To further expand e-grocery service, Indonesia-based Dropezy raised US $2.5 M
Dropezy, an e-grocery platform located in Indonesia, said today that it has secured US$2.5 million in a Pre-Series A investment headed by Forge Ventures.
Tekton Ventures, Next Billion Ventures, Nordstar, and a collection of angel investors, including the founders of Kopi Kenangan and Bukukas, also participated in the financing round.
Dropezy intends to utilise the funds to expand its network of “dark shops” or micro-fulfillment centers in the Greater Jakarta Area, allowing for 20-minute food delivery.
The firm was founded in 2019 by Chandni Chainani and Nitesh Chellaram with the goal of becoming “the easiest method” to buy food.
According to studies, 80 percent of Indonesians prefer to purchase online, therefore the current COVID-19 epidemic has given Dropezy a unique chance.
However, the business discovered that existing grocery delivery services are optimised on existing offline supply chains or cost minimization, resulting in a customer experience that is compromised. As a result, it creates a platform that allows clients to shop faster and more conveniently by enabling modest transactions with cheap shipping charges.
Dropezy began in a modest room in the basement of an apartment in Central Jakarta and has grown to almost 100 people, according to the company. It will open dark shops across the city to reduce the last-mile distance and ensure that consumers receive their goods in under 20 minutes.
This increase, according to CEO Chandni Chainani, is due to the company’s learnings and insights from its consumers.
“When we launched, Chandni and I packed and delivered every order ourselves to really understand what urban customers wanted out of a grocery delivery service and how we could deliver the very best experience. With 60 percent of first-time customers still purchasing from us after six months, our customers already love the consistency and freshness of our product selection and our fair prices. This is only possible because we control both our inventory and logistics with a committed fleet of riders who allocate at least six hours a day for small package deliveries,” said Nitesh Chellaram, Co-founder and COO of Dropezy.
“But our customers kept on asking for us to deliver faster and now, we will. If you make some coffee and realize you are out of milk, Dropezy will get it to you before your coffee is cold. We are excited to be partnering with investors who share our vision and customer obsession,” he continued.
Prior to founding Dropezy, the co-founders worked at top tech firms including Zomato, MatahariMall, and Zilingo, as well as in the grocery and FMCG industries.
