Cookifi Raises Seed Funding From FreeCharge’s Kunal Shah

Cookifi, the Bengaluru-based online chef hiring platform, has raised seed funding from investors led by Kunal Shah, chairman of FreeCharge and Aneesh Reddy, co-founder and CEO of Capillary Technologies. The funding was made through TracxnSyndicate, the managed investment arm of Tracxnlabs. Cookifi provides customers with a personal chef or cook at their doorstep on a click.

Chefs With A Click

Launched in June of 2015 by IIT Kharagpur alumni, Ajay Modani, Harsh Singla and Prachi Malu, the platform allows customers to hire chefs for parties and special occasions. The service also provides working professionals an option to hire cooks on a on-demand basis. Speaking about the platform, Modani said, “One of the most important things when you are planning a party at home, be it a kids birthday, a get-together or day-to-day cooking, is food and there is a huge gap between high-volume caterers and regular cooks. There was no right platform or source to hire professional chefs or cooks for such occasions. Cookifi is using technology to make chefs and cooks more accessible to book on demand, with the ease of a tap.” 

Cookifi’s Platform

Cookifi’s platfrom uses an advanced algorithm for allocation of chefs according to several variables such as cuisine preferences. “It is very difficult to find a service provider who matches your expectations viz. taste of food, budget, cleanliness and discipline. We analysed and understood that there is a huge market potential for such player and fill the gap given that quality should be the focus,” added Malu. Chefs listed on Cookifi’s platform are curated through strong on-boarding process, ensuring adherence to cleanliness standards and immediate escalation handling. 

Business Model

The recent round of funding will be used by Cookifi to expand its services as the service is currently operational only in Bengaluru. The company also plans to invest in enhancing its interface for faster and better user experience. Cookifi’s model is based on grabbing the lead on the large market size for similar platforms in most metros, a $20.6 billion market in the top 6 cities in India. Speaking about Cookifi’s business model, Neha Singh of Tracxn, one of the investors in the funding, said, “We’re convinced by Cookifi’s mission to organise a large addressable market in the unorganised sector. We see a growing appetite for an on-demand chef service as India’s millennials work longer hours than the previous generation, and they don’t have the time or inclination to cook an elaborate meal. Building a world-class customer experience is at the core of such a service, and we’re confident that the Cookifi team will maintain it at scale.”