From rural farmlands to urban marketplaces, India’s agricultural supply chain is riddled with inefficiencies that often go unnoticed. Counterfeit products, fragmented operations, and poor traceability continue to pose a threat to both consumer safety and farmer livelihoods.
However, despite being critically important for the nation, the sector has remained largely resistant to digital transformation. And this is a challenge compounded by low awareness, weak regulatory compliance, and the absence of scalable tech solutions tailored to the ecosystem’s unique needs.
Yet, change is beginning to take root. A new generation of agritech startups is stepping in to modernize this vast but chaotic landscape, using technology to bring much-needed transparency and trust.
For this week’s Newzchain Exclusive, we spoke to Shreedhar Bhat, founder of Bangalore-based Scalion, to understand how his startup is reimagining agricultural supply chains with traceability, compliance, and anti-counterfeiting at its core.
A Founder’s Response to a Broken System
According to a report, nearly 30% of agri-products sold in the country are counterfeit. And this is a statistic that raises serious concerns about food safety and farmer welfare. Pair that with the WHO’s estimate of 420,000 annual deaths due to foodborne illnesses globally, and the urgency becomes hard to ignore.
This is the backdrop against which Scalion Commerce was born.
Founder Shreedhar Bhat saw firsthand how supply chains were breaking down not just due to a lack of tech, but because of deeper operational blind spots. There are fake agri-inputs, regulatory oversights, and a lack of verifiable data that make it hard for businesses to scale responsibly.
“The real trigger was watching agri-businesses lose revenue and credibility due to problems that could have been solved with better systems,” Bhat recalls.
“That’s when we decided to stop waiting for a perfect solution and build one ourselves.”
At its core, Scalion is designed to help agri-businesses Trace, Protect, and Comply. The platform offers unit-level blockchain traceability, but what makes it stand out is its integrated approach.
“We didn’t want to build just another digital ledger,” says Bhat. “We wanted to build the entire scaffolding for safe, compliant agricultural trade — from seed to shelf.”
Scalion’s tech stack supports the full lifecycle of agri supply chains: seed lifecycle management, contract farming, farm and FPO operations, production, warehouse and inventory management, logistics, and livestock tracking. On top of this, it weaves in anti-counterfeit technology and certification support for ESG, EUDR, IndGAP, Ecocert, and more.
Rather than focusing on a single pain point, Scalion has positioned itself as a comprehensive operating system for agri-businesses, particularly those navigating the complexities of scale, compliance, and trust in India’s fast-evolving food systems.
Building from the Ground, Literally
Since its inception, Scalion has quietly built one of the most far-reaching agritech footprints in the country. The startup currently works with over 200 agri-businesses and 35 farmer producer organisations (FPOs), impacting more than 7.2 million farmers across India. And this scale hasn’t come from aggressive fundraising or a large team; it’s come from focus and resilience.
Scalion remains entirely bootstrapped, run by a lean team of 15 individuals spread across the country. It’s a structure that reflects both its mission and its culture.
“We believe in building sustainably — not just in terms of operations, but also in the way we work,” says Bhat.
The company operates on a fully remote model, encouraging reverse migration and supporting minimalist, rural-first living for its team.
“Our aim is to build a high-trust work culture that encourages people to grow into leadership, wherever they are,” he adds.
The startup’s innovation has been recognised by Pusa Krishi, the agri-innovation arm of ICAR, where it is currently incubated. It has also been featured on DD Chandana’s Startup Champions, as well as platforms like Open Business Network and Business Success Mantra. Scalion is an ISO 9001:2015 certified company and is in the process of securing intellectual property (IP) for its anti-counterfeit technology.
Looking ahead, Scalion’s short-term goal is to deepen traceability at every level of the agri supply chain. But the long-term vision is far more ambitious: to build a global operating layer for compliant, transparent, and tech-driven food systems.
Tech That Works Where It Matters Most
Building a startup in agriculture comes with a unique set of challenges, many of which don’t have easy playbooks. For Shreedhar Bhat, the road to Scalion wasn’t just about building software; it was about navigating a deeply unorganised, fragmented industry with limited digital adoption.
“Agriculture isn’t like other sectors where tech is plug-and-play,” Bhat explains. “We were dealing with low digital literacy, unstructured operations, and very little data hygiene. That meant our platform had to be intuitive enough to work in the field, not just in theory.”
To solve this, Scalion adopted a co-creation model, working closely with early clients to build around real-world workflows. This not only kept development lean but also built a strong network of early champions, helping the company grow through referrals and trust rather than marketing spend.
“Being bootstrapped meant every decision had to be efficient,” Bhat says. “And every client had to become a believer.”
Looking back, the challenges were many, from credibility gaps to the sheer complexity of digitising agricultural processes. But Scalion’s steady rise is proof that persistence, empathy, and a willingness to build from the ground up still matter.
As for what comes next, Bhat keeps his advice short but sharp. It is the same mindset that shaped Scalion:
“Try again. Update and up-play.”
For a sector long overdue for systems it can rely on, Scalion is proving that the right kind of tech, built for the ground, not just the cloud, can make all the difference.
Edited by Harshajit Sarmah
