Direct-to-consumer ayurveda brand Kapiva has announced the launch of the Kapiva Innovation Fund (KIF), committing up to ₹50 crore to accelerate research, innovation, and product development across India’s ayurveda ecosystem. The move marks a significant step in strengthening science-backed, future-ready Ayurveda and positions Kapiva as a key enabler in India’s evolving D2C ecosystem India.
The ₹50 crore innovation fund is now open for applications and will support projects from research institutions, PhD scholars, hospitals, laboratories, startups, and incubators working in ayurveda, plant-based therapeutics, and integrative health. Through KIF, Kapiva aims to bridge the long-standing gap between traditional ayurvedic knowledge and modern, clinically validated healthcare solutions—an area gaining increasing attention in D2C news India and D2C industry news.
Kapiva said the fund will focus on advancing evidence-led Ayurveda, with investments across novel formulations, standardisation and phytochemistry, pre-clinical and clinical studies, new extraction technologies, bioactive enhancement, and the application of AI in Ayurveda. The initiative also aligns with growing D2C market trends 2025, where consumers increasingly demand transparency, validation, and measurable health outcomes from wellness brands.
Unlike conventional D2C funding rounds, the Kapiva Innovation Fund is designed to support innovation across the entire lifecycle—from early-stage research to projects nearing commercialisation. In addition to capital, selected projects will receive access to Kapiva’s clinical infrastructure, mentorship from its R&D leadership, and guidance from external domain experts. This integrated support model ensures that promising research does not remain confined to papers, but translates into scalable, real-world products for Direct-to-consumer India.
“For decades, Ayurveda has been viewed largely as faith-based or purely traditional wisdom,” said Ameve Sharma, Founder of Kapiva. He noted that the future of ayurveda lies in being outcome-led and evidence-backed. By investing ₹50 crore in research, collaborations, and technology, Kapiva aims to help build an ecosystem where ayurvedic products are developed and tested with the same rigour as modern medicine, while remaining rooted in India’s knowledge systems.
Dr R Govindarajan, Chief Innovation Officer at Kapiva, added that if Ayurveda is to sit alongside modern medicine globally, it must be validated with the same scientific discipline. He highlighted that Kapiva already works with standardised extracts, human trials, and AI-driven insights, and through KIF, the company wants to open this ecosystem to researchers, clinicians, and entrepreneurs across India.
Kapiva’s innovation-led approach is already reflected in its internal operations. The brand runs one of India’s most advanced Ayurveda R&D programmes, with ongoing clinical trials on flagship products and a dedicated in-house research team. It collaborates with institutions such as the Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India), Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Manipal Hospitals. Several Kapiva products, including Shilajit-based offerings, already carry Certificates of Analysis, with similar standards being extended across its portfolio—strengthening trust in D2C brands India.
The launch of the Kapiva Innovation Fund comes at a time when India’s wellness and preventive healthcare sector is witnessing rapid growth. As consumers seek clean-label, validated, and outcome-driven solutions, initiatives like KIF are expected to play a critical role in shaping the next phase of D2C business India, particularly in ayurveda and wellness.
By combining capital, science, and collaboration, Kapiva is positioning itself not just as a consumer brand, but as a long-term platform for building credible, globally relevant ayurvedic science—reinforcing its leadership in Indian D2C updates and the broader health-tech landscape.
