Skippi Ice Pops is a Hyderabad-based Indian food brand that makes preservative-free ice popsicles (chuskis), cream rolls and corn sticks sold through retail outlets, quick commerce and e-commerce.

This Startup Deep Dive explains what Skippi Ice Pops does, how it makes money, who backs it, how it compares with rivals and what could go wrong, using publicly available information. It is educational and not investment advice. Last updated: October 2026.

Skippi Ice Pops in Brief

• What it is: Skippi Ice Pops is an Indian Packaged foods and frozen desserts company based in Hyderabad.
• Who it serves: online shoppers, retail customers, marketplaces and distribution partners.
• Makes natural, preservative-free ice popsicles priced as low as Rs 10 per piece, with Indian flavours such as Kala Khatta.
• Also sells cream rolls, corn sticks and Crazy Corn.
• Sold in over 14,000 offline outlets (another report says 20,000) and on Zepto, Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart, Amazon and Flipkart.
• Funding: More than $2.7 million (Inc42 as read); other databases differ.

Skippi Ice Pops Quick Facts

Figures marked “reported” come from published reports and may differ between sources; “Not disclosed” means no reliable public figure was found.

What Is Skippi Ice Pops?

Skippi Ice Pops operates in the Packaged foods and frozen desserts space in India. Understanding a company like this starts with three questions: who is the customer, what painful problem is being solved, and why the solution is better than the alternatives. The sections below apply that lens to Skippi Ice Pops.

• Makes natural, preservative-free ice popsicles priced as low as Rs 10 per piece, with Indian flavours such as Kala Khatta.
• Also sells cream rolls, corn sticks and Crazy Corn.
• Sold in over 14,000 offline outlets (another report says 20,000) and on Zepto, Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart, Amazon and Flipkart.
• Exports to the US, Australia and New Zealand.

The Origin Story of Skippi Ice Pops

Every company starts from a noticed gap and a team willing to commit to closing it. Strong origin stories are specific: a clear problem, a founding team with relevant skills, and an early product that real customers could test. Founder-market fit, meaning the team’s lived experience or technical depth in the domain, tends to predict how fast a young company learns.

• Founders: Ravi Kabra, Anuja Kabra.
• Husband-and-wife founders Ravi and Anuja Kabra drew on food and beverage experience and began in 2020; the product launched on 1 April 2021 after COVID delays (sources say 2020 or 2021).
• Appeared on Shark Tank India Season 1 in December 2021.

Key Milestones and Challenges

No startup grows in a straight line. Early years usually involve slow adoption, product rewrites, hiring mistakes and funding gaps. In the Packaged foods and frozen desserts sector the common turning points are a first paying customer, a regulatory approval, a successful product demonstration or a funding round that lets the team invest ahead of demand. How a team responds to setbacks says more about resilience than any single headline.

• April 2021: Product launch.
• December 2021: Shark Tank India Season 1; took Rs 1.2 crore from six sharks for 18% equity.
• April-May 2024: Seed or pre-Series A round of about Rs 10 crore led by Hyderabad Angel Network and Venture Catalysts.
• FY24: Revenue about Rs 20 crore; offline outlets grew from about 1,200 to over 14,000.
• FY25: Revenue dropped 59% after demand slump; costs and staff cut.
• June 2025: Raised Rs 12 crore in extended pre-Series A.
• Company targets Series A of Rs 30-50 crore in mid-2026 (company statement).

Skippi Ice Pops Funding and Investors

Funding history shows how much outside confidence a company has attracted and how long it can operate before needing more capital. Figures below are reported and may differ between sources; valuation figures are estimates unless the company has confirmed them.

• Shark Tank India (Season 1, December 2021): Rs 1.2 crore for 18% from Aman Gupta, Ashneer Grover, Anupam Mittal, Namita Thapar, Vineeta Singh and Piyush Bansal.
• April-May 2024: about Rs 10 crore (about $1.4 million) led by Hyderabad Angel Network and Venture Catalysts, with Soonicorn Ventures, HEM Securities and angels.
• June 2025: Rs 12 crore extended pre-Series A; Dubai-based family offices put in Rs 10 crore and angels Rs 2 crore.

How Does Skippi Ice Pops Make Money? (Business Model)

A business model describes who pays, how often and how much it costs to serve them. Strong models show repeat usage, improving margins with scale and acquisition channels that do not depend only on paid spend. Weak models show one-off sales, rising costs and growth that stops when spending stops. For companies selling to online shoppers, retail customers, marketplaces and distribution partners, sales cycles and contract size matter as much as headline growth.

