Tony Loeb

🏨 SuiteOp, a Guest Operations Platform, secured $3 million in seed funding to expedite development, enhance automation tools, and pursue market expansion. The funding round, led by ScOp with contributions from Dream Capital and strategic angel investors, marks SuiteOp's first external financing. Co-founded by Jean-Emmanuel Losi and Simon Seroussi, SuiteOp was born from the operational challenges of Sosuite, a short-term rental brand in Philadelphia. The platform, addressing labor shortages and fragmented software, now serves various lodging businesses. It offers IoT, smart automation, white-labeled guest portals, and analytics, supporting tens of thousands of units with a fivefold annual run rate increase and a consistent 15% month-over-month growth without customer churn. The new capital aims to enhance automation for efficiency in high-cost, labor-constrained environments and to expand into key markets. SuiteOp was founded in 2023 and enhances property management through a comprehensive, integrated platform.

🏦 Hi Auto, an AI-powered voice tech startup for the QSR industry, secured $15 million in Series A funding led by Delek Motors, the Zisapel Family, and others, totaling $23 million raised with a $4 million credit line for expansion. Hi Auto's SaaS platform delivers 96% order accuracy and over 90% completion rate, tackling labor cost challenges like California's $20/hour minimum wage. With clients like Bojangles and Popeyes UK, the company's dynamic upselling feature boosts average ticket sizes. Founded in 2019 by Roy Baharav and Eyal Shapira, Hi Auto has a team of 100 people globally.

🛡 Joseph Frisk, VP and CISO at Dine Brands, and Marcus Wasdin from the Restaurant Technology Network Board of Governors highlight the complexity of cybersecurity in the restaurant industry. Cyber threats exploit human error, loyalty programs, and use AI for attacks. Restaurant IT must educate employees, secure customer data, monitor threats in real-time, and prepare for post-quantum cryptography to combat rapidly evolving cyber risks while balancing user experience.