Published in The Indian Express on 18 August 2026, this feature by Dipanita Nath profiles Proeon, a Venture Center-associated startup working to make plant-based protein a practical and sustainable alternative to animal-derived sources. Founded in 2018 by Kevin Parekh and Ashish Korde, the company spent years evaluating nearly 40 Indian crops for their nutritional value, taste, functionality and availability before developing its flagship ingredient, Proeon Peanut 80—a protein isolate containing 80% protein.
The article follows Proeon’s journey from research to commercial scale, highlighting how its ingredients are used in products such as protein powders, bars, cookies and high-protein flour. With customers ranging from emerging ventures to multinational food companies, Proeon is demonstrating the potential of India’s agricultural resources to meet growing demand for alternative protein. Its story also reflects how deep-tech ventures can combine food science, sustainability and scalable manufacturing to reshape the future of nutrition.