Jow Raises $20 Million for Meal & Grocery Planning
Jow Secures $20 Million to Revolutionize Home Cooking
French company Jow has successfully completed a $20 million funding round, spearheaded by Eurazeo. The startup aims to simplify the process of home cooking by providing meal suggestions and streamlining grocery ordering.
Investment Details and Previous Funding
Alongside Eurazeo, current investors including Headline, DST, and Stride.VC also contributed to this latest funding round. Jow was initially founded in 2018 and had previously secured $1.5 million in October 2018, followed by $7 million in December 2019.
What Jow Is and Isn't
It’s best understood by clarifying what Jow doesn’t offer. The service isn’t a traditional grocery delivery service, nor is it a platform for ordering pre-made meals.
Upon registration, users provide details about their household. This includes the number of adults and children, any dietary restrictions or allergies, and the available kitchen appliances like microwaves or blenders.
Meal Planning and Customization
Based on this information, Jow proposes a menu for the upcoming week. Users have the flexibility to review and modify these suggestions. Ingredients can be substituted, and the number of servings adjusted for each meal.
The platform then automatically compiles a shopping list, optimizing for efficiency to avoid unnecessary duplication of items. Additional household necessities, beverages, and other products can be added to the list as needed.
Seamless Grocery Ordering with Existing Retailers
Jow doesn’t directly handle order fulfillment. Instead, the generated shopping list is transferred to a nearby supermarket of the user’s choice.
The company has established partnerships with six major French grocery chains – Carrefour, Auchan, Intermarché, Leclerc, Monoprix, and Chronodrive – representing a network of over 4,000 stores nationwide.
Users can utilize their existing account credentials to connect with their preferred retailer and select either curbside pickup or home delivery options.
The Current State of Online Grocery Shopping
While online grocery shopping has become commonplace, the user experience has remained largely unchanged. Typically, shoppers must already know what they need, navigating through categorized lists of products.
This often makes advance planning and online ordering feel cumbersome. Consumers generally have three options: meticulous weekly planning, relying on rapid grocery delivery services, or opting for meal delivery services like Deliveroo and Uber Eats.
Jow's Approach to Improving the Experience
Jow believes that enhancing meal planning can fundamentally alter the way people interact with online grocery services. By simplifying the process, the platform aims to reduce reliance on food delivery apps, leading to cost savings and reduced food waste.
Cooking at home remains the most sustainable option from an environmental perspective.
Efficiency and Revenue Model
The startup operates with a lean team of just 35 employees and doesn’t hold any food inventory. Revenue is generated through commissions from grocery retailers.
To date, Jow users have collectively ordered 20 million meals through the application. Approximately 70% of the items in a typical customer’s basket originate from Jow’s recipe suggestions.
Future Expansion Plans
Jow finalized its funding round earlier in the year and is now announcing the details. The company intends to expand its services internationally, beginning with the United States. It will encounter competition from other meal planning companies, such as Kitchenful.