MAM
Ghost Kitchens India secures five million USD in series a funding
Mumbai: Food-tech platform Ghost Kitchens India has raised five million USD in Series A funding, a mix of equity and debt. The round was led by GVFL Ltd with participation from NB Ventures, LetsVenture, and Lead Angels. Existing investors Yuj Ventures, Dholakia Ventures, and actor Rana Daggubati also participated in this round.
The funds raised by Ghost Kitchens from this round will be utilized to scale business operations and foray into retail stores of its existing hero brands and new celebrity brands. Simultaneously, it will also help to upgrade the partner program and increase the footprint of company-owned and operated cloud kitchens and QSR stores.
Ghost Kitchens founder and CEO Karan Tanna said, “We are happy that investors have appreciated and backed our plans to build a profitable F&B company led by innovation in technology. We have created ten times the value for our earlier investors and we are sure to continue with this performance for new backers. We are excited for coming years where we will focus on building iconic brands through customer loyalty and love for our food.”
Earlier in 2022, Ghost Kitchens India had acquired a technology company-WTF which helped Ghost Kitchens to create its proprietary technology, helping them to manage their business end-to-end and to make it more efficient to generate organic revenue, better customer experience and more profitability. Leveraging this in-house SaaS built, Ghost Kitchens plans to be profitable in the next 12-15 months by doubling down on its hero brands and new celebrity brand partnerships.
Gujarat Venture Finance Ltd MD Kamal Bansal said, “We have closely observed Ghost Kitchens’ journey for over three quarters before partnering with them. Their execution is focused and frugal with a clear path of profitability. We were particularly excited about repeat customers of their brands and the in-house tech that they have which helps to optimise the aggregator algorithm better for organic growth. We are looking forward to the launch of celebrity brands as well. We are looking forward to what the future has for Ghost Kitchens in terms of growing a profitable sustainable business”.
Last year in February 2023, Ghost Kitchens India acquired SpeakBurgers by celebrity Chef Vicky Ratnani and it plans to grow the partnership through 25 offline retail stores in the next 18-24 months.
Chef Vicky Ratnani said, “I joined hands with Ghost Kitchens a year ago and their infrastructure to scale brands has helped SpeakBurgers to evolve tremendously. I wish Ghost Kitchens and all its backers a huge congratulations and with the new capital in place, Ghost Kitchens can realise its dream of an IPO in the next five years. Most importantly, I am glad that we will be able to spread love to more customers through good food.”
MAM
DGTOOHL partners Magnite to scale programmatic DOOH in India
Tie-up aims to boost transparency and real-time access in outdoor ads
NEW DELHI: DGTOOHL, a product of Mobiyoung, has entered into a strategic partnership with Magnite to expand programmatic digital out-of-home advertising capabilities in India, as the sector looks to modernise and align more closely with digital media standards.
The collaboration is aimed at addressing long-standing inefficiencies in the outdoor advertising ecosystem, where manual processes and limited transparency have often made campaign execution difficult to track and measure. By introducing programmatic integration, the partnership seeks to bring real-time visibility, improved accountability and data-led decision-making to the medium.
Outdoor advertising in India has traditionally lagged behind digital channels in terms of measurement and optimisation. The move towards programmatic DOOH is expected to change that, enabling advertisers to monitor, audit and refine campaigns with greater precision.
Under the partnership, Magnite will provide the infrastructure to connect DOOH inventory with global demand-side platforms, allowing advertisers to plan and activate outdoor campaigns programmatically, much like they do across mobile, web and connected TV.
“Programmatic DOOH is bringing a much-needed shift in how outdoor advertising is planned and executed,” said DGTOOHL co-founder and CTO Mayank Sharma. “By introducing transparency and real-time capabilities, we are enabling advertisers to move beyond traditional limitations and adopt a more measurable, data-led approach.”
DGTOOHL will focus on aggregating and streamlining access to DOOH media inventory, while Magnite will handle real-time transactions and demand integration, creating a more seamless buying experience for brands and agencies.
The timing reflects a broader industry shift. As programmatic buying becomes standard across digital formats, DOOH is increasingly being seen as the next frontier, allowing brands to extend digital strategies into physical environments. This integration enables more cohesive, cross-channel campaigns, where outdoor advertising complements online and CTV efforts to boost reach and recall.
“As advertisers look for unified and measurable media solutions, programmatic DOOH offers a strong opportunity to extend digital strategies into the physical world,” said Magnite senior account manager Jerit Kunjumon.
Industries such as FMCG, real estate, automotive and retail, traditionally heavy users of outdoor media, are expected to be among the early adopters of programmatic DOOH in India.
The partnership also promises operational benefits, including near real-time campaign activation, reduced reliance on intermediaries and improved monitoring of campaign performance.
As digital and physical media ecosystems continue to converge, the collaboration between DGTOOHL and Magnite signals a step towards making outdoor advertising more accountable, scalable and aligned with the expectations of modern marketers.
