French micro-store provider TOTEM raises €4 million to make office cafetarias healthy again

French tech startup TOTEM has secured €4 million in a round led by Maki.vc and joined by prior backers Samaipata Ventures and Tekton Ventures, as it tries to disrupt the corporate food service industry.

Launched in 2017, the Parisian startup is now serving more than 10,000 users via a 'B2B2C' model, which in this case means it installs customisable office micro-stores for employees to use (mostly for healthy snacking rather than full-blown meals) in companies big and small.

For smaller offices where it doesn't really make sense to install the stores, TOTEM offers a healthy/organic food delivery service through its mobile app (and thus might one day compete with the food ordering companies that operate in certain markets).

All this makes it an attractive alternative to traditional office catering options, and particularly during a global pandemic.

Rafael de Lavergne, co-founder of TOTEM, commented on the fundraising:

"This fundraising will allow us to propose a free food option to the companies that are already familiar with this model, but also to provide our customers with upgraded offers such as a non-binding order service, a microstore at everyone’s disposal filled with organic, local and healthy products able to satisfy any special request or diet."