How Gomini uses urban fractional ownership to make rural dairy ecosystem viable

While India is seeing rapid urbanisation and an evolving consumption culture, there’s also a growing disconnect between urban consumers and sustainable agriculture. This has especially impacted animal husbandry and India’s dairy market, valued at nearly Rs 19 lakh crore in 2024, according to IMARC Group. Over time, gaushalas (cow shelters) have struggled with funding and scalability, which makes them vulnerable to protect the 54 indigenous cow breeds and protect rural livelihoods.

This is the challenge Forbesganj, Bihar-based Gomini aims to solve.

The startup operates on a decentralised model designed to make cow preservation commercially viable while empowering farmers. It integrates AI, IoT, and blockchain to monitor cow health, milk yield, and farmer income in real time.

Starting up

The idea took root when Arjun Sharma, who has over 17 years of experience in AI, blockchain and cybersecurity at companies including Oracle, Rockwell Automation, and SaiX, was inspired by social activist and Ayurveda promoter Rajiv Dixit’s philosophy. He was approached to donate to a project helmed by Dixit, highlighting the economic value of indigenous cows beyond milk with their dung and urine, and their role in organic farming. However, he realised the traditional gaushala model could not be scaled up sustainably. 

Sharma teamed up with childhood friend Gauri Shankar Maheshwari, with whom he had also collaborated to launch Delhi-NCR-based ride-hailing startup ShareWheelz, as well as Waundry, an on-demand laundry startup that delivered a profitable exit. They spent over a decade studying the ecosystem—from cow breed lifespans and economics to structural population declines, and formally launched Gomini in 2025. 

The startup is bootstrapped with Rs 2 crore investment from the founding team.

Connecting urban and rural economies

Unlike large dairy farms or gaushalas, Gomini empowers farmers to raise small groups of cows within their villages. Each participating family receives five cows, along with feed and capital support until the cattle start lactating. Once 20 families are onboarded, Gomini sets up a local production unit, structured as a farmer-producer organisation (FPO), where the community creates value-added products such as ghee, butter, A2 whey protein, and soaps.

“From one village with 100 cows and 20 families, the model can generate Rs 7–8 crore in annual economic value,” says Sharma. “As the cluster grows to 500 cows, villages become self-sufficient: migration pressures reduce, organic farming expands, and women emerge as entrepreneurs.”

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A key innovation in Gomini’s approach is its adoption programme. Urban families can “own” a cow by investing in the upkeep of cows, covering the cost of the animal, shelter, feed, and insurance for the first two years. These cows are sourced via partnerships with platforms like livestock e-trader Pashushala.com, with genetics and health certificates. Farmers raise and care for the cows, while adopters receive returns once the cows start producing panchgavya products—cow dung, urine, milk, curd, and ghee. Early adopters have already taken up about 40% of the products produced during pilot runs.

“The model connects city dwellers with rural livelihoods while making preservation sustainable,” explains Sharma.

Business model and early traction

Gomini has structured its investment model to cater to different levels of engagement for urban families. 

At the individual level, the Cow Guardians franchise lets urban families own one or two cows with an investment of Rs 4.2 lakh per cow, receiving monthly A2 dairy products and financial returns that can reach upwards of 13% CAGR. This model intends to create a personal connection between city dwellers and rural livelihoods.

For those seeking a larger social and financial impact, the Heritage Partners franchise enables investors, including high-net-worth individuals and family offices, to sponsor clusters of 5 to 99 cows, supporting entire rural families for Rs 20 lakh to Rs 4 crore. In return, investors receive premium products along with detailed impact reports, while profits follow a step-up structure targeting 6–20% returns.

At the top end, the Cowvestors franchise empowers investors to own entire village-level dairy ecosystems with 100 or more cows with an investment exceeding Rs 4 crore. These clusters integrate multiple revenue streams, from milk and ghee to soaps and A2 whey protein, with profit-sharing arrangements targeting 25–35% IRR. These products are produced through FPO, with Gomini ensuring training and quality standards. They are sold as inventory of existing brands

This system ensures accurate profit-sharing, reduces reliance on intermediaries, and makes outcomes measurable for both farmers and urban adopters. Profit is auto-distributed via smart contracts, with guardian families getting 25%, farmers 55%, Gomini gets 10%, and the rest goes to a charity for abandoned and injured cows.

Impact and future plans

Before incorporating Gomini, the founders onboarded 500 farmers and supported them in building 200+ sustainable gaushalas.

“Farmers have seen incomes rise 20–30% through transparent profit-sharing and reduced dependence on middlemen. The startup plans to expand its D2C channels and officially launch its branded product portfolio next year,” Sharma says.

While Gomini has no direct domestic competitor, there are startups across the world that operate on fractional ownership of cows, including New Zealand-based Halter and Switzerland-based Finka—both employ tokenized cow management.

By decentralising ownership, professionalising processing, and combining traditional knowledge with modern technology, Gomini is turning cow preservation into a self-sustaining economic engine—one that strengthens rural livelihoods, preserves native breeds, and bridges the gap between urban consumers and sustainable agriculture.