D2C Pet Food Startup Lickicious Raises ₹19 Crore to Expand Manufacturing and Distribution

Lickicious, a digital-first pet food and nutrition brand for dogs and cats, has raised ₹19 crore (around $2.1 million) in growth capital, led by Prath Ventures, in a round combining equity and institutional debt. The founders of consumer appliances brand Atomberg, along with ISV Capital and several senior industry executives, also participated. The round comes as India’s packaged pet food market, valued at $2.52 billion in 2025, continues attracting investor attention, following pet care platform Supertails’ own $30 million raise back in February.

Quick Answer

Lickicious, operated by Nuvexo Wellness Private Limited and founded in 2024 by Shashwat Sahai and Chandan Jha, raised ₹19 crore led by Prath Ventures to fund what the company calls three priorities: capacity, capability, and category expansion. The centrepiece of the plan is a new 60,000 sq ft manufacturing and distribution facility, aimed at increasing production, improving supply reliability, and giving the company direct control over product quality rather than relying on third-party manufacturing. The company is targeting ₹100 crore in annual revenue as it transitions from a purely digital-first brand into a broader, omnichannel pet nutrition company, with the longer-term ambition of becoming one of India’s top three pet food companies within a decade. One report additionally names ISV Capital among the round’s participants, though this wasn’t corroborated across other coverage reviewed for this article. The company hasn’t disclosed its current revenue, valuation, or the exact equity-to-debt split within the round.

What Lickicious Actually Sells

Lickicious offers dry and wet food, treats, fresh food, supplements, and nutritional toppers for dogs and cats, sold through its own website, e-commerce marketplaces Amazon and Flipkart, and pet care platform Supertails. The company’s stated positioning centres on palatability, transparent nutrition labelling, and product quality, three areas Prath Ventures specifically called out as increasingly what differentiates pet food brands in India today, rather than distribution reach alone.

Where the Money Is Actually Going

The company has been explicit that this isn’t a single-purpose raise. It’s structured around three simultaneous priorities: building manufacturing capacity through the new 60,000 sq ft facility, developing capability across R&D, quality, supply chain, and commercial functions, and expanding category range across product formats, species, and sales channels. Co-founder Shashwat Sahai framed the manufacturing investment specifically as a move toward greater direct control over how products are developed and made, rather than continuing to depend entirely on external manufacturing partners, a meaningful operational shift for a brand that started as a purely digital-first business.

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Why This Fits a Broader Pattern

India’s pet food market was valued at $2.52 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $4.6 billion by 2034, according to IMARC Group, driven by rising pet ownership and increased spending on premium, packaged nutrition. Lickicious’s raise follows a similar wave of investor interest in the space, including pet care platform Supertails’ $30 million round in February to expand its clinic and quick-commerce footprint. Taken together, these rounds point to investors increasingly treating Indian pet care, long an underserved, fragmented category, as a genuine, scalable consumer opportunity rather than a niche.

My Take

What’s worth noting about Lickicious’s raise is the specific emphasis on manufacturing control rather than just marketing spend. A lot of D2C funding rounds in India go almost entirely toward customer acquisition and brand-building; this one is explicitly weighted toward owning the supply chain instead. For a category where Prath Ventures itself says trust and product quality are becoming the real differentiators, that’s arguably a more defensible long-term bet than out-spending competitors on ads, even if it’s a slower, less headline-grabbing way to deploy ₹19 crore.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How much did Lickicious raise and who led the round? Lickicious raised ₹19 crore (approximately $2.1 million) in a mix of equity and institutional debt, led by Prath Ventures, with participation from ISV Capital, the founders of Atomberg, and several senior industry executives.

2. What will Lickicious do with the funding? The capital will go toward building a 60,000 sq ft manufacturing and distribution facility, strengthening R&D and supply chain capabilities, and expanding its product categories and sales channels.

3. Who founded Lickicious and when? Lickicious was founded in 2024 by Shashwat Sahai and Chandan Jha, and is operated under the legal entity Nuvexo Wellness Private Limited.

4. What is Lickicious’s revenue target? The company is targeting ₹100 crore in annual revenue as a near-term milestone, with a longer-term goal of becoming one of India’s top three pet food companies within a decade.

5. Where does Lickicious sell its products? Lickicious sells through its own website, e-commerce marketplaces Amazon and Flipkart, and pet care platform Supertails.

Disclaimer

This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice regarding any private company. FinanceChecks.com is not affiliated with Lickicious, Nuvexo Wellness, Prath Ventures, or any investor mentioned. Figures are based on publicly reported company and investor disclosures as of September 7, 2026, and have not been independently audited; the company has not disclosed its current revenue, valuation, or the exact equity-to-debt split within this round.