Ishita Gupta's Startup Journey: From Corporate Monotony to Building Eat Atlás

What if the next big food revolution started with a simple question over lunch? 

"Why do all things taste the same?" Ishita Gupta muttered to her friends as she stared at yet another packet of peri peri chips in her Deloitte USI office cafeteria. That moment of frustration sparked an extraordinary startup journey that transformed a simple craving into Eat Atlás, India's emerging snacking revolution—proving that even in a male-dominated industry, a woman's vision can reshape an entire category.

What Next? The Seed of Something Extraordinary

Ishita's startup journey began not in a kitchen lab, but in the mundane reality of corporate life. Working at Deloitte, she found herself repeatedly disappointed by the same bland snacks. The taste was acceptable, the crunch predictable, but something felt missing—inspiration, excitement, culture. That frustrated observation planted a seed that would grow into something remarkable.

But what happens when a woman in India's traditional corporate world decides to challenge an entire industry? Her startup journey wasn't typical. While building a business from scratch, Ishita drew from her diverse experience at Deloitte, Sleepy Owl, and Park Plus, where she crafted go-to-market strategies and observed shifting consumer behaviors. 

Later, during her MBA at Master's Union, she discovered a powerful truth: people don't just eat to fill their bellies—they eat to feel something.

"Each morsel of international food I tasted while traveling inspired surprise and connection," she reflects. "I longed to bring that feeling home—to make snacking feel like a passport to the world."

What If the Industry Says No?

Learning how to start a startup in India's competitive FMCG sector proved brutal, especially for a woman entering a traditionally male-dominated space. When Ishita partnered with co-founders Anshul Gupta (R&D Head, former Ministry of Agriculture & EY) and Mayuresh Jadhav (Branding & Marketing Lead, neuro-marketing specialist), they encountered their first major setback: industry mockery.

Manufacturers dismissed their vision. Low minimum orders? No artificial preservatives? Real taste? "They said it couldn't be done," Ishita recalls. "So, we did it ourselves."

The entrepreneurial struggles that followed tested their resolve in ways that go beyond typical business challenges. As a woman founder navigating supplier relationships, investor meetings, and industry networks, Ishita faced additional layers of skepticism. But what happens when determination meets innovation? The team collaborated with NIFTEM, India's leading food institute, spending six grueling months in laboratories, testing, failing, and iterating. They cold-emailed over 100 global ingredient suppliers, facing countless rejections.

But perseverance defined their startup journey. Finally, they cracked the code. Their ambient shelf-life cheese dips became a category first, earning them an award at World Food India and showcasing India's food innovation to the world.

The Core and Mantra: From Setback to Success

Today, still bootstrapped, Eat Atlás clocks ₹5 lakh in monthly revenue with a team of five. Their visibility is rising, including a spot on Jio Cinema's 'Lion's Den', a Shark Tank-style show spotlighting emerging startups.

But what defines true success for a woman founder in India's startup ecosystem? For Ishita, it's not just numbers. "It's when someone takes a bite of our dip and says—Wait, this is from Bhutan? That's when I know we're doing something right."

Eat Atlás found its niche at the intersection of premium taste, global storytelling, and guilt-free indulgence. While legacy brands like Lays or Nutella dominate with scale, they offer little innovation or health appeal. Eat Atlás speaks to the Quick Commerce generation—young urban consumers who want to explore, connect, and snack meaningfully.

Their ambitious goal? To become India's Frito-Lay of the world—a ₹200 Cr+ snacking behemoth with omnichannel presence. "But no matter how large we become, our core will always remain the same—flavor-led, culture-driven, and continuously curious," Ishita confirms.

What Beyond the Product? The Feel Factor

When asked what she'd do differently, Ishita smiles: "Honestly, nothing. Start small, think big—that's always been the mantra. The food industry is brutal. But every broken jar, every empty stall, every delayed shipment taught us more than success ever could."

But what happens when a woman founder's vision transcends the product itself? Her startup journey embodies a powerful truth: storytelling for startups isn't about products—it's about purpose, emotion, and the feeling each bite creates. For Ishita, Eat Atlás represents flavor as storytelling, snacking as cultural exchange, and brands as passports to the world.

As a woman navigating the challenging terrain of India's startup ecosystem, she's learned that success isn't just about building a business—it's about creating experiences that resonate with people's hearts, not just their taste buds. What if snacking could transport you to distant lands? What if every bite could spark curiosity about cultures unknown?

In a landscape where traditional players are being quietly overtaken by the bold, Eat Atlás isn't just surfing the wave—it's creating the tide. And behind this revolution stands a woman who dared to ask "What if?" and refused to accept the status quo.