Wow! Momo co-founder backs Kolkata street-food startup Puchkaman
What's the deal? Kolkata-based street-food startup PuchkamanDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has raised an angel round from three business figures: Arnab Basu, former president of The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Anant Daga, former managing director of TCNS ClothingDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, the company behind brands W and Aurelia; and Binod Kumar Homagai, co-founder of Wow! Momo.
What does it do? Founded by Sujoy Bose and Sk Saikat, Puchkaman sells Kolkata's iconic puchka in a standardized, hygienic format. It uses centralized production, strict hygiene protocols, and simplified, chef-less stores, and is working toward automating puchka manufacturing.
Where's the money going? The funds will support geographic expansion, technology, supply-chain infrastructure, team building, and product innovation. Puchkaman operates across three Indian states and plans to enter five more.
Who's backing it? Homagai has invested and mentored since the startup's early days, drawing on his Wow! Momo experience in QSR operations and store expansion. Basu brings finance, technology, and governance expertise, while Daga adds consumer-branding and retail-expansion know-how.
The global angle: Puchkaman also runs an international outlet, with a Toronto location reportedly opened in Scarborough in January — its first reported site abroad. The company describes a franchise-led push across eastern India and Canada, though independently verified operating detail is limited.
What could go wrong? Available reports do not disclose the round's amount, terms, or structure, making this more an investment announcement than a documented institutional raise. The core test is whether a regional street-food specialty can be standardized and franchised at scale.
The signal: Investor interest in scalable Indian food brands is active, with chains such as Wow! Momo raising growth capital and pushing into smaller cities. Puchkaman is a bet on whether that playbook works for street food — not yet proof of a national or global breakout.
Read more: ptinews.com
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
