Curefoods: How is the Cloud Kitchen Startup Enabling Growth of Food Brands in India

Curefoods: How is the Cloud Kitchen Startup Enabling Growth of Food Brands in India
How is the Cloud Kitchen Startup Enabling Growth of Food Brands in India?

When the online food delivery market is seeing a rise in the country, there is another related sector that is rapidly peeking its way into the market. Cloud Kitchen, as a name, sounds familiar and strange at the same time, is a new concept in our country that was introduced somewhere around 2010. The popularity and demand for Cloud Kitchens have started soaring up after the COVID pandemic.

Curefoods is one such Cloud Kitchen startup that was established to provide healthy and loving food to customers through its multiple brands. Utilizing the prevailing public admiration and anticipated future demand for Cloud Kitchens, Curefoods is marching on the path of growth and expansion.

Here is the story behind the Curefoods FoundersStartup StoryMission and VisionBusiness Model, Revenue Model, Products, Funding and Investors, Competitors, and more.

Curefoods - Company Highlights

STARTUP NAME CUREFOODS
Headquarters Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Sector Food and Beverage Services
Founder Ankit Nagori
Founded 2020
Website curefoods.in

Curefoods - About
Curefoods - Industry
Curefoods - Founders and Team
Curefoods - Mission and Vision
Curefoods - Name and Logo
Curefoods - Business Model
Curefoods - Revenue Model
Curefoods - Funding and Investors
Curefoods - Shareholding
Curefoods - Growth
Curefoods - Financials
Curefoods - Partnership
Curefoods - Collaborations
Curefoods - Mergers and Acquisitions
Curefoods - Competitors
Curefoods - Future Plans

Curefoods - About

Curefoods is an Indian Cloud Kitchen brand that was established in 2020. This startup was founded by Ankit Nagori and is headquartered in Bangalore. It aims at feeding people the food they love that remains nutritious and healthy at the same time. Curefoods has incorporated technology and modern solutions on all its fronts, like cooking, packaging, waste management, etc., to ensure its long-term sustainability in the market.

The company operates through various brands under its control and is continuously expanding its business through acquisitions, mergers and funding. After its merger with Maverix in January 2022, Curefoods became the second-largest Cloud Kitchen brand in India.

Curefoods - Industry

The Indian food and beverage market is expected to develop significantly in the coming years, according to Maximize Market Research's report, which also shows that the market is expected to expand significantly in size. The market is expected to grow at a strong Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 11.05% from 2023 to 2029, when it is expected to reach nearly US $622.67 billion by 2029. The enormous potential and profitable prospects in the Indian food and beverage industry are highlighted by this forecast.

The anticipated expansion highlights the nation's shifting food patterns, rising levels of disposable income, and changing consumer tastes. With such bright futures, companies in this sector are well-positioned to benefit from India's expanding need for a wide range of food and drink items.

Curefoods - Founders and Team

Ankit Nagori is the Founder of Curefoods.

Ankit Nagori

Ankit Nagori - Founder of Curefoods
Ankit Nagori - Founder of Curefoods

Ankit Nagori is the Founder of the Cloud Kitchen startup Curefoods. He was born in Bihar in October 1985 and holds a Bachelor’s degree from IIT Guwahati. Ankit founded another two startups namely, Youthpad.com and Simply Sport Foundation in 2007 and 2020 respectively. He is also a co-founder of Curefit. Earlier, between 2010 and 2016, he served as the Chief Business Officer of Flipkart.

Ankit Nagori - Founder of Curefoods

Curefoods - Mission and Vision

Curefoods runs with a mission: “to make honest food that customers love." It wanted to provide quality and healthy foods that people love sustainably.

The company’s vision is to “build the ecosystem and grow with the suppliers.” For a sustainable operation, Curefoods believes in being eco-friendly and hence is working towards waste management and eco-friendly packaging techniques.

Curefoods Logo
Curefoods Logo

The logo of Curefoods comes in a Deep Sapphire tint, where the name 'Curefoods' in all caps would be present in the middle.

