New Homemade Food Delivery Marketplace Cookin Secures $17M in Funding to Fuel Rapid Growth

Toronto-based start-up to expand its online home-cooked food delivery app to the United States in 2023

TORONTO, Feb. 13, 2023 /CNW/ - Amidst the current tech climate, homemade food delivery app Cookin has secured more than $17M (CAD) in funding that will go towards expansion into the U.S. market and further establishing leadership in Toronto and surrounding areas.

The funding round, announced today, was led by Relay Ventures, with support from Mistral Ventures. Cookin also has the backing of a sound Advisory Board and angel investors, including Patrick Kriss, Michelin Star Chef and Owner of Alo Group; Matt Tucker, CEO of Tock; Noah Glass, CEO of Olo; Jodi Kovitz, Founder of Move the Dial; Ben Leventhal, Founder of Eater and Resy; Mark Cohon, Chair of Toronto Global; and Howard Grosfield, President of US Consumer Services at American Express. 

"Cookin is establishing a life-changing opportunity for at-home chefs to offer their craft and build their individual brands," said Alex Baker, Managing Director at Relay Ventures. "Cookin is run by outstanding entrepreneurs, with a powerful business model, and proven consumer and cook demand. After closely tracking Cookin's progress following the initial launch, it became clear that compelling talent has come together to turn this vision into a reality, and we are thrilled to be a part of this exceptional journey."

The Toronto-based start-up that brought homemade cooking to the sharing economy in Canada is expanding its online food delivery marketplace to select U.S. cities in 2023. With thousands of consumer app downloads, meals delivered, and more than 2,000 applications received from talented food creators wanting to join Cookin to create their own food businesses throughout Toronto, Cookin is rapidly growing by connecting talented food creators with consumers who are looking for delicious home-cooked meals, freshly delivered.

Cookin is now preparing to expand in Ontario and to extend its offering to other food-centric cities across North America, with eyes on Dallas and Miami as the next two launch cities.

"Cookin empowers talented food creators to become entrepreneurs," said Morley Ivers, Co-Founder and CEO, Cookin. "Many chefs and food creators are reinventing themselves within the food industry. Through Cookin, they can continue to share their passion for creating authentic cuisines with an even wider customer-base, while Cookin supports food entrepreneurs with the technology, marketing enablement, packaging procurement, customer service and delivery. The feedback from both consumers and creators has been outstanding."

"Unfortunately, recent layoffs have left very talented people in search of their next career," said Michael Baruch, Co-Founder and President, Cookin. "Cookin is poised for rapid growth and we've recently welcomed new team members from Apple, Uber and Shopify into the Cookin family. We look forward to meeting inspiring talent both here in Toronto and South of the border to support our US expansion."

With complete freedom over their own food business, including their schedule, menu and pricing, as well as the ability to retain 80 percent of their food sales revenue, Cookin enables home cooks with a paradigm changing opportunity to improve their lifestyle and income earnings. Consumers benefit not only through the convenience of being able to order a diverse range of meals to their doorstep, but also by being able to support food entrepreneurs and their local community. Giving back is a cornerstone of Cookin's mission. For every order placed on Cookin in Toronto, a donation is made to tackle food insecurity via The Stop Community Food Centre.

In an increasingly impersonal world, the Cookin team continues to revolutionize the personal food experience model, making headway in their efforts to modify existing industry regulations to level the playing field in support of entrepreneurs, providing opportunities for certified food creators to launch a food business while operating out of their home kitchens or via The Cookin Cloud commercial kitchens. Cookin has also expanded their offerings to include monthly celebrity chef food drops, featuring exclusive home cooked meals from notable chefs throughout Toronto, available only on Cookin.

About Cookin:
Cookin is The World's Homemade Food Delivery Marketplace, connecting talented cooks directly to households ordering an incredible meal experience delivered directly to their doorstep. Cookin exists to empower and inspire a personal food experience, while uniting people by food. The platform provides consumers with access to a wide variety of diverse and authentic cuisines, while allowing chefs to reach a broader audience. To learn more visit: cookin.com or download the app from the App Store or Google Play.

SOURCE Cookin

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