“Make sure you love what you’re doing…” 

“Find a community (Techstars, ideally)...” 

“Hire talent that knows how to scale...”

“Then, keep going!” 

That’s the recipe for success from private-chef-turned-entrepreneur Max Porterkhamsy, founder and CEO of Epicurate. 

Part of the Techstars Anywhere Spring 2024 cohort, the startup began as a platform for private chefs before pivoting to become a booking engine for in-home luxury experiences, which aims to be as simple to use as making a restaurant reservation. 

With 15 years under his belt as a private chef and concierge, Max spotted the burgeoning demand for in-home services. "When I started as a private chef, there were only two other private chefs available for hire in the entire Napa/Sonoma/Bay Area," he says. "Today, there are hundreds." 

"During that time I saw several tech companies enter that market, but none of them provided real support for the chefs, concierges, and other experience providers that made the magic happen."

So Max began talking to exclusive resorts, luxury retreats, and other companies and soon found that "they were all excited about the opportunity of offering personalized luxury experiences like private chefs to their members and guests."

Just a few months after Techstars Anywhere, Epicurate is on track to book $4M in private chef services this year, up 112% y/y, and has scaled from 6 chefs in 3 markets to 100 chefs in 40 markets over the last 9 months. The company’s AOV (Average Order Value) stands at $2,700. 

Achieving scale and unlocking network effects is the key for a platform like this. On today’s evidence, that journey is well underway.

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