Catering Startup Phoodeez Cooks Up $300K
Boston-based corporate catering concierge Phoodeez has raised $300,000 in funding. The investor was venture fund Project 11.
PRESS RELEASE
BOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Phoodeez, a Boston-based corporate catering concierge, announced today that it has secured $300,000 in funding to aid its innovation of Boston’s corporate catering landscape. This investment comes from Project 11, a Boston-based venture capital fund that invests in early-stage technology and software companies. Project 11’s founders and managing directors – Katie Rae, Reed Sturtevant and Bob Mason – include two former managing directors at startup accelerator Techstars Boston.
“This is a vital moment in Phoodeez’ growth and we are thrilled to receive backing from Project 11,” said Christine Marcus, CEO of Phoodeez. “This empowers us to take on additional dynamic initiatives to grow our business line while reaching even more corporate consumers.”
Phoodeez is a corporate catering concierge that works with more than 40 of Boston’s best local restaurants and food trucks to provide creative, high-quality meals for companies and events city-wide while saving office managers and event planners time, money and headaches. Phoodeez was founded at MIT in 2012 when Marcus and Sal Lupoli, chairman and founder of Lupoli Companies and 50 Sal’s Pizza and Salvatore’s restaurants, got tired of seeing the same old boring turkey sandwiches at catered events.
“After many years in the restaurant industry, I’m acutely aware of its weaknesses and opportunities for innovation,” said Lupoli. “We’re putting Phoodeez on the map to address these spots and change for the better how companies and restaurants work together.”
Phoodeez’ restaurant and food truck partners are representative of the best in local and international fare. Each has been recruited and curated by the Phoodeez team to guarantee quality, taste and logistics before becoming part of the Phoodeez restaurant network.
With its backers’ support, Phoodeez becomes the first corporate catering concierge to incorporate complete logistical solutions for clients. It will extend its product line to implement consistent branding for all food deliveries to make every meal a true Phoodeez experience and will also organize the delivery and setup of meals. This added capability will allow Phoodeez to work with any restaurant in the Boston area so clients can order delicious, distinctive fare from even more unique local restaurants. With Phoodeez’ expanded services, restaurants can focus on the food while Phoodeez handles the logistics.
Some ways companies can incorporate Phoodeez into their culture include:
Weekly lunches for the team or client meetings
Out-of-office employee appreciation events, team-building activities and company celebrations
Drinks for “Beer Fridays,” client cocktails or a company’s signature adult beverage
Break food to fuel employee brainstorm sessions or down time at the office
“Collaboration is crucial to Phoodeez’ model, whether it’s with the restaurants that provide our meals or the companies that wish to give back to their employees,” said Marcus. “Our restaurant partners will also see added benefit because we’ll be better able to leverage our buying power to help them save on everyday operations.”
“Project 11 looks for entrepreneurs who are disrupting and adding value in traditional industries and Christine Marcus absolutely fits that mold,” said Sturtevant. “Phoodeez is a great example of how a technology startup can provide a better experience to catering customers while simultaneously helping small restaurants grow their business and improve their bottom line.”
By Iris Dorbain· October 9, 2014· Boston Business Wire · Original Article