1. Harajuku Tokyo Café Raises US$3 Million to Accelerate Expansion

Harajuku Tokyo Café, the Japanese food and beverage business operating Harajuku Tokyo Café and Harajuku Bakehouse, has raised US$3 million in a Pre-Series A funding round led by Zero W.

Existing seed investors Indian Angel Network and Samved VC have participated in the round with follow-on investments. New investors include Blume Founders Fund, Brijesh Parekh Family Office, Rahul Jain, co-founder of Epigamia, and other investors.

“Our focus has been to build the operational infrastructure required to support consistent quality as we expand. We have invested in centralised kitchens and systems that provide daily visibility into outlet performance, ingredients and costs. This foundation will support our next phase of growth. We aim to achieve INR 100 crore in revenue this financial year and build on that momentum in the years ahead,” said Gaurav Kanwar, Founder and CEO of Harajuku.

The funding follows a period of growth for the business. Since its seed round in August 2025, the company has doubled both its outlet count and revenue. Mumbai, where the brand launched in July 2025, now contributes 25% of revenue.

Across dine-in and delivery, Harajuku processes more than 1,000 orders per day. Harajuku Bakehouse has also become a significant growth driver, contributing over 30% of the company’s total revenue and continuing to grow rapidly. In Delhi NCR, Bakehouse products record sales of more than 1,000 loaves of bread per week on Blinkit, with expansion to additional metropolitan markets planned.

“Japanese food in India is increasingly becoming part of everyday dining, creating an opportunity for brands that can deliver a consistent customer experience across locations. Harajuku has developed an operating model that combines outlet-level visibility with close tracking of ingredients and costs. We believe this infrastructure positions the business to scale, and we are pleased to lead the round,” said Pruthvi, Director, Zero W.

“We backed Harajuku at the seed stage, and the company’s progress since then has reinforced our confidence in the business. The response in Mumbai has been particularly encouraging and demonstrates the brand’s potential beyond its initial market. We are pleased to support Gaurav and the team as they build a national presence in Japanese food,” said Hari Balasubramanian, angel investor at Indian Angel Network.

Over the next two quarters, Harajuku plans to open ten outlets across new neighbourhoods in Delhi NCR and Mumbai, while entering Bengaluru and Chandigarh for the first time. The company also plans to operationalise central kitchens in Mumbai and Bengaluru by December 2026.