Curefoods - Business Model

Curefoods follows the Thrasio-style model of business. Thrasio refers to the name of a company in the United States. This company acquires or collaborates with small and successful sellers on e-commerce platforms like Amazon and invests more in those companies to make them huge and well established under a single brand name.

Curefoods follows a similar pattern and has acquired a lot of small food startups across the country. The main idea behind this is to provide people with multiple options to choose their food based on their choices. Curefoods receives orders, cooks them, and delivers them to your doorstep.

Curefoods - Revenue Model

CureFoods generates revenue through two primary streams: the sale of products and advertising/promotional services.

Sales of Goods: CureFoods generates income through the sale of a wide variety of food and drink goods. These goods could be prepared meals, snacks, drinks, and ingredients for cooking.

Consumers can buy these products straight from CureFoods' website or through partnerships with retail stores. CureFoods is able to realize the full value of its products through the selling of these items at a profit over their cost of production.

Advertising and Promotional Services: CureFoods uses its platform to provide food and beverage brands with advertising and promotional services in addition to product sales.


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Curefoods - Funding and Investors

Curefoods raised $6.6 million in a debt financing round from BlackSoil, Binny Bansal, and Caspian Investments in March 2025.

The following contains the Curefoods funding in detail:

Date Stage Amount Investors
March 23, 2025 Debt Financing $6.6 million BlackSoil, Binny Bansal and Caspian Investments
March 18, 2024 Series D round $25 million Three State Ventures
April 6, 2023 Venture Rounds Rs 300 crore Three State Capital
April 6, 2023 Debt Financing - Three State Capital
July 26, 2022 - - Nora Fatehi
June 1, 2022 Series C $50 million Chiratae Ventures, Alteria Capital, Accel India, NB Ventures, Iron Pillar, Winter Capital
April 6, 2022 Venture Round - Varun Dhawan
January 12, 2022 Venture Round $49.3 million Accel, Chiratae Ventures, Binny Bansal, Iron Pillar, Sixteenth Street Capital
January 12, 2022 Debt Financing $9.3 million Trifecta Capital, Alteria Capital and BlackSoil
October 22, 2021 Debt Financing $10 million Trifecta Capital and Alteria Capital
September 30, 2021 Venture Round $48.1 million Trifecta Capital
August 24, 2021 Series A $12.2 million Kunal Shah, Binny Bansal, Iron Pillar, Nordstar, Lydia Jett

Curefoods - Shareholding

Curefood's shareholding pattern as of February 2025, sourced from Tracxn:

Curefoods Shareholders Percentage
Ankit Nagori 28.7%
Iron Pillar 7.7%
Chiratae Ventures 6.3%
Rockstone Ventures 4.2%
Accel 3.6%
Three State Capital 2.6%
Global Ecommerce Consolidation Fund 1.7%
RB Investments 1.4%
Zephyr Peacock 1.4%
Brand Capital 0.8%
Sixteenth Street Capital 0.6%
Alteria Capital 0.5%
Shinhan Venture Investment 0.4%
Nbventures 0.3%
Rukam Capital 0.2%
Rhodium Trust 0.2%
Trifecta Capital 0.2%
Singularity Ventures AMC 0.1%
FPGA Family Foundation 0.1%
LetsVenture 0.1%
Curefoods Rulezero Angel Investors Trust 0.1%
Pivot Investment Partners < 0.1%
Qed Innovation < 0.1%
Napatree Capital < 0.1%
Potential Ventures < 0.1%
Ananth Sankaranarayanan Family Trust < 0.1%
BlackSoil < 0.1%
EatFit 2.7%
Horizon Techno 0.3%
Allanasons 0.1%
The Ski Bum < 0.1%
Frigerio Conserva Allana < 0.1%
Angel 1.7%
Other People 0.1%
ESOP Pool 4.5%
Total 70.9%
Curefoods Shareholding
Curefoods Shareholding

Curefoods - Growth

Curefoods growth highlights are:

  • Curefoods operates in 340 locations in the country as of September 2023
  • The company operates in three formats: Cloud kitchens, QSRs, and restaurants
  • It serves 30,000 to 35,000 orders daily among the three cloud kitchen brands as of September 2023
  • The QSR brand of Curefoods operates in 100 locations in 10 cities as of September 2023
  • The QSR brand serves 5,000 orders online and 6,000–7,000 orders offline on a daily basis as of September 2023

