HOOKd by Buzzinga, a snack brand from Delhi, just scored ₹50 lakh in funding. Varun Alagh, the co-founder of Mamaearth, invested in them on Shark Tank India Season 5 for a 20% stake. This deal values the company at ₹2.5 crore, which shows that investors are really keeping an eye on Indian food and beverage brands that are changing how we think about snacks with new ideas and a focus on health.
This investment is a big step for HOOKd as they try to get their products out there. They’ve come up with a cool idea: snacks that are high in protein and easy to grab on the go.
HOOKd was started by siblings Dia and Akul Goel. They wanted to make a snack that was different from your regular potato chips and processed stuff. So, they made chips out of real chicken, which they’re calling India’s first ready-to-eat real chicken chips. They’re trying to meet the growing demand for healthier snack choices.
The way they made their product shows that people want snacks that taste good, are good for you, and are easy to eat. HOOKd’s chicken chips are baked, not fried, have no oil or preservatives, and give you 14 grams of protein with only 100 calories per pack.
This focus on healthy snacking fits right in with what’s happening in the D2C market. People are looking for food that’s full of protein, good for them, and balanced. This is why we’re seeing so many new things in the Indian food and beverage category.
Varun Alagh’s investment also says a lot about how confident investors are in D2C brands and new consumer startups that are making different kinds of products. Alagh knows a lot about building D2C brands, influencer marketing, and getting products to market. He can give HOOKd advice on how to get their products into more stores, make their brand more visible, and make their business plan better.
Shark Tank India has become a spot for brands to get attention, money, and trust. Startups that appear on the show often get more well-known.
HOOKd’s idea also taps into the trend of snacks with protein, which is becoming big as people want to be healthy. The brand wants to find its place in the Indian snack market by making a clean, high-protein snack.
HOOKd by Buzzinga will likely use this money to get more people to know about their product, sell it in more places, and become more visible online and in stores. They’re a new kind of startup that’s changing things up with new ideas and healthy snacks.
HOOKd’s getting funded shows that there’s a lot of energy behind food startups and consumer product companies that are creating the future of the snack industry.
As the D2C scene keeps changing, brands like HOOKd are showing how new kinds of products, good stories, and health can lead to growth.
