They quit Foodpanda to revamp the way catering is done in Asia

CaterSpot’s Camilo Paredes (left) and Amanda Ernst (right).

For Camilo Paredes and Amanda Ernst, the decision to leave Foodpanda was a “natural progression.” The two entrepreneurs helped expand the Rocket Internet-backed online food delivery startup in Latin America but always held aspirations to start their own company.

Catering appealed to them. It involves fewer headaches as compared to trying to sell to foodies directly. Building a promising startup focused on catering for events wasn’t dependent on acquiring a critical mass of users, dealing with tricky logistical issues, or fickle consumers.

“In catering, the orders are booked in advance, the basket sizes are 10x higher, and a [business] focus brings quality customers with high recurrency,” says Camilo.

It went from idea to execution in just a few days.

The duo came up with CaterSpot, based in Hong Kong, a marketplace that connects businesses with local catering options. There are over a thousand menus to choose from, and the startup already boasts clients like Boston Consulting Group, UBS, P&G, and Canva.

CaterSpot raised funding in April, barely three months after launch. The capital has allowed the duo to expand the team and invest in multiple marketing channels. There’s more breathing space now and the flexibility to look at corporate sales, which Camilo says is “lucrative but staff-heavy and has a long sales cycle.”

Orders are increasing at a rate of above 50 percent month-on-month. There’s a strong sense of urgency to keep growing and not decelerate its rate of expansion.

Photo credit: André Luís.

Speedy launch

“The global catering industry is worth US$50 billion, and that was important to us when we were evaluating the launch,” outlines Amanda.

The ex-Foodpanda execs felt their combined experience put them in a position of strength, hence the decision to launch from both Singapore and Hong Kong from day one. The ensuing response has brought about a sense of validation in the model – Amanda says they want to be the largest player in Asia within the next couple of years – and then roll out globally.

If CaterSpot does eventually expand worldwide, it might come head-to-head with Rocket Internet’s own marketplace, CaterWings, which currently operates in Berlin and London.

Foodpanda itself is also trying to get into the catering business in Hong Kong. It acquired a rival startup in March primarily to look at this channel.

Food fight

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