samannow raises $1.1M to bring 60-minute delivery to smaller Indian cities
What's the deal? samannow, a quick-commerce startup founded by IIT Madras student Kuldeep Rathore, has raised $1.1 million in pre-seed funding. The round was backed by AntlerDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Titan CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and All In CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →.
What's the endgame? samannow delivers everyday products within 60 minutes across Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. It pitches a value-first model, aiming to make shopping cheaper and more convenient beyond India's largest metros.
Why now? Rathore built the venture on earlier experience. He co-founded Zodok, a fashion quick-commerce startup in Pune, which scaled to around 100 orders a day and more than 10,000 users before being acquired by KNOTDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →.
At KNOT, Rathore worked as an entrepreneur-in-residence, helping launch two private labels that hit a 90% sell-through rate. He developed supply networks across Surat, Delhi NCR, and China, connecting with more than 100 manufacturers.
That combination of manufacturing and supply-chain knowledge now underpins samannow, which uses efficient sourcing to lower costs.
The backstory: Rathore couldn't clear JEE Advanced after a drop year. In September 2023, he enrolled in the IIT Madras BS Degree Programme in Data Science, whose flexible online format let him study while building companies. "One examination may influence your journey, but it does not have to determine your destination," he said.
The signal: Quick commerce has largely concentrated on India's biggest cities. samannow's bet is that smaller urban markets are the next frontier — and that founders with hands-on operations experience, rather than conventional credentials, can chase them.
Read more: indiatoday.in
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
