Doggy Chew raises ₹50 cr in Series A from Mankind Pharma, others

The funds raised will be primarily used for brand building, research and building a strong distribution network.

This marks the entry of Mankind Pharma into the pet food category. Sixth Sense Ventures also participated in the company’s pre-Series A funding in November 2021.

Founded in 2015 by husband-wife duo Bhupendra Khanal and Sneh Sharma, the Pet Treat brand serves vegetarian dog treats to parallel rawhide bones. The company raised $7 million in a pre-Series A funding round from Sixth Sense Ventures in November.

Its treats, in comparison, Khanal said, are natural, human-grade and protein-rich, which has made them successful with pet parents. He said it is now the fourth largest pet food exporter in the country and ships its products to 30 countries.

“Mankind Pharma has an established history of manufacturing highly successful consumer products. The support of such a giant is a huge vote of confidence for us and we look forward to learning from their expertise,” Khanal said.

Arjun Juneja, Chief Operations Officer, Mankind Pharma said, “The trust that people have shown in the brand has strengthened our confidence in investing in it. We have always believed in innovation and with brands like ours that are innovative and young, we see the future of India.”

“With its 100% natural and vegan offerings, Doggy Chew is uniquely positioned to make the most of the current global trends in the pet care industry. We love Sneh and Bhupi,” said Nikhil Vora, Founder and CEO, Sixth Sense Ventures. Excited to deepen our partnership with and look forward to being a part of their journey.

Sharma of Dowsey Chew said, “With mankind, we share a common DNA of innovation. We are confident that with their support we will be able to grow the space we envisioned for the brand.” Sense Ventures has been a great partner for us. We are excited to further strengthen our partnership with this round. It tells a lot about the trust and comfort that has been established between us in such a short span of time.”

In the past, brands like Heads Up for Tails, Wiggles and SuperTales have raised funds.

For example, Heads Up for Tales raised $37 million in Series A in August last year, while Wiggles raised $5.5 million in a pre-Series A round led by Anthill Ventures in October. Supertels raised $2.6 million plus an additional undisclosed amount in July in a pre-series round.

According to the research company Euromonitor International, pet food was accounted for in 2021 3,143.03 crore of the market while pet products took 558.96 crores of the pie. The industry grew at a CAGR of 15% in 2016-2021, but is now projected to grow at a CAGR of 30% in 2021-2026.