The Stack, a supplements brand from India that focuses on clinically validated ingredients, has raised the first institutional pre-seed investment of ₹5.5 crore. The investment was led by OTP Ventures and Huddle Ventures, and also included participation from a number of angel investors.
The round brings early institutional backing to a category where trust, claims, and quality are constantly under scrutiny. Huddle Ventures’ Sanil Sachar framed the bet as one on outcomes over hype.
“This is a category where the long-term winners will be defined by products that solve real problems… brands that will endure are the ones that don’t chase trends or fads but deliver long-term outcomes,” he said, adding that the founding team has spent years focused on research and development with a goal of building products that offer “genuine, long-term benefits.”
The Stack: A founder story shaped by a consumer gap
The Stack was founded by Shreya Jain and Kshitij Rihal, and the origin of the company is rooted in a frustration familiar to many health-conscious consumers: finding supplements that feel credible, consistent, and worth repeating.
Kshitij’s push came from personal experience while training for long-distance running. He struggled to find supplements in India that, in his view, matched the quality and effectiveness of what he had seen globally. That question led him to Shreya, a chemical engineer with hands-on experience in pharmaceutical manufacturing, including antibiotics like penicillins, to evaluate whether the gaps were real and fixable.
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As they examined the market, the duo identified shortcomings they believed were holding the category back: formulation quality, ingredient sourcing, and manufacturing standards. Drawing on earlier entrepreneurial journeys, they decided to build The Stack together. Kshitij had previously co-founded and scaled Flo Mattress, while Shreya had earlier founded a technology startup that was acqui-hired by Byju’s.
“Our goal was simple, to build supplements with the same standards of formulation and sourcing that we saw globally, but designed and made for Indian consumers who are becoming more informed and questioning what they buy,” said Shreya Jain, Co-founder of The Stack.
Focus over frenzy: sleep and gut health first
Rather than racing to launch a large catalogue, The Stack is currently focused on key health areas such as sleep and gut health. The founders say the plan is to stay concentrated on a small set of well-researched products with clear benefits, using high-quality ingredients sourced globally and maintaining a supply chain that is transparent end to end.
Kshitij Rihal underscored the brand’s positioning in a market crowded with bold promises. “We’re not trying to sell magic pills or overpromise results. A lot of consumers today are tired of flashy marketing and vague claims. We want to be clear about what our products do, how they’re made, and who they’re for,” he said.
Why investors are leaning in?
The founders’ emphasis on transparency appears to be central to investor interest as well.
Suhail Sameer, one of the partners at OTP Ventures, said he first discovered The Stack through a friend’s recommendation and became a customer. “I absolutely loved their Deep Rest product,” he said, adding that the founders stood out for their “deep focus on efficacy” and what he described as an “unusually transparent supply chain.” In his view, that kind of openness can become a key driver of trust in consumer health.
The round also saw participation from Mohit Kumar, founder of Ultrahuman, who backed the company as an angel investor. “Shreya and Kshitij are exceptional founders who don’t just sell their products but are neck deep in the science, formulation and testing of supplements. Stack is probably the only Indian supplement company I’d trust for my body,” he said.
Early traction: repeat behaviour and unit economics
Over the past 12 months, The Stack says it has built a multi-category consumer health brand with strong underlying unit economics, designed around long-term customer value from day one. The company said select products have scaled more than 40× within a year, supported by 35-50% SKU-wise follow-up rates in mature cohorts, a sign, it argues, of repeat behaviour and portfolio-level progression rather than one-time acquisition.
What the capital will be used for?
The Stack plans to use the ₹5.5 crore to invest in research and development, expand its product pipeline, build its early team, and improve brand and packaging. The founders noted the company has grown steadily while bootstrapped so far, and see this fundraise as the next step in building a high-quality supplements brand from India with a long-term focus.
With this round, The Stack is betting that in supplements, where skepticism is high and loyalty is hard-won, brands built on science, transparency, and consistent outcomes can create durable trust.
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