Lemoncat

About Lemoncat

Lemoncat operates as an online marketplace focused on the business catering sector, aiming to digitalize and simplify the ordering process for corporate clients. Founded in Berlin in 2016 by Doreen Huber, the company established itself by creating a platform where businesses can find, book, and pay for catering services for events, meetings, and office lunches. The idea stemmed from Huber's prior experience in the food delivery industry, notably as COO of Delivery Hero, where she identified a gap in the market for a streamlined B2B catering solution.

Doreen Huber's entrepreneurial journey began long before Lemoncat, with her first company founded at the age of 23. Her extensive background in scaling companies, particularly her roles at Lieferheld and Delivery Hero, provided her with deep operational and sales expertise, which was foundational to Lemoncat's strategy. This experience in a high-growth, tech-driven environment shaped her approach to digitalizing the traditionally offline catering market. Despite studying literature and art history, her career took a decisive turn into business and sales after an early job at a US tech startup.

The company's business model is twofold. Primarily, it functions as a marketplace, connecting companies like Salesforce and Adidas with a curated network of over 500 local caterers across Germany. Revenue is generated through this platform, which simplifies the coordination, booking, and payment for catering services. In addition to the marketplace, Lemoncat developed a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution called 'Caterdesk'. This tool is offered to catering businesses to help them manage their operations, from handling inquiries to creating quotes and analyzing their business performance, with a subscription fee for the service.

The platform serves corporate clients needing food for various occasions, from small team meetings to large conferences with up to 2,000 attendees. The service streamlines the entire process, offering transparent pricing and a centralized system to manage orders and deliveries. In August 2019, Lemoncat was acquired by Caterwings, a competitor backed by Rocket Internet, which was also a significant investor in Lemoncat alongside entities like Northzone and Point Nine Capital.