Kook is a startup where restaurants get access to the best products, and suppliers gain new customers.

We met with the founder of the startup kook and learned more about the startup’s idea, its target audience, and achievements.

Azat Myrzagaliyev, city — Almaty, CEO and founder of kook, @azat_myrzagaliyev

How it all began

Before founding the startup, I worked in consulting at McKinsey for seven years, where I was involved in developing strategies and launching new products for large companies. In 2022, my partner and I decided to create a company called 3F, Fresh from Farm, with the goal of reducing the number of intermediaries between producers and restaurants and supermarkets.

While working with restaurants, we gained a deeper understanding of their processes and the “pain points” they face when dealing with suppliers. We realized that we could help automate the ordering process, save entrepreneurs’ time, connect them with the best suppliers, and provide financial tools for growth.

The Team

We launched kook based on Fresh from Farm, connecting the app with existing clients. We raised $200,000 in pre-seed investment from a business angel. Within four months, we assembled a strong team of people with experience in startup development, supply chain management, and launching financial tools.

Target Audience

kook is a B2B platform for restaurants and suppliers that can revolutionize the restaurant supply chain.

In restaurants, customer interaction looks polished and automated, but when it comes to ordering from suppliers, they still do it the way they did 10–15 years ago: with a pen on paper and over the phone.

Effective management of cost of goods and payments to suppliers is what determines whether a restaurant will be successful or close within its first three years, as happens with more than half of new establishments.

At kook, we help automate the ordering and receiving process on both sides, eliminating errors and saving time. We connect restaurants with the best suppliers in the market. We also allow them to better manage working capital by offering payment deferrals of up to 30 days.

Incubation Programs

We were accepted into the IRA investment attraction acceleration program by MOST Hub, but after two weeks of participation, we successfully secured funding and paused our involvement.

In June, we were accepted into the Silkway Accelerator program by Astana Hub and Google for Startups, where we are currently beginning our participation.

Challenges

A startup’s success is determined by its ability to quickly test hypotheses, cut out what’s unnecessary, and focus on what’s most important. In our case, we have experimented extensively and continue to experiment with the business model, monetization sources, platform openness, and other components. For example, one of our hypotheses was that low prices would encourage restaurants to place orders, as owners and managers emphasized the importance of pricing during conversations. However, it turned out that supplier reliability and trust are much more important in B2B business, as restaurants value uninterrupted service and long-term quality over short-term gains.

My advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is to communicate more with customers, run experiments, and observe real user behavior.

Achievements

We launched the platform in February 2024, and we already have more than 250 restaurants, cafes, production facilities, and hotels, as well as over 100 local producers and distributors.

We fully automate the ordering process for restaurants by uploading their product matrix by cuisine, bar, and dining area into the app. On the supplier side, we integrate order receiving with their ERP systems, such as 1C.

Plans

By the end of the year, we plan to enter the Astana market and launch a credit line for restaurants and factoring services for suppliers.