24-year-old entrepreneur whose unconventional journey is fast inspiring India’s young startup community

Founded in June 2025, ADC Foods, also known as The Anti-Diet Club, is a Pune-based healthy food venture on a mission to make protein consumption simple, tasty, and accessible. The startup was launched by Suchitra Kodlekere, a 24-year-old entrepreneur whose unconventional journey is fast inspiring India’s young startup community.

A native of Pune, Suchitra has been experimenting with entrepreneurship since the age of 19. From selling Polaroid photographs to converting plastic bottles into athleisure products, her early ventures reflected a deep curiosity for business and creativity. Despite excelling academically in college, she chose not to pursue a traditional MBA when encouraged by her counsellors. Instead, Suchitra made a bold decision—to read 50 books rather than spend lakhs on a formal management degree.

“I made a pact with myself to learn differently,” Suchitra shared in an exclusive conversation with VOE Media. She began documenting her reading journey, insights, and daily learnings on Instagram through short reels, which quickly gained traction and helped her build a strong personal brand.

Alongside this, Suchitra worked part-time as a creative content creator and consultant for a diamond jewellery brand, sharpening her understanding of branding and consumer psychology. The turning point came in March 2025 when a friend from the cold-pressed juice industry offered her a workspace at Solaris, a sports and fitness club. At the same time, Suchitra had become deeply invested in fitness, carefully tracking her meals and protein intake.

Pooling ₹75,000 from her personal savings, she officially launched ADC Foods with a clear vision: to make high-protein food easy, clean, and delicious. The initial idea revolved around a frozen chicken steak with 50 grams of protein, but operational challenges around temperature control led to a pivot. The brand soon transitioned to frozen protein bites, outsourcing manufacturing for better scalability.

Today, ADC Foods offers preservative-free, sugar-free frozen protein bites made from chicken and paneer. Ready in under 10 minutes using a pan or air fryer, and requiring absolutely no oil, the products deliver 25 to 50 grams of protein per pack. With flavours like Barbecue, Tandoori, Jamaican Jerk, and Peri Peri, each pack contains 10–12 bites, roughly 300–375 calories, and is priced between ₹199 and ₹210. The brand also offers monthly subscription packs for regular consumers.

Since its inception, ADC Foods has served over 2,000 customers and generated approximately ₹4 lakh in revenue, marking a promising start for a young brand that’s redefining healthy eating in India, one protein bite at a time.