IIT Grads Founded Open Secret Raises Series A Investment Led By Sixth Sense Ventures

• ByAyushi Ray     |    July 21, 2021

IIT grads founder Open Secret raises Series A investment led by Sixth Sense Ventures, existing investor Matrix Partners India also participated in the funding round . This newly acquired capital will be used to launch more products, build capacity, strengthen the team, scale up the capabilities in tech and expand omnichannel distribution presence. Founded in 2019 by Ahana Gautam and Udit Kejriwal, Open Secret has seen a 10X growth over the past year driven by strong consumer demand across their expanding portfolio of products: cookies, chips, spreads, nuts and shake mix. “Mother” is the chief product officer at Open Secret and this strategic expansion of products is a result of solving her problems around various snacking moments. 

Ahana explains that growing up in a small city and being raised by a working mother, she always struggled with unhealthy snacking habits as a child. During her MBA at Harvard Business School, Ahana realised how people around her were conscious about what they were snacking and the variety of healthy, tasty, and convenient options they had. “It made me wonder why Indian families had limited snacking options and were mostly junk,” says Ahana. Along with Udit, Ahana started Open Secret with a mission to become a household snacking brand in India which stands for both taste and health. The startup has a strong operating team of strategists and marketers from Harvard Business School, IIM, and IIT with over 40+ years of collective FMCG experience and backed by mentors like – Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Kunal Bahl, Rohit Bansal, and Vivek Gambhir.

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