Showing posts with label startups. Show all posts
Showing posts with label startups. Show all posts

Tuesday, 14 July 2020

Parking Spot Reservation Platform ParkSmart raises INR 1.5 CR from ah! Ventures and Marwari Angels


ParkSmart , a parking spot reservation platform founded by graduates from IIT Delhi, Rahul Gupta, Ratan Anmol Sethi, Rishabh Nagpal, Prateek Garg and Vishva Sharma, has raised INR 1.5 CR through ah! Ventures angel platform. The Marwari Angels also participated in this round. This is ah! Ventures 57th investment taking its total investment portfolio to INR 178 CR with 9 exits till date.

Founded in 2019, ParkSmart allows its customers to search, reserve, and pay for a parking spot through a mobile application. It also provides #IoT based smart parking solutions for malls, hospitals, institutes, corporates, etc.

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Parking Spot Reservation Platform ParkSmart raises INR 1.5 CR from ah! Ventures and Marwari Angels

ParkSmart, a parking spot reservation platform founded by graduates from IIT Delhi has raised INR 1.5 CR through ah! Ventures angel platform. Marwari Angels also participated in this round. This is ah! Ventures 57th investment taking its total investment portfolio to INR 178 CR with 9 exits till date.

Hyderabad Based eCommerce Startup 'IncNut Digital' Raises $4 Million In Series A Funding


eCommerce startup IncNut Digital has raised $4 million in its Series A round. The funding round was led by early-stage consumer-centric venture capital fund, RPSG Ventures.

Founded by Chaitanya Nallan, Veerendra Shivhare, and Sangram Simha in 2011, IncNut Digital is a Hyderabad-based eCommerce startup that owns and operates two women-centric digital media platforms – Stylecraze and Momjunction.com.

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Hyderabad Based eCommerce Startup 'IncNut Digital' Raises $4 Million In Series A Funding

eCommerce startup IncNut Digital has raised $4 million in its Series A round. The funding round was led by early-stage consumer-centric venture capital fund, RPSG Ventures. The startup plans to use the funding amount to strengthen and expand the Research and Developments labs.

From Rs 40 lakh to Rs 6 crore, the startup FreshWrold is modernising the way we buy fruits and vegetables


What if there was a pushcart vendor with battery-operated rickshaw designed to hold fruits and vegetables, which accepts digital payments, has a POS machine to capture orders, and has an app that could update the delivery routes?

This is what FreshWorld. has been doing for eight years now. The Bengaluru-based startup was founded by Rajiv Rao, a senior corporate executive, who gave up a well-paying job to build the future of consumption. Freshworld claims to have served over 50,000 loyal customers till now.

FreshWorld. uses GPS-equipped carts and ensures the customers are served on time. The startup has culled out the traditional fixed POS environment, ported it onto an Android tablet with a billing app, and provides a digitised bill for every transaction. The startup informs customers by way of SMS on time, variety, and price.

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From Rs 40 lakh to Rs 6 crore, this startup is modernising the way we buy fruits and vegetables

We all love eating farm-fresh fruits and vegetables. But sometimes, the vendor doesn't show up, or we miss out on them by a few minutes, or we just don't have the exact change in cash.

Delhi-NCR sees highest number of new startups during January-June, 2020


Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) has witnessed the highest number of startups being founded in the first six months of this year, on the back of its digital ecosystem, government support and infrastructure, including startup accelerators, incubators and enablers.

Between January and June, 109 startups were founded in Delhi-NCR, followed by 63 in Bengaluru and 44 in Mumbai, according to data by venture capital industry tracker Tracxn. Sectors such as edtech, fintech and enterprise applications saw more traction with several start-ups also repurposing their solutions to offer covid-related solutions.

Startups based out of Bengaluru, however, raised $2,436 million, more than their Delhi ($602 million) and Mumbai ($397 million) counterparts in the first half of the year, data showed. Big-ticket funding deals were in the edtech space with Byju’s leading the pack, valued now at $10.5 billion after raising $100 million Mary Meeker's fund Bond and another $110 million raised by Unacademy from Facebook and General Atlantic.

