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Epicurate
Techstars '24Dundee, US · Founded 2023 · 10 employees on LinkedIn · 1 known investors
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Epicurate, headquartered in Dundee, runs a hospitality platform for booking and coordinating luxury travel and lifestyle experiences. Independent providers use it to manage their operations and distribute their offerings through connected hospitality marketplaces.
Also known as Epicurate
Founders & leadership
Epicurate was founded in 2023 by Max Porterkhamsey.
Investors · 1
How we know: the Techstars portfolio · funding news · open dataset · Top 3000 Accelerator Startups (no YC) 2026-08 · Not right? Tell us
Reported raises · per SEC filings
Form D private placements$125K disclosed across 1 round · 2024
▶$125KraisedOct 2024 · 3 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- Max PorterkhamseyExecutive Officer, Director
- Offering amount
- $1M
- Amount sold
- $125K
- First sale
- Aug 2024
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2023
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
Source: SEC EDGAR Form D. Amounts as filed; amended filings shown once at their latest values.
Company profile
researched Sep 2026Epicurate operates a booking platform for private chef services and other in-home luxury experiences, designed to be as straightforward to use as making a restaurant reservation. The company started as a platform connecting private chefs with clients and later broadened its scope to cover personalized luxury experiences delivered in clients' homes.
Alongside consumer-facing bookings, Epicurate positions itself as an operational and distribution layer for the chefs, concierges and other experience providers who deliver the services. Founder and CEO Max Porterkhamsy has said that while several technology companies had entered the private chef market, none provided substantive support to the providers themselves, which shaped Epicurate's provider-oriented approach.
Founding story
Max Porterkhamsy spent roughly 15 years working as a private chef and concierge before founding Epicurate. He has recounted that when he began his career there were only two other private chefs available for hire across the Napa, Sonoma and Bay Area regions, a number that has since grown into the hundreds. Observing rising demand for in-home services and a lack of tooling and support for the providers delivering them, he built Epicurate first as a platform matching private chefs with clients.
Business model
Epicurate intermediates bookings between clients and independent experience providers such as private chefs and concierges, while also providing those providers with support for running and distributing their services. The company has cultivated relationships with exclusive resorts, luxury retreats and other businesses interested in offering personalized luxury experiences to their members and guests.
Traction
As of mid-2024 Epicurate was on track to book $4 million in private chef services for the year, described as 112% year-over-year growth. Over the preceding nine months it grew from 6 chefs in 3 markets to 100 chefs in 40 markets, with an average order value of $2,700 per booking.
Latest developments
Following the Techstars Anywhere Spring 2024 program, Epicurate reported rapid expansion in chef supply, market coverage and booking volume through 2024.
▸Full profile — market position, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
Epicurate competes in a private chef and in-home luxury experience market that has attracted several technology entrants; its founder frames its distinguishing stance as support for the providers who deliver the experiences.
Epicurate emphasizes personalization and support for chefs and other luxury service providers, an area its founder characterizes as underserved by prior technology entrants in the private chef market. The platform also aims for booking simplicity comparable to a restaurant reservation, and benefits from network effects as additional providers and markets increase its appeal to both sides of the marketplace.
Go-to-market
The company scales by adding providers and opening new markets, with growth aided by relationships with luxury resorts, retreats and other businesses that channel their members and guests toward Epicurate's offerings.
Consumers seeking in-home luxury experiences such as private chef dinners, as well as luxury resorts, exclusive retreats and high-end businesses that want to offer such experiences to their guests and members. On the supply side, the platform serves private chefs, concierges and other independent experience providers.
Geography
Operations span 40 markets as of 2024, having grown from 3 markets; the founder's chef career and early market references center on the Napa, Sonoma and Bay Area regions of the United States.
History
Epicurate launched as a platform connecting private chefs with clients, then pivoted into a booking engine for in-home luxury experiences more broadly. The company joined the Techstars Anywhere Spring 2024 cohort, which its founder describes as a turning point that supplied business development resources and expanded its network. Over the nine months preceding mid-2024 it grew from 6 chefs in 3 markets to 100 chefs in 40 markets.
Compiled by commissioned research from 2 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 2
launches, deals, and filingsEpicurate joined the Techstars Anywhere Spring 2024 program, which its founder credits with providing business development resources and network expansion.
The company, originally a platform connecting private chefs with clients, expanded into a booking engine for private chef services and other in-home luxury experiences.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 2
primary sources listed
- Epicurate, a Techstars-Backed Startup, Redefines Private Chef Services for Luxury In-Home Experiences - VC Tavernvctavern.com · web
2 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Epicurate do?
- Epicurate is a booking engine for private chef services and other in-home luxury experiences.
- Who founded Epicurate?
- Epicurate was founded by Max Porterkhamsey in 2023.
- Who are Epicurate's investors?
- Epicurate's investors include Techstars.
- How much funding has Epicurate raised?
- Epicurate has disclosed $125K raised across 1 round.
- Where is Epicurate headquartered?
- Epicurate is headquartered in Dundee, US.