Founder Spotlight: Monica Bhatia (EQUII)
Meet Monica Bhatia:
EQUII makes eating nutritious and sustainable food delightful through our high protein line of foods like Bread, pasta, and snacks. Made with fermentation, EQUII products bring high-quality protein to the plate at every meal, to fuel our day with taste and enjoyment.
Startup Stage:
Seed Stage
Location:
San Francisco, California, USA
When did you launch the business?
September, 2021
What led you to where you are today?
I have been an insider to the sustainable protein industry and observed that taste, texture, and consumer experience were largely missing from current alt-proteins, thus preventing the large-scale adoption of sustainable proteins. As a mother and a health enthusiast, my vision was to create an "easy, no-brainer" option for protein on the plate, and the idea of creating high-protein flour and its products seemed the most natural way to do it. Flour is the # 1 ingredient in the world, and with EQUII flour and our products like bread, pasta, pizza, etc, we believe we can create a paradigm shift in the category of protein by making it come from staples, instead of meat while making it taste amazing.
What do you wish you knew before embarking on your entrepreneurial journey?
I wish I knew more about how the retail CPG industry works in the US. It's a complex industry that takes effort to break into and understand. I spent about 8 months figuring out modalities and procedures before we landed our first stores.
What is the most difficult decision you've had to make regarding your business so far?
Due to the financial market slowdown in 2022-2023, we had to reduce our workforce and let go of some of our oldest colleagues.
What can you help the VEGPRENEUR community with?
I would love to use my background in food, fermentation, and sustainability to help bring more awareness about food products and their nutritional value to the community. I would also love to help the founder community by sharing notes on fundraising (we have raised ~$12M to date), going to market for consumer products, and effective strategies for productizing from concept to checkout.
How can the VEGPRENEUR community help you?
By providing insights into the experiences of other founders and brands, helping meet more consumers who are looking for sustainable, nutritious options, and finally, by providing feedback on our products so we can continue to strengthen the EQUII brand and products.
Fun fact about you:
I am a big football nerd even though I never even heard of American football until the age of 23.
Anything else you would like to share?
Mother of twins and loves to travel!
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