Dabur Ventures launched with a ₹500-crore war chest
Focus on digital-first wellness, personal care, F&B, and ayurveda brands
Led by strategy head Abhinav Dhall
Ayurvedic products maker Dabur has announced the launch of ‘Dabur Ventures’, an investment platform with capital allocation of up to ₹500 crore, the company announced in an official statement on Thursday. It will be fully funded by Dabus’ internal reserves.
The home-grown FMCG brand plans to invest money in acquiring stakes in high-potential, new-age digital-first businesses that demonstrate strong growth potential and are closely aligned with Dabur’s long-term strategic vision. Abhinav Dhall, Dabur India Ltd executive director and group head of corporate strategy, will be leading Dabur Ventures.
“We’re charting a bold path by backing progressive ventures in Personal Care, Health Care, Wellness Foods, Beverages, and Ayurveda. This strategic move reflects our belief in innovation as a growth engine, fast-tracks our shift toward premium offerings…,” said Dabur India Limited Chief Executive Officer Mohit Malhotra.
During Dabur’s Q2 earnings call, CEO Mohit Malhotra said the conglomerate will restrict its new start-up investments to existing categories. The company also plans to explore premium, trend-driven categories that appeal to Gen Z’s online-first lifestyle.
For reference, Dabur operates across five key segments — ayurveda staples like Chyawanprash, healthcare products such as Dabur Honey, personal care offerings including Dabur Red toothpaste, food & beverages like Réal juices, and home care brands such as Odonil.
The move comes at a time when several traditional FMCG giants have started eyeing stakes or complete buyouts of D2C start-ups to upgrade their portfolios. Recently, Hindustan Unilever bought 90.5% stake in beauty brand Minimalist for about ₹2,706 crore in cash.
In addition, Heritage Foods has also acquired a majority 51% stake in dessert brand Get-A-Way for ₹9 crore. Dabur’s move reflects a broader shift in corporate India, where major business houses and family offices are increasingly launching investment arms to tap into high-growth consumer-focused start-ups.
Earlier this week, Dabur said it faced "short-term moderation in sales" in the second quarter as its retail business saw a 'temporary disruption' due to deferment of purchase by consumers awaiting price cuts to take effect following GST rate rationalisation.
Moreover, distributors and retailers also focused on liquidating the existing higher-priced inventory, said Dabur in its updates for the quarter ended September, 2025.
"Dabur's key categories like oral care, juices, hair oils, shampoo, digestives, OTC, branded ethicals and culinary, which represent approximately 60% of our India business, will benefit from 12/18% GST rate cut to 5%. Now 85% of our portfolio is at a GST rate of 5% which is a key positive," it said.
Sharing sectoral updates, Dabur said its home & personal care, and oral care portfolio continued 'strong growth trajectory' and are likely to deliver 'double digit growth' in both Red Toothpaste and Meswak.
Its skin care portfolio is expected to grow in high-single digits led by Gulabari and Oxy franchise. Similarly, in healthcare, key brands such as Dabur Honey, Honitus, Hajmola franchise and health juices are likely to register a double-digit growth led by strong volumes, it added.
