This Kota-based startup wants to change how India eats breakfast

Founded by Yash Kalra, GOAT Life is helping health-conscious consumers expand their breakfast and snacking options with its innovative, ready-in-30-second oatmeal-based products.

May 20, 2025 - 04:20

This Kota-based startup wants to change how India eats breakfast

For most people trying to eat healthy, the journey often begins with good intentions—and ends at the first bite of something bland. Despite the rising awareness around fitness and wellness, one core challenge persists: healthy food often doesn’t taste good enough to keep people coming back.

The leap from comfort food to clean eating is usually too steep, making it hard to build lasting habits. GOAT Life, a new-age food startup founded by 25-year-old Yash Kalra, is attempting to take this problem head-on—with oats.

“Everyone wants to eat better. But to make clean eating mainstream, the food has to taste good, be easy to prepare, and fit seamlessly into busy lifestyles. GOAT’s flavoured oats aim to be that gateway—healthy enough to support fitness goals, but familiar and delicious enough to appeal to the everyday eater,” says Kalra.

GOAT Life (formerly known as GoOAT) is a ready-to-consume oatmeal-based product that can be consumed in both drinkable and eatable formats. It is quick to prepare—ready in about 30 seconds.

“Each serving contains between 17 to 27 grams of protein and is available in six flavor variants including mocha, mango, and choconut. The formulation avoids refined sugar, oils, and preservatives, setting us apart from many traditional muesli and oatmeal options in the market,” claims Kalra.

They are soon launching tiramisu and cookies and cream flavors. The shelf life of its products is 7 months and every ingredient is in its natural form, says the founder.

“We’ve also evolved from just “GoOAT” to GOAT Life, because in the bigger picture, we’re not just an oatmeal brand. Our vision is to make healthy eating super simple, accessible, and delicious—by creating taste-first products that actually fit into people’s daily lives,” he explains.

Beyond oatmeal, they are also exploring other categories like protein cookies, protein powders, and more.

Flavourful, healthy breakfasts

Kalra’s personal journey forms the foundation of the brand.

“I was always a fat kid,” he says. “I lost 20 kilos myself, and my family collectively lost over 140. The one thing that stayed constant through it all was oatmeal.” Over the last seven years, he’s eaten over 2,100 bowls of oats for breakfast. That consistency, combined with a lack of truly tasty and convenient options in the market, is what pushed him to create GOAT Life.

Launched from a self-built manufacturing unit in Kota with Rs 5 lakh in capital—of which Rs 3 lakh came from personal savings and Rs 2 lakh as a loan from the Government of Rajasthan—the brand quickly gained traction.

The road ahead

According to Mordor Intelligence, the Indian breakfast cereals market is expected to witness a CAGR of 8.2% during the next five years.

On the business side, its current revenue comes from marketplaces like Amazon, its own website, and B2B channels.

“We’re also going live on Swiggy Instamart within the next month, which we’re really excited about,” Kalra adds.

At the moment, the company is clocking about Rs 10 lakh in monthly revenue, growing 2–3x from last month, claims the founder.

The startup operates its own facility in Kota, Rajasthan, where the team manages the entire process—from sourcing raw materials to manufacturing and fulfilling orders for Amazon and its own website. This hands-on approach ensures strict quality control, standardization, and working capital efficiency.

“By running our own production, we can produce in smaller batches, which means fresher products for our consumers. It also gives us the agility to frequently experiment with and launch new flavors and product variants.” Kalra shares.

In March this year, the company had raised an undisclosed pre-seed round, led by D2C Insider Super Angels, along with participation from other prominent investors such as Deep Bajaj and Mohit Bajaj (Sirona), Dhruv Kohli (Boba Bhai), Akash Gupta (Zypp Electric), and Vikram Ahuja (HomeGuru), among others.

“The main plan post-funding is to focus on growing the business from here. We’ve slightly increased our manufacturing capacity, and now the idea is to scale the product and reach a wider audience. We’re also planning to experiment with 1–2 new ideas like cloud kitchens and similar spaces to see what works well,” adds Kalra.

Edited by Jyoti Narayan