India’s Nothing Before Coffee raises $2.3m to fuel outlet growth

Left to right: Nothing Before Coffee co-founders; Shubham Bhandari, Akshay Kedia, Anand Jain and Ankesh Jain | Photo credit: Nothing Before Coffee 

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India’s Nothing Before Coffee (NBC) is gearing up for a fresh expansion drive after securing $2.3m in a pre-series A funding round led by Mumbai-based Prath Ventures. The round also saw participation from SYL Investments, Warmup Ventures & Mars Shot Ventures. 

In a press release, NBC said it would continue to target growth in India’s ‘largely untapped’ Tier 2 and 3 cities, where it says major coffee chains have yet to venture. The affordable coffee chain, which has previously sold promotional beverages for ₹99 ($1.18), reiterated its goal to resonate with younger Indian consumers and said it could reach 150 stores in India by the end of 2026. 

NBC also said the funding would be used to strengthen its digital platforms, which include an in-house app, invest in its supply chain and roll out new store formats, such as kiosks and smaller cafés.

“This funding milestone is a strong validation of our vision and operating model. At Nothing Before Coffee, we've built a brand that combines affordability, quality, and deep cultural resonance – especially in India’s Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets. With strong unit economics and consistent consumer love, we are now well-positioned to scale rapidly,” said Ankesh Jain, Co-founder, Nothing Before Coffee.
 

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Founded in Jaipur in 2017, Nothing Before Coffee operates more than 85 stores across 35 cities in India, alongside a single site in Portugal, which opened in April 2024. The value-focused coffee chain sources coffee from Chikmagalur and Coorg in India’s southern Karnataka state and roasts in-house to supply its store portfolio and direct-to-consumer channel. 

The coffee chain has previously stated it was seeking $4m to reach 400 sites in India by 2026 and facilitate planned expansion in Europe and the Middle East.

“As a fund, we’ve long believed in the growing demand for coffee and vibrant café experiences across India – not just in metros, but well beyond Tier-1 cities. In all our research, NBC consistently stood out for the vibrance in their cafés, the affordability of their pricing, and the quality of their offerings,” added Piyush Goenka, founder of Prath Ventures.

India’s burgeoning domestic coffee shop market has courted millions of dollar’s of investment over the last 18 months as operators rush to be the first to open stores in the country’s untapped urban areas.

Specialty coffee groups Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters and Subko Coffee Roasters have raised $35m and $10m respectively to scale their operations, while affordable operator abCoffee and specialty coffee start-up First Coffee raised $3.4m and $1.2m to accelerate the roll-out of their on-the-go focused store networks. 

In December 2024, Bangalore-based Fast Coffee raised $1m in a funding round led by venture capital firm Bloom International Ventures to fund plans to reach 10 stores by the end of 2025.