HOGR: Redefining Food Exploration and Community Engagement

HOGR: Redefining Food Exploration and Community Engagement
Revolutionizing Food Discovery and Community Engagement


The food industry in India has undergone significant changes over the years with the rise of new food technologies. Many different technologies have altered the way we experience and enjoy food. Within these transformations, a company that is shining bright is HOGR, an amazing app working on simplifying the process of making smart food choices.

HOGR is not just an ordinary app, it is a lively community that allows food lovers to come together to share and discover great places to eat, enjoy entertaining and informative content, get inspired, and avoid making food mistakes.

In this article, let's learn more about HOGR, its founder, products, strategies, challenges, and more.

HOGR - Company Highlights

STARTUP NAME HOGR
Headquarters Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Sector Food Tech
Founder Jugul Thachery and Harish Harshan
Founded 2023
Website hogr.app

HOGR - About
HOGR - Industry
HOGR - Founders and Team
HOGR - Startup Story
HOGR - Vision and Mission
HOGR - Name and Logo
HOGR - Product/Services
HOGR - Business and Revenue Model
HOGR - Launching Company Strategies
HOGR - Challenges Faced
HOGR - Growth
HOGR - Funding
HOGR - Future Plans

HOGR - About

HOGR is a food discovery app that enables individuals to explore new dishes and restaurants. It also curates personalized recommendations from their contacts, family, friends, and other food enthusiasts whose taste preferences match theirs, creating a vibrant food community.

HOGR - Industry

The nature of the food industry in India is evolving rapidly, with a significant increase in market size. Currently, the online food service sector boasts around 70 million active users and over 700 million orders across the country, resulting in 1.5 million daily orders. Among India's 70 million active users, 70% are millennials and Gen Zs. This growth trajectory suggests that India will likely become the largest market for online food services soon.

There are anticipated significant transformations within the food industry over the next five years. Consumer preferences are shifting towards digital platforms for daily food discovery, with a strong emphasis on personalized recommendations. Technological advancements and interactive community engagement are expected to play integral roles in shaping the industry's evolution. Additionally, there is a growing global demand for personalized food discovery and recommendation.

In the next five years, it is envisioned that the company will be the sole Indian startup offering personalized food recommendations across India. The platform is envisioned as the go-to destination for personalized food discovery and recommendations. Strategic initiatives include fostering a vibrant and engaged food community where enthusiasts nationwide can connect, share insights, and recommend dishes and restaurants through photos and videos.

Over the next decade, the platform aims to solidify its position as the ultimate personalized food discovery and recommendation app. The company plans to enhance the user experience continuously by introducing innovative features tailored to diverse regions and individual preferences. By staying at the forefront of technological advancements and prioritizing community engagement, the platform aspires to become an indispensable tool for food enthusiasts across India.

HOGR - Founders and Team

Harish Harshan (Right) and Jugul Thachery (Left) - Co-Founders of HOGR
Harish Harshan (Right) and Jugul Thachery (Left) - Co-Founders of HOGR

Harish Harshan and Jugul Thachery have collaborated for the past 18 years, beginning from their tenure together at Ruby Seven Studios, a social gaming company. Harish, known for his dedication to technology, remains deeply involved in hands-on coding, overseeing all technical aspects of the project.

Jugul Thachery handles Strategy, Product, and Growth within the company, leveraging expertise to drive innovation and expansion.

Comprising a team of over 45 food enthusiasts, HOGR fosters a collaborative environment fueled by a shared passion for culinary exploration. The company values individuals eager to contribute to its mission of transforming how people engage with food.

HOGR - Startup Story

The inspiration for HOGR originated from a unique blend of past experiences in both the food and social gaming industries. Jugul Thachery and the team realized that food discovery posed a significant challenge during the food tech days, particularly with Masalabox as an advisor, encompassing both what to eat and where to eat. This challenge permeated all spheres of the food ecosystem, whether it pertained to ordering in or dining out.

The journey from ideation to reality for HOGR involved thorough research aimed at understanding the needs of the target audience, primarily focusing on working professionals in Tier 1 and 2 cities. The team recognized the significance of food as a basic necessity and endeavoured to comprehend people's consumption patterns. Extensive research was conducted to identify gaps in current methods of discovering and deciding what to eat. The study revealed a reliance on immediate social circles and influencers within networks for food recommendations.

Understanding the necessity for a dedicated platform to provide valuable and trustworthy personalized food recommendations, Jugul Thachery and the team envisioned HOGR. The platform aims to address the challenges faced by individuals in food discovery and decision-making, offering a reliable solution tailored to their preferences and needs.


