Suniel Shetty Invests In Fitness Startup Aquatein, Joins As Brand Ambassador Too

Actor Suniel Shetty has invested an undisclosed amount in fitness startup Aquatein and joined it as investor and brand ambassador too, said the startup in a statement. Suniel Shetty also jumped on the NFT bandwagon in 2021 by joining Colexion, an NFT marketplace on the polygon network, as an investor and advisor.

As per the startup, its products meet daily life nutrition needs. “Adequate hydration is the key to a healthy life. Merging that with a macronutrient one needs, creates a no-nonsense solution for everyone which is accessible, easy to consume, low on calories and shaker free,” the Mumbai-based startup said.

Founded in 2019 by Ananta Prabhala, Aquatein is a keto-friendly, gluten-free, lactose-free and 100% vegetarian drink which is basically made of water with added protein.

Prabhala graduated from Texas A&M University in 2011 and worked in the oil and gas industry before starting a nutrition company in 2016. Protein water was gaining popularity at that time in Europe and North America which prompted Prabhala to start this company.

“We are extremely pleased to align ourselves with Suniel Shetty who is the epitome of fitness at any age,” said Ananth B Prabhala, founder, Aquatein.

“My obsession with health and wellness is known and I’ve always got excited by new, start-up brands that focus on health. When Aquatein came to me with a unique concept of protein water with untold benefits, it blew my mind. I mean, it’s regular hydration with protein, muscle repair, and overall power…This is exciting rocket science and I wanted to be a part of this journey with them,” said actor Suniel Shetty on his association with the fitness brand.

According to Aquatein, the hydrating and easy digesting protein refreshes and powers one through the day unlike most ready to eat proteins that want you to consume loads of water after.

Aquatein was formulated and tested in a European lab led by a team of food technologists, it claimed. “Everyday nutrition needs to taste good and therefore the team spent about eight months doing taste trials which yielded a product that is not only healthy for you but also makes your taste buds happy,” it said.

Besides its website, Aquatein is available on Amazon, HealthXP, and Netmeds.

This startup raised $0.5 Mn from Eaglewings Ventures last year to acquire more customers, expand its retail channels and introduce new products.

Indian celebrities endorsing or joining startups as investors are aplenty these days. We have seen Bollywood celebrities such as Deepika Padukone, Shilpa Shetty, Ayushmann Khurrana; and cricketers including MS Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, among others, investing hugely in start-ups of their choice and earning money.

Last week only, we saw power couple actress Anushka Sharma and cricketer Virat Kohli invest in plant-based meat startup Blue Tribe. Celebrity couple Genelia And Riteish Deshmukh had also launched their faux-meat startup Imagine Meats, which offers products in ready-to-eat categories such as biryani, seekh kabab, keema, chicken nuggets and burger patties.

Former Miss World and actress, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan also tried her luck by investing INR 5 Cr last year in the nutrition-based healthcare startup, Possible.

Former cricketer MS Dhoni had also invested in a D2C food and beverage startup 7InkBrews and signed up as a brand ambassador for it in April last year. As part of the deal, the startup was to launch a new brand of handcrafted chocolates called Copter7, named after Dhoni’s signature shot called the ‘Helicopter Shot’.