Ahmedabad: When Riddhi Sharma became a mother, she struggled to find reliable, transparent solutions for everyday infant concerns—dry coughs, colds and blocked noses. An engineer with an IT background, she turned to what her family had long trusted: Ayurveda, herbs and plant-based formulations.That search became BabyOrgano, an Ahmedabad-based kids’ wellness startup offering products such as roll-ons for blocked noses, tulsi-based immunity drops and sitopaladi churna for dry cough. “The entire idea stemmed from my experience as a mother. There was either a lack of transparency in ingredients or products that felt disconnected from what Indian households have trusted for generations,” Sharma said. “That gap became the starting point.”BabyOrgano recently raised Rs 20 crore in its latest investment round from consumer-focused venture capital firms. Sharma said the company is now focused on scaling. “We are aiming to achieve ₹100 crore in revenue within the next three years through product innovation, deeper market penetration, stronger offline and online distribution, and expansion into global markets,” she said.This Mother’s Day, startup founders and incubators in the city are pointing to a growing wave of businesses built around motherhood—spanning baby clothing and Indian palate-friendly formulas to Ayurveda-based remedies and healthier food choices. There are at least 20 start-ups in Ahmedabad alone founded or co-founded by mothers.For Arpita Patel, founder of Ahmedabad-based Ancient Roots, the spark came from her two children, now 10 and 16. A trained dietician who did not pursue the profession full-time, Patel found her knowledge resurfacing in the kitchen as she tried to steer her children away from packaged foods. “With their fascination for packaged food, I decided to first start something that would give them—and children of their age—healthier options,” she said.Ancient Roots now sells products positioned as familiar flavours with a healthier twist—“cookies that taste like sukhdi” and “pancakes that taste like malpua,” among others. Patel started the venture five years ago and says it has grown to a turnover of about Rs 2 crore. “My core team consists of moms like me who understand the value and importance of healthy food in today’s world,” she said, adding that early attempts to scale brought lessons. “I was new to the field, and took a few missteps, but today we are growing surely and steadily.”Incubators say such stories are becoming more common. Hiranmay Mahanta, CEO of iHub, said that while mompreneurs remain a niche segment, the numbers have been rising over the past few years. “Ahmedabad has 20 plus such startups.. Majority of women in the startup space operate from their personal experiences and wisdom—many of them are mothers,” he said. “In several of these examples, we have seen these young mothers, and their partners, find business opportunities based on their own insight from their journey.”Mahanta added that many founders come with prior work experience, giving them familiarity with finance, marketing and the realities of competing in crowded markets. Industry observers note that a significant share of these mom-led ventures are concentrated in food—particularly healthier snacks and meal options—alongside baby and child wellness products.Launch Healthy, Non-Toxic Food, Medicine Alternatives Targeting Aware Mothers