Curefoods - Financials

Curefoods has shown significant revenue growth from FY20 to FY24, but its expenses have also increased, resulting in continued losses. Below is the overall financials table:

Particulars FY24 FY23 FY22 FY21
Revenue INR 635.1 crore INR 411.6 crore INR 93.7 crore INR 2 crore
Expenses INR 806.9 crore INR 754.3 crore INR 166.9 crore INR 3.5 crore
Profit/Loss INR -171.8 crore INR -342.7 crore INR -72.9 crore INR -1.6 crore
Curefoods Financials
Curefoods Financials

Revenue grew significantly from INR 411.6 crore in FY23 to INR 635.1 crore in FY24, but losses narrowed from INR 342.7 crore to INR 171.8 crore.

Curefoods Revenue:

The company has shown strong revenue growth in the last two years, with a significant increase in revenue from operations and other income.

Particulars FY24 FY23
Revenue from operations INR 585.1 crore INR 382 crore
Other income INR 50 crore INR 29.5 crore
Total Revenue INR 635.1 crore INR 411.6 crore

Total revenue grew by 54%, driven by a 53% increase in revenue from operations (INR 585.1 crore in FY24 vs. INR 382 crore in FY23).

Curefoods Expenses:

Expenses have increased, particularly in material costs and employee benefits, though other expenses saw a decline in FY24.

Particulars FY24 FY23
Cost of material consumed INR 229.6 crore INR 171.7 crore
Employee benefit expense INR 148.2 crore INR 103.5 crore
Finance cost INR 27.9 crore INR 24.3 crore
Depreciation & Amortisation INR 62.1 crore INR 42.7 crore
Other expenses INR 339.1 crore INR 412 crore
Total Expenses INR 806.9 crore INR 754.3 crore

Expenses rose from INR 754.3 crore in FY23 to INR 806.9 crore in FY24, mainly due to increased material and employee costs, though other expenses declined.

Curefoods Profit/Loss:

Despite higher revenue, the company continued to face losses, but the magnitude of losses reduced significantly in FY24.

Particulars FY24 FY23
Profit/(Loss) before tax INR -171.8 crore INR -342.7 crore)
Profit/(Loss) for the year INR -171.8 crore INR -342.7 crore

Losses narrowed by 50% in FY24, reducing from INR 342.7 crore in FY23 to INR 171.8 crore.

Quick Summary:

  • Revenue Growth: Increased by 54% in FY24 due to higher operational revenue and other income.
  • Expenses: Increased primarily in material and employee costs but offset by lower other expenses.
  • Loss Reduction: Losses reduced from INR 342.7 crore in FY23 to INR 171.8 crore in FY24, signaling improving financial performance.

Curefoods - Partnership

Curefoods: some of the prominent partnerships are:

Skye Air Mobility

Delivery system for drones, Skye Air Mobility and Curefoods has partnered on From July 25, 2023 to use drones to transport frozen food in temperature-controlled packaging to cloud kitchens.

ICC

ICC and EatFit owned by CureFoods has partnershiped on July, 22, 2023, a nutritious meal app operated by CureFoods, to serve as the official online food partner for the forthcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup. The company stated that it hopes to spread awareness of the benefits of eating a healthy diet to a wider worldwide audience and to keep up its efforts to support people around the globe in adopting better, cleaner, and healthier lifestyles.

Curefoods - Collaborations

Curefoods has seen two major collaborations, one with Varun Dhawan and another with Nora Fatehi, as of July 26, 2022.

Bollywood actress Nora Fatehi invested an undisclosed amount in Curefoods and became the brand ambassador of CakeZone, a Curefoods brand, as reported on July 26, 2022. With this brand endorsement, Fatehi is looking forward to spreading CakeZone to more Indian cities.

Varun Dhawan earlier collaborated with Curefoods and infused some funds into it, which resulted in him becoming the brand ambassador for a Curefoods spin-off company, Eatfit.

