Arijit Chatterjee and Debjani Mukherjee are the founders of Nanighar, a Kolkata-based food-tech startup.
They aim to empower home chefs by providing a platform to deliver their home-cooked meals to customers.
Brand Overview
Nanighar is an app-based platform that connects customers with home-cooked meals, catering to both homes and offices.
The brand’s mission is to bring the warmth of home-cooked food to people who miss traditional recipes while empowering women to earn from their culinary skills.
Nanighar emphasizes quality, affordability, and diversity in cuisines.
Shark Tank India Appearance & Ask
Nanighar appeared on Shark Tank India Season 4, Episode 43, seeking ₹1 crore for 5% equity, valuing the company at ₹20 crore.
The founders highlighted:
Their focus on delivering high-quality home-cooked meals.
Empowering women by enabling them to monetize their cooking skills.
Their gross sales figures: ₹64 lakhs (Jan–Nov 2024) and ₹48 lakhs in the previous year.
Season and Episode Air Date
Season: 04
Episode: 43
Episode Air Date: Wednesday, 05 March 2025
Product Overview
Nanighar offers a variety of home-cooked meals prepared by local home chefs.
Key features include:
Affordable pricing.
Authentic regional cuisines.
A platform for women chefs to showcase their culinary talents.
Investor Reactions
Anupam Mittal: Criticized the business model for being unprofitable and suggested focusing on structural changes like partnering with Zomato or Swiggy. Opted out due to scalability concerns.
Kunal Bahl: Questioned why the business wasn’t leveraging existing food delivery platforms and advised focusing on operational efficiency. Declined to invest.
Vineeta Singh: Highlighted that Kolkata’s market might not be ideal for such a business and recommended expanding to cities like Mumbai or Bangalore. Opted out.
Namita Thapar: Agreed with Kunal’s suggestion of collaborating with Zomato/Swiggy but opted out due to lack of clear growth strategies.
Ritesh Agarwal: Did not find the business model compelling enough for investment.
Customer Engagement Philosophy
Nanighar focuses on creating a personalized customer experience by delivering authentic home-cooked meals made with love and care.
The platform empowers women chefs by providing them with an opportunity to earn from their culinary skills while preserving traditional recipes.
Product Highlights
Affordable, high-quality home-cooked meals catering to diverse tastes.
A platform that empowers women chefs and promotes regional cuisines.
Focus on delivering meals prepared with love, ensuring customers feel connected to home-style cooking.
Key Takeaways
Nanighar’s mission of delivering authentic home-cooked meals resonates emotionally but lacks a scalable business model at this stage.
The founders need to address structural challenges like logistics, profitability, and market expansion.
Despite not securing funding, the feedback from sharks provides valuable insights for refining their business strategy.
Nanighar’s appearance on Shark Tank India highlighted its potential as a socially impactful platform but also underscored the need for strategic changes to achieve scalability and profitability in the competitive food-tech industry.
Future Vision
Expand Geographical Reach: Explore markets in Tier-1 cities like Mumbai, Delhi, and Bangalore where demand for premium food delivery is higher.
Leverage Partnerships: Collaborate with platforms like Zomato or Swiggy to increase visibility and streamline logistics.
Focus on Scalability: Develop a robust operational model that ensures profitability while maintaining quality.
Enhance Technology: Improve app functionality for better user experience and seamless chef-customer interaction.
Deal Finalized or Not
Nanighar did not secure a deal on Shark Tank India.
The sharks raised concerns about scalability, profitability, and the founders’ reluctance to collaborate with platforms like Zomato and Swiggy.
Nanighar Shark Tank India Review Website Data
Category
Details
Website Information
Website
Nanighar
Built on
JavaScript frameworks – JSS
SEO Performance
Poor, needs improvement
Organic Traffic
660 visitors per month
Founders
Founders
Arijit Chatterjee, Debjani Mukherjee
Headquarters
Kolkata, India
Mission
Empower home chefs by providing a platform to deliver home-cooked meals
Brand Overview
Business Model
App-based platform connecting customers with home-cooked meals
International expansion, eco-friendly packaging, brand positioning
Roadmap to Increase Valuation
Brand Equity
Influencer collaborations, celebrity endorsements
Operations
Expansion to high-demand regions, partnerships with corporates
R&D
Innovation in ready-to-eat meal kits
Nanighar Shark Tank India Business Plan
Business Potential in India
Market Context:
The Indian food delivery market is projected to grow from $5 billion in 2023 to $12 billion by 2030, driven by urbanization and changing consumer preferences.
The rise of platforms like Zomato and Swiggy has created a demand for convenient, high-quality food delivery services.
Over 60% of urban Indians prefer home-cooked meals over restaurant food, highlighting the potential for platforms like Nanighar.
Opportunity:
Increasing demand for affordable, authentic home-cooked meals among working professionals and students.
The growing interest in empowering women entrepreneurs aligns with Nanighar’s mission of supporting home chefs.
