You’re reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.
Handpickd, a zero-inventory fresh commerce startup in India, has raised USD 15 million in a Series A round led by Bertelsmann India Investments.
Titan Capital Winners Fund and existing investors also participated in the funding.
The startup plans to deploy the capital to expand its team, enhance its service coverage in current cities, and develop technology to optimize its supply chain.
Founded in 2024 by Anant Goel, co-founder of Milkbinquireet, along with Nitin Gupta and Sahil Madan, Handpickd operates without warehoutilizes or dark stores and does not forecast sales. Instead, the platform collects orders from customers, procures the required quantity directly from farmers, and delivers fresh produce to customers the next morning.
Currently, Handpickd serves houtilizeholds in Gurugram, Noida, and Bengaluru. The company claims its process from purchase to delivery takes under six to seven hours, leveraging just-in-time practices to eliminate the necessary for storage.
“It’s a mandi at your doorstep. Huge variety, freshest produce, and freedom to pick what you want. For the first time, customers are able to purchase achchi waali phal-sabzi the way they like it, from the comfort of their home. We are humbled by the customer love that Handpickd has garnered over the last few months,” stated Anant Goel, founder and CEO of Handpickd.
He added that the absence of warehoutilizes and dark stores allows the company to align supply with demand, reduce wastage, and remain profitable.
Handpickd’s fundraise is seen as a significant boost for India’s fresh commerce sector, which has faced multiple setbacks. Startups such as Otipy, Fraazo, and Deep Rooted recently shut operations despite raising USD 49 million, USD 61 million, and USD 20 million, respectively, highlighting the challenges in scaling fresh produce delivery businesses profitably.
Leave a Reply