While giants like Seamless and billion-dollar Delivery Hero continue on a quest to conquer the food delivery market, a new crop of food startups are raising venture dollars to cater to those who would rather cook their own meals.
From gourmet recipe kit Plated to gadgets like immersion circulator Nomiku and gluten detector 6SensorLabs, amateur chefs are beginning to rely on tech to prepare home-cooked meals that rival take-out.
Berlin-based recipe kit service Marley Spoon is the latest in this bunch, closing a $5 million Series A funding yesterday to build out its service in Germany, the U.K. and the Netherlands.
The second quarter of this year saw an influx in funding for cooking-related startups, as $50 million rounds for both HelloFresh and Blue Apron pushed the total capital committed to an all-time high of $107 million in 12 venture rounds.
VCs like Google Ventures, Index and NEA, all ranking in the top fifteen on this year’s Investor Leaderboard, are buying into the trend.
Surprisingly, the restaurant capital of the world is also home to the majority of venture-backed cooking startups. New York-based companies have seen over $150 million in nearly 20 rounds in the past four years.
New York investors seem to be the most keen on exploring alternatives to take-out as well. Lerer Hippeau Ventures has backed four cooking-related companies, BoxGroup three, and First Round two.
Image via Flickr user Kenny Louie.
