Cloud kitchens were all the rage after the pandemic. Then momentum slowed. Jason Calacanis never lost faith.
Calacanis is the founder of LAUNCH, an early-stage investment firm. Through the LAUNCH Accelerator, LAUNCH Fund Syndicate, and LAUNCH CloudKitchens Incubator, LAUNCH invests millions of dollars in 100 startups annually. Last year he launched the LAUNCH CloudKitchens Incubator, a 14-week program to help food entrepreneurs start, build, and scale their businesses. It also provided a modest investment to five entrepreneurs.
Jason Calacanis, founder of LAUNCH
“We believe there is a unique opportunity for founders to create the next legendary culinary brand enabled by these booming platforms, and we would like to accelerate the process for them,” said Calacanis.
The entrepreneurs were given mentorship on kitchen economics, business operations, marketing, sales, brand strategy, and fundraising.
“This is a great program for folks if they are in pre-concept or evolving an existing concept and looking for great partners to help do it,” said Nic Bash of HoneyFlower Foods, one of the entrepreneurs in the first cohort. “The program gave us so many resources to set us up for success and allowed us to tour kitchens and really take a look at how to build.”
The company also hosts free events, podcasts, books, and research products for founders and investors.
This year the incubator is looking for up to 10 more entrepreneurs. It is looking for folks who want to expand in the ghost kitchen space, successful tech entrepreneurs interested in the food and ghost kitchen space, and entrepreneurs or chefs looking for a co-founder. It clarifies that applicants don’t need to have an existing food business to apply; just a good idea.
And as an extra incentive, Calacanis offers this.
“We’re thinking of putting a little more money into one or two of the top graduates of the program,” he said.
The application process is open for the second cohort and can be found here.
