India's first ‘zero-stock’ fresh commerce startup Handpickd raises $15 million in funding

Handpickd, which calls itself India’s first ‘zero-stock’ fresh commerce startup, has raised $15 million in a Series A funding round led by Bertelsmann India Investments (BII), with participation from Titan Capital Winners Fund (TCWF) and existing investors.

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The startup will use the capital to strengthen its talent pool, expand serviceability in existing geographies, and create technology for further optimising its supply chain.

Founded in 2024 by Anant Goel, the co-founder of Milkbasket, along with Nitin Gupta and Sahil Madan, Handpickd is a zero-inventory, zero-warehouse, zero-dark store platform that doesn’t forecast its sales. It first collects orders from customers, then buys the exact quantity/quality directly from the farmers, and delivers to customers in the early morning hours. The process from purchase to delivery is accomplished in under 6-7 hours, using advanced JIT processes, eliminating the need for any storage.

“It's a mandi at your doorstep! Huge variety, freshest produce, and freedom to pick what you want. For the first time, customers are able to buy 'achchi waali' phal-sabzi, the way they like it, from the comfort of their home. And we are humbled by the customer love that Handpickd has garnered over the last few months,” said Anant Goel, who is also the CEO of Handpickd.

“It helps not to have any warehouses, cold storages or dark stores! By inverting the demand-supply equation, we are giving customers exactly what they want while systematically killing wastage in the entire supply chain, at scale and profitably,” he added.

Unlike others, Handpickd focuses on “hyper-personalisation” or “match-making,” as it is coined internally at the company. Customers can specify ripeness, size, sweetness, crunch, or pesticide-free options for their chosen fruits and vegetables. For example, a customer might order three guavas with the note: “All must be sweet, two crunchy, one extra ripe, suitable for an infant.”

Rohit Sood, Partner, Bertelsmann India Investments, said, “With consumers getting so many goods and services at a click of a button, quality fruits and vegetables still remains a pain point. With Handpickd, we believe Anant, Nitin and Sahil have found the right model to service this segment and create a lasting brand. Customer retention and customer love for Handpickd is the highest we have seen amongst consumer companies.”