Daalchini Raises 4 Mn In Series A Round Led By Unicorn India Ventures

Retailtech startup Daalchini raises $4 million in a Series A round led by Unicorn India Ventures. The round also saw participation from prominent and existing investors like Artha Venture Fund, Ajay Kaul – former CEO of Dominos India, and VSS Investco – the investment vertical of Vijay Shekhar Sharma – CEO of Paytm. So far, this is the largest round raised by a company in the smart vending segment.

A large part of this funding will be deployed to expand its industry footprint and further its tech capabilities. The company wants to make its solutions asset-efficient and accessible to 10 million retail points in India and 450+ F&B D2C brands.

Founded in 2017 by ex-Paytm colleagues Prerna Kalra and Vidya Bhushan, Daalchini takes affordable snacks and home-style meals to its customers through technology-efficient models like automated kiosks, mobility retails, and smart vending machines. Currently, the Daalchini app has more than 2 lakh monthly active users.

The new funding will enable Daalchini to continue executing its growth strategy and strengthen its position as the largest network of smart retail stores.

Ruchi Pincha, Investment Associate, Unicorn India Ventures, says, “The RetailTech segment in India is going through a massive transition from its traditional physical store form to a digital one, the speed of which has been intensified by the pandemic. In this phase, Daalchini represents the best of both worlds with a ubiquitous physical presence backed by a strong technological framework that prioritizes its customers’ needs and convenience. At Unicorn India Ventures, we are always looking to support such companies that retain the unique essence of their sector and work on enhancing the overall customer experience with technological innovation.”

Prerna Kalra, Co-founder and CEO of Daalchini Technologies, says, “Daalchini aims to establish its footprints at every 200 meters of habitable area with its autonomous smart stores and vending machines. Today, our country has just a few thousand vending machines, while the US or Japan has more than one autonomous store for every 200 people. We are far from the true potential of this kind of retail.”

Daalchini’s Retail-as-a-Service platform enables these brands to grow in hundreds of physical stores while tracking real-time insights digitally. The unique vending machine ecosystem created by the Company enables brands and entrepreneurs to reach their customers all over the country within a week.