Participated · Seed · Apr 2024

Juicer is a San Francisco–based company that offers data-driven restaurant revenue management and competitive intelligence. Co-founded by Drew Patterson and Ashwin Kamlani, the company uses AI and machine learning to optimize menu prices and deliver predictable pricing for customers. Its products include JUICER Pricing, an algorithmic price optimization engine, and JUICER Compete, an AI-driven competitive intelligence solution for comparing local competitors' menu prices and evaluating bundles and value meals. The platform aims to enable national brands, franchisees, and restaurants to optimize prices and help consumers take advantage of lower prices during off-peak periods. Juicer intends to use the newly raised funds to accelerate development of its tools and data for restaurant operators. The company raised $5.3M in Seed funding to support that expansion.

Participated · Equity · May 2023

miscusi is an Italian food brand founded in 2017 by Alberto Cartasegna (CEO) and Filippo Mottolese. The company operates restaurants in Italy and the UK. It reported sales of €13 million, up 30% year‑over‑year, and an EBITDA of €1 million. In 2021 the company raised €20 million and recently secured €10 million from a group of investors. The latest proceeds will be invested in opening restaurants with new formats and expanding international operations, according to Cartasegna. The capital and growth plans point to continued expansion of its restaurant footprint and new-format rollouts.

Participated · Equity · Feb 2022

Agot AI develops computer vision powered by machine learning to confirm order accuracy in real time and notify employees when corrections are needed. The company initially targets the quick‑serve restaurant (QSR) industry and has been piloting its technology with large food‑service brands, including a Yum! Brands pilot in about 20 restaurants with plans to expand to 100 if the pilot succeeds. Founded three years ago by Evan DeSantola and Alex Litzenberger, Agot aims to reduce order errors, reward employee success, and improve customer satisfaction. Since unveiling its technology it has demonstrated operational capabilities in small- and medium-sized proof‑of‑concept deployments and says it is ready to scale to larger markets. Agot plans to use new capital to grow its engineering team, secure additional pilot programs with QSR brands, and add features for drive‑thru and behind‑the‑counter operations as well as customer and operations analytics. The company did not disclose growth metrics in the reporting, though Yum! Brands said early pilot results are promising.

Participated · Series F · Oct 2021

DIG is a vegetable-forward, multi-format restaurant group founded in 2011 in New York City that operates fast-casual restaurants, annex programs, strategic partners, and a dining & innovation space called 232 Bleecker. Its core offering is vegetable-centric cooking supplemented by responsibly sourced proteins and produce from DIG Acres, a 20-acre mixed vegetable farm in Chester, NY that supports a farmer apprenticeship program. The company runs DIG Academy, a culinary and business training program, and DIG Feeds, which has donated over 225,000 meals to hospitals, shelters, and community organizations. DIG emphasizes people-first policies including permanent wage increases (converting a $2/hr pandemic bonus), four-month fully paid parental leave for eligible employees, and a tested 4-day workweek pilot. Planned growth includes reopening locations temporarily closed due to COVID-19, expanding restaurant count from 30 to 60 over the next three years, rolling out new formats and kitchen technology pilots (including one at 127 4th Avenue), and expanding DIG Academy into immersive analog and digital education. Dig Inn is an operator of fast-casual restaurants with a 15-restaurant chain in New York and Boston. The chain offers market plates with an average meal price of $10 and sources produce from local farms. Dig Inn aims to make simple, high-quality food available at a relatively affordable price. The company plans to use new capital to launch more restaurants and to open a free culinary training school for employees. Management also intends to make key leadership hires and build out its internal tech platform as part of expansion efforts. The chain plans to open 13–15 additional locations in New York and Massachusetts by 2019 and to expand to a third state in 2018; it had previously raised $21.5 million in earlier rounds. Dig Inn is a vegetable-forward, farm-to-table restaurant chain offering fresh meals priced about $7–$10 per plate. Founded in 2011 in New York City, the company operates 10 locations and has a dedicated local following. It employs nearly 500 in-store staff and about 20 employees in its New York corporate office. The company plans to expand beyond NYC this year, growing its store count from 10 to as many as 18 and targeting Boston as the likely first market outside New York. Dig Inn expects to hire roughly 100 additional employees to support that expansion. Management is focused on preserving company culture during growth through shared meals, open-office arrangements, newsletters, and social events.