Ajinkya Rahane Backs Ember Cookware 106 Days After Retiring
Ajinkya Rahane has invested in Bengaluru cookware brand Ember, 106 days after he retired from cricket. The amount was not shared. Here is Ember’s plan.
2 min read
Quick Take
- Ajinkya Rahane joined Ember Cookware as an investor on November 13, 2026, 106 days after he retired from all cricket.
- Ember Cookware raised Rs 28.3 crore in seed money in September 2025. The new amount was not shared.
- Ember Cookware wants Rs 100 crore in yearly revenue by March 2027.
Ajinkya Rahane has put money into Ember Cookware, a Bengaluru cookware brand, 106 days after he retired from every form of cricket.
The amount was not shared. Ember Cookware’s statement of November 13 names Rahane beside four other backers.
Rahane’s cheque follows a Rs 28.3 crore seed round that Ember Cookware closed in September 2025. Ember Cookware wants Rs 100 crore in yearly revenue by March 2027, up from a Rs 30 crore goal for the year to March 2026.
The four other named backers are Licious co-founders Vivek Gupta and Abhay Hanjura, Yoga Bar co-founder Suhasini Sampath, and Nicobar co-founder Raul Rai.
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Siddharth Gadodia and Himanshi Tandon started Ember Cookware in 2024.
Ember Cookware sells 15 products across ceramic and cast iron. Between 50% and 60% of sales come from its own website.
Ember Cookware spent more than two years on research before the first pan went on sale. The pans are designed in California and made in Italy.
Ember Cookware says the pans carry no PTFE, PFOA, PFAS, lead or cadmium.
Rahane put it this way:
“What stands out about Ember is its focus on product innovation”
Ajinkya Rahane, investor, Ember Cookware. From the company statement, November 13, 2026.
Ember Cookware is at least the sixth startup Rahane has backed since 2020. Rahane led a $3 Mn round in deeptech firm Proxgy in December 2024.
Earlier bets include organic food firm MeraKisan in 2020, sports venue booking platform Hudle, footwear brand Chupps and CaneBOT in 2025.
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Money is moving into clean cookware. The Indus Valley raised about Rs 161 crore in its latest round.
Cumin Co. raised about Rs 41 crore in a pre-Series A round in January 2026.
What this means for you
If you run a D2C kitchen or home brand raising a round, a retired cricketer is now a live name for your cap table. Rahane has backed at least six startups since 2020, so lead with the product story, the way Ember Cookware did.
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