forward to learning from Gaurav and the team,” he said.

  • Radio Today in talks to dilute 20 per cent to foreign strategic investor

    Radio Today in talks to dilute 20 per cent to foreign strategic investor

    MUMBAI: Aroon Purie-promoted Radio Today Broadcasting is planning to dilute 20 per cent equity to a foreign strategic investor, following a template that other FM radio companies in India are keen to adopt.

    Radio Today is in active talks with overseas media companies as it prepares to launch the FM stations in the three metros of Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata in March. The Living Media group company has won licenses paying a fee of Rs 280 million to operate in seven stations in the second phase of FM expansion after selling Red FM to a clutch of investors comprising infotech company Value Labs, Malaysia-based Astro and NDTV. Red FM was operating in the circles of Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata.

    “We feel we will discover the real value of our radio business by roping in a foreign strategic investor. We are ready to sell 20 per cent stake and are in discussions with a couple of companies for this,” says a source familiar with the deal. A maximum of 20 per cent foreign holding is allowed in radio companies in India.

    Bertelsmann and CBS are among the foreign majors who have yet to make an entry into India. The source, however, declined to name the companies which are in talks with Radio Today.

    TV Today Network Ltd, which owns a slew of channels including Aaj Tak and Headlines Today, has a 10 per cent stake in Radio Today. “There is no plan to up the stake. But with a 10 per cent holding, TV Today will capture the value when a partner is roped in for Radio Today which will get reflected in the scrip price,” the source says.

    Foreign companies are showing interest to participate in India’s FM radio business that is set for rapid growth. Mid Day Multimedia sold stake to BBC Worldwide in its radio venture while Hindustan Times Media has tied up with Virgin. Star is awaiting FIPB (foreign investment promotion board) approval to acquire a 20 per cent stake in Music Broadcast ( the company which operates under the Radio City brand), marking a re-entry into the FM radio business. The US-based Balfour Capital LLC is also investing in Noble Broadcasting Corporation, the FM radio-arm of the Chennai based Kumudham Publications.

    Investors are drawn in by the prospect of radio stations appealing to youth audiences and tapping local advertising. As reported first in Indiantelevision.com, IDBI picked up a 10 per cent stake in B.A.G Infotainment, the subsidiary of B.A.G Films which is engaged in the radio business.