Specialty chemicals startup Distil has secured $7.7 million in Series A funding, co-led by Singapore’s Jungle Ventures and UAE’s CE-Ventures, the corporate VC arm of Crescent Enterprises. The round also saw participation from Rubamin, PI Industries Vice Chairperson Mayank Singhal, and India Quotient.
With this round, Distil’s total funding has reached $10.8 million, following its earlier $3.1 million seed round in June 2024, led by Jungle Ventures through its First Cheque@Jungle platform.
The company plans to channel the new funds into expanding its product suite, scaling enterprise partnerships, and ramping up R&D for high-value industrial applications. Another key focus will be strengthening its export pipeline, as global manufacturers look to India for cost-efficient, high-quality specialty chemical solutions.
Founded in 2021 by Atanu Agarrwal and Viraj Shah, Distil develops advanced chemicals for paints & coatings, plastics, and construction materials. Unlike traditional heavy-capex players, it operates an asset-light, R&D-driven model, tapping into India’s underutilized chemical manufacturing base to scale rapidly.
In just three years, the startup has grown from pre-revenue to $7 million in annual sales, serving 100+ enterprise clients, and building a 19-member R&D and engineering team.
Distil competes with emerging specialty chemical players such as Scimplify, Mstack, Atomgrid, Covvalent, and Elchemy.
By: Arushi Agarwal
