News on Medial

Related News

Agritech startup Superplum raises $15 Mn in Series A round

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
Agritech startup Superplum raises $15 Mn in Series A round
Medial

Agritech startup Superplum has raised $15 million in its Series A financing round led by Erik Ragatz, former partner and current senior advisor of private equity firm Hellman & Friedman. Ragatz joins a group of Superplum’s current investors including Mark Siegel, Dan Rose, Steve Jurvetson, Rick Kimball, Binny Bansal, and Kabir Misra. The Noida-based startup closed its pre-Series A round of $3.8 million in June 2021 and has raised close to $22 million to date. The funds will enable Superplum to continue to build out its infrastructure and accelerate its journey to transform produce supply chains in India, the company said in a press release. Started in 2019 by Shobhit Gupta, Superplum has built a direct-from-farm produce supply chain, using proprietary technology and cold-chain infrastructure to improve how produce is grown and brought to market. The company extends shelf lives and enhances fruit quality, reducing food waste and improving farmer incomes. It claims to be India’s first premium fruit brand that provides consumers with superior quality and healthier produce—across mangoes, litchis, apples, grapes, cherries, and plums, among others. The company works with farmers across 22 states in India including Bihar, Kashmir and Karnataka and runs modern sourcing and supply chains for 25 fruits across the year. Superplum sells its produce through Amazon Fresh, Zepto, Swiggy, and Blinkit. Its premium fruits are also available at major retailers such as Spar, Metro, Lulu, Modern Bazaar, More, and Trent as well as grocery stores in NCR and Bengaluru. According to startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, agritech startups saw a sharp fall in investment to $182 million in 2023 from $773 million in 2022 and $635 million in 2021.

Fragaria Fruits raises $2 Mn in seed round led by WEH Ventures

EntrackrEntrackr · 1m ago
Fragaria Fruits raises $2 Mn in seed round led by WEH Ventures
Medial

Fragaria Fruits raises $2 Mn in seed round led by WEH Ventures Farming company Fragaria Fruits has raised $2 million in a seed funding round led by WEH Ventures, along with participation from Rainmatter, Spiral Ventures, and angel investors such as Sashi Kumar. The startup had previously raised Rs 1.5 crore in a pre-seed funding round. The fresh funds will be utilized to scale its operations in Bengaluru, expand its premium fruit portfolio to include blueberries and raspberries, and provide a year-round supply of high-quality, sustainable produce to the Indian market, Fragaria said in a press release. Co-founded in 2024 by Harish Varadharajan, Timothy Chad Van Niekerk, and Damian López-Salazar, Fragaria Fruits aspires to address a critical gap in India’s fruit industry: the lack of consistently high-quality, fresh fruit available year-round. It aims to redefine the fruit-eating experience for Indian consumers by delivering premium, sustainably grown produce using world-class farming techniques. According to the Chennai-based startup, its flagship brand, Oh! Fruits, offers European strawberries grown in Chennai using advanced vertical farming technology, which are twice as sweet as conventional Indian varieties, pesticide-free, and have a shelf life up to three times longer than typical market options. The company’s commitment to sustainability is reflected in its water recycling systems, solar power integration, and efforts to reduce the environmental footprint of farming while maintaining affordability. By using Controlled Environmental Agriculture (CEA) and vertical farming, Fragaria has built a sustainable and scalable model to grow premium strawberries year-round. It plans to expand production in Bengaluru, increasing daily output from 2–3 kg to 120–150 kg. The startup doesn't have any local brands to compete with for fruits, but there are limited imported fruit brands in India, such as Driscoll’s (berries), Zespri (kiwi), and Rockit (apples).

Download the medial app to read full posts, comements and news.