‘We’ve been trying crazy ideas’: Bengaluru founder says promoting his snack brand on IndiGo flight has been most “nerve-racking”

Bengaluru-based protein snacks startup, Nuvie’s founder, recently went viral for his bold and unconventional marketing strategy in promoting his product mid-air on an IndiGo flight.

In a recent post on LinkedIn, Nuvie founder Prashant Paliwal, however, disclosed that despite such promotions, the brand wasn’t growing at the start.

“We’ve been trying crazy ideas to grow Nuvie ‘s IG following for the last 1 month, because we tried everything by the book for a year and we didn’t grow much,” he wrote.

Snack brand founder's promotional stint on IndiGo flight

In the viral promotional video, Prashant was seen walking down the aisle of the aircraft wearing a blue T-shirt featuring his company’s name and logo. Introducing himself to passengers, he said, “I’m Prashant, founder of this brand, Nuvie. We are a protein snacks brand based out of Bangalore. And we have been trying crazy ideas every single day to grow the following of our brand.”

He even said, “I’m extremely nervous, and I’m literally shaking right now,” as he continued speaking to passengers who listened curiously.

Next, he asked travellers to follow his brand on social media and added that he would be waiting outside after landing with free product samples. “Once we land, I’ll be outside, and if you’d like to try our products, we have samples free of cost, so come and say hi to me,” he added.

The stunt triggered a divided reaction online. While many praised his courage, others called him “desperate”.

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Bold promotional attempt pays well

However, the healthy snack brand founder said that he is loving the process of creating content a lot more now, and his brand, “Nuvie”, is now growing steadily.

He revealed that the Day 12 promotion on the IndiGo flight has been the “most nerve-wracking thing” he has ever attempted. Nuvie founder Prashant Paliwal closed the post, pleading with everyone to follow the brand on Instagram.

What is Nuvie?

The food and beverage retail startup Nuvie was founded by Prashant Paliwal and Hem Narayan in 2024, so that healthy food wouldn’t feel like punishment. The Bengaluru-based food startup focuses on making nutritious food products, including protein shakes and cold coffee.

Nuvie has raised $450K in funding, aiming to expand its product range and market presence.

Maintaining a healthy diet often means giving up flavour, fun, or convenience. Nuvie was launched to make healthy taste delicious, so it feels like something you choose because you love it, not because you have to, as shared on the company page.

Prashant has spent over ten years in the health and fitness industry. As a nutrition coach, he helped people transform their lifestyles and shifted his own approach from chasing extremes to building habits that last. He learned that balance, not sacrifice, is what keeps people coming back to healthy living.

Hem has spent years training in different ways, from the gym to climbing, and experimenting in the kitchen. For him, healthy eating was once a challenge until he started reimagining recipes to be both nourishing and worth craving.

Also read: ‘Fitness ka jugaad nahi hota, boss’: Shaadi.com’s Anupam Mittal says Ozempic won’t solve India’s obesity problem (startuppedia.in)