Bengaluru-based food-tech startup High Time Foods has raised $1.2 million in seed funding, led by Avaana Capital, with participation from its existing network of angel investors. The funding will be deployed to accelerate product development, team expansion, and strategic partnerships in India, the United States, and emerging markets across the Global South.
Innovation Born Out of Necessity
Founded in 2022 by Aakash Shah and Damian Felchlin, High Time Foods addresses a critical gap in global food systems—protein accessibility in regions with limited cold chain infrastructure.
The startup develops shelf-stable plant-based protein products made from pea, wheat, and mung bean proteins. These products are:
- Non-refrigerated, reducing dependency on cold storage
- Nutrient-dense and affordable
- Designed for long-distance distribution and low-resource environments
“Our goal is to bring protein security to regions where refrigeration is a luxury, not a default,” said Aakash Shah, co-founder and CEO. “We’re building for the 5 billion people outside traditional food tech markets.”
India as Home Base, Global South as Growth Engine
While High Time Foods began operations in the United States, the company has now relocated its global headquarters to India, anticipating that 25% of its business will originate from India, with the remaining 75% focused on international markets.
Currently, the startup serves 30+ B2B clients globally, including:
- Food manufacturers
- Institutional kitchens
- School and university cafeterias
- Hospitality chains
By the end of 2025, the company aims to onboard 50 Indian B2B customers, targeting HORECA segments and food production units.
Global Rollout: From India to West Africa
In addition to India and the U.S., High Time Foods is actively piloting its product with a major food distributor in West Africa, aiming to penetrate markets where malnutrition, logistics constraints, and limited protein availability intersect.
This aligns with the company's core mission to address protein deficiency at scale, while reducing food waste and emissions through long shelf-life products.
Investor Confidence
Shruti Srivastava, Investment Director at Avaana Capital, praised the startup’s vision:
“High Time Foods is solving for a deeply underserved need—affordable, scalable, plant-based protein in infrastructure-constrained environments. Their shelf-stable platform has global potential, especially across Asia, Africa, and Latin America.”
What’s Next?
With fresh funding in hand, High Time Foods plans to:
- Launch new SKUs tailored for Indian and African palates
- Strengthen R&D for nutrition-focused meal replacements
- Build out its sales and operations team across three continents
- Expand pilot programs into East Africa and Southeast Asia
A New Chapter in Sustainable Protein
As the plant-based protein market matures globally, High Time Foods is carving a unique niche—food tech without the infrastructure tax. In doing so, it’s not just exporting innovation from India, but helping redefine what accessible, affordable nutrition looks like for the next billion consumers.