Restaurant POS solutions have received a major boost as Petpooja, a leading SaaS platform, announced it raised $15.5 million in a Series C funding round to accelerate AI automation and strengthen services for food service businesses. The investment, led by Dharana Capital with participation from Ashish Gupta and Urban Company founders, marks Petpooja’s first funding in four years.

According to the Registrar of Companies’ filings, Dharana Capital invested INR 82 crore. In comparison, Ashish Gupta contributed INR 1 crore, with the remaining allotments pending. The fresh round valued Petpooja at approximately INR 910 crore ($103 million), reflecting a 3.5x increase from its previous round. With this infusion, Dharana Capital will hold an 18.62 percent stake on a fully diluted basis.

Founded in 2011 by Parthiv and Apurv Patel, Petpooja began as a B2B food delivery startup before pivoting to a SaaS platform offering restaurant POS and management software. Today, it serves over 100,000 restaurants across India, the UAE, South Africa, and the US, processing roughly 25 percent of online orders on Zomato and Swiggy. The company has expanded its suite to include payroll, invoice automation, and advanced AI automation features for food service businesses.

Addressing Core Challenges in Restaurant Operations

Petpooja’s restaurant POS and management software is designed to tackle several persistent issues faced by food service businesses. Many restaurants still rely on manual processes for billing and order management, leading to errors and inefficiencies. Petpooja’s system automates these tasks, reducing human error and speeding up service.

Additionally, Inconsistent inventory tracking can lead to wastage and stockouts. Petpooja offers real-time inventory management, enabling restaurants to monitor stock levels and reduce waste accurately.

Managing orders from multiple online food delivery platforms can be a cumbersome task. Petpooja integrates with platforms like Zomato and Swiggy, streamlining order processing and reducing the risk of errors. Handling tips, taxes, and shift management can be complex. Petpooja’s payroll module simplifies these processes, ensuring compliance and efficiency.

Use of Funds and Growth Outlook

The company plans to channel the new funds into broadening its SaaS platform, advancing AI automation, and improving customer support. These enhancements aim to streamline operations for food service businesses, providing integrated restaurant POS solutions that reduce manual effort and increase operational efficiency.

Petpooja reported revenue of INR 76 crore in FY24, a 43 percent increase from FY23, while narrowing losses to INR 13.4 crore. Including the Series C round, Petpooja has now raised a total of approximately INR 185 crore in funding. The company competes with DotPe, Thrive, Posist, and GoFrugal in the restaurant POS and management software sector.

Stay ahead of the curve and follow IndiaTechDesk on Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin for in-depth news of market trends, funding updates, and regulatory changes affecting startups in India.