From Rejections to ₹500 Crore: The Inspiring Journey of Happilo Founder Vikas D. Nahar
From Rejections to ₹500 Crore: The Inspiring Journey of Happilo Founder Vikas D. Nahar
How a small-town boy with ₹10,000 and big dreams built a household brand in dry fruits and snacks
Born in 1984 in a humble farmer’s home in Mandya district, Karnataka, Vikas D. Nahar’s journey is the perfect example of how persistence and vision can overcome failure. His father cultivated coffee and black pepper, while his brother worked in the food industry. Surrounded by conversations about crops and business, Vikas unknowingly absorbed the essence of entrepreneurship early in life.
After completing a degree in Computer Science from Bangalore University in 2005, Vikas began his career with the Jain Group as a Senior Import Manager. Though the role offered valuable exposure to international trade, it didn’t satisfy his deeper calling. In 2008, he enrolled at Symbiosis International University, Pune, for an MBA in Marketing. That decision turned out to be a pivotal one.
Post-MBA, Vikas joined his brother’s company Satvik as Managing Director. While he gained hands-on experience in the food business, he also craved to build something of his own. Over the years, he attempted to launch more than 20 ventures, all of which failed. He approached nearly 20 investors too, but every one of them rejected his ideas.
Despite the setbacks, Vikas never gave up. Instead, he treated every rejection as a stepping stone. In 2016, with just ₹10,000 and two employees, he finally launched his own brand, Happilo. The focus was simple yet powerful: to offer high-quality dry fruits, nuts, seeds, spices, and chocolates to Indian consumers who were increasingly becoming health-conscious.
Vikas’s commitment to quality and smart branding soon started paying off. Happilo grew steadily, first online through platforms like Amazon and Flipkart, and then into major retail outlets across the country. Over time, the company expanded its product line offering a wide variety of dry fruits, chocolates, and spices. With an eye for innovation and an unwavering belief in customer trust, Happilo started making its way into Indian households.
The company’s rise also caught the attention of investors. In 2021, Happilo secured $12 million from A91 Partners. The following year, it received another $25 million from Motilal Oswal. These investments helped scale operations, improve supply chains, and deepen its product portfolio.
By his early 40s, Vikas had built a brand valued at over ₹500 crore, a long way from that small village where it all began. Throughout his journey, Vikas often credited his wife Sunita and daughter for being his emotional anchor, and his family background for giving him the resilience to keep trying after each failure.
His story stands as a reminder that big empires often begin with small beginnings and that failure isn’t the opposite of success, but often the very path to it.
