Stellapps: Smart Systems, Stellar Applications
Year: 2011
Founders: Ranjith Mukundan, Ravishankar G. Shiroor, Praveen Nale, Anilkumar Rathnamashetty, Venkatesh Kodur
Funding: $54M (Total disclosed funding as of early April 2025)
Investors: Blume Ventures, Omnivore, Qualcomm Ventures, ABB Technology Ventures, Caspian Equity, Flourish Ventures, IndusInd Bank, Stride Ventures, Trifecta Capital, Unitus Ventures, and others.
Introduction
Stellapps is the first complete dairy-tech platform in India seeking to change the face of milk production, procurement as well as distribution in the country. The company was set up by five IIT students in Bangalore and they are focusing on issues like the milk supply chain by using IoT, AI, and Big Data. Stellapps is benefiting from the use of technology in saving the people in more than 50,000 villages, and reaching more than 3 million dairy farmers. The partner of the company is an integrated digital platform that involves farmers, dairies, cooperatives, and consumers in a sustainable ecosystem.
Tackling Agricultural Challenges
While India ranks as the largest milk producer in the world, the dairy sector is plagued with parochial challenges: scattered supplies, inconsistent quality, shady payment systems, etc. Mothers indeed suffer delays in payments or half pay, vets are never handy, and almost all of them rely on a middleman for the sale of their produce. Cold chain gaps further lead to milk spoilage, and the absence of digitized quality checks makes traceability difficult. Stellapps steps in with a full-stack platform that empowers farmers, digitizes transactions, and integrates data to improve operational decision-making across the dairy value chain.
Key Offerings
- SmartMoo Platform: An IoT-driven solution that monitors cattle health, milk yield, and reproductive cycles using sensors and mobile apps, thereby aiding farmers in increasing productivity.
- mooPay: A digital payment gateway that ensures transparent, real-time payments to farmers’ bank accounts, thus eliminating delays and promoting financial inclusion.
- mooSecure: A quality assurance system that ensures milk traceability and real-time quality data (fat, SNF, adulteration), safeguarding consumer trust.
- mooCold: Smart cold chain management tools that optimize chilling center performance, reduce spoilage, and ensure safe milk delivery.
- Data Analytics & AI: Tools that deliver actionable insights across procurement, production, and logistics for dairies, cooperatives, and processors.
- Fintech for Farmers: Credit and insurance services are offered using milk production data as a proxy for creditworthiness, enabling farmers to access loans and build financial resilience.
Real Impact
Stellapps is not just digitizing dairy—it’s humanizing it. Today, over 3 million farmers across India benefit from its network. Through real-time milk quality checks and fair pricing models, farmers are seeing consistent income improvements of 20–30%. The transparent payment system via mooPay has built trust and reduced farmer dependency on middlemen. Moreover, Stellapps processes over 13 million liters of milk per day, supporting safer, traceable dairy for millions of Indian households. Cold chain losses have dropped, milk quality has improved, and timely vet care—enabled by SmartMoo—has boosted livestock health and yields.
The startup’s innovations have attracted investment from major backers like Omnivore, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and ABB Technology Ventures. Recognized by NASSCOM and the World Economic Forum, Stellapps is a model for how data can drive equitable growth in agriculture.
Success Story
In a small village in Maharashtra, dairy farmer Savita Deshmukh used to sell her milk to a local aggregator, often receiving delayed payments with quality disputes. After enrolling in a Stellapps-supported milk collection center, Savita’s milk yield data was digitized, and her quality scores improved through better cattle care guided by SmartMoo. She began receiving instant payments via mooPay and was later eligible for a microloan to expand her cattle shed. Within one year, her daily income increased by Rs.300, and her daughter started attending school regularly thanks to the financial stability.
Lessons for Agri-Startups
Stellapps offers a blueprint for AgriTech startups navigating complex rural ecosystems:
- Data is Power: Use real-time data to drive trust, quality, and credit access.
- Focus on Integration: Fragmented tools don’t solve systemic issues. Stellapps integrates IoT, finance, and analytics in one platform.
- Trust is a Currency: Transparent payments and quality assurance create lasting farmer relationships.
- Rural Inclusion Needs Tech + Touch: On-ground milk collection centers backed by digital tools create the perfect hybrid model.
- Backed by Scale, Powered by People: Stellapps scaled by proving farmer ROI first—then grew with strategic partners and credible outcomes.
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Stellapps is transforming dairy farming into a data-driven, transparent, and farmer-first business. Explore more such stories, insights, and opportunities in the agritech ecosystem.
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