[Funding alert] Workflow automation app Delightree raises $3M in seed round

San Francisco and Delhi-based Delightree, a workflow automation app for businesses, has raised $3 million in a seed round from Accel Partners, Emergent Ventures, Brainstorm Ventures, Axilor Ventures, and Alchemist Accelerator. The company will use the money to win new clients.

Delightree was founded by Madhulika Mukherjee and Tushar Mishra in 2019. The duo earlier founded CEM software company Survaider where they worked with over 3,000 franchise stores. That experience of starting up led them to found Delightree. 

Tushar Mishra, Co-founder, Delightree, said,

“We were surprised to learn how most franchises still either run on pen and paper or old desktop-based software. Delightree is helping owners turn their stores into future-ready smart stores, where majority of processes and workflows are automated.”

The workflow automation startup provides digital workflow tools to deskless workers, who have traditionally relied on pen and paper. It offers solutions to franchise businesses and brick-and-mortar operations such as restaurants, hotels, and retail stores – all of which have a predominantly deskless workforce.

Digitalising operating procedures

Delightree’s solution bridges the gap between management and the frontline employee base, which has traditionally not had access to technology.

The mobile app solution empowers franchise owners and store managers by digitalising operating procedures and helping achieve compliance, team accountability, and improved performance.

The Delightree app can also streamline employee onboarding. Instead of sending documents to regional offices, employees can add their documents, sign forms, and undergo training on Delightree.

The startup, which has franchise clients of Subway, Pedros, Burger King, and Halal Guys across the US, is targeting more than 750,000 franchises.

Dinesh Katiyar, Partner, Accel, said, “Delightree is focusing on an industry segment—franchise businesses—that has traditionally struggled to find technology solutions that are right-sized for them. It takes care of the tedious part of managing a franchisee location and enables frontline employees to be on top of their tasks with ease. A solution like Delightree is especially needed now, when COVID-19 has led to a higher compliance burden on such businesses.”

Pivoting amid coronavirus

Businesses across the US and rest of the world are reopening under heightened scrutiny and compliance requirements amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Delightree has launched a free mobile app, Delightcomply, which lets its clients share the latest WHO and CDC regulations with their teams in the form of simple tasks. The business can then share their compliance status live with customers.

For instance, when a restaurant delivers a meal to a customer, the latter can easily scan the QR code on the package to access information, like the temperature of the staff who handled the meal preparation and compliance of other CDC guidelines. A wide variety of businesses - from restaurants to day care centres - are using this tool to build trust with their customers.

Madhulika Mukherjee, Co-founder, Delightree, said, “Automating standard workflows is just scratching the surface. We are planning to integrate with other products a franchise business uses to deeply augment all cross-department workflows in the organisation.”

(Edited by Teja Lele Desai)