Indian pet food and nutrition brand Lickicious has raised ₹19 crore in growth capital, marking a significant step in its plan to scale from a digital-first business into a broader, multi-category and omnichannel pet nutrition company.
The capital has been raised through a combination of equity and institutional debt, with Prath Ventures leading the institutional backing.
The round also includes participation from ISV Capital, Atomberg co-founders Sibabrata “Shibam” Das and Manoj Meena, Atomberg founding team member Arindam Paul, and several senior industry executives, according to public posts from Lickicious’ founders.
Founded by Shashwat Sahai and Chandan Jha and operated by Nuvexo Wellness Private Limited, Lickicious says the latest funding will be deployed across three priorities that the company describes as Capacity, Capability and Category.
The near-term ambition is clear: build towards ₹100 crore in annual revenue.
Beyond that, the founders have set a much larger objective to build Lickicious into one of India’s top three pet food companies over the next decade.
Capacity: building a 60,000 sq. ft. manufacturing and distribution footprint
A major part of the new capital will go towards physical expansion.
Lickicious is developing approximately 60,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing and distribution infrastructure, with the aim of increasing production capacity, improving supply reliability and gaining greater end-to-end control over product quality.
As volumes rise, more products, geographies and channels put pressure on sourcing, production and fulfilment. By investing directly in manufacturing and distribution, Lickicious is signalling that it wants tighter control over how products are made and delivered.
That matters in pet nutrition, where repeat purchase depends heavily on consistency and product acceptance.
Sahai summed up that philosophy in the company’s announcement: “A good-looking bag can win the first order. Only good food wins the next ten.”
Capability: investing beyond production volume
The second part of the strategy is capability building.
Lickicious plans to invest further in research and development, quality, manufacturing, supply chain, brand and commercial functions.
The focus suggests that management is trying to strengthen the organisation behind the products, not simply increase output. As pet parents pay more attention to ingredients, palatability, functional benefits and convenience, formulation and product communication become more important.
Lickicious describes its own approach around three ideas: palatability, transparent nutrition and reliable quality.
Those are company-stated principles rather than independent quality claims, but they reveal the positioning Lickicious wants to strengthen as it scales.
The fresh capital is intended to support the systems, people and product-development capabilities required to turn that positioning into a larger business.
Category expansion becomes the third growth engine
The third pillar is Category.
Lickicious plans to expand its portfolio across products, formats, species and sales channels.
This marks a shift from a narrower digital-first model towards a broader pet nutrition platform.
But category expansion also creates complexity: new formats can require different manufacturing processes, sourcing standards and inventory planning. The challenge will be to expand without losing clarity around the brand or weakening repeat demand.
From digital-first brand to omnichannel pet nutrition company
One of the most important phrases in the funding announcement is “omnichannel pet nutrition company.”
It points to a change in how Lickicious sees itself.
Digital channels have helped newer pet-care brands acquire customers quickly, but pet food is a high-frequency category where availability matters. That makes broader distribution strategically important.
Lickicious’ next stage will therefore be about combining digital brand-building with stronger availability across multiple sales channels.
If executed well, that can improve both customer acquisition and repeat purchase.
Why Prath Ventures is backing the next phase
Prath Ventures, the lead institutional investor, focuses on high-growth consumption-led businesses and typically backs companies from Seed to Series A stages.
In the Lickicious announcement, Harmanpreet Singh, Managing Partner at Prath Ventures, said India’s pet food market is becoming increasingly “product- and trust-led” rather than being driven mainly by distribution.
He also pointed to Lickicious’ understanding of Indian pet parents, product proposition and execution across digital channels as reasons behind the investment.
That thesis fits a category built on repeat purchase. Pet food brands have to earn the next order repeatedly, making trust, product acceptance and reliable availability central to growth.
The ₹100 crore target is the first major milestone
The most immediate number in Lickicious’ roadmap is ₹100 crore in annual revenue.
Reaching that level would represent a significant scale-up for the young company.
The target is also a practical test. Lickicious will need to convert fresh capital into manufacturing capacity, better supply reliability, successful products and wider distribution while maintaining consistency.
The company’s three-part framework therefore reflects the operational requirements behind the revenue target.
Capacity enables more volume.
Capability is meant to protect execution and quality.
Category expansion creates new growth opportunities.
The strategy will ultimately be judged by how well those three parts work together.
A much bigger ambition: India’s top three
The founders are also looking far beyond the ₹100 crore milestone.
Lickicious says its 10-year ambition is to become one of the top three pet food companies in India.
That is a significantly harder goal.
India’s pet food category already includes large domestic and international players with established manufacturing and distribution. Reaching the top tier would require Lickicious to build deep availability, broad awareness, strong repeat rates and consistent product quality over many years.
The company appears to recognise that gap.
That is why the latest funding announcement is centred less on one product launch and more on building the underlying organisation required for long-term competition.
India’s pet nutrition market is entering a more competitive phase
Lickicious’ fundraise also reflects the wider evolution of India’s pet-care market.
Pet food is attracting greater interest from established consumer companies, specialist pet businesses and investors. Consumers now have more brands, formats and purchase channels, which creates room for differentiated products but also makes competition tougher.
The battle is increasingly for recurring household spend, putting more emphasis on quality, trust, price, convenience and retention.
For Lickicious, the latest round gives it additional resources to compete on those terms.
The real story starts after the funding announcement
Funding headlines naturally focus on the amount raised.
For Lickicious, ₹19 crore is an important milestone.
But the more consequential story will be what the company builds with it.
The 60,000 sq. ft. footprint, ₹100 crore target and category expansion give investors and the market clear milestones by which to judge progress.
The company is entering a stage where execution matters more than early promise.
Its founders are not presenting the new capital simply as money to accelerate sales.
They are framing it as capital to build a stronger pet food company one with greater manufacturing control, deeper product-development capability and a broader presence across the market.
That makes the ₹19 crore round less about the funding itself and more about the scale of the bet Lickicious is now making.
The next phase will show whether Capacity, Capability and Category can translate into the fourth requirement every ambitious consumer brand ultimately needs: consistent customer trust.
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