TastyKhana
TastyKhana is now Foodpanda. Order from http://t.co/MEfB2MuB6B.
| Date | Investors | Amount | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| investor | €0.0 | round | |
N/A | Acquisition | ||
| Total Funding | 000k | ||
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Established in 2007, TastyKhana, registered as Trinket Info Services Pvt Ltd, was one of the earliest entrants into India's online food ordering and delivery market. The Pune-based company was founded by Shachin Bhardwaj and Sheldon D'souza, who became friends while studying engineering at MIT Pune. The idea originated from Bhardwaj's own frustration when trying to order food online, leading him to start the venture in January 2008 with a seed capital of ₹2 lakh.
The initial business model involved both facilitating online orders and managing the physical delivery of food. The platform earned commissions from both customers and restaurants for its service. Early growth was slow, but a pivotal moment came in October 2008 with the equity-based acquisition of a local Pune company, Food on Wheels, which expanded their delivery capabilities. In March 2011, the company strategically shifted its focus purely to online order aggregation, moving away from handling deliveries itself and depending on restaurants for advertisements. This pivot streamlined operations and set the stage for significant expansion.
The service provided a single online portal where customers could browse menus and place orders from a wide network of local restaurants. A key milestone was a 2013 investment of $5 million from the German global food ordering giant, Delivery Hero. This funding fueled TastyKhana's growth, helping it to expand its reach to over 3,000 restaurant partners across seven cities and develop mobile applications for Android, iPhone, and Blackberry. By November 2014, the platform had partnered with over 10,000 restaurants in more than 170 Indian cities. This substantial market presence culminated in its acquisition by Rocket Internet-backed Foodpanda in November 2014. Although initially stated to remain an independent brand, TastyKhana was fully merged into Foodpanda's operations in March 2015.
Keywords: TastyKhana, online food ordering, food delivery India, Shachin Bhardwaj, Sheldon D'souza, Foodpanda acquisition, Delivery Hero investment, Pune startup, restaurant aggregator, e-commerce food, Trinket Info Services, online food portal, Indian food tech, early-stage startup, venture capital, mobile food ordering, restaurant marketplace