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Mumbai dosa chain Benne in funding talks at ₹350cr valuation
24 Apr 2026

Billionaire investor Ranjan Pai's family office, Claypond Capital, is considering an investment of ₹35-40 crore in Benne, according to Moneycontrol.

The Mumbai-based dosa chain has gained immense popularity since its launch. The ongoing negotiations value Benne at ₹350 crore.

This would be among the smallest investments by Claypond Capital and its first in the food and beverage (F&B) sector.

Founders and origin of Benne
Business model

Benne, which means butter in Kannada, was founded by Akhil Iyer and Shriya Narayan.

The couple had no prior experience in hospitality but were driven by their love for authentic dosa.

They opened the first outlet of Benne in Bandra around mid-2024 after several attempts at perfecting the Davangere-style benne dosa.

The cafe chain has since become a city-wide sensation with three outlets and long wait times for customers.

Celebrity visits helped boost brand's popularity
Fame factor

Benne's early success was bolstered by celebrity visits, including those of Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh.

Their appearances drew massive crowds and piqued public interest in the brand.

The trend continued with cricketer Virat Kohli and actor Anushka Sharma also visiting the cafe, further boosting its popularity.

Benne raised its first external capital from early-stage venture capital firm Peercheque.

Cafe Amudham, Pizza Bakery attracted investments recently
Expansion

Benne is the latest F&B company to attract funding from family offices and high-net-worth individuals (HNIs).

Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath invested ₹5 crore in Cafe Amudham, as per IndianStartupNews.

Earlier this month, Moneycontrol reported that Popo Ventures, which owns Bengaluru-based restaurants like Pizza Bakery and Paris Panini, had started a partial stake sale at a valuation of ₹1,350 crore.