Former Ola executive Ashish Bajaj has entered the food startup space with the launch of 10on10 Foods, a Bengaluru-based venture focused on delivering freshly milled staple products. The startup has secured Rs 2 crore in pre-seed funding from a group of angel investors as it begins building its presence in the fresh staples category.

Bajaj founded the company alongside his former Ola colleagues Avinash Jain and Mohsin Ali. The startup aims to rethink the way staple foods such as flour are produced and delivered by prioritising freshness, traditional milling methods and shorter supply chains.

The idea for the venture was sparked by a personal experience. Bajaj began searching for fresh and minimally processed atta in Bengaluru after his son was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. During this process, the founders realised that most packaged flours available in the market are milled months before they reach consumers, highlighting a gap in the availability of freshly processed staples.

Speaking about the concept behind the company, Bajaj noted that the challenge in India is not a shortage of staple foods but the lack of freshness. He explained that the industry has long prioritised large-scale production and longer shelf life, which often results in consumers eating products that were processed months earlier.

Co-founder Avinash Jain added that the company is focusing on traditional stone grinding, a method that helps retain the grain’s full nutritional profile, including the bran, germ and natural enzymes. Freshly milled whole wheat atta, he said, can preserve significantly more nutrients compared to industrially processed packaged flour.

10on10 Foods has received early backing from investors including Dr. Vikas Katoch, Sumit Maheshwari and Shashikant Shenoy, as it looks to build a supply chain centred on freshness and nutrition.