Voilà, a German-based company that connects consumers with fine dining experiences at home, has closed on 8.8 million euros (about $10 million) in funding to accelerate its European expansion, EU-Startups.com reported Tuesday (Feb 15).
“We started out to bring the best restaurants, most renowned chefs and tastemakers to food lovers across Europe,” said CEO Julius Wiesenhütter in a statement, per the report. “At Voilà, we are not replacing visiting restaurants, we’re building something new: home fine dining, unlocking the experience category in food delivery.”
The round was led by EQT Ventures, a Sweden-based venture capital firm that invests in tech companies, and existing investors FoodLabs, Shio Capital and angel investor Roger Hassan.
The company was founded last year by Wiesenhütter and friends Florian Berg, chief operating officer, and Mostafa Nageeb, chief procurement officer. The team brought their experience from Delivery Hero and Foodpanda to provide the restaurant experience with quick delivery, the report stated. So far, it has delivered to more than 1,200 cities in Germany.
While many businesses are getting back on their feet in the wake of the pandemic, Main Streets’ restaurants are struggling. PYMNTS’ December 2021 Main Street Index study, created in collaboration with Melio, which looked at growth in new establishments, real wages and employment across America’s small businesses, found that the industry lags behind others.
Read the report: The Main Street Index
The Voilà transaction comes on the heels of DoorDash’s decision to get into lending.
Read more: Digital Ordering Boom Widens Gap Between Big Restaurant Brands and Small Operators
The food delivery giant announced last week that it is partnering with financial services technology company Parafin to launch DoorDash Capital, through which the delivery company can provide financing to restaurants with a “proven track record” on the platform.
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