Tech firm ePos Hybrid tucking into global expansion with Indian launch

Hospitality-focused tech firm ePos Hybrid has announced a major push into the Indian market, where it sees “great opportunity”, as part of broader significant expansion plans.

The Edinburgh-based firm, which recently raised a seven-figure sum in a second seed fund round, is launching an all-in-one hospitality offering in the Asian country later this month following “positive” local reactions from beta testing.

The business said its single, multi-use platform will be rolled out across India by the end of September, uniting plug-and-play products including electronic point of sale, payments, digital ordering and operations management to create a centralised management hub for food and drink businesses. It plans to invest £2 million over the next three years into the overseas venture, and is expecting to sign up 1,000 new clients within the first year alone.

The firm’s founder Bhas Kalangi said now is the ideal time to expand its locations, and it is already very familiar with the Indian market. “I have first-hand experience of living and growing up in India, and having operated a support office in Hyderabad for the last four years, it was always number one on our list,” he said.

“India is a country known for its brilliant cuisine, and food plays a strong part in its wider culture, but tech adoption within the sector is still within its infancy... [its] market represents a great opportunity for ePos Hybrid.”

The move comes after the business said last month that it had raised almost £750,000 in its latest crowdfunding push, which included £100,000 of angel investment, and smashed its original target by 50 per cent.

Andrew Gibbon, head of growth at ePos Hybrid, said: “Following the recent fundraising, now is a great time for ePos Hybrid to continue pushing growth by expanding abroad. The hospitality tech market in India is largely untapped, and we believe there is real potential for exponential growth, making it the perfect place to start the ePos Hybrid global journey. It’s the latest step in what is an exciting and expansive growth plan for ePos Hybrid.”

ePos Hybrid founder and chief executive Bhas Kalangi with head of growth Andrew Gibbon. Picture: Ian Georgeson.

The company, which says it has helped food and drink businesses save more than £2m on third-party commissions alone in areas such as food delivery services over the past two years, also says it has major expansion plans in various areas of the business.