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Delhi-NCR sees highest number of new startups during January-June

Between January and June, 109 startups were founded in Delhi-NCR, followed by 63 in Bengaluru and 44 in Mumbai, according to data by venture capital industry tracker Tracxn. Sectors such as edtech, fintech and enterprise applications saw more traction with several start-ups also repurposing their solutions to offer covid-related solutions.

Sony invests $250 million in Fortnite maker Epic Games, valuing it at $17.86 Bn


Sony has invested $250 million for a minority stake in Fortnite maker Epic Games, the companies announced today. With the new money, Epic Games has raised $1.83 billion to date. Sony is acquiring a 1.4% stake in Epic, which means the deal values Epic Games at $17.86 billion.

The companies said the deal cements an already close relationship and reinforces their shared goal to advance the state of the art in technology, entertainment, and socially connected online services. This close relationship was underscored in May when Epic first showed the upcoming Unreal Engine 5 graphics running on a PlayStation 5. As the company itself has disclosed, Epic Games raised $1.58 billion in three previous funding rounds. In 2012, the company received a $330 million investment from Tencent for a 40% ownership stake.

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Sony invests $250 million in Fortnite maker Epic Games

Take the latest VB Survey to share how your company is implementing AI today. Sony has invested $250 million for a minority stake in Fortnite maker Epic Games, the companies announced today. With the new money, Epic Games has raised $1.83 billion to date.

Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) sets up centre for startups in Telangana


Industry association Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on Saturday said it has set up a centre in Telangana to help startups to connect with large business houses and corporates. CII Centre for Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Startups will also focus on deep-tech startups in the manufacturing sector to help create unicorns.

CII Centre for Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Startups is supported by the Telangana government by way of space at T-Hub technology startup incubator in the city, and Pratiksha, a charitable trust founded by Gopalakrishnan.

Telangana IT Minister K T Rama Rao, who launched the Centre, said, the facility will provide the right mix of entrepreneurial elements mentorship, access to capital and safety net for experimentation that will strengthen the startup ecosystem in not just Telangana, but across India.

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CII sets up centre for startups in Telangana

Industry association CII on Saturday said it has set up a centre in Telangana to help startups to connect with large business houses and corporates. CII Centre for Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Startups will also focus on deep-tech startups in the manufacturing sector to help create unicorns.

T-Hub partners IT Ministry to mentor hardware startups in India - Sentinelassam


Hyderabad-based global start-up catalyst T-Hub on Friday announced a partnership with the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) to lead Digital India's Scale Up programme for hardware and Internet of Things (#IoT) startups across India. As many as 10-15 startups with leading-edge solutions in #mobility, #energy, #agriculture, #aerospace, manufacturing, consumer, #healthtech, #medtech, smart cities and #logistics and #supplychain sectors will be shortlisted as part of the programme, T-Hub said in a statement.

The call for application for the programme will commence in July. Startups will be shortlisted from hundreds of applications after an extensive screening process, T-Hub added.

As part of the programme, the shortlisted startups will also receive equity-free grants, T-Hub said. "It is important for us to engage the startup community and bring innovative thinking into product development that can accelerate the creation of new offerings in the hardware space," said Ajai Garg, CEO of MeitY Startup Hub.

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T-Hub partners IT Ministry to mentor hardware startups in India - Sentinelassam

NEW DELHI: Hyderabad-based global start-up catalyst T-Hub on Friday announced a partnership with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to lead Digital India's Scale Up programme for hardware and Internet of Things (IoT) startups across India.

BlueNalu Signs MOU with Pulmuone, Announces Partnership Bringing Cell-Based Seafood to South Korea - BlueNalu, Inc.


BlueNalu, a leading food technology company developing cell-based seafood products, announced today the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Pulmuone Co. Ltd., a leader in healthy lifestyle and environmentally-friendly food products headquartered in South Korea. Pulmuone also participated in BlueNalu’s A round of financing, which was announced earlier this year.

