Berlin’s culinary creator platform The Plate raises $1.3 million in pre-seed funding

Time for some real talk here folks: over the past 17 months, we’ve all learned a thing or two about cooking. And the creator economy. But now that the world is slowly emerging back to some sense of normal, does that mean that those skills are going to go the way of the dodo bird? I, for one, certainly hope not, because my beer brewing skills are getting pretty damn good (as for my waistline, well ….).

With this in mind, the cooking skills, that is, not my waistline, Berlin-based The Plate is aiming to tap into the creator economy trend and preserve those fine culinary skills you’ve amassed, and push them even further forward.

To this end, former McKinsey and Bain & Company execs Nadine Erk and Isabell Weiser have founded The Plate, and cooked up $1.3 million in pre-seed funding via an Atlantic FoodLabs led round that saw participation from Village Global, GE Ventures, and a group of hand-picked angel investors.

Right, let’s break this down, shall we? For as much as I disdain “the bla for bla,” it’s only appropriate here. The Plate is the OnlyFans for foodies. There, I said it.

The Plate is aiming to allow cooks of all kinds a platform to establish their own channel(s), build communities around, and last, but certainly not least, monetise. The startup is specifically catering to the estimated 13+ million culinary content creators and targets the $10 billion culinary content and $60 billion kitchenware market.

Update: However, that's not to say that the company is alone in the space, as Marie Dollé was so kind to enlighten this humble author with a VERY informative graphic.

It’s the latter here that whips my meringue, as I can only wonder if The Plate is already in talks with KitchenAid (for example) on product placement/sponsorship deals? This is speculation. I could be way off, but if not, The Plate, you’re welcome. Call me.

The founders have already grown the team size to 20 in roles in both Berlin and Manila, where the majority of the tech team sits. At present, The Plate is hand-selecting and approaching cooks to partner with at launch, already bringing aboard Gault Millau’s ‘Discovery of the year’, Dominik Hartmann, who was also recognized with two Michelin stars in 2021.

On the project, Foodlabs’ managing director Patrick Huber comments, “Creator economy platforms have shown rapid growth, with various verticals emerging, but the billion dollar cooking space has been largely untapped. The founders’ team brings what it takes to succeed in this market: The right product approach, a strong network, and above all an understanding for both creators and consumers.”