FoodCloud is a marketplace for Home Food connecting curated home chefs with customers. The startup aims to empower the women of India with financial independence, derived from their passion for cooking. It currently serves Delhi NCR and Kolkata with Food Delivery, Small Parties and Corporate Customers. It has successfully served over 150,000 meals!
Co-Founder and CEO of FoodCloud.in- Vedant Kanoi was interested in business ever since he was a child. He went to Carnegie Mellon University and then worked at UBS Investment Bank before starting his first startup called BatchBuzz which was an online user generated magazine. His hobbies include cooking, trekking and traveling.
In an exclusive interaction with Motiverge, Vedant Kanoi, Co-Founder and CEO, FoodCloud shares more insights about his venture, journey so far, future plans and motivation.
Below are the excerpts from the interview:
Tell us more about FoodCloud. When was it established?
FoodCloud was established in December 2014. But we launched with delivery and full services around April – May 2015.
What was the biggest turning point in your life that changed your mind to become an entrepreneur?
Ever since I was a child I was interested in business, I would love putting up game stalls in Fetes and Melas. I was always encouraged by my parents to take these opportunities to learn and grow. Creating something with a team of people and working towards a common bigger goal is always satisfying.
How big is your team?
We have 20 people in our team currently.
What makes FoodCloud a one-stop online food delivery platform for foodies? How does it work?
FoodCloud is the only platform on which you can find and order truly homemade food. It’s not restaurant food. It’s not home style food. It’s real home food. Customers looking to order fresh, healthy and authentic flavours from India or around the world, at a reasonable cost and in the comfort of your home, choose FoodCloud. On our platform you can find simple and healthy daily meals to gourmet food fit for your next celebration, all at prices that are 30% cheaper than restaurants.
On FoodCloud you can enter your location and see the home chefs serving 35+ cuisines around you. You can filter using cuisine, delivery time etc or just search for your favourite dish. Once you choose your chef and place the order from her menu, the chef will be notified of your order and she will prepare it as per your time of delivery. We will then pick up the food from the chef’s home and deliver it directly to you.
How has been the journey so far?
The journey till now has been truly amazing. When we started out we had around 20 home chefs on our platform today we have over 1500 registered. What inspires us is the opportunity that our home chefs are getting to showcase their talent and to earn money while doing this. And being able to order authentic homemade Goan Fish Curry and have it delivered home doesn’t hurt!
Who are FoodCloud’s major competitors in India? How do you differentiate yourself from other players?
We are a true marketplace for home cooked food and desserts. In India, there are companies that deliver food from restaurants and also dark kitchens from where you can order food online. But there is no other organised marketplace for Home Food as of now.
On FoodCloud since food is specially being prepared for you, you can even customise the food which gives us an edge over most of our competitors.
What are the business opportunities in your sector, especially in the APAC region?
Customers globally are looking for healthier, cost effective and customisable options. And all these qualities are there inherently in home cooking. But with our modern lifestyles that result in lack of time and cooking skills being able to get home cooked food delivered makes things convenient.
Like India, the APAC region has a melting pot of cultures and a great history and tradition of cooking. We feel there is a big market beyond India, which we would like to explore in the future.
What are the challenges faced in your journey as an entrepreneur?
Entrepreneurship means problem solving. We face new challenges on a regular basis. When we first started out, it was difficult to onboard new chefs as they had never heard of such a concept but today we get close to 80 new registrations every month.
Have you raised funds so far? What are your future plans?
Yes, we have raised an angel round and now we just raised a round from SOSV a VC Accelerator as part of their Food-X accelerator program. This program gives us access to some of the best most experienced people from the food and tech industry. We are super excited about this!
What keeps you going?
Being able to involve so many home chefs and being able to give them a platform to serve authentic mouth watering food to people while earning money excites us. We hope to be in 5 cities with 3000 home chefs over the next 12 months.
What are your messages for budding entrepreneurs/young generation?
Persevere. You will face challenges but that is why you become an entrepreneur.