Global demand for seafood is at an all-time high and continues to increase, particularly in Asia, where the two companies believe cell-based seafood can supplement the current supply of wild-caught and farm-raised fish. BlueNalu’s cellular aquaculture technology will allow it to produce a wide array of seafood products from a variety of species, without genetic modification, and will be free of microplastics, toxins, mercury and other environmental contaminants. The global pandemic has brought awareness to the vulnerability of our food supply. Cell-based seafood is a solution to food security and addresses the important issues of traceability, transparency and safety.

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BlueNalu Signs MOU with Pulmuone, Announces Partnership Bringing Cell-Based Seafood to South Korea - BlueNalu, Inc.

BlueNalu, a leading food technology company developing cell-based seafood products, announced today the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Pulmuone Co. Ltd., a leader in healthy lifestyle and environmentally-friendly food products headquartered in South Korea. Pulmuone also particip

UK challenger Monument to tap Britain's mass affluent - FinTech Futures


Monument Corporation, a new UK fintech challenger, is looking to tap Britain’s mass affluent population. Co-operative Bank’s former chief executive, @Niall Brooker, is chairing the venture. Mintoo Bhandari, a former managing director at Apollo Global Management – one of the world’s largest alternative investment manager firms, is leading the venture alongside Brooker.

The start-up reckons around 3.5 million consumers fall into this bracket, which it defines as people with a net worth between £250,000 and £5 million.

Through the last 18 months of the building process, Monument has interviewed roughly 1,800 mass affluent consumers. It says 93% of these respondents “expressed dissatisfaction” with their current banking provider. “Increasingly, private banking is focused on the ultra-high net worth and lags when it comes to embracing modern technology,” says Bhandari.

The start-up also says it is the first bank to offer an entirely digital lending journey for buy-to-let and property investment lending of up to £2 million. The bank will offer live chat, video and co-browsing features.

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UK challenger Monument to tap Britain's mass affluent - FinTech Futures

Monument, a new UK fintech challenger, is looking to tap Britain's 3.5 million mass affluent population with savings and lending products.

Startup Pathbooks Allows You to Access Hundreds of Interactive Books with Various Alternative Endings


Surely you know the story of Cinderella, the story of a young woman whose stepmother has turned her into her servant and who is finally rescued by a handsome prince with whom she marries and lives happily ever after.

Can you imagine what would happen if the young woman decided not to get married and instead decided to start a business? This is just what you can do with Pathbooks - Live your own Story , a startup that allows you to access hundreds of interactive books with various alternative endings.

The platform emerged in 2017 from the hand of Jorge Caballero, an engineer and programmer from Matamoros, Tamaulipas, who decided to take away the dullness of reading. “I come from the world of video. I liked to make short films that I directed and wrote ”, she says. "I worked for several years at Televisa, but I always had an entrepreneurial soul and I was trying to do new things, innovating and learning from failures, but always with the desire to do something that could have an impact and help millions of people," he says.

I used google to translate from Spanish.

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Crea tu propia historia durante esta cuarentena con PathBooks

Seguramente conoces el cuento de La Cenicienta, la historia de una joven cuya madrastra la ha convertido en su sirvienta y que finalmente es rescatada por un apuesto príncipe con el que se casa y vive feliz para siempre. ¿Te imaginas que pasaría si la joven decidiera no casarse y en su lugar optara por emprender un negocio?

Matrix Moments: Asish Mohapatra's journey from being an investor to building a fintech startup at scale


In this episode of Matrix Moments, Asish Mohapatra talks with Vikram Vaidyanathan, Managing Director, Matrix Partners India, about his journey of building OfBusiness, and his transition from being an investor at Matrix Partners India to the founder of a fintech startup.

Key takeaways for building big #FinTech startups:-

1. Every commerce company, once it attempts to scale, essentially has to solve for financing. Even Amazon and other big players are realising the potential of installment economy.

2. To be able to make a financing transaction, you need to have different capabilities. And those should be around debt raising (because debt is cheaper than equity), underwriting, and collections.

