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Imagine Meats — Plant-Based Meat Kept Running on Self-Funding by an Actor Couple

2026.03.26

Article summary

Imagine Meats is a plant-based meat brand founded in Mumbai in 2021. Its founders are the actor couple Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia Deshmukh, running the business bootstrapped without outside funding. Revenue is not disclosed, and it has fewer than 50 employees. It entered with items that directly replace Indian dishes — keema, kebabs, seekh — a different approach from Western plant-based meat, which started with burger patties. Since a significant portion of India's population is vegetarian, with a food culture already built around getting protein from pulses and dairy, plant-based meat is positioned as an option for meat eaters to cut down, rather than for non-meat eaters. The founder couple's own reach is the main source of its brand awareness.

This article is based on what we could verify As of September 19, 2026 This page is compiled from the disclosures and news reports of each company that could be confirmed as of that date. Amounts in the text follow common Indian notation, with ₹1 crore (1 crore = 10 million rupees) written as 10 million rupees, and the yen figures are rough calculations at around 1.7 yen to the rupee. Store counts, funding amounts, and results at Indian companies change over short periods, so please check the latest information in primary sources such as each company's official announcements when making business decisions.

Imagine Meats is a plant-based meat brand launched in 2021 by the actors Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia Deshmukh, a married couple. It is run on its own funds, without bringing in outside capital.

Company profile

Item	Details
Legal name	Imagine Meats
Year founded	2021
Headquarters	Mumbai (Maharashtra)
Founder	Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia Deshmukh (a couple)
Capital	Bootstrapped (no outside funding)
Employees	Fewer than 50
Revenue	Not disclosed
Listing	Unlisted

Entering by replacing existing dishes

Its distinguishing feature is a lineup shaped for use in Indian cooking, entering with items like keema, kebabs, and seekh that directly substitute for existing dishes. This is a different approach from Western plant-based meat, which started with burger patties.

A significant portion of India's population is vegetarian, and its food culture already gets protein from pulses and dairy. If plant-based meat is going to sell, it will be as an option for meat eaters to reduce how much they eat, not for non-meat eaters. Replacing existing dishes fits that aim.

The choice not to bring in outside funding

The founder couple has publicly stated they are vegetarian, and their reach is the main source of the brand's awareness. Being able to get the name out without ad spend meant the company could launch without outside funding.

On the other hand, having taken no outside funding means there's no disclosure of business scale. Revenue isn't published, and it has fewer than 50 employees. Having no obligation to report to investors makes it possible to choose not to release numbers.

Points for Japanese companies

Celebrity brands are strong on awareness at launch, but whether they take hold is decided by product and price. Plant-based meat in India is a small market at present, and in judging entry it is necessary to look at publicity and actual sales scale separately.

In the same category, Shaka Harry had FY2025 revenue of ₹6.9 crore, and GoodDot had ₹97.05 crore on an operating-entity basis. This range shows the current state of plant-based meat in India. For a Japanese soy-processing company considering this market, starting from the actual figures of companies selling today, rather than market growth forecasts, is less likely to lead to a wrong call.