Exclusive: Daalchini Turns Profitable, Posts INR 2.5 Cr PAT In FY25

SUMMARY

The startup reported a consolidated net profit of INR 2.5 Cr in FY25 and an EBITDA of INR 3.7 Cr, as per its unaudited financials

The startup’s operating revenue zoomed 88.7% to INR 70 Cr in FY25 from INR 37.3 Cr in the previous fiscal year on the back of growing demand for its vending machines

The number of vending machines deployed by the startup more than doubled to 3,400 at the end of FY25 from 1,600 machines a year ago

Retail tech startup Daalchini turned profitable in the year ended March 2025 (FY25), its cofounder and CEO Prerna Kalra said.

The startup reported a consolidated net profit of INR 2.5 Cr in FY25 and an EBITDA of INR 3.7 Cr, as per its unaudited financials, Kalra told Inc42. In FY24, Daalchini had reported a consolidated net loss of INR 8.58 Cr.

The startup’s operating revenue zoomed 88.7% to INR 70 Cr in FY25 from INR 37.3 Cr in the previous fiscal year on the back of growing demand for its vending machines.

Kalra said that the number of vending machines deployed by the startup more than doubled to 3,400 at the end of FY25 from 1,600 machines a year ago. Daalchini is eyeing 100% growth this year as well and has set a target to increase the number of vending machines to 6,700 by the end of FY26.

Founded in 2017 by ex-Paytm executives Kalra and Vidya Bhushan, Daalchini offers IoT-based smart vending machines. The startup rents as well as sells these machines to retail stores, offices, schools, hospitals, among others.

It claims to work with more than 190 D2C brands and cloud kitchens, including Nestle, Parle, Mother Dairy, Haldirams and Bikanerwala. Its clients include Fortis, Apollo, AIIMS, Amazon, EY, Accenture, Tata, Reliance, Adani, among others.

Daalchini claims to be “India’s first vending machine” provider, and competes with the likes of Wendor, NutriTap Technologies, Vendekin Technologies, and more.

Notably, Daalchini has also raised about $3.6 Mn in a mix of equity and debt recently, the cofounder said. The round saw participation from its existing investors Unicorn India Ventures, Artha Venture Fund and ICICI Securities.

Including the latest round, the startup has raised about $8.8 Mn to date.

This comes at a time when Daalchini’s competitor Wendor also raised $2.5 Mn in funding from commercial refrigeration company Elanpro earlier this month.