3. People at the top have to have to speak the exact same language as the customers' requirements.

4. You have to force people to consciously develop a risk mindset, which not many of us do because fundamentally, we are empiricist in nature.

5. Being customer-centric is necessary but it is never sufficient.

6. You need to have technology in your businesses because without that you won't have access or low-cost access.

7. To scale a company, it is also important to have a strong team and a set of founders.

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[Matrix Moments] Asish Mohapatra's journey from being an investor to building a fintech startup at scale

In this episode of Matrix Moments, Asish Mohapatra talks with Vikram Vaidyanathan, Managing Director, Matrix Partners India, about his journey of building OfBusiness, and his transition from being an investor at Matrix Partners India to the founder of a fintech startup.

How A Tech Entrepreneur Broke Records With A $189M Valuation Pre-Launch On The Road To $1B


Fintech is forecast to achieve a #CAGR of 25% through 2022, reaching a market value of $309B. Traditional banks’ legacy approach to IT holds them back from being more customer-centric. And in a recently published World Retail Banking Report, 2020 by Capgemini and Efma, 78% of financial services leaders said cybersecurity is the biggest obstacle to collaborating and becoming more customer-centric.

Fintech startups excel at #analytics, #AI and #machinelearning to see how they can become more empathetic and helpful to customers. Fintech startups are also succeeding today because their design provides customers the freedom to interact with them as they want and treat cybersecurity as a part of customer experience. There’s been a 667% increase in spear-fishing email attacks related to Covid-19 since February alone, further underscoring the need for designing in cybersecurity to the platform level.

Fintech startup leaders are delivering excellent user experiences with apps based on adaptive design today. They’re also able to scale how many credit cards can be on a single account and integrated into a single card using polymorphic technology that thwarts fraud attempts.

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How A Tech Entrepreneur Broke Records With A $189M Valuation Pre-Launch On The Road To $1B

Bottom Line: Traditional banks aren't innovating fast enough to improve credit card fraud, endpoint cybersecurity, AI-powered end-to-end identity verification and more intuitive user experiences creating new opportunities for startups. Fintech is forecast to achieve a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25% through 2022, reaching a market value of $309B.

YourStory Exclusive: Whiteboard Capital commits up to Rs 100Cr more to invest in hardware startups to boost 'Made in India' drive


In an exclusive conversation with YourStory Media’s CEO and Founder Shradha Sharma, Whiteboard Capital’s Managing Partner Sandeep Tandon revealed plans to set aside up to Rs 100 crore more to invest in hardware startups manufacturing Made in India products.

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[YS Exclusive] Whiteboard Capital commits up to Rs 100Cr more to invest in hardware startups to boost 'Made in India' drive

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi's war cry for 'Vocal for Local,' many Indian startups and domestic businesses are seizing the opportunity to accelerate the manufacture of 'Made in India' products. Similarly, many Indian investors have been driving the push for more homegrown innovations and products, with the bulk of these investments focussed on startups delivering software solutions.

Pune-based Mylab launches 'Compact XL' to automate molecular diagnostic tests for COVID-19


Pune-based molecular diagnostics company, Mylab Discovery Solutions Pvt. Ltd. has launched 'Compact XL' - India's first machine to automate the manual processes of molecular diagnostic tests such as RT-PCR tests for Covid-19. According to an official press release, Compact XL is a compact bench-top machine that will automate lab processes from sample handling to preparing RT-PCR ready tubes. The machine can take input of various sample types such as plasma, tissue, sputum and swab.

Speaking about benefits of this 100 per cent indigenously developed machine, Hasmukh Rawal, Promoter and MD, Mylab Discovery Solutions said, "Compact XL will replace the need of 700 sq ft of cleanroom lab with a 4x3 benchtop machine and reduce the need of 3-4 expert technicians to just one, saving operational costs for labs."

The machine can run 32 samples at a time which can be further increased when machines are connected in a network. Compact XL will be available for pre-ordering starting 13 July 2020.

