[Funding alert] ZFW Dark Stores raises $1.2 mn in Seed funding

ZFW, a full-stack fulfillment technology platform for e-commerce brands has raised $1.2 million in Seed funding round from Riso Capital, SEA Fund, Lead Fund and marquee founder angels.

The round also saw participation from existing investors like ice.vc, Mumbai Angels, and Arjun Vaidya and new angel investors like South Asia Technology Partners, Long Tail Ventures, Jasminder Gulati (Founder, NowFloats), Qudrah National Holdings, Archana Priyadarshini (Point One Capital), Mohit Sadaani (The Mom’s and Co) and Aman Arora (Keventers), and among others.

The company plans to use the funds to expand its dark store network across India, take on hiring and build more technical capabilities.

The New Delhi-based ZFW Dark Stores was founded in 2021 by Madhav Kasturia, It helps D2C brands fulfill last-mile orders to customers through its network of dark stores and last-mile delivery presence across the country.

The company said that tech-stack integrates with a brand’s existing platform to provide complete visibility into supply-chain operations and customers.

“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 risks associated with over-dependence on e-commerce platforms (low margins, lack of control and data)”, said, founder Madhav Kasturia.

It currently operates over 150 stores across India dealing with food and beverage, personal care and consumer goods brands.

Its clients are D2C brands including Rage Coffee, Clinikally, Epigamia, Jimmy’s Cocktail, HUL, Havmor Ice Cream,Vadilal ,and others.

“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.

In January 2022, ZFW Dark Stores had raised  $415,000 in Pre seed funding round from a clutch of marquee investors.

About ZFW Dark Stores

ZFW’s full-stack fulfillment platform helps E-commerce brands like Epigamia, Baskin Robbins, Fabbox be closer to customers by enabling 30 Min, 2 Hour, & Same Day Deliveries through our network of dark stores across India. They’re solving massive pain points for brands that want to stay ahead of the curve & delight them- but without significant upfront capital, overheads, & headaches .

Their tech-stack integrates seamlessly with a brand’s existing platforms to provide complete visibility into supply-chain ops & customers: significantly improving customer loyalty, fulfillment times, & costs. Backed by marquee angels, real-estate family offices, & funds across India, US, & SEA.