Total Addressable Market (TAM)
TAM Calculation:
Target audience: Urban population (~480 million people).
Estimated penetration: ~5% of urban households (~24 million households).
Average annual spend per household on home-cooked meal delivery: ₹12,000.
TAM = ₹28,800 crore (~$3.6 billion).
Serviceable Addressable Market (SAM):
Focus on Tier-1 cities (~30% of urban households).
SAM = ₹8,640 crore (~$1.08 billion).
Serviceable Obtainable Market (SOM):
Targeting early adopters (~5% of SAM initially).
SOM = ₹432 crore (~$54 million).
Ideal Target Audience and Demographics
Age: 18–45 years.
Gender: Both genders equally.
Income Level: Middle-class to upper-middle-class households (₹5–15 lakh annual income).
Location: Urban metros like Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi NCR, and Bangalore.
Psychographics
Working professionals and students seeking affordable, healthy meal options.
Individuals nostalgic for traditional recipes and home-cooked flavors.
Consumers who value sustainability and support for local women entrepreneurs.
Content and Digital Marketing Strategy
Content Marketing:
Publish blogs like “Top Benefits of Eating Home-Cooked Meals” or “Empowering Women Through Nanighar.”
Share customer testimonials and chef success stories on social media platforms.
SEO Optimization:
Improve SEO performance to increase organic traffic from the current 660 visitors/month to at least 5,000 visitors/month within six months.
Target keywords like “home-cooked meal delivery” and “healthy food delivery in India.”
Social Media Campaigns:
Use Instagram and Facebook to showcase diverse cuisines prepared by home chefs.
Launch campaigns like “#TasteOfHome” to engage users emotionally.
Influencer Collaborations:
Partner with food bloggers and lifestyle influencers to promote Nanighar’s offerings authentically.
Paid Ads:
Run Google Ads targeting high-intent keywords such as “homemade food near me” or “affordable meal delivery.”
Retarget website visitors with personalized offers to boost conversions.
Distribution Strategy
Direct-to-consumer (D2C) model via the Nanighar app and website.
Partner with co-working spaces, offices, and colleges for bulk orders.
Explore collaborations with Zomato or Swiggy to expand reach while maintaining brand identity through dedicated Nanighar sections.
Expand offline presence through pop-up stalls at food festivals or corporate events.
Advantages
Unique selling proposition (USP): Affordable, high-quality home-cooked meals prepared by local chefs.
Strong social impact through women’s empowerment and promotion of regional cuisines.
Growing demand for healthier alternatives to restaurant food aligns with Nanighar’s offerings.
Challenges
High competition from established players like Zomato, Swiggy, and niche platforms like Homefoodi.
Scalability challenges due to logistics and maintaining consistent quality across multiple locations.
Limited market awareness due to poor SEO performance and low online visibility.
Reasons for Success
Emotional connection with customers by offering authentic home-cooked meals that evoke nostalgia.
Alignment with the growing trend of supporting women entrepreneurs and local businesses.
Opportunity to tap into untapped markets in Tier-2 cities for affordable meal delivery services.
Mitigation Strategies
Invest in technology to streamline logistics and ensure consistent quality across locations.
Collaborate with established delivery platforms like Zomato or Swiggy while maintaining brand identity through dedicated sections or labels.
Launch educational campaigns highlighting the benefits of home-cooked meals over restaurant food.
Future Business Roadmap
Short-Term Goals (0–1 Year)
Expand operations to Mumbai, Delhi NCR, and Bangalore to capture high-demand markets.
Increase monthly revenue by targeting corporate clients for bulk orders during lunch hours.
Improve app functionality for better user experience and seamless chef-customer interaction.
Medium-Term Goals (1–3 Years)
Develop a franchise model to scale operations efficiently while maintaining quality standards.
Introduce subscription plans for regular customers to ensure consistent revenue streams.
Achieve ₹10 crore annual revenue by expanding into Tier-2 cities like Pune, Hyderabad, and Chandigarh.
Long-Term Goals (3–5 Years):
Establish Nanighar as a leading brand in the home-cooked meal delivery space across India.
Explore international markets targeting Indian diaspora communities seeking authentic regional cuisines abroad.
Develop proprietary packaging solutions that preserve freshness while being eco-friendly.
Roadmap to Increase Valuation
Strengthen brand equity through collaborations with top-tier influencers and celebrity endorsements in the food-tech space.
Scale operations by entering high-growth regions such as South India while leveraging partnerships with co-working spaces and corporates.
Invest in R&D to innovate new product lines like ready-to-eat meal kits featuring regional specialties.
Nanighar has immense potential to disrupt India’s food-tech industry by addressing the growing demand for affordable, authentic home-cooked meals while empowering women chefs across the country. With strategic marketing efforts, operational scalability, and a focus on customer education, it can establish itself as a leader while achieving long-term profitability!
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