India’s fast-growing pet-care market is attracting another round of investor attention, with pet-food startup Lickicious raising ₹19 crore in a combination of equity and institutional debt to expand its manufacturing capabilities, product portfolio and distribution network.
The funding round, announced on September 7, was led by Prath Ventures, with participation from ISV Capital, the founders of Atomberg Technologies and several senior industry executives.
Founded in 2024 by Shashwat Sahai and Chandan Jha, Lickicious operates under Nuvexo Wellness Pvt Ltd and focuses on food and nutrition products for dogs and cats. The company has built its business as a digital-first brand and is now preparing for its next stage of growth through increased manufacturing capacity and a wider omnichannel presence.
Building a 60,000 sq ft manufacturing and distribution footprint
A significant portion of the fresh capital will go towards strengthening Lickicious’ physical infrastructure.
The company plans to build a 60,000 sq ft manufacturing and distribution footprint, which it expects will give it greater production capacity and control over quality and supply as volumes increase.
For a young consumer brand, the move represents a shift from simply scaling demand to building the operational backbone required to support that demand.
Lickicious also plans to invest in research and development, quality, supply chain and commercial capabilities, alongside strengthening its brand and manufacturing operations.
The company has described its expansion strategy around three areas: capacity, capability and category.
More categories and wider distribution
Beyond increasing production, Lickicious intends to broaden its product portfolio across pet-food and nutrition categories.
The company currently caters to both dogs and cats and sees further category expansion as an important part of its growth strategy.
It also plans to move beyond its digital-first roots and build a stronger presence across multiple channels. The shift reflects a broader trend among India's consumer startups, where brands that initially rely on D2C and online marketplaces increasingly turn towards offline retail and omnichannel distribution to reach a larger customer base.
For Lickicious, the objective is to evolve from a focused pet-food startup into a broader pet nutrition company.
₹100 crore revenue target
The company is targeting ₹100 crore in annual revenue as its next major milestone.
That target comes as competition in India's pet-care sector intensifies, with changing consumer behaviour creating room for brands positioned around specialised nutrition, product quality and premiumisation.
Lickicious' longer-term ambition is considerably larger. The company aims to become one of India's top three pet-food companies over the next decade.
Achieving that will require more than customer acquisition. Manufacturing scale, distribution reach, repeat purchases, product innovation and supply-chain efficiency will become increasingly important as the company moves into a more competitive phase.
Investors see a larger opportunity in pet nutrition
Prath Ventures, which led the latest round, pointed to Lickicious' understanding of Indian pet parents, product proposition and execution across digital channels as key factors behind the investment.
The round also brings backing from the founders of Atomberg Technologies — Sibabrata Das, Manoj Meena and Arindam Paul — along with other senior industry executives.
The investor interest comes at a time when India's pet-care ecosystem is expanding beyond traditional pet products. Food and nutrition are emerging as particularly attractive segments as pet owners become more conscious of ingredients, quality and the long-term health of their pets.
A larger consumer opportunity
The Lickicious fundraise also highlights how the boundaries of India's food and FMCG market are widening.
Pet food operates differently from conventional human food, but many of the underlying consumer trends are familiar: premiumisation, brand building, specialised nutrition, convenience and the transition from online-first to omnichannel distribution.
For investors, the category offers an opportunity to build brands in a market that is still relatively young compared with mainstream packaged food.
For Lickicious, the immediate challenge will be turning its ₹19 crore infusion into sustainable scale.
The planned manufacturing footprint, expanded R&D capabilities and wider product and distribution strategy suggest the company is betting that India's pet-food market has enough room for a new generation of specialised, homegrown brands.
If the company can execute on its ₹100 crore revenue target, Lickicious could emerge as one of the more significant Indian challengers in a pet-food market that is gradually becoming an important part of the country's broader consumer economy.