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Hyderabad-based, quick service restaurant chain (QSR) specializing in Indian cuisine, Hello Curry, has raised $1.5 Mn in bridge funding. The round was led by entrepreneur-turned-investor Sashi Reddi, along with participation from unnamed US-based HNI.
Founded in 2014 by Raju Bhupati and Sandeep P, Hello Curry plans to invest the fund in developing new food products and delivery mechanisms, design a framework on the lines of international food chains, and open new stores.
In a statement to Mint, Raju Bhupati, founder and CEO of Hello Curry said, “We are building a very strong food brand that is going to emerge as a global Indian food brand. The overseas expansion is one step in that direction.”
The startup plans to foray in the overseas market by tying up with local franchise partners. Bhupati added that the company is not looking at targeting overseas Indians alone but is targeting the global crowd.
Hello Curry plans to open its first foreign outlet in Australia in around two months. It will also start home delivery in New York City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
In India, the startup presently has 31 outlets and plans to expand in Pune, Visakhapatnam, and Vijayawada. It also has plans to open microformat kiosks under the Hello Paratha brand, a product line that was started after the acquisition of food chain Paratha Post.
Bhupati explained that he aims to build Hello Curry into India’s biggest food brand on the lines of international food chains such as Pizza Hut and KFC and to grow from 30 units to 300 units it needs to develop a strong framework, standardizing processes, ingredients, cooking method, supply chain, and packaging.
Hello Curry is planning to raise a new round of funding within four to six months. According to the company statement, it would raise $12 Mn in the Series A round. The new round will help the company fuel its expansion growth.
Prior to this, Sashi Reddi had invested $900K (INR 6 Cr) in two tranches in seed funding through his seed stage venture fund, Sri Capital.
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