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HOGR - Vision and Mission

The company's short- and long-term vision is to position the HOGR platform as the go-to app for individuals to explore new dishes and share their insights.

The core belief that drives HOGR is the simplification of decision-making in terms of "What to eat" and "Where to eat" by creating a community-like experience. HOGR aims to enhance how people discover and enjoy food, making it a trusted resource in the food discovery landscape.

The thought behind creating this platform is to change how people explore and recommend new dishes and restaurants while building a food community where they share their insights and stories of food discovery with other food enthusiasts through photos and videos.

HOGR Logo
HOGR Logo

HOGR's name, derived from Kurdish and meaning "friend" or "close associate," aligns perfectly with its vision of creating a food community through this platform. The logo, featuring a mouth cleverly forming the 'o' in HOGR, represents the mouthwatering experiences people will have in food exploration. The neon green and bright pink colours add vibrancy, reflecting its commitment to exciting people's food exploration.

HOGR is more than a food discovery platform; it creates a food community where people can share their stories of discovering food with other food enthusiasts through photos and videos.

HOGR - Product/Services

HOGR is a food discovery app designed for food enthusiasts, aimed at revolutionizing how people discover and share their culinary adventures while emphasizing the importance of community. This platform addresses the common dilemmas of "Where to eat" and "What to eat," streamlining food decision-making processes for individuals.

Through the HOGR platform, users are empowered to explore new restaurants and dishes, a task often daunting for those with busy schedules. The platform was specifically developed to tackle this issue, allowing food enthusiasts to discover and exchange their food exploration stories within a vibrant community.

HOGR not only serves as a food discovery tool but also fosters a dynamic food community where users can engage with food content through videos, photos, and personalized recommendations shared among friends. This interactive approach enables food enthusiasts to discover hidden culinary gems in real time.

Moreover, the platform offers a gamified experience to further enhance user engagement. Users can earn HOGR coins by participating in platform games, which can then be redeemed for exciting offers and discounts, adding an extra layer of enjoyment to the food exploration journey.


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HOGR - Business and Revenue Model

The current objective is to create a top-of-the-mind recall for this platform whenever individuals think of exploring new dishes and restaurants. HOGR focused on people using this platform to explore hidden gems and recommend them to their immediate friends and food enthusiasts whose preferences match them, creating a vibrant food community.

Currently, HOGR is at the pre-revenue stage. Once HOGR has built the top-of-the-mind recall, HOGR will focus on its revenue model through small commissions from restaurants on the app.

HOGR - Launching Company Strategies

HOGR, a food discovery platform that helps people discover what and where to eat, naturally led us to bring existing micro and nano food influencers from other social media platforms onto HOGR. HOGR reached out to them and presented this platform, and their excitement about the concept prompted them to start creating content for HOGR. Consequently, the next wave of actual end-users began joining the platform.

HOGR - Challenges Faced

Since HOGR started its journey, the biggest challenge has been building the product from the ground up. As it's a complex app, achieving a great user experience is crucial, and HOGR has been iterating on different user journeys since the soft launch.

HOGR - Growth

The HOGR app was launched in August, and despite zero promotions, organically acquired around 25,000 installs. Currently, HOGR is observing various user journeys on the app. The focus for this quarter is on Bangalore while gradually expanding to other cities in India.

As mentioned earlier, HOGR is currently at the pre-revenue stage. Once HOGR builds the top-of-the-mind recall, HOGR will focus on its revenue model and profit through minimal commissions from Restaurants on the app.

HOGR - Office
HOGR - Office

HOGR - Funding

Date Stage Amount Investors Name
December 18 2023 Seed funding round 1 10 crores Curefoods

HOGR - Future Plans

Over the next 1-2 years, HOGR aims to solidify its food discovery platform as the go-to food discovery platform through enhanced user experience, peer-to-peer recommendations, and interactive user experience. HOGR plans to expand its restaurant network, forge strategic partnerships for expansion nationwide, and leverage emerging technologies for interactive food exploration. Country-wide expansion is crucial to enable individuals to explore and get personalized user recommendations. Moreover, HOGR is also focusing on staying adaptable to changing food trends, which are top priorities for HOGR's strategic vision.

FAQs

Who are the founders of HOGR?

Jugul Thachery and Harish Harshan are the founders of HOGR.

What is HOGR?

HOGR is a food discovery app designed to help individuals explore new dishes and restaurants.

What sectors and market segments does HOGR operate in?

HOGR serves in the B2C space in the Food Tech market segments.

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