The Licious Co-Founder on his big Petcare bet | Varun Sadana (Supertails)

How did Varun Sadana go from building India’s most loved meat brand Licious to disrupting the fast-growing pet care industry with Supertails? In this episode of the Founder Thesis Podcast, we uncover the bold bets behind India’s first digital-native pet health and commerce platform.

Varun Sadana, co-founder of Supertails and ex-co-founder of Licious, shares his fascinating journey from corporate roles at Hindustan Unilever and Snapdeal to building category-creating consumer brands. Supertails, founded in 2021, blends tele-veterinary care, pharmacy, and e-commerce into one seamless platform for India’s growing pet parent community. In this candid conversation with Akshay Datt, Varun reveals how Supertails scaled to 250,000+ vet consultations, built trust in a regulatory gray zone, and positioned itself in a sector projected to hit $16B by 2032. From insights on omnichannel expansion to contrarian views on unit economics, this episode is a masterclass in building durable consumer businesses in sunrise sectors.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• How Varun Sadana transitioned from Licious to founding Supertails
• The business model behind Supertails’ tele-vet and commerce flywheel
• Lessons on scaling during India’s funding winter and capital discipline
• Macro trends reshaping India’s $10B+ pet care market
• Insights on competition with Heads Up For Tails, Zigly, and Drools
• Why regulation and clinical trust are the hidden moats in pet health

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00:00 - Varun Sadana’s journey from Licious to Supertails
06:10 - Founding Supertails to disrupt India’s pet care market
14:25 - How Supertails built trust with 250k+ tele-vet consults
21:40 - Scaling pet health commerce in India’s funding winter
30:55 - Competing with Heads Up For Tails, Zigly, Drools
41:20 - Omnichannel strategy and offline clinics at Supertails
50:05 - Regulatory risks and tele-vet readiness in India
58:45 - Future of pet care startups in India

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