Ember, a two-year R&D project turned cookware startup, is pitching a simple promise to Indian households: non-toxic, high-performance, good-looking pots and pans that don’t cost a fortune.

The brand is led by CEO Siddharth Gadodia, CMO Himanshi Tandon, and creative partner Bret Recor (founder of Box Garden Ventures, from the award-winning Box Clever design team). Its products are designed in California, manufactured in Italy, and purpose-built for the realities of Indian cooking.

The spark

When Ember surfaced publicly, Tandon framed the mission in unusually direct terms: “Meet my labour of love, Ember, here to change the way India cooks! A 100% non-toxic, non-stick cookware brand… Designed in California by Box Clever, and sustainably manufactured in Italy,” she wrote, adding that the coating is made with natural materials “free of any PTFE, PFAS, PFOA, Lead, Cadmium, or any other ‘forever chemicals’.” She also signalled early traction: “Within 4 months of launch we are inching closer to a monthly run rate of 1cr.”

The language is revealing: Ember isn’t just selling pans; it’s taking a stand on “clean cooking,” a theme the team repeats across channels and in product decisions.

The Product

Ember’s site positions the line as 100% non-toxic, non-stick with a proprietary Arcilla™ coating and Thermoclad™ technology, materials choices the company says were selected for safety, durability, and flavor retention.

The brand describes itself as “Made in Italy, Designed in California,” and markets the range as “loved by chefs” and “trusted by 20,000+ Indian kitchens,” emphasizing a refresh of a category “in need of a refresh… and untruths.”

Gadodia’s own on-site quote underscores the thesis: “The cookware category is ripe for innovation, with consumers looking to upgrade their kitchens while making healthier choices. This is a huge white space, marrying form and functionality.”

The people behind the pans

• Himanshi Tandon, CMO: A marketer who’s comfortable owning product narrative and early sales hustle. “In the last 2 years (pre and post launch), I have made thousands (literally) of cold calls,” she said, recounting an October ’24 outreach to chef Saransh Goila that began as a feedback request and evolved into partnership. “He asked questions… nudged us on storytelling… connected us to the right regional experts… and now he has joined us to build and lead the Innovation Lab.”

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• Siddharth Gadodia, CEO: A D2C operator focused on materials and design as moat. Announcing Ember’s $3.2M seed round, he wrote: “This funding accelerates our mission: making clean, healthy cooking accessible to every Indian household through world-class design and technology… The best partnerships aren’t just about capital, they’re about shared purpose.” He added that Goila brings “a rare and invaluable insider’s understanding of India’s diverse kitchens,” aligning culinary insight with Ember’s material science.

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• Bret Recor, Creative Partner: The design muscle. Ember has an exclusive partnership with Box Garden Ventures (from the Box Clever team) to drive industrial design and brand, a lever the company believes will differentiate a utilitarian category.

Chef in the room

Both founders call Goila’s role out explicitly. Gadodia: “Thrilled to welcome Saransh Goila to the Ember family as we close our $3.2M seed round… [His] culinary insight, combined with our material science, will accelerate our ability to design products for the clean-kitchen movement in India.”

Tandon frames it as a values match: “We are incredibly excited to welcome Saransh… as an investor and a partner… to make clean cooking and better living easier, more accessible and more desirable for India.”

The subtext is strategic: for a cookware brand promising performance without “forever chemicals,” a respected chef’s input on heat response, seasoning behavior, and everyday abuse testing can shorten iteration cycles and bolster credibility.

Tandon’s early-MRR line (“inching closer to ₹1 crore a month within four months of launch”) is cautious but concrete. The company is also building community signals, “loved by chefs,” “trusted by 20,000+ kitchens” and leaning on Italian manufacturing plus California design as quality cues.

Design as wedge, materials as moat

Ember’s brand copy leans into “Why not?”: Why should modern, healthy kitchens rely on cookware that’s “toxic, unhealthy and made of Forever Chemicals?” The promise is aesthetic parity (color, finish, form) with premium import brands, but tuned for tadka, bhunao, and the oil and heat cycles of Indian recipes. The Arcilla™/Thermoclad™ stack is positioned as the technical basis for that promise; Box Garden Ventures/Box Clever is the design-quality assurance.

For Ascendants readers: why Ember belongs on your radar

Category: Housewares / D2C / Clean-label consumer products

What’s interesting: Founder-market fit around Indian cooking use-cases; a chef-led innovation loop; a clear (and testable) non-tox claim; manufacturing quality narrative (Italy) with California design cachet; and early signals of product-market traction.

Risks to watch: Proof behind durability claims under Indian heat/oil cycles; long-term performance of the non-stick without PTFE/PFAS; unit economics at scale in a price-sensitive market; supply-chain dependencies tied to Italy.

What could unlock the next phase: Independent lab validations; broadened SKU depth for regional cuisines; credible longevity data; and community-led content that demystifies “clean cookware” for mainstream buyers.

The founders, in their own words

• Siddharth Gadodia: “This funding accelerates our mission: making clean, healthy cooking accessible to every Indian household through world-class design and technology… With investors and partners who believe in customer obsession and innovation with impact, we’re just getting started.”

• Himanshi Tandon: “We are launching a new cookware… he [Saransh] reached out to understand our mission… and now he has joined us to build and lead the Innovation Lab… While we reimagine and transform Indian kitchens through world-class design and innovation, Ember’s core lies in the warmth and relationships that we have built along the way.”

Ember is a design-first, materials-driven cookware startup trying to make “clean cooking” not just safer but aspirational. With a $3.2M seed round, a chef-partner in Saransh Goila, and a leadership trio fluent in brand, D2C, and design, the company has the right ingredients. The next test is execution: durability in Indian kitchens, transparent validations, and scale without compromising the non-tox promise.

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