Snackpot: Sudeepta Sahu on Food Innovation and the Power of Execution
When corporate leaders transition to entrepreneurship, they often bring a wealth of strategic knowledge. But for Sudeepta Sahu, Founder of Snackpot, the real transformation was learning to listen—truly listen—to the consumer. After over a decade in corporate leadership and graduating from the Indian School of Business (ISB), Sudeepta launched Snackpot in 2019 to fill a gap she personally experienced: the lack of truly healthy, preservative-free snacking options for busy professionals.
Snackpot isn't just about selling snacks; it's a food innovation company that takes traditional Indian ingredients and reimagines them for the modern consumer. "Our idea was to take ingredients that already exist in our food habits and innovate slightly to bring out better, healthier options without any added sugar or preservatives," Sudeepta explains. This focus on "clean label" products resonates with a post-pandemic audience that is increasingly conscious of what they feed their bodies.
Execution is Everything
In the startup world, ideas are often considered cheap. Sudeepta lived this reality during the early days of Snackpot. "Vision is a guiding light, but if you want to succeed, it has to be executed at 200% of your capacity," she asserts. "Execution is the hallmark of a successful venture. You have to be responsive to the customer and constantly improve based on their feedback."
The Consumer Behavior Puzzle
One of the most surprising lessons for Sudeepta was the complexity of Indian consumer behavior. "You might think a product will be accepted exactly as you envisioned, but it almost never happens that way," she notes. Her solution? Be ruthless about taking feedback. Sudeepta makes calls, listens to complaints, and has no ego when it comes to refining her products based on what the market actually wants.
This customer-centric approach helped Snackpot find its "Product-Market Fit" by iterating quickly. Whether it was the packaging, the flavor profiles, or the health promise, every element was shaped by real-world interaction rather than boardroom hypotheses.
Building a 'Mission-First' Team
For a bootstrapped startup, every hire is critical. Sudeepta looks for one specific trait above all else: ownership. "Everything else is secondary—skills can be learned. But the feeling that 'this is my own business' is the topmost quality I look for," she says. This sense of shared ambition allows a small, motivated team to outperform a much larger, less engaged corporate structure.
Sudeepta's Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
- Be Ready for the Drain: Entrepreneurship is financially, emotionally, and mentally taxing. Don't start until you are ready to handle all three elements.
- Hire for Attitude: Find people who have the ambition to learn and a deep sense of ownership.
- Ditch the Ego: When talking to customers, listen without bias. They are your best mentors.
- Focus on Lean Methodologies: If you're bootstrapping, stay lean and focus on building revenue streams from day one.
The Vision for Snackpot
Sudeepta's goal for Snackpot is to become the go-to name for impulsive, healthy snacking. She wants to be there for people when they need a quick bite that adds value to their body rather than just empty calories. By staying responsive and maintaining high standards for nutrition and taste, Snackpot is carving out a significant niche in India's competitive food landscape.
Snackpot Philosophy
- Clean Labels: Zero preservatives, zero added sugar.
- Innovation: Reimagining traditional Indian ingredients.
- Bootstrapped Growth: Focused on lean operations and customer-led scaling.
About the Guest
Sudeepta Sahu is the Founder of Snackpot. An ISB alumna with over a decade of corporate experience at firms like Forbes Marshall and SKP Group, she is a food entrepreneur dedicated to health and innovation. Sudeepta is passionate about consumer behavior and believes that the future of the food industry lies in transparency and real nutrition. She is a mentor to other small business owners and a strong advocate for the MSME sector in India.
Snackpot is a food innovation company that specializes in healthy, packaged snacks. By focusing on traditional ingredients and innovative packaging, the brand offers guilt-free snacking options that are as nutritious as they are delicious, helping urban professionals maintain a healthy lifestyle on the go.