• Low price point of Rs 10 per piece to reach tier II and III cities.
• Omnichannel sales: distributors, modern retail, quick commerce and e-commerce.
• Distributor-sales channel model in smaller cities where distributors run their own sales teams for higher margins.
• Restructured to focus on metros after tier II and III markets underperformed.

The Numbers: Skippi Ice Pops Financials

Financial figures show whether growth is turning into a self-sustaining business. Small and private companies often disclose little, so any number below is included only if it was found in public reporting.

• FY22 revenue: about Rs 2.5 crore.
• FY23 revenue: about Rs 15.4 crore.
• FY24 revenue: about Rs 20 crore; net loss about Rs 12.9 crore (up from about Rs 1.5 crore in FY23).
• FY25 revenue: about Rs 8.2 crore (another report Rs 8.3 crore), down 59%; net loss about Rs 6.3 crore.
• FY25 total expenses: Rs 14.7 crore, down 55.8% from Rs 33.3 crore.

Market Opportunity for Skippi Ice Pops

Market size is easy to exaggerate, so a useful approach separates the total market from the portion a company can realistically reach with its current product and distribution. The main forces behind demand in this sector are rising internet and smartphone use, growing online retail, digital payments, quick commerce and a younger consumer base that is open to new brands. Each of these widens the opportunity, but capital efficiency and execution decide who captures it.

• Indian ice popsicle and frozen dessert market with players such as Mother Dairy, Amul and Kwality Walls.
• Quick commerce is a growing sales channel for impulse frozen products.

Technology and Product at Skippi Ice Pops

Technology is rarely the whole moat, but it drives speed, cost and customer experience. A practical way to assess it is to separate the capability the company controls from the commodity infrastructure it rents. In this sector the important factors are supply-chain reliability, brand trust, product quality, data on customer behaviour and the efficiency of fulfilment.

• Manufacturing at a factory in Hyderabad (Shamshabad); a new larger unit is planned (company statement).

Team and Culture at Skippi Ice Pops

Teams are the most important and least measurable asset of a young company. Look at how complementary the founders’ skills are, how deep the second layer of leadership is, and how the company hires and retains specialists. Culture shows up in small repeated behaviours: how quickly bad news travels upward and whether commitments to customers are kept.

• Ravi Kabra, co-founder and CEO.
• Anuja Kabra, co-founder.
• Employee benefit expenses cut from Rs 11.5 crore to Rs 5.3 crore in FY25 amid layoffs.

Skippi Ice Pops Competitors: Competitive Landscape

A fair competitive analysis names direct rivals, adjacent players who could move into the space, and the customer’s default alternative. Durable advantages include proprietary data or technology, licences and approvals, brand trust, switching costs and cost leadership.

Risks and Challenges for Skippi Ice Pops

• Sharp revenue decline and continued losses after over-expansion.
• Reported salary delays and unpaid PF and ESI dues (about Rs 95 lakh PF payable at end FY25).
• Auditor noted factory licence and pollution clearance issue and uninsured inventory.
• Single-product dependence and distributor unsold stock.
• Competition: low barriers to entry and large marketplaces make it hard for a brand to stay differentiated.
• Customer acquisition cost: paid marketing can become expensive and erode margins as a brand scales.

Risk is not a reason to avoid a company; it is a reason to price it correctly and to monitor the right indicators over time. Regulation in this sector is shaped by consumer protection rules, FSSAI and BIS standards where relevant, the Legal Metrology rules and e-commerce regulations.

Skippi Ice Pops Growth Outlook: What to Watch

• Company says business is back on track and targets Rs 100-150 crore revenue next year (not independently verified).
• Plans Series A of Rs 30-50 crore, new factory, new impulse products and Middle East distribution.
• Key indicators: repeat purchase rate, average order value, gross margin, contribution margin and customer acquisition cost.
• Funding position: Whether Skippi Ice Pops can reach its next milestone before needing new capital.
• Regulation: Changes from consumer protection rules, FSSAI and BIS standards where relevant, the Legal Metrology rules and e-commerce regulations.

Industry Context: Where Skippi Ice Pops Fits

India's consumer market is large, young and increasingly online. Rising smartphone and internet use, digital payments and faster delivery have helped direct-to-consumer brands, marketplaces and quick-commerce platforms reach customers who once relied on local shops. Established companies, marketplaces and new brands now compete for the same shoppers.

Success in consumer businesses usually depends on a clear brand promise, repeat customers and healthy unit economics, not on sales volume alone. Companies that control quality, understand customer needs and manage marketing costs tend to build more durable brands than those that grow mainly by discounting.

For readers new to this field, a useful habit is to separate announcements from evidence. A plan, a partnership or a funding headline describes intent, while a delivered product, a paying customer or an audited financial statement describes results. Comparing the two over time shows how reliably a company turns promises into outcomes.

