ZFW Dark Stores Raises $1.2 Million Seed Fund The fund raised will be used to accelerate hiring and build more technological capabilities
By Teena Jose •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.
ZFW, a full-stack fulfillment technology platform for e-commerce brands, announced that it has raised $1.2 million Seed fund from Riso Capital, SEA Fund, Lead Fund and marquee founder angels. The round also witnessed participation from Qudrah National Holdings, Archana Priyadarshini (One Point Capital), Long Tail Ventures, Mohit Sadaani (The Mom's and Co) and Aman Arora (Keventers), among others. The fund raised will be used to accelerate hiring and built more technological capabilities to create a seamless delivery experience.
"Our technology platform empowers new-age brands that want to sell through their own channels and offer a superior Amazon-like same-day delivery experience to customers, without breaking the bank or worrying about the risk associated with over-dependence on e-commerce platforms," said Madhav Kasturia, founder, ZFW Dark Stores.
With rising online shoppers, acquisition cost and shifting brand loyalties in e-commerce post-Covid, there is an overwhelming need for brands to be closer than ever to customers with robust technology and infrastructure to support demand. As a part of this, ZFW Dark Stores aims to expand to 10 cities across India by the end 2022, claimed by the startup in a statement.
"We are super excited to back Madhav and team, as they work towards scaling the dark warehousing market. Their disruptive three-way integrated tech-stack and automation platform enable Tier I or II brands across India to cater the rapidly growing D2C market," said Sri Purisai, founding partner, Riso Capital.
Founded in 2021 by Madhav Kasturia, ZFW Dark Stores is a platform that helps D2C brands fulfill orders to consumers in 30 minutes, 2 hours and same day through its network and last-mile delivery across India. As per the company's statement, the startup currently operates in more than 150 dark stores with brands like F&B, Personal Care, Rage Coffee, Clinikally, HUL and Vadilal among others.
As per reports, the rapidly growing D2C market is expected to reach $100 billion by 2025.
