Neothera, a science-led skin health company reimagining how chronic skin conditions are treated, has raised₹9 crore in pre-seed fundingled byBlume Ventures, with participation from theBarbershop Fund(the investment syndicate led by Bombay Shaving Company Founder Shantanu Deshpande),Consumer Collective, and Veltis Capital. The round also saw participation from marquee angels likeArjun Purkayastha(SVP & Managing Director, Reckitt),Malika Sadani(Founder, The Moms Co.),Mukul Rastogi(Founder, Classplus), andDiksha Pandey(Founder, Samosa Party), among others. The funding was raised in August 2025 at the idea stage, prior to product launch, reflecting strong investor conviction in Neothera's vision to build a new category at the intersection of healthcare, consumer technology, and personal care. Founded byRadhika Agarwal, former consumer-tech investor at Blume Ventures and Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2023 honouree, Neothera is challenging the conventional approach to acne treatment. While most skincare solutions focus on managing only visible symptoms, Neothera's model is built around identifying and addressing the underlying causes of skin conditions through a combination of diagnostics, behavioural interventions, doctor-backed protocols, technology, and targeted clinical formulations. Launched with an integrated8-week acne care program, the company combines root-cause diagnosis, personalized habit interventions, nutritional guidance, AI-powered support, and formulations that are designed for sensitive and acne-prone skin, perfected over many months of R&D, and clinically tested by independent labs. Prior to founding Neothera, Agarwal spent nearly five years at Blume Ventures, where she focused on consumer technology investments and built Lead Tribe, a program supporting high-potential women founders. Her move from Venture Capital to entrepreneurship marks a full-circle journey, with Blume now backing her as a portfolio company. The company launches after nearly 20 months of research, formulation development, testing, and beta trials conducted alongside dermatologists, nutrition experts, and formulators. Neothera has developed its initial portfolio entirely in-house and has already worked with early users through pilot programs to refine its treatment protocols before launch. The capital will be used to further strengthen Neothera's technology capabilities, expand its product portfolio, invest in research and development, grow its clinical and scientific team, and scale customer acquisition across India. As consumers increasingly seek science-backed, personalised solutions for chronic skin concerns, Neothera aims to establish itself as a category-defining brand focused on long-term skin health rather than short-term skincare fixes.
