Distil, an R&D-led specialty chemicals platform, announced it has secured $3.1 million in a Seed funding round today. This round was led by Jungle Ventures and India Quotient.
This is Jungle’s first India Seed investment since the launch of First Cheque@Jungle, its bespoke program for partnering with second-time entrepreneurs and seasoned operators at ideas, pre-seed, and seed stages.
Founded by IIT Bombay alumni Atanuu Agarwal, Karan Hirani, and Viraj Shah, Distil offers fully customizable and scalable solutions through a tech-enabled platform for the procurement of these specialty chemicals.
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The specialty chemicals value chain has traditionally been plagued with inefficiencies, including fragmentation with multiple intermediaries, unreliable quality, long lead times, challenges posed by minimum order quantities, and lack of alternatives, among others. Distil addresses these pain points at each stage of the value chain by leveraging the expertise of its founding team spanning specialty chemicals, supply chain, and finance.
Distil’s offerings, which include tailored formulations and custom manufacturing, are designed to help manufacturers meet specific performance and regulatory requirements. Its platform also provides a seamless, tech-enabled purchasing process, ensuring consistent product quality, meeting quantity requirements, and reducing lead times and MOQs through a robust network of stock points across the country.
Distil’s team currently includes dedicated scientists, engineers, and after-sales support staff. The newly secured capital will be used to expand its teams across sales, R&D, technical/procurement, marketing, and technology development. Additionally, Distil plans to develop proprietary products and establish itself as a trusted specialty chemicals franchise in the life sciences segment, including flavors and fragrances, food ingredients, pharma, and personal care, across India and key international markets such as the US, EU, and MENA region.
Atanuu Agarrwal, Co-founder and CEO, Distil, said: “At Distil, we recognize a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a global leader in R&D-led specialty chemicals from India. The support from our partners and investors, particularly Jungle Ventures and India Quotient, marks a significant milestone as we scale our operations. We are grateful for their trust and excited about the journey ahead.”
Viraj Shah, Co-founder and COO, Distil, said: “Our deep understanding of the sector, combined with our entrepreneurial experience, equips us to build Distil on a foundation of innovation and customer-focused solutions. We appreciate our partners and investors’ confidence in our vision to deliver exceptional products and services globally.”
Rishab Malik, Partner, Seed Investments, Jungle Ventures, said: “We are pleased to lead this funding round for Distil. Their focus on solving supply chain challenges through R&D and technology aligns perfectly with our investment philosophy. The founding team is exceptionally strong, with a mix of a second-time founder and seasoned operators of with over 15 years of experience in the specialty chemicals domain. The right founder profiles address a big problem. This is just the beginning with Distil and we are very excited to be part of their growth story.”
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