New Delhi, Aug. 18 -- Dobra, a food and beverage firm that is part of Oxbow brands, has netted funding in a seed round, while dental care startup makeO has acquired Apple Dental.

Dobra

Food-and-beverage brand Dobra has raised Rs 1.5 crore (around $170,000) in a seed round, led by the D2C Insider Super Angels Fund.

The funding will help the startup accelerate its expansion across offline channels in retail and food services as well as digital channels such as quick commerce, and direct-to-consumer (D2C). The company seeks to capture the growing demand for premium FMCG products in India. It will also strengthen its operations, expand its product line-up, and deepen consumer trial of products.

"Dobra's ability to blend authentic Indian flavours with a modern, premium format, and execute across multiple channels, by being present where the consumer prefers to shop, is exactly what Indian consumers are looking for today," said Abhishek Shah, partner at D2C Insider.

Dobra's, operated by Oxbow Brands, sells food and beverage products such as Pop Goli Soda, Artisanal Cotton Candy, and Tapioca Crisps.

makeO

Dental care brand makeO has acquired dental chain Apple Dental International, which operates 20 clinics across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

While the companies didn't provide details on the transaction, makeO, the parent company of dental brand Toothsi and skin-care brand Skinnsi, will fully acquire Apple Dental for around Rs 11 crore (around $1.26 million) in cash and stock, according to media reports, which cited regulatory filings with the Registrar of Companies (RoC).

With the strategic deal, makeO will begin its offline expansion strategy in dental and derma categories. "With Apple Dental now part of the makeO family, we're deepening our presence in Tier 2 & Tier 3 cities and bringing tech-enabled care closer to millions," MakeO said in a social media post.

It added that by next year, makeO will expand its presence across more than 100 centres across India.

MakeO was founded in 2018 by orthodontists Arpi Mehta, Pravin Shetty, Manjul Jain, and Anirudh Kale. Last year, it raised $16 million in a round led by 360 ONE Asset and investment office of stock market investor Ashish Kacholia. It secured $5 million in its Series A round in January 2020 from Think Investments and other investors.

The company raised around $20 million in its Series B round of funding led by Eight Roads Ventures in August 2021 and bagged a Series C cheque from investors such as Eight Road Ventures and IIFL in 2022.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from VC Circle.