Curefoods - Mergers and Acquisitions

Curefoods has acquired 6 companies to date.

Here are the details:

Company Name Date
Yumlane Oct 30, 2023
Frozen Bottle Mar 10, 2022
Fingerlix Jan 27, 2022
Ammi’s Biryani Oct 22, 2021
CakeZone Oct 22, 2021
Masalabox Food Networks Oct 22, 2021

Curefoods - Investment

CureFoods has made strategic investments in two companies. During its Seed Round, CureFoods invested Rs 10 crore in Hogr on December 18, 2023. CureFoods first took part in a Corporate Round investment in Millet Express on May 1, 2023.

With these investments, CureFoods is demonstrating its dedication to advancing innovation and growth in the food and beverage sector, as well as broadening its market presence.

Curefoods - Competitors

Curefoods has the following major competitors in the market:

Rebel Foods

Rebel Foods is considered to be the largest Cloud Kitchen brand in the world that does business in over 10 countries. Rebel Foods owns an online food delivery company, Faasos. This company excels in every aspect of its operation, like technology, branding, expansion, marketing strategies, etc. Rebel Foods has partnered with various international brands to firmly establish its business operations around the world.

Biryani by Kilo

Biryani By Kilo (BBK) is a biryani retail chain that is based in Gurgaon, Haryana. This startup is well-known for its aromatic biryani served in pots along with kebabs, korma, and the traditional phirni. BBK has expansion plans in and outside India.

SLAY Coffee

SLAY Coffee is a coffee chain that is the second-largest coffee brand in the country. This startup delivers its coffee through platforms like Swiggy and Zomato and is extremely well-rated among its customers.


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Curefoods - Future Plans

Curefoods is gearing up for its IPO, joining the lineup of startups planning to go public in 2025. Backed by Accel, the company is expected to launch its IPO in the latter half of FY26, aiming to raise approximately $300-400 million through its initial share sale.

CureFoods is ready to launch an aggressive expansion strategy with recent funding. CureFoods is planning to expand its reach in the food business, with an emphasis on strengthening its offline presence—especially through well-known brands like Nomad Pizza and Sharief Bhai Biryani—through marketing. The cash will be used to support projects that will increase operations, improve customer experiences, and increase accessibility to the company's well-liked products.

CureFoods hopes to establish itself as a major force in the food industry and penetrate new markets by using this investment to grow its offline operations. It also hopes to increase brand loyalty. By means of calculated growth initiatives, CureFoods is ready to satisfy clients, propel expansion, and solidify its standing as a leader in the food sector.

FAQs

When was Curefoods India founded?

Curefoods was founded in 2020.

Who is the Curefoods founder?

Ankit Nagori is the founder of Curefoods.

What is Curefoods valuation?

As sourced from Tracxn, Curefoods valuation is $451 million as of February 2025.

Who are the Competitors of Curefoods?

Top Competitors of Curefoods are:

How is Binny Bansal connected with Cure foods?

Binny Bansal is known as the Flipkart founder and a billionaire Indian investor and entrepreneur, who left the company in November 2018. Binny Bansal stands as an investor in Curefoods.

What is Curefoods business model?

Curefoods follows a cloud kitchen business model, operating multiple food brands under one roof. It acquires, builds, and scales food brands, leveraging a centralized kitchen network for cost efficiency. The company focuses on online food delivery, using digital platforms and strategic brand partnerships to drive growth.

What are Curefoods products?

Curefoods owns and operates multiple food brands in the cloud kitchen space, catering to various customer preferences. Its key brands include EatFit (healthy meals), Sharief Bhai Biryani and Aligarh House Biryani (biryani and Mughlai cuisine), MasalaBox (home-style meals), Yumlane (ready-to-eat pizzas), CakeZone (cakes and desserts), and Nomad Pizza (artisanal pizzas). These brands primarily focus on online food delivery through platforms like Swiggy and Zomato.

What are Curefoods locations?

Curefoods operates across major Indian cities, including Bengaluru (HQ), Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, and Kolkata. It has expanded into Tier-1 and Tier-2 cities through a network of cloud kitchens, serving customers via online food delivery platforms.

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