According to Forbes, Usher has invested in a catering startup called Hungry. The catering company has teamed up with J’s Kitchen Culinary Incubator, a business owned by Usher’s mother Jonetta Patton.
The R&B singer invested in the venture shortly after his mother received a call from Nina Mahmoudpour, director of operations at Hungry, a startup connecting chefs with companies looking for catered meals. Patton told her son, “this is the next big thing; you have to get on board.”
Through his Marcy Venture Partners, JAY-Z has also invested into the startup through its $8 million Series A. The two entertainers have also been joined by football player Ndamukong Suh, former Whole Foods CEO Walter Robb, and restaurateur Tom Colicchio as Hungry investors.
Forbes reports, “with the new funding, Hungry has raised $12.5 million since its founding by Eman and Shy Pahlevani in late 2016.”
Any professional chef in a licensed commercial kitchen is able to apply to be on the platform. The company screens the chefs and tastes each dish chefs plan to offer. Once accepted, chefs cook the meals and Hungry takes care of logistics.
Hungry currently operates in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. and is looking to expand to other locations, including Atlanta.
