Cafeteria Raises $3M

Brands often rely on scraping the web and monitoring social media to understand what customers are saying about them and get insights for product development. Cafeteria connects teens with brands they are interested in so they can provide feedback about strategy and product development. The startup is launching an iOS app and the startup tested the app in beta for three months, onboarding teens across 60 U.S. cities. Cafeteria’s CEO is Rishi Malhotra, who was co-founder of India-based music streaming service Saavn (now JioSaavn) — which was acquired by Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio in 2019 — and ex-CEO of Luminary Podcasts. The founding team also includes chief business officer Mark Silverstein, who was chief content officer at Luminary, and chief design officer Leeann Sheely, who was VP of design at both Luminary and JioSaavn. The company has raised $3 million, led by Collaborative Fund and Imaginary Ventures, with additional participation by Bertelsmann and veteran music industry exec Guy Oseary, who has worked with Madonna and Red Hot Chili Peppers.