Bengaluru-based food delivery platform Swiggy has announced that it has raised $1 billion as part of its Series H round of funding led by existing investor, Naspers. The round includes participation from several existing investors including DST Global, Meituan Dianping and Coatue Management, along with new investors Tencent, Hillhouse Capital and Wellington Management Company.
This funding, Swiggy claims, is the single largest in India’s food technology sector. And with the latest round of funding, the total amount raised by Swiggy until now stands at $1.26 billion.
Swiggy intends to use the funds raised to bring more quality food brands closer to consumers and address gaps in supply through delivery-only kitchens under the ‘Access’ initiative for restaurant partners.
Additionally, Swiggy will use the capital to hire more talent, especially for machine learning and engineering roles across mid and senior levels. The company will further strengthen its technology backbone and focus on building a next-generation AI-driven platform for hyperlocal discovery and on-demand delivery.
“Swiggy has been at the forefront of elevating the potential of Indian food delivery with its industry-changing innovations and focus on delivering the best consumer experience to millions of Indians. As we add more firepower to our vision of elevating quality of life for urban consumers by offering unparalleled convenience, we’re pleased that visionary global investors share our purpose and have made such a significant investment in our future,” Sriharsha Majety, CEO, Swiggy said in a statement.
Since the last round of funding six months ago, Swiggy claims to have expanded to 42 additional cities and doubled in gross merchandise value as it strengthened its leading market share along with industry-best repeat rates and net promoter score.
“We first partnered with Swiggy in April 2017 because we recognized the Swiggy team had built a sustainable, long-term business, that stood out amongst others in India. Now, nearly two years later, we have even more confidence Swiggy has the winning formula and will continue to build a leading business in the country. Swiggy has 10x the number of orders per month since our first investment, has expanded throughout India to tier 1, 2 and 3 cities, and most importantly, is the most loved food delivery brand in India, providing the best service to consumers nationwide,” said Larry Illg, CEO, Food and Ventures, Naspers.
Swiggy said in a statement announcing the funding that its rapid expansion follows a conscious effort to grow in a sustainable manner, ensuring unmatched consumer experience, unprecedented demand for its restaurant partners and sustainable earnings for close to 120,000 active delivery partners.
“Our latest round of capital will help to accelerate Swiggy’s journey towards its vision of providing unmatched convenience in food ordering and delivery for Indian consumers,” Larry added.