Bull Case and Bear Case for Skippi Ice Pops

An investment thesis is a short, testable statement of why a company could become far more valuable, together with what evidence would prove it wrong. The points below are general to this sector and are not forecasts for Skippi Ice Pops.

Bull case

• A growing base of online shoppers expands the potential market.
• Strong brands can earn repeat purchases and pricing power.
• Distribution through marketplaces, quick commerce and stores widens reach.

Bear case

• Heavy competition and discounting can hurt margins.
• Rising marketing costs can slow profitable growth.
• Supply-chain or quality problems can quickly damage trust.

Lessons Founders and Investors Can Take from Skippi Ice Pops

Studying a company in the Packaged foods and frozen desserts space offers lessons that go beyond any single firm. The points below are general lessons for the sector and are not claims about Skippi Ice Pops.

• A clear brand identity and consistent product quality matter more than short-term sales spikes.
• Repeat customers lower acquisition costs and make growth more profitable.
• Controlling the supply chain helps protect quality and margins as volumes grow.
• Selling across several channels, such as own website, marketplaces, quick commerce and stores, reduces dependence on one platform.
• Healthy contribution margins are a better sign of progress than revenue growth alone.

How to Evaluate Skippi Ice Pops as a Startup

• Customer clarity: Can Skippi Ice Pops name its customer and the problem it solves in one sentence?
• Evidence of demand: Look for repeat customers, signed contracts or measurable usage rather than announcements alone.
• Economics: Check whether margins improve as volume grows.
• Execution: Compare announced timelines with what has actually been delivered.
• Funding runway: Estimate how long current capital lasts at the present spending rate.
• Regulatory standing: Confirm required approvals are in place.
• Customer concentration: Check whether a few customers account for most of the revenue.
• Management depth: Look for experienced leaders beyond the founders and a stable core team.

The Takeaway

Skippi Ice Pops is part of India’s growing Packaged foods and frozen desserts ecosystem. The useful lesson from studying it is the discipline of asking structured questions about customers, economics, advantage and resilience. Companies that answer them well, repeatedly and under pressure are the ones that endure. Readers should treat any single report, ranking or funding headline as one input among many, and should re-check key facts against recent company announcements. Because public information on young companies is often limited, patience in verifying claims is part of good analysis. Public sources can also describe the same company in different ways, so it is worth checking dates, definitions and whether a figure refers to revenue, total income or transaction value, and whether it covers one entity or a wider group, before drawing conclusions. Small differences in rounding, currency conversion or reporting periods can also change how a figure reads. Comparing the same figure across several recent reports helps show whether it is stable or has changed over time. This article is educational and is not investment advice.

• Clear customers and repeat demand matter more than announcements.
• Regulation and capital needs shape how fast a startup in this sector can grow.
• Track a few leading indicators over time rather than one headline metric.

Skippi Ice Pops FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions

What is Skippi Ice Pops?

Skippi Ice Pops is a Hyderabad-based Indian food brand that makes preservative-free ice popsicles (chuskis), cream rolls and corn sticks sold through retail outlets, quick commerce and e-commerce. It is profiled in the Startup Deep Dive series, which explains business model, funding, competitors and risks.

Who founded Skippi Ice Pops?

Skippi Ice Pops was founded by Ravi Kabra, Anuja Kabra, and the company reports a founding year of 2021.

How much funding has Skippi Ice Pops raised?

More than $2.7 million (Inc42 as read); other databases differ. Funding figures are reported and may differ between sources, so readers should check the latest company announcements.

How does Skippi Ice Pops make money?

Skippi Ice Pops earns revenue from its Packaged foods and frozen desserts products and services sold to online shoppers, retail customers, marketplaces and distribution partners. The exact revenue mix is described in the business model section and is not fully disclosed publicly.

Who are the competitors of Skippi Ice Pops?

Reported rivals include Mother Dairy, Amul, Kwality Walls. See the competitor comparison above for how they differ.

What are the main risks for Skippi Ice Pops?

Main risks include competition: low barriers to entry and large marketplaces make it hard for a brand to stay differentiated, funding and capital needs, competition and regulation by consumer protection rules, FSSAI and BIS standards where relevant, the Legal Metrology rules and e-commerce regulations. This is educational content, not investment advice.

Related Startup Deep Dives: Clinikally — Clinikally: dermatology platform raised $2.6M from YC and Tribe Capital | Oro Money — Oro Money: Chennai gold loan startup backed by 021 Capital. Browse the full Startup Deep Dive series.

Source

Source: Publicly available data, published reports, industry research, and other credible sources.