Alumni Voices

Sudarshan Gangrade’s Journey: From Aadhaar to India’s Functional Food Revolution

IIM Bangalore alumnus Sudarshan Gangrade, former CMO at Ola and now founder of Lo! Foods (backed by Rainmatter by Zerodha), shares an inspiring story of grit and reinvention. An IIT Kharagpur + IIMB graduate, he began by volunteering on the Aadhaar project with Nandan Nilekani—an experience he describes as “the fastest scaled startup in Indian history.”

In this candid conversation, Sudarshan reflects on his entrepreneurial path—from making rotis in his 2BHK kitchen to nearly running out of funds three times, before finally building KetoSmart, DiabeSmart, and ProteinChef, India’s leading functional food brands. “Every setback,” he says, “was just data for the next better decision.”

A believer in building for impact, he adds, “If your product genuinely improves lives, scaling becomes a responsibility, not just an opportunity.”

Watch the full episode — D2C Dialogues | Episode 38: Sudarshan Gangrade — on YouTube.