Basil

Basil is a direct-to-consumer (D2C) houseware company based in Bengaluru, India, aiming to modernize the kitchenware market for millennial parents and Gen Alpha. Founded in 2023 by the husband and wife duo Harini Rajagopalan and Mahesh Muraleedharan, the startup was born from their personal frustration with the lack of appealing and functional lunchbox designs for their children. Rajagopalan has a background in product and brand management from her time at Amazon and Flipkart, while Muraleedharan was the first employee for Uber in India and has experience scaling high-growth startups like OYO and Rapyd.

The company's core products are stainless steel bento-style lunchboxes and water bottles, which are designed to be high-quality, non-toxic, leak-proof, and visually appealing. Basil's business model is primarily D2C, selling its products pan-India through its own website, yourbasil.com, and on e-commerce marketplaces like Amazon. The target market consists of urban, upper-middle to high-income parents who prioritize aesthetics and safety in the products they purchase for their children. Since launching its first products, the company has sold to over 5,000 customers.

In February 2024, Basil secured INR 3.6 crore (approximately $445K) in a seed funding round co-led by IIMA Ventures and Appreciate Capital, with participation from several angel investors. This capital is intended to enhance its D2C operations, expand its e-commerce presence, and fund research and development for new product categories. Future plans include launching lunch bags for kids and a line of bento boxes designed for working professionals. The company also has long-term goals for international expansion into markets like the US by 2026.

Keywords: consumer houseware, kitchenware, D2C, bento boxes, stainless steel water bottles, kids products, millennial parents, Gen Alpha, lunchboxes, direct-to-consumer, e-commerce, Indian startup, product design, food storage, hydration solutions, children's goods, lifestyle products, home goods, aesthetic design, functional kitchenware