Sergey Ashin – Investing in Nutrition

Sergey Ashin is a Russian entrepreneur and investor in the food industry. He is the CEO and Managing Partner at Chefmarket.ru, a tailored meal-kit and food delivery company in Russia. 

Passionate about changing the way people are approaching food shopping and cooking, Sergey Ashin has been leading his team at Chefmarket.ru for close to seven years. The company operates in Central Russia and is on a mission is to make cooking easier and more fun than ever before. They have put together every ingredient required to make a range of delicious home cooked meals stress-free. Chefmarket.ru works on a subscription basis and subscribers get a box of fresh ingredients with exact quantities, and photo recipes clearly showing how to use the ingredients, on a weekly basis. They can choose from a range of recipe options including original, vegetarian, diet and fitness. Fruit boxes and smoothie options are also available. Soon after Chefmarket.ru was started it rose in popularity. Under the lead of Ashin, the company is now collaborating with major magazines and chefs and has become a market leader in Russia. 

Prior to starting his role at Chefmarket.ru in 2012, Sergey Ashin worked as Consultant at McKinsey & Company where he placed focus on investment projects management of companies including an oil company, a wheels manufacturer and a railroad wheels manufacturer. He was responsible for management consulting in several projects including online retail and steel distribution. From 2000 until 2010 Ashin served as President and CEO of the European Division of TMK where he was responsible for managing and developing the European business arm of the company and played a key role in several successful turnarounds of steel trading and manufacturing companies. 

Location

Born in Nizhni Novgorod in Russia Sergey Ashin completed his basic schooling and enrolled at Nizhny Novgorod State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering (NNGASU). He graduated in 2001 achieving his Master’s degree in Economics. In later years Ashin moved abroad to the United Kingdom in pursuit of an MBA which he achieved at London Business School in 2009. The following year Ashin completed his EMBA. Between 1994 and 2000 he resided in the Russian Federation. From 2000 until 2010 Ashin was responsible for the management of turnarounds of companies across Europe, including Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Romania in his role at TMK. 

Remarkable Investments 

Sergey Ashin made a significant investment into Chefmarket during the venture and seed rounds. Chefmarket has also enjoyed several significant investments including substantial backing from Elbrus Capital, one of the most prominent venture funds in Russia. Mitsui & Co invested US$3.5 million in Chefmarket, ostensibly to support Central Russian growth. 

Recent News

In recent news, Chefmarket.ru acquired Katerina.ru, a ‘ready to cook’ meal delivery company. Sergey Ashin was given the Ernest & Young ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ award in 2016. He was also awarded ‘Best Business Project of the Year’, Managing Director of the Year’, ‘Top 250, Russia’ and ‘Best Culinary Startup of the Year’ awards.