Curate Technologies Secures Major Funding to Transform Restaurant Loyalty
Curate is building white-labeled no-download Apple App Clips to make restaurant loyalty and ordering as easy as a website and as engaging as an app.
Curate Technologies, an innovative platform dedicated to streamlining mobile ordering and enhancing loyalty for hospitality businesses, has recently raised $10 million in a significant funding round spearheaded by Kirk Brown, the co-founder of ZoomInfo. This financing also saw support from K5 Global, a venture capital firm co-founded by notable figures Michael Kives and Bryan Baum, alongside participation from high-profile individual investors, including Amon-Ra St. Brown, an NFL wide receiver, and Carl Cheng, founder of Pieology.
The core issue that Curate addresses is the substantial challenge restaurants face with customer adoption of loyalty apps. Although operators are aware of the advantages of direct, commission-free delivery and the value of repeat business driven by loyalty, many guests remain reluctant to download branded restaurant applications. Evidence indicates that under 5% of restaurant delivery orders are commission-free, with the excess routed through third-party applications that can impose fees as high as 30%. Even with direct options available, customers frequently opt for marketplace apps due to their convenience, often at the expense of both restaurants and their own budgets, leading to lost margins and limited control over customer data.
To counter this issue, Curate leverages Apple App Clips, providing customers with the ability to access a branded ordering and rewards experience instantly via any link, QR code, or tap, eliminating the need for downloads. This innovative approach means customers are taken directly into the app experience where they can effortlessly place orders and join loyalty programs. As more customers engage with the solution, Curate's AI continuously analyzes purchase behavior to enhance retention, recommending specific customer segments to target, optimizing offers, and determining the ideal timing for outreach. Following the launch of their platform, clients have reported an average increase of approximately three times in commission-free delivery orders within just six months.
"Restaurants do not face an ordering issue; rather, they encounter an adoption challenge," remarked Grant Russell, CEO and Co-Founder of Curate. "App Clips eliminate the industry's biggest barrier: the need to download an app. They facilitate converting casual customers into loyal patrons. Our AI-driven marketing further nurtures these loyalty members into regular visitors, catalyzing repeat business. This funding round will empower us to expand Curate's reach among multi-location brands while enhancing our loyalty solutions, direct ordering capabilities, and the development of our AI-focused marketing engine."
Howard Gordon, Chief Business Officer of Curate and former executive at The Cheesecake Factory, echoed this sentiment. He stated, "Curate's technology could have revolutionized how we connected with guests and scaled operations during my tenure at The Cheesecake Factory. Today’s operators are fatigued from utilizing costly, disjointed tools that fail to generate tangible results. Curate simplifies this complexity into a single, user-friendly platform designed to foster engagement, loyalty, and profitability."
What Curate Technologies Offers
The solution introduced by Curate delivers a comprehensive array of services:
- Native App Features: Users benefit from a native app experience, which entails a greater volume of return orders, improved conversion rates, and push notifications facilitated through App Clips for immediate access, along with fully operational iPhone and Android apps for sustained engagement.
- Direct Ordering: Empowering restaurants with commission-free direct ordering capabilities on their channels, enabling them to bypass third-party delivery fees that can reach as high as 30% of the order total.
- Customer Data Ownership: Ensuring restaurants have full control over first-party customer data along with loyalty programs that incorporate points, tiers, and targeted offers.
- AI-Powered Marketing: An advanced marketing engine that employs customer purchase behavior to automate and refine promotional activities across platforms such as SMS, email, and push notifications, improving over time based on conversion analytics.
- Multi-Location Support: Specifically designed for businesses with multiple locations, Curate provides centralized management and comprehensive performance analytics.
Over the past year, Curate has made substantial strides by partnering with an expanding range of restaurant brands across segments like fast casual and QSR. As restaurant operators grapple with rising fees from third-party services, the complexity of technology stacks, and an increasing desire to cultivate direct relationships with customers, Curate has positioned itself as a reliable partner for brands striving to regain clarity and control, alongside consistent performance metrics.
In the early months of their partnership with Curate, Da Vien Coffee saw their app rank attain the #74 spot on the App Store in the Food & Drink category with only four locations operational. They reported impressive growth, highlighting a 30% revenue increase year-over-year and loyalty members averaging over 7.4 visits annually.
Mama Hieu's also found significant success; after migrating from Toast Online Ordering to Curate, they noted a striking 44.3% growth in their direct online sales across both takeout and delivery channels, establishing a habitual line of ordering among their customers.
Leadership at Curate Technologies
Curate boasts a leadership team that brings together extensive knowledge in artificial intelligence from Silicon Valley and practical experience within the hospitality sector:
- Grant Russell, CEO & Co-Founder — Holds a degree in Computer Science with a focus on AI from Stanford University, and has previous experience as an engineer at Google X.
- Alex Wang, CTO & Co-Founder — Former engineer at Meta AI, with a solid background in AI research at Stanford University.
- Howard Gordon, Chief Business Officer — Previously a senior executive at The Cheesecake Factory, he played a pivotal role in expanding the brand from five locations to a widely recognized chain with hundreds of establishments.
About Curate Technologies
Curate Technologies is dedicated to supporting restaurant brands in boosting direct orders and loyalty through their innovative, white-labeled mobile solutions powered by Apple App Clips. These solutions allow customers to access a comprehensive app experience for ordering and rewards quickly and easily from a link, QR code, or tap, with no download necessary. Curate integrates ordering, loyalty, customer analytics, and an AI-enhanced marketing engine across various channels to help dining establishments increase customer loyalty, foster repeat business, and retain control over their customer relationships. By steering demand towards first-party channels, Curate Technologies effectively minimizes reliance on third-party marketplaces and the associated delivery commissions, which often reach 20-30%. The company operates from its headquarters in Los Angeles, CA and is ready to demonstrate its solutions to others interested.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Curate Technologies?
Curate Technologies is a hospitality platform that enhances mobile ordering and customer loyalty for restaurants without the need for app downloads.
How much funding did Curate Technologies raise?
Curate Technologies secured a total of $10 million in its latest funding round, attracting notable investors.
What problem does Curate aim to solve?
The company addresses the low adoption rate of loyalty apps among restaurant customers, facilitating easier access through Apple App Clips.
What are the benefits of using Curate's services?
Curate offers commission-free ordering, ownership of customer data, and an AI-driven marketing engine to optimize engagement and retention.
Where is Curate Technologies headquartered?
Curate Technologies operates out of Los Angeles, CA, serving client restaurants nationwide.
