Artha Venture Fund Ties Up With IIM Kashipur

IIM Kashipur has entered an MoU to partner with the Artha Access program. The association has announced its first deal with the Dehradun-based FMCG brand Himshakti which has raised INR 17 lakhs in its pre-seed round. 

Artha Access is an Artha Venture Fund (‘AVF’) program through which AVF co-invests with accelerators like India Accelerator, Huddle, and IIM Calcutta Innovation Park. 

Founded in November 2019 by Harshit Sehdev, Himshakti’s purpose is to provide the best quality, healthy, nutritious, and pure food products from the Himalayan region of India. In addition, Himshakti wants to expand its footprints in international markets like France, ASEAN countries, and other European countries, aiming for shelf space in 200 premium stores and expanding its marketplace presence.

Harshit Sehdev – Founder of Himshakti, says, “Himshakti was born out of a pure vision to support the remote Himalayan villagers. The brand has a fascinating story of how a social movement took the form of a startup and how prestigious people and organisations serendipitously supported it. Himshakti was born in a small village on Gangotri National Highway and truly had the divine blessings of the Holy Ganga. Our mission is to bring you the best Himalayan Agriculture with zero compromises on quality. We are going to make this Indian Himalayan brand a global success.”

Gauri Kuchhal – Principal of Artha Venture Fund, shares, “We believe there is a big untapped market for organic FMCG products available at an affordable cost; Himshakti is tapping into this segment. We have backed several brands from beauty to the F&B industry, and believe that we can help Himshakti scale up faster to have a pan India and a strong international presence.”

Prof. Safal Batra – Director, Foundation for Innovation & Entrepreneurship Development, IIM Kashipur, comments, “Himshakti is one of the most promising Uttarakhand-based startups that is doing a phenomenal job at the grass root level to stop rural migration and provide job opportunities to the farmers of Uttarakhand. We were impressed by the quality of their products. It’s been three years since we have been associated with Himshakti. Harshit Sehdev is also a mentor at our Institute and regularly provides training sessions.”