The Sweet Change Raises INR 1.7 Cr pre-seed Funding

By: Women Entrepreneurs Review Team | Thursday, 4 June 2026

Natural sweetener startup The Sweet Change has raised INR 1.7 crore in a pre-seed funding round led by Rebalance, with participation from investors associated with IAN Angel Fund.

Founded in 2024 by Manvi Agnihotri and Sheen Hitaishi, The Sweet Change develops monk fruit-based sweeteners as alternatives to sugar. Its products are formulated using monk fruit, allulose, and prebiotic guar fibre, without erythritol, artificial ingredients, or fillers.

With the sugar substitute market growing at a rapid rate in India, topping $650 million, the startup is focusing on the market as increased awareness about diabetes, obesity and metabolic health promotes better food choices.

The Sweet Change's formulations lack artificial ingredients, no fillers and no bitter aftertaste, the company said, with its focus on mainstream consumer applications, rather than niche dietary applications.

The Sweet Change is working towards a future where consumers think about cutting sugar first and foremost, not as a medical mandate, said Agnihotri. Long-term, our goal is to be the first choice of the Indian household, café, foodservice and packaged food industry as a sugar replacement brand.”

Key Highlights:

• ₹1.7 crore funding raised from Rebalance and angel investors; already ₹1.69 crore+ revenue in year one
• Makes natural sugar alternatives using monk fruit, no artificial ingredients or fillers
• Expanding into D2C, quick commerce, cafés, and retail in India’s fast-growing sugar substitute market

The company has made revenues of more than ₹1.69 crore during its first year of operations and has successfully completed over 15,000 orders, according to the company. After March 2026, when it introduced its sweetener drops, it increased monthly revenue to ₹50 lakh and gross margins are close to 75 per cent.

“Some of the most exciting consumer businesses of the next decade will emerge at the intersection of health and everyday behaviour,” said Aishwarya Malhi and Vikas Kumar, co-founders of Rebalance. “The Sweet Change is not simply selling a sweetener. It is helping consumers make one of the most important dietary shifts of their lives without asking them to sacrifice the experience they love.”

The Co-founder Sheen Hitaishi has had the mission of creating the brand to make healthy options more accessible, easier and more approachable for consumers.

There were some sugar substitutes in the market but most of them had artificial components, bitter taste and did not create consumer trust in the product in the long run. The gap created this space that inspired the launch of The Sweet Change, a brand that aims to provide a better, cleaner and transparent sugar alternative for the Indian consumer.

The company will continue to gradually grow its omnichannel footprint in both D2C and marketplaces, as well as quick commerce, and will also look for opportunities in cafés, hospitality and institutional partnerships in the future.