At Fireside Ventures, we’ve always believed that the next generation of iconic brands in India will not just sell products, but reshape how consumers live, eat, and prioritise their health. Our investment in AceBlend, a pioneering modern nutrition company, reflects that philosophy in action.
AceBlend’s founding team is truly an “ace blend” of science, creativity, and expertise. Shivam Hingorani is a former national swimmer, and assistant filmmaker with a strong personal passion for nutrition and consumer wellness. Saif Mekhri has over 25 years’ experience building nutraceuticals in India, and his R&D expertise and extensive network mean AceBlend has unparalleled access to best-in-class and science-backed ingredients. Harsh Kumar Dugar has proven GTM execution and customer acquisition experience, having scaled WOW Skin Sciences internationally and driving performance marketing for multiple digital-first brand. Together, they bring a distinctive mix of science, brand, and consumer-first thinking to create a differentiated player in nutrition.
The opportunity
In today's fast-paced world, consumers of all ages are grappling with health concerns due to the lack of high-efficacy nutrition. There's a growing awareness and desire among Indians to proactively manage their health, with many willing to pay more for food and drink products that can help prevent lifestyle diseases. Despite this demand, we observed a significant gap in the market: a lack of innovative, convenient food and beverage solutions that deliver clear, research-backed functional benefits, in the right dosage. The existing nutraceutical landscape often lacks proper research, validation, and imaginative form factors. This represents a massive opportunity within the INR 31,000 Cr functional food market.
From young professionals fighting fatigue and stress, to fitness-first millennials biohacking their routines, the demand for everyday products that are functional, science-backed, and enjoyable has never been stronger. This is the gap AceBlend was created to fill.
The solution
AceBlend doesn’t ask you to change your habits, but upgrade them. Think Shroom Coffees that replace your morning cuppa, hydration drinks that fuel recovery, and functional chia gels that pack clinically proven ingredients in an enjoyable snack format.
It’s health made effortless, tasty, and lifestyle-friendly – preventing and addressing common problems like sleep, stress, focus, recovery, fatigue and overall nutritional balance through expertly crafted formulations and plant extracts.
The moat
What sets AceBlend apart from other nutraceutical offerings is not just flavour innovation, or clever marketing, but enduring structural advantages:
- Ingredient leadership: Access to patented, best-in-class extracts exclusively through BioGen.
- Supply chain traceability: Full integration, from farm to label, ensuring transparency others may not be able to.
- Form factor innovation: From functional coffees to chia gels to slurpees, AceBlend creates new consumption occasions.
- Strong consumer loyalty: High repeat purchase behaviour and strong customer ratings are proof of consumer love for AceBlend.
The consumer
AceBlend understands its core consumers – people between the ages of 25-45, keenly focused on fitness and performance, including "power consumers" who embrace biohacking techniques. These consumers are actively seeking solutions that fit seamlessly into their lifestyle.
Feedback from consumers consistently highlights the positive impact of AceBlend's products on their daily functional issues, with many praising both their efficacy as well as their taste.
At Fireside, we’re deeply interested in new-age food brands, as well as consumer health. AceBlend operates at the intersection of these areas, and we’re very excited by their commitment to continuous innovation, ingredient transparency, and focus on everyday wellness challenges like sleep, fatigue, immunity, and hydration.
We’re looking forward to helping them build a healthier, more vibrant future for India, one sip and slurp at a time.
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