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Pune-based Mylab launches 'Compact XL' to automate molecular diagnostic tests for COVID-19

Pune (Maharashtra) [India], July 7 (ANI): Pune-based molecular diagnostics company, Mylab Discovery Solutions has launched 'Compact XL' - India's first machine to automate the manual processes of molecular diagnostic tests such as RT-PCR tests for Covid-19.According to an official press release, Compact XL is a compact bench-top machine that will automate lab processes from sample handling to preparing RT-PCR ready tubes.It is a cartridge-based machine and can test multiple samples at the same time.

Startup Mergers & Acquisitions: SaaS Unicorn Freshworks Acquires Pune Based Cloud Platform 'Flint'


#SaaS #unicorn Freshworks has acquired Pune-based cloud platform Flint for an undisclosed amount.

Founded by Ankur Gakkhar and Abhishek Pande in 2013, Flint offers an enterprise-grade IT operations system and an intuitively designed dashboard.

Founded by Girish Mathrubootham and Shan Krishnasamy in 2010, Freshworks (previously called Freshdesk) has more than 150K clients across the world and is now looking for an IPO.

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SaaS Unicorn Freshworks Acquires Pune Based Cloud Platform 'Flint'

SaaS unicorn Freshworks has acquired Pune-based cloud platform Flint for an undisclosed amount. Freshworks said that this acquisition will strengthen its IT service management (ITSM) and IT operations management (ITOM) capacity. Founded by Ankur Gakkhar and Abhishek Pande in 2013, Flint offers an enterprise-grade IT operations system and an intuitively designed dashboard.

India: Asteria's A400 Unmanned Aerial System receives DGCA Certification


Asteria Aerospace announced that it’s flagship multi-rotor product, A400 Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) has been granted provisional certification from India’s statutory body – the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The certification of the A400 is a significant addition to Asteria’s suite of DGCA certified products, adding to the previous certification granted for micro class A200 UAS.

Classed as a mini-sized UAV, the A400 weighs in a little under 3.5kg and is capable of vertical takeoff and landing. The A400 comes with an HD video camera payload, a flight time of 40 minutes, and an operational range of 5km radius, specifications that are ideally suited for the more demanding needs of commercial and enterprise customers. All communication between the A400 and the Ground Control Station is encrypted with the industry-grade AES 128-bit protocol, providing safety and security for the A400 and the necessary flight telemetry data.

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Asteria's A400 Unmanned Aerial System receives DGCA Certification

Asteria Aerospace is pleased to announce that its flagship multi-rotor product, A400 Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) has been granted provisional certification from India's statutory body - the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The certification of the A400 is a significant addition to Asteria's suite of DGCA certified products, adding to the previous certification granted for micro class A200 UAS.

Saturday, 11 July 2020

Startup Funding Alert: Pune Based Tech Startup 'GigIndia' Raises Rs 7.3 Cr In Pre-Series A Funding Round


Pune-based tech startup GigIndia has raised Rs 7.3 crore in pre-Series A funding round led by Incubate Fund India with participation from Beyond Next Ventures.

Founded by Aditya Shirole and Sahil Sharma in 2017, GigIndia is a Pune-based tech startup that helps businesses to scale faster with on-demand curated workforce across India.

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Pune Based Tech Startup 'GigIndia' Raises Rs 7.3 Cr In Pre-Series A Funding Round

Pune-based tech startup GigIndia has raised Rs 7.3 crore in pre-Series A funding round led by Incubate Fund India with participation from Beyond Next Ventures. The funding round also saw the participation from existing angel investors S Ramadorai (former TCS CEO); Ravi Nigam (former MD & Co-founder of Tasty Bite Eatables); Kiran Deshpande (former CEO of Tech Mahindra); and Shashank Deshpande (Co-founder of Clarice Technologies).

