The round also saw participation from new investor Big Capital and a group of angel investors.

The Bengaluru-based startup said the fresh capital will be used to accelerate store expansion, strengthen its leadership team, and launch new products. Founded in 2023 by Dhruv Kohli, Boba Bhai specialises in Korean-inspired fusion cuisine and bubble tea, positioning itself at the intersection of global street food trends and India's rapidly evolving quick service restaurant market.

'Young consumers are increasingly seeking bold, global flavours, but they stay loyal only when the experience delivers every time. Korean street food fits naturally into this shift, and we see strong headroom to build this category at scale in India,' said Kohli.

The brand currently offers more than 45 bubble tea flavours along with Korean-style burgers, Korean fried chicken, rice and noodle bowls, fries and packaged beverages. It operates through a combination of physical outlets, cloud kitchens and food delivery platforms including Swiggy, Zomato and Blinkit.

Boba Bhai currently runs 90 outlets across India. Around 55 stores offer seating, while the rest function primarily as delivery hubs. Most outlets are between 250 and 400 sq ft in size with seating for 8 to 10 people. Kohli said about 80 of the 90 stores are profitable at a store level due to the relatively low capital investment required.

The company is also expanding into quick commerce with packaged SKUs and says it is growing by about 40-50% month on month on these platforms. It aims to cross Rs 100 crore ARR in the next two months and scale its network to 300 stores by 2026.

According to the company, Boba Bhai's revenue increased from Rs 5 crore in FY24 to Rs 30 crore in FY25.

Commenting on the funding, Vishwanath V, general partner at 8i Ventures, said, 'Boba Bhai has demonstrated incredible growth and a repeatable playbook that has made it the #1 bubble tea brand in the country.'