Shilpa Shetty Picks Up Stake In D2C Startup WickedGud

SUMMARY

The Bollywood actress has invested INR 2.25 Cr in the D2C brand’s parent company 100Percent Nourishment

Founded in 2021, WickedGud sells products such as pasta and noodles, which it claims are made using healthy ingredients

WickedGud is an online brand that sells products on its website and marketplaces such as Amazon, Blinkit, BigBasket and Swiggy Instamart

Mumbai-based ready-to-cook D2C brand WickedGud has received an investment of INR 2.25 Cr from Shilpa Shetty. The Bollywood actor will also be the brand ambassador for the D2C brand.

Founded in 2021 by Bhuman Dani, Monish Debnath and Soumalya Biswas, WickedGud offers products such as pasta and noodles, which it claims are made using healthy ingredients. The startup claims that its products are manufactured using innovative Steaming and Convection Air Drying (SCAD) technology.

Before the latest investment, WickedGud raised over $1.34 Mn (INR 11.03 Cr) across its pre-seed and seed rounds from investors such as Titan Capital, Mumbai Angels, NB Ventures, Dholakia Ventures, Venture Catalyst, and other angels, including boAt cofounder Aman Gupta.

The startup rose to prominence earlier this year when its founders appeared on Shark Tank India. Post that, the startup expanded into international markets, including the UAE, Singapore, Mauritius and Nepal.

WickedGud is a purely online brand that sells products on its website and marketplaces such as Amazon, Blinkit, BigBasket, Swiggy Instamart, Zepto and Flipkart.

“We are thrilled to welcome Shilpa Shetty to the WickedGud family,” said Dani, founder and CEO of WickedGud. “Her love for food and fitness aligns with our brand values and mission. We believe her influence will help us reach a wider audience, promoting conscious consumption.”

This is not the first investment by Shetty in a startup. The Bollywood fitness guru is an active investor in the Indian startup ecosystem. She was an early-stage investor in Mamaearth and bought a stake in the IPO-bound D2C brand in 2018. She invested another INR 6 Cr in the D2C unicorn in September 2022.

Shetty has a big paycheck to look forward to when the D2C unicorn goes public, as she holds a 0.52% stake in Mamaearth.

Shetty’s most recent investment was in upskilling platform Hunar Online.

Shetty features prominently in a growing list of Indian celebrities that have backed Indian startups. From Suniel Shetty to Virat Kohli, celebrities from Bollywood and cricket have been investing in Indian startups for the last few years.

The funding increase in the Indian startup ecosystem and mega IPOs of new-age tech startups have further helped increase celebrity interest in startups.