YourStory Weekly Funding Roundup: Investments into startups touch $106 million for the week July 6-11, 2020


YourStory Media - Weekly funding roundup: Investments into startups touch $106 million during the week July 6-11, 2020

As per YourStory Media, the second week of July has been very eventful for the Indian startup ecosystem with total investments crossing the three figure mark of $100 million after a gap of nearly six weeks. This period also witnessed a leading edtech startup acquiring another upcoming company. The total funding during the second week stood at $106 million which was a 194 percent increase when compared to previous week when it was $36 million.

The following startups have raised the funds during the week July 6-11, 2020:-

1. Zolostays Zolo - US $56 mn
2. JetSynthesys Pvt. Ltd. - Rs 300 Cr
3. Specsmakers - Rs 23 Cr
4. Frontier Markets - $2.25 mn
5. PiggyRide - Rs 14 Cr
6. Blue Sky Analytics - $1.2 mn
7. GigIndia - Rs 7.3 Cr
8. Inspektlabs - $0.6 mn
9. Gobbly - $0.5 mn
10. Chai Waale - Rs 1.75 Cr
12. NOTO - Undisclosed
13. Green Cure Wellness - Undisclosed
14. Earth EnergyEV - Undisclosed

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[Weekly funding roundup] Investments into startups touch $106 million

The second week of July has been very eventful for the Indian startup ecosystem with total investments crossing the three figure mark of $100 million after a gap of nearly six weeks. This period also witnessed a leading edtech startup acquiring another upcoming company.

Inc42 Media: Indian Startup Funding Of The Week [July 6- 11, 2020]


Inc42 Media: Indian Startup Funding Of The Week [July 6- 11, 2020]

As per Inc42 Media, the following startups have raised funds during the week July 6-11, 2020:-

1. PolicyBazaar.com ($130 Mn)
2. Zolostays Zolo ($56 Mn)
4. Zomentum ($4.1 Mn)
5. Specsmakers ($3 Mn)
6. Frontier Markets ($2.25 Mn)
7. PiggyRide ($1.8 Mn)
8. CARS24 ($1.3 Mn)
9. Securden, Inc ($1.2 Mn)
10. Blue Sky Analytics ($1.2 Mn)
12. Chai Waale ($232K)
13. Decentro (Undisclosed)
12. EdHusk (Undisclosed)
13. TagHive Inc. (Undisclosed)
14. Green Cure Wellness (Undisclosed)
15. Earth EnergyEV (Undisclosed)
16. NOTO (Undisclosed)

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Funding Galore: Indian Startup Funding Of The Week [July 6- 11]

SoftBank has infused an additional $130 Mn in PolicyBazaar's parent company Aye Finance has raised $16 Mn in debt, two weeks after raising $27 Mn in venture capital Freshworks has acquired Pune-based cloud platform Flint for an undisclosed amount We bring to you the latest edition of Funding Galore: Indian Startup Funding Of The Week!

Indian Startup Homefoodi on-boards more than 250 Home Chefs


Homefoodi , incepted in October 2019, is a Mobile Application for Home Food made by Home Chefs that empowers and connects the society. This Indian startup comes with the aim of making Home-cooked meals accessible to every individual. The company offers a wide range of regional and global cuisines to facilitate eating healthy home-cooked meals. Since the very beginning, there has been a significant increase in the number of Home chefs associated with Homefoodi , it has now touched the 250+ mark.

Homefoodi , co-founded by Narendra Singh Dahiya and Mona Dahiya, is very different from cloud kitchens as their supply ecosystem is 'Home Kitchens' and not 'Commercial Kitchens'. The home-cloud kitchen brand has been very selective and responsible in selecting home chefs. As a practice, the team has visited every home chef to check for food quality, hygiene and cleanliness of their kitchen as well as the packaging standards. All Home Chefs are 100 per cent FSSAI registered.

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Indian Startup Homefoodi on-boards more than 250 Home Chefs

The Made in India Start-Up aims to create self-employment opportunity for one lakh Home Chefs. Homefoodi, incepted in October 2019, is a Mobile Application for Home Food made by Home Chefs that empowers and connects the society. This Indian startup comes with the aim of making Home-cooked meals accessible to every individual.