All results
Could Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter have the Midas touch when it comes to the startups he touches? It depends on who you’re asking. If you ask food tech innovation company — HUNGRY — the answer could be “yes” as the Hip-Hop billionaire-backed startup has once again found its way to the Inc. 5000 Fastest-Growing Private Companies list. It has managed to disrupt the food tech industry by providing corporate America with both amazing food and event solutions from top local chefs and restaurants. “It’s an incredible feat for a company focused on the corporate catering and events, especially given the last 2 1/2 years with the COVID pandemic,” said the company in a statement. “This year, HUNGRY came in at No. 1,218 on the 5,000-company list, making it part of the top 25 percent.”
HUNGRY first got a taste of the spotlight back in March 2020, at the start of what was supposed to be just a few weeks of a lockdown. At that time, the app got celebrity investors in the form of Jay-Z, several NFL players and comedian Kevin Hart in their Series B funding, which ultimately raised $20 million. But the looming threat of the pandemic weighed heavily on the founders’ minds. “Starting a business, in and of itself, is a daunting prospect,” co-CEO Shy Pahlevani told AfroTech. “But now, imagine starting a business — in the food service industry — at the start of the pandemic. We knew we were taking a gamble. But it’s a gamble we were willing to take, and it was one that paid off in the end.” The HUNGRY app works sort of the way Tinder does, in that it matches professional chefs with catering jobs. And the Series B funding wasn’t the first time that Hova’s Marcy Ventures Fund invested in the business — as AfroTech previously reported, the venture fund participated in the...
Hip hop billionaire Jay-Z continues to make power moves in business. For his latest business endeavor, the “4:44” rapper is teaming up with NFL players, including Bobby Wagner and Todd Gurley, to invest in Hungry’s $20 million Series B round, according to Forbes . View this post on Instagram A post shared by HUNGRY (@tryhungry) on Mar 5, 2020 at 6:38am PST However, this isn’t Hov’s first seat at this startup’s table. Last year, Hungry, which connects chefs with companies looking for catered meals, saw a hefty investment from Mr. Carter’s $85 million Marcy Ventures Fund . Since, according to reports, there’s an uptick in Hungry’s valuation, attracting additional interest from comedian superstar Kevin Hart. “Hungry is leveling the playing field for chefs and giving them economic opportunities that they never had before. I’m a big supporter of what this business stands for,” Hart said. Hungry was founded in 2016 by brothers Eman and Shy Pahlavani. With the help of Jay-Z, Hart,...