Taku Tanaka
Ex-COO of Pizza 4P's who built Vietnam's first B2B food sourcing platform for restaurants
Who is Taku Tanaka?
Taku Tanaka (born 1989) is the founder of KAMEREO — Vietnam's first B2B ingredient-sourcing platform for the F&B industry. Before starting KAMEREO in 2018, he was COO of Pizza 4P's during its expansion from 1 to 10 restaurants in 3 years. After pivoting from a failed SaaS model to full-stack e-commerce, KAMEREO now serves 3,000+ restaurants, connects 100+ farmers, offers 16,000 SKUs and has raised over $15M. He was named to Forbes Asia 100 to Watch 2025.
Notable Quotes
“Procurement departments aren't working efficiently because the purchasing process is too chaotic. Each buyer uses a different tool to contact suppliers.”
“In a price-sensitive market like Vietnam, competing on price alone is a losing game.”
“You can't control others, but you can try to control yourself.”
Advice
Stop buying ingredients the chaotic way
Running to the market daily, calling 5-6 suppliers, no price comparison — wastes time, creates errors, and kills your negotiating power.
Healthy margins matter more than revenue
Stable cash flow, healthy profit margins, financial discipline — that's the foundation of sustainability.
First model failed? Pivot fast
KAMEREO started as SaaS — just connecting without creating value. The pivot to full-service B2B e-commerce is what worked.
Key Highlights
- ✓Ex-COO of Pizza 4P's — expanded from 1 to 10 stores in 3 years
- ✓Founded KAMEREO (2018) — Vietnam's first B2B food sourcing platform
- ✓Raised $15M+ total, serving 3,000+ restaurants, 100+ farmer partners
- ✓Forbes Asia 100 to Watch 2025
Biography
Taku Tanaka (b. 1989, Japan) graduated from Keio University and worked as an equity research analyst at Credit Suisse Tokyo. In 2015, he joined Pizza 4P's as COO, helping expand from 1 to 10 stores in 3 years. At Pizza 4P's, he witnessed the chaos of restaurant procurement firsthand: different purchasers using different tools, no system, no price transparency. In 2018, he co-founded KAMEREO — the first B2B platform connecting restaurants with farmers and suppliers in Vietnam. After pivoting from a failed SaaS model to full-service B2B e-commerce, KAMEREO achieved 15% month-over-month growth for 12 consecutive months. Now serving 3,000+ F&B businesses, partnering with 100+ farmers, offering 16,000+ SKUs. Named in Forbes Asia 100 to Watch 2025.
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Articles & Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
›Who is Taku Tanaka?
Taku Tanaka (born 1989) is the founder of KAMEREO — Vietnam's first B2B ingredient-sourcing platform for the F&B industry. Before starting the company, he was COO of Pizza 4P's during its expansion from 1 to 10 stores in 3 years.
›What is KAMEREO?
KAMEREO is a B2B platform connecting restaurants with farmers and ingredient suppliers in Vietnam. It serves 3,000+ restaurants, links 100+ farmers and offers 16,000+ SKUs of fresh, dry and frozen ingredients.
›How much has KAMEREO raised?
KAMEREO has raised over $15M from international investors across multiple rounds. In 2025, Taku Tanaka was named to Forbes Asia's 100 to Watch list for food-tech.
›Why did Taku Tanaka pivot KAMEREO's model?
Originally KAMEREO was a SaaS purchasing platform but it failed because Vietnamese restaurants' purchasing processes were too chaotic. He pivoted to a full-stack e-commerce model (warehousing, logistics, payments) and hit 15% month-on-month growth.
›How is KAMEREO different from traditional wet markets?
KAMEREO offers transparent pricing, consistent quality, app-based ordering and on-time delivery to restaurants — very different from traditional wet markets where restaurant owners send staff to buy from 3-5 AM at fluctuating daily prices.
Other Experts
Nguyễn Hải Ninh
Serial entrepreneur — from Urban Station to The Coffee House, M Village, and Every Half
Hoàng Tùng
"Mr Pizza" — Vietnamese owner of Pizza Home chain, hands-on F&B content creator
Vũ Thanh Hùng
Founder of iPOS.vn — Vietnam's leading F&B POS platform serving 50,000+ restaurants
John Pemberton
From IKEA director to Vietnam's craft beer pioneer — building Asia's premium craft beer brand
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