Wow! Momo
An Indian fast-food chain built around momos, momo-based burgers, and other quick-service food formats.
Last updated August 25, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Wow! Momo is an Indian quick-service restaurant brand headquartered in Kolkata and focused on the popular South Asian dumpling known as the momo or mo:mo. Founded in 2008 by St. Xavier’s College alumni Sagar Jagdish Daryani and Binod Kumar Homagai, the business began with a very small kiosk and a modest initial investment. Its early format was designed for high-footfall retail environments, including supermarket and hypermarket locations, allowing the founders to test a specialized dumpling concept without the cost of a conventional full-service restaurant. The brand’s central proposition has been to adapt momos to Indian fast-food habits through broad flavor variation, standardized preparation, portable formats, and a strong emphasis on visual novelty. In addition to steamed and fried momos, Wow! Momo developed products such as MoBurgs, in which momo-style fillings are used in a burger format, as well as momo-based desserts. This menu experimentation helped position the company as more than a traditional dumpling outlet and made the product legible to consumers familiar with burgers, wraps, snacks, and mall food courts. The company expanded from its Kolkata origins into a multi-city Indian chain. By December 2021, reference material described approximately 425 outlets across 19 Indian cities. Wow! Momo Foods Pvt. Ltd. also operated or developed adjacent restaurant concepts, including Wow! China and Wow! Chicken, the latter introduced in December 2021. These extensions broadened the group from a single-category momo specialist into a wider quick-service restaurant platform while retaining the Wow-branded identity. The business attracted institutional and strategic investment during its expansion. Lighthouse Funds and Indian Angel Network participated in a 2017 financing round. William Bissell, then managing director of Fabindia, invested in 2018, and Tiger Global Management invested in 2019. These financings supported expansion into malls, technology parks, and other commercial sites. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Wow! Momo entered a strategic arrangement with Café Coffee Day involving shared outlet space, costs, and revenue, an approach intended to improve the economics of operating physical locations during a period of severe disruption to restaurant traffic. In 2022, the company reportedly completed a Series D financing at a valuation estimated at approximately US$270 million. In January 2024, it reportedly raised about ₹410 crore from Khazanah Nasional Berhad and Oaks Capital Management, with the reported valuation exceeding ₹2,400 crore. A further financing of approximately US$9 million was reported in April 2024 from Z3 Partners. These figures are reported investment and valuation estimates rather than public-market disclosures. Wow! Momo remains primarily an Indian consumer brand. Its competitive identity rests on affordable and convenient food-court and takeaway consumption, menu innovation around a recognizable core product, and the ability to replicate compact outlets across high-traffic locations. The group’s development of Chinese and chicken-focused concepts indicates an ambition to use its operating platform, supply chain, and store network across multiple fast-food categories.
History
Wow! Momo was established in Kolkata in 2008 by Sagar Jagdish Daryani and Binod Kumar Homagai, who met while studying at St. Xavier’s College. The founders began with approximately ₹30,000 and opened a compact six-by-six-foot kiosk inside a Spencer’s retail location. Another early outlet operated in a Big Bazaar space under a revenue-sharing arrangement. This low-capital, small-footprint model allowed the business to introduce momos as a dedicated quick-service category in modern Indian retail environments. The founders later brought in fellow St. Xavier’s alumnus Shah Miftaur Rahman, while Muralikrishnan joined as a fourth co-founder in 2018. The company differentiated itself through a wide menu of momo variations rather than relying only on conventional steamed dumplings. Fried products, unusual fillings, momo-based burgers known as MoBurgs, and dessert formats helped the brand communicate its core product to a broader fast-food audience. During the 2010s, Wow! Momo moved from a small Kolkata concept toward a national chain. In June 2017, it reportedly raised ₹44 crore from Lighthouse Funds and Indian Angel Network. In 2018, William Bissell invested approximately ₹3 crore, and the company’s reported valuation reached roughly ₹300 crore. Tiger Global Management invested approximately ₹130 crore in September 2019, with the reported valuation subsequently exceeding ₹860 crore. The new capital supported outlet growth in malls, technology parks, and other commercial destinations. The COVID-19 pandemic created severe pressure for physical food-service operators. In response, Wow! Momo entered a strategic partnership with Café Coffee Day under which the businesses shared outlet space, costs, and revenue. The arrangement reflected the importance of improving site economics and maintaining access to customers while conventional dine-in and food-court traffic was constrained. By December 2021, reference material described approximately 425 Wow! Momo outlets in 19 Indian cities. The operating company, Wow! Momo Foods Pvt. Ltd., had also developed a broader brand portfolio. Wow! China extended the group into Chinese fast food, and Wow! Chicken was launched in December 2021. These additions represented a shift from a single momo specialist toward a multi-concept quick-service restaurant group. The company continued to attract private investment. A Series D financing reported in 2022 was estimated by Fintrackr at a valuation of approximately US$270 million. In January 2024, Wow! Momo reportedly raised around ₹410 crore from Khazanah Nasional Berhad and Oaks Capital Management, bringing the reported valuation above ₹2,400 crore. In April 2024, Z3 Partners reportedly invested a further US$9 million, or approximately ₹70 crore. Wow! Momo has also defended its intellectual-property position. In March 2023, the Delhi High Court issued a prima facie injunction in a trademark dispute involving Wow Punjabi, temporarily restricting use of a mark considered similar to Wow! Momo’s branding. The court’s preliminary observations referred to Wow! Momo’s registered trademarks and commercial presence. The dispute illustrates the value the company places on protecting the distinctive “Wow” brand architecture as it expands across food categories.
