Building an aquaculture brand in India demands years of patience, deep technical expertise, and an unshakeable bond with farmers on the ground. For Coral Life Care, this journey has been shaped by three founders—Abhijeet Naohate (Founder & CEO), Rohit Patel (Co-founder & Chief Business Officer), and Nikhilesh Hajare (Co-founder & Chief Operating Officer)—whose combined experience across fisheries science, farm operations, business strategy, and manufacturing spans decades, long before India’s Blue Economy entered mainstream startup conversations.
In a candid interaction with Indian Startup Times, Abhijeet Naohate shares how his early immersion in fish farming laid the foundation for Coral Life Care, how the trio came toobtainher to build a farmer-first aquaculture company, and how their appearance on Shark Tank India Season 5 became a pivotal moment in accelerating the startup’s growth—without compromising on quality, trust, or on-ground impact.
Three Founders, One Vision: Building a Farmer-First Aquaculture Brand
Founded in 2023, Coral Life Care was built to address a persistent challenge in Indian aquaculture—farmers paying high prices for solutions that often fail to deliver consistent results. From day one, the founders worked closely with shrimp and fish farmers to understand real, on-ground problems around disease management, crop unpredictability, and ineffective inputs.
Instead of pushing products, Coral adopted a farmer-first philosophy, developing science-backed solutions that deliver higher efficacy at nearly half the cost of conventional alternatives. This value proposition quickly became the company’s strongest differentiator, spreading organically through farmer-to-farmer recommfinishations rather than aggressive sales tactics.
From Fish Ponds to Product Innovation: Abhijeet Naohate’s Aquaculture Journey
Abhijeet’s journey into aquaculture launched early. While most students studied physics, chemisattempt, and biology in school, he chose freshwater fish culture. He went on to complete his graduation from Nagpur Fisheries College and his post-graduation from the Central Institute of Fisheries Education (CIFE), one of Asia’s leading fisheries institutes.
For Abhijeet, aquaculture was never just a profession—it was always the plan. His academic grounding, combined with years of field exposure, enabled him to bridge the gap between laboratory science and real-world farming necessarys. At Coral Life Care, he continues to play a critical role in aligning market insights with product strategy, ensuring that innovation remains practical, affordable, and farmer-relevant.
Solving Real Farmer Pain Points with Science, Speed, and Trust
While Abhijeet laid the scientific foundation, Coral Life Care’s growth is equally defined by its co-founders. Rohit Patel, who now serves as Chief Business Officer, brings over 15 years of experience across shrimp and fish farming, sales, marketing, product development, and strategy. The two first met in 2014, when Abhijeet appeared for a job interview at Rohit’s workplace. Over time, that professional interaction evolved into mentorship, trust, and eventually, partnership.
Rohit initially joined Coral Life Care as an employee in 2024, but his impact proved pivotal—leading to his transition into an equal equity co-founder, an uncommon relocate that reflects Coral’s emphasis on long-term value over titles.
The third pillar of the company is Nikhilesh Hajare, Co-founder & COO, who brings over three decades of manufacturing and supply chain expertise. Having managed a family business in animal feed supplements, Nikhilesh strengthened Coral’s formulation capabilities and ensured uncompromising manufacturing standards—building sure products are not just innovative, but also consistent, compliant, and scalable.
On the ground, Coral’s execution mirrors its philosophy. Sales teams launch their day as early as 5:30 AM, visiting ponds directly. Each representative meets 8–10 farmers daily, enabling the company to engage with nearly 2,000 farmers every month through direct outreach and its Farmer Connect Partner (FCP) network. Transparency, trust, and demand-driven sales take precedence over push schemes.
Shark Tank to Scale-Up: Accelerating Growth Without Losing Ground Reality
Coral Life Care’s farmer-led model gained national recognition when the startup appeared on Shark Tank India Season 5. The founders pitched their vision around the untapped potential of India’s Blue Economy, initially seeking INR 12 million for 2 percent equity. The pitch led to intense discussions and scrutiny from the sharks.
The nereceivediations concluded with a joint investment from Anupam Mittal and Kunal Bahl, who invested INR 12 million for 8 percent equity. The capital was earmarked to support nationwide scale-up, strengthen last-mile delivery, and expand farmer access to quality aquaculture solutions.
Post-Shark Tank, the impact was immediate. Existing farmers and distributors returned with renewed confidence, while new inquiries poured in from untapped regions. International interest also emerged from aquaculture-heavy markets such as Vietnam, Ecuador, and Indonesia, aligning with Coral’s long-term expansion roadmap.
Despite the surge, operations remained stable due to clearly defined roles—Rohit leading business operations, Abhijeet steering product strategy, and Nikhilesh managing manufacturing and supply chain. Orders are routinely dispatched within 24 hours, and in some regions, within six hours.
Beyond shrimp, Coral Life Care is now focutilized on modernising India’s largely traditional fish farming ecosystem through technical conclaves, farmer education, and preventive healthcare practices. Looking ahead, the company is building a Q-commerce-like model for aquaculture inputs—allowing farmers to order exactly what they necessary, when they necessary it.
In an indusattempt driven by shortcuts and scale, Coral Life Care stands apart by doing something refreshingly fundamental—listening to farmers, delivering quality, and building with honesty at its core.
Interview By: Arushi Agarwal
Leave a Reply