He faced 20 investor rejections. Then Vikas Nahar built a Rs 700-crore snack brand

Vikas D Nahar launched Happilo in 2016 with Rs 10,000 and two employees after gaining experience in spice trading and gourmet food retail. The Bengaluru-based entrepreneur studied at Bangalore University and SCMHRD Pune before building a dry fruits and healthy snacks brand that later attracted institutional investors.Vikas D Nahar launched Happilo in 2016 with Rs 10,000 and two employees after gaining experience in spice trading and gourmet food retail. (Photo: Linkedin/@dvikas | AI-enhanced)New Delhi,Oct 28, 2026 16:42 ISTVikas D Nahar did not start Happilo with a huge investment or a large team. In 2016, he launched the dry fruits and healthy snacks brand with Rs 10,000 and two employees. Nearly a decade later, Happilo had a reported valuation of around Rs 700 crore, according to Tracxn data from January 2026.But the business was not his first entrepreneurial experiment. Nahar had already spent years learning about food retail, international trade and the challenges of building a consumer brand.FROM A COFFEE FARMING FAMILY TO BUSINESS SCHOOLNahar grew up in Sakleshpur, Karnataka, in a family involved in growing coffee and pepper. According to his LinkedIn profile and published biographies, he studied Computer Applications at Bangalore University before pursuing an MBA in Marketing at Symbiosis Centre for Management and Human Resource Development (SCMHRD), Pune.He began his career in the trading business, working with the Jain Group and gaining experience in international spice trading. Visits abroad exposed him to convenience stores and a wider variety of packaged food products. In 2011, he started Satvikk Speciality Foods, a gourmet retail venture selling products such as chocolates and sugar-free foods. His elder brother joined the business, which Nahar eventually left in 2015.WHY HE STARTED HAPPILO WITH RS 10,000His experience in gourmet retail helped him spot a gap in India's market. Branded dry fruits and packaged healthy snacks were not as widely available as they are today, and consumers often relied on traditional shops or international brands. Nahar launched Happilo in September 2016, initially operating as a proprietorship before incorporating the company in 2018. The business started with Rs 10,000 and two employees, but scaling it required more capital. He secured a Rs 75 lakh collateral-free loan through a government-backed credit guarantee programme, helping fund processing facilities, automation, packaging and supplier expansion.An early breakthrough came when Happilo secured a listing on BigBasket, initially reaching customers in six major cities. It later expanded to marketplaces such as Amazon and Flipkart, as well as physical retail stores.FROM FOUNDER TO SHARK TANK INVESTORNahar also appeared as a guest investor on Shark Tank India 2 in 2023, evaluating other entrepreneurs after building a business of his own. Speaking in his introductory video tehre, he had said that before Happilo took off, he had faced rejection from around 20 investors.However, the valuation tells only part of the story. Happilo's valuation stood at about Rs 700 crore in January 2026, below its reported peak of around Rs 1,600 crore in January 2022. Its revenue fell 15% to Rs 282.57 crore in the financial year ending March 2025, and it reported a net loss of Rs 9.55 crore.Happilo's story is therefore about more than turning a small starting capital into a recognised snack brand. It is also about spotting a market opportunity, learning from an earlier venture and finding a way to fund growth without giving away equity too early.- Ends