Preventive pain care brand betterhood has raised ₹11.5 crore in a seed funding round led by Sauce, with participation from existing investor Kairon Capital.
Founded by Vikram Kadam and Neha Zade and launched in October 2024, betterhood is building a preventive pain care brand focused on helping consumers address early signs of back, neck and joint discomfort before they develop into chronic conditions.
The company plans to use the fresh capital to expand its product portfolio, strengthen distribution across quick commerce and modern retail, scale its content and physiotherapist community, and expand its product development and growth teams.
Building a Preventive Pain Care Category
betterhood’s product portfolio currently spans posture and ergonomic supports, orthotic soft goods and pain relief and recovery products. Its offerings include supports for the back, knee, ankle and wrist.
According to the company, these categories represent an estimated ₹20,000 crore market in India, growing at a low to mid-teens rate. Including adjacent categories such as rehabilitation and fitness tools and personalised nutrition, betterhood estimates the broader preventive pain care opportunity at approximately ₹35,000 crore.
Rather than positioning pain care solely around treatment after discomfort becomes chronic, the company is focusing on consumers who experience early or recurring discomfort and are looking for ways to manage their musculoskeletal health as part of everyday life.
Education Forms a Key Part of the Brand
Alongside its products, betterhood has built an education layer focused on pain prevention, movement and recovery.
The company publishes educational articles, participates in Q&A discussions on open forums and produces podcasts featuring experts. It is also building Physio Circle, a nationwide community of physiotherapists aimed at increasing awareness around posture, pain prevention, movement and recovery.
The community currently has more than 7,000 physiotherapists, according to the company.
betterhood said the initiative is intended to help consumers develop greater awareness of musculoskeletal health while creating a network of professionals around preventive pain care.
Experienced Team Across Consumer and Healthcare
The founding team brings experience across consumer businesses, healthcare, retail, e-commerce and growth.
Alongside Vikram Kadam and Neha Zade, Manoranjan Nayak and Subhanandan Palit are part of the team working across research-led product development, education and community building.
The company is also supported by Shayamal Vallabhjee, its Chief Science Officer, who brings more than two decades of experience as a sports scientist working across elite sport and chronic health.
Sauce Backs Preventive Approach
Commenting on the investment, Yash Dholakia, Partner at Sauce, said the increasing focus on movement and active lifestyles, particularly among millennials, is creating demand for preventive pain management.
Dholakia highlighted betterhood’s approach of addressing multiple aspects of pain care, including posture, support, recovery and education, rather than focusing on a single product category.
He also pointed to the company’s research-led product development and physiotherapist-led community building as key aspects of its approach.
Deepankur Malhotra, Founder & Managing Partner at Kairon Capital, said the firm was an early investor in betterhood and cited the scale of the problem, the founders’ consumer insight and the quality of the team as factors behind its initial investment.
Kairon Capital has now participated again as betterhood moves into its next stage of growth, alongside new investor Sauce.
Capital to Drive Distribution and Product Expansion
The newly raised funds will be used to deepen betterhood’s product portfolio and expand its distribution network across quick commerce and modern retail.
The company will also invest in scaling its content ecosystem and the Physio Circle community, while strengthening its teams across product development and growth.
Vikram Kadam, Co-Founder of betterhood, said the company was founded around the idea that pain care should become part of everyday life rather than something consumers address only after pain begins interfering with their routine.
Co-Founder Neha Zade added that the company wants to make body care and pain prevention a more natural part of consumers’ daily routines, covering areas from everyday aches to recovery.
With the new funding, betterhood is looking to expand its presence across preventive pain care while building a broader consumer ecosystem around products, education and professional expertise.
By: Arushi Agarwal
