Chicory Receives Growth Investment from SEVA
Chicory, Inc., a leader in contextual commerce media, has secured a minority investment from SEVA I LP, a growth equity firm that backs innovative, customer-first founders. The partnership is designed to accelerate Chicory’s push to turn recipe content into a seamless, effective commerce media platform—meeting readers where they are and helping brands meet them there, too.
Advancing Contextual Commerce
Chicory began in 2013 as a shoppability company and has since evolved to serve consumer packaged goods (CPG) advertisers and retailers. By pairing engaging media experiences with brand-safe content, the company has built a solution set aimed at performance and trust. Its proprietary shoppable technology surfaces insights that inform optimization, helping brands reach the right audiences at the right moment and refine campaigns over time.
What SEVA’s Investment Enables
This is Chicory’s first institutional capital. With it, the company plans to advance core objectives it has been building toward for years. As part of the investment, Shalin Mehta of SEVA will join Chicory’s Board of Directors. Chicory’s Co-Founder and CEO, Yuni Baker-Saito, welcomed the addition, pointing to the value this partnership brings in scaling operations and strengthening the company’s technology foundation.
Working Together to Improve the Consumer Journey
Baker-Saito underscored that the investment is a catalyst for scaling within the contextual commerce space. The roadmap includes expanding product categories, growing the contextual commerce network, and sharpening services for the full ecosystem—CPG brands, recipe publishers, and retailers. The aim is straightforward: deepen engagement where consumers discover recipes and make it easier for brands to be useful in that moment.
Market Recognition and the Path Ahead
SEVA’s Founder and Managing Partner, Shalin Mehta, recognizes Chicory as a leader in contextual commerce for CPG and retail. This collaboration is intended to support Chicory’s ambitions while sustaining its momentum and customer-centric approach. The focus is on enhancing what Chicory already does well and translating that into tangible value for clients.
SEVA’s Commitment to Chicory’s Next Stage
Chicory is SEVA’s first investment following the launch of its debut fund, SEVA Fund I, which closed oversubscribed in a short time frame. That milestone signals SEVA’s commitment to partnering with companies positioned for continued growth and disciplined execution.
Financial terms were not disclosed. Even so, the strategic intent is clear: equip Chicory to do more of what works—and do it at greater scale.
About Chicory
Chicory is a contextual commerce media platform that blends context-driven content with a seamless commerce experience powered by proprietary technology. The company connects CPG brands with over 123 million engaged grocery shoppers each month. Its shoppable recipe solutions appear on more than 5,200 food-focused websites, including well-known destinations like Taste of Home and The Food Network. The experience is designed to carry people from culinary inspiration to purchase in one continuous path, supporting both brands and leading retailers.
About SEVA
SEVA partners with customer-centric founders who are focused on growing their businesses. The firm invests in fast-expanding, profitable companies across the internet, software, and technology-enabled services sectors. Based in Brooklyn, NY, SEVA brings growth equity expertise to help portfolio companies make meaningful, sustained progress. In the end, it’s a practical match: measured capital, clear goals, steady execution.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does SEVA’s investment mean for Chicory?
It gives Chicory resources to scale: advancing its technology, broadening product categories, growing its contextual commerce network, and refining services for brands, publishers, and retailers.
Who is joining Chicory’s Board of Directors?
Shalin Mehta, Founder and Managing Partner at SEVA, will join Chicory’s Board as part of the investment.
Why is this round notable?
It’s Chicory’s first institutional capital and SEVA’s inaugural investment from its debut fund, SEVA Fund I. The amount wasn’t disclosed, but the strategic focus is on growth and execution.
How does Chicory’s platform help shoppers and brands?
Chicory blends context-driven content with shoppable technology so CPG brands can reach over 123 million engaged grocery shoppers monthly across more than 5,200 food sites, moving people from recipe inspiration to purchase in a single experience.
What kinds of companies does SEVA back?
SEVA invests in fast-growing, profitable businesses across internet, software, and technology-enabled services, partnering closely with customer-centric founders.
