Basil Health Raises $1.5Mn to Scale India’s First Automated Fresh Beverage Network

Basil Health has raised $1.5 million in a Pre-Series A funding round led by Whiteboard Capital, Brigade REAP and Barbershop Fund. The round also saw participation from angel investors including Deep Bajaj and Siddharth Kothari.

The on-the-go beverage retail brand is building a technology-enabled retail network aimed at bringing brand consistency, standardisation and automation to India’s largely fragmented fresh beverage market.

Globally, beverage-led chains such as Jamba Juice, HeyTea and Mixue have demonstrated how strong branding combined with dense distribution can build large-scale businesses. With the recent India entry of Joe & The Juice, Basil believes the domestic market is ready for an organised and scalable fresh beverage player.

India’s urban consumption patterns are shifting rapidly, driven by rising incomes and a younger demographic that is increasingly opting for beverages such as matcha lattes, protein smoothies and cold-pressed juices instead of packaged sugary drinks.

While several food categories already have dominant national chains, coffee through Café Coffee Day and Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters, pizza through Domino's Pizza and burgers through McDonald's, the fresh beverage segment still lacks a scaled national brand, a gap Basil aims to fill.

The start-up currently operates more than 70 kiosks and automated machines across Delhi NCR, Bengaluru and Chandigarh. Its retail strategy combines compact 50 sq. ft. kiosks with 8 sq. ft. plug-and-play automated beverage machines that can be installed inside offices, hospitals, universities and malls. The smaller footprint and lower capital expenditure are designed to enable faster rollout and stronger unit economics.

According to co-founder and CEO Harshita Kejriwal, the funding reflects confidence in the company’s approach of combining healthy products with convenience and scalability.

The start-up plans to expand to 1,000 touchpoints over the next three years while entering new cities. Its menu strategy will remain beverage-led, with around 70% of offerings including juices, shakes, smoothies and protein drinks, supported by healthier food options such as dishes featuring hung-curd dressings instead of mayonnaise.

At the core of Basil’s strategy is proprietary cold beverage automation technology developed in-house in India. Unlike conventional vending machines, its IoT-enabled systems blend fresh ingredients directly in the cup, allowing the company to deliver café-quality beverages while maintaining real-time monitoring and operational control. The technology is expected to enable standardisation, improve margins and support distribution beyond traditional retail storefronts.

With machines already deployed in the market, the company says it is seeing early signs of product–market fit and growing enterprise demand. The newly raised capital will be used to expand into additional cities, strengthen supply chains, invest in brand building and grow the team as the company seeks to build India’s largest clean and fresh beverage retail network.