- 2024
Two reported financing events
[1]The company reportedly raises capital from Khazanah Nasional Berhad, Oaks Capital Management, and later Z3 Partners.
- 2023
Preliminary trademark injunction
[1]The Delhi High Court temporarily restricts Wow Punjabi from using a mark alleged to resemble Wow! Momo’s branding.
- 2021
Portfolio expands to Wow! Chicken
[1]Wow! Momo Foods launches Wow! Chicken and operates a broader multi-brand restaurant portfolio.
- 2019
Tiger Global investment
[1]Tiger Global Management reportedly invests approximately ₹130 crore, helping fund broader outlet expansion.
- 2018
Strategic investment and co-founder expansion
[1]William Bissell reportedly invests in the company, while Muralikrishnan joins the founding team.
- 2017
Institutional investment supports expansion
[1]Lighthouse Funds and Indian Angel Network reportedly invest approximately ₹44 crore.
- 2008
Wow! Momo is founded in Kolkata
[1]Sagar Daryani and Binod Homagai establish the business with a small initial investment and begin with compact retail kiosks.
Products and positioning
Accessible, youth-oriented Indian quick-service dining centered on innovative momo formats and compact, high-footfall outlets.
Dumplings · 2008
Momos
The core Wow! Momo range consists of Nepali-style momos adapted for Indian quick-service dining. The menu includes steamed and fried preparations with varied fillings and flavors. The product is designed for portable, fast consumption and is offered through compact outlets, malls, food courts, and other high-footfall locations.
Momo-based burgers
MoBurgs
MoBurgs combine the brand’s momo-style fillings with a burger format. The product extends the company’s dumpling expertise into a familiar fast-food presentation and illustrates its strategy of turning momos into multiple portable, highly recognizable formats.
Desserts
Momo-based desserts
Wow! Momo has developed dessert products based on the momo concept, broadening the brand beyond savory dumplings. These items support the company’s positioning around novelty and menu experimentation within a fast-food setting.
Chinese quick-service food
Wow! China
Wow! China is an adjacent restaurant concept operated by Wow! Momo Foods Pvt. Ltd. It extends the group into Chinese-style quick-service meals and allows the company to use its restaurant infrastructure across a wider menu category.
Chicken quick-service food · 2021
Wow! Chicken
Launched in December 2021, Wow! Chicken is a chicken-focused concept from Wow! Momo Foods Pvt. Ltd. Its introduction marked a deliberate expansion beyond the group’s original momo specialization.
Controversies
2023
Wow! Momo trademark dispute with Wow Punjabi
In March 2023, the Delhi High Court issued a prima facie injunction temporarily restraining Wow Punjabi from using a mark alleged to be similar to Wow! Momo’s trademarks. The court’s preliminary assessment referred to Wow! Momo’s registrations and market presence, while the defendant had reportedly not responded to cease-and-desist notices.
Brand decisions
2021
Launch of Wow! ChickenProduct launchBackground
Wow! Momo Foods was developing a portfolio of restaurant concepts beyond its original momo category.
Action taken
The group introduced Wow! Chicken in December 2021.
Aftermath
The launch expanded the group’s presence into chicken-focused quick-service dining.
- Outlet-sharing partnership with Café Coffee DayStrategy
Background
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted restaurant traffic and placed pressure on physical outlet economics.
Action taken
Wow! Momo and Café Coffee Day agreed to share outlet space, costs, and revenue.
Aftermath
The partnership was intended to preserve access to locations and improve cost efficiency during the pandemic period.
Recent events
Wow Momo raises over $15 million in Series C funding[3]
Reported:
Wow Momo raised over $15 million in a Series C funding round led by Tree Line Investment Management, with participation from IAN Fund and existing investor Lighthouse Funds. The round implied a valuation of Rs 1,225 crore.
Sources3 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/wow-momo · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled