Malou, the innovative AI-powered platform that revolutionizes restaurant marketing, has announced a significant milestone with the successful raising of more than $10 million in funding. The funding round was led by distinguished investors, including SaaS B2B experts henQ, Bleu Capital, Bertrand Jelensperger (founder of The Fork), Jim Texier (former CPO of Lightspeed), as well as several restaurant clients.
A Game-Changer for Restaurants
Since its establishment in January 2021, Malou has been committed to providing tailored digital marketing solutions exclusively designed for the restaurant sector. The platform seamlessly integrates a restaurant's Google page, social media profiles, listing, and delivery platforms into one centralized hub. Leveraging AI and automation, Malou efficiently analyzes and generates responses to customer reviews, creates social media content, and ensures consistent information management. This comprehensive approach enhances restaurants' online presence, SEO, visibility, and social media engagement. In an age where 9 out of 10 customers choose restaurants online, Malou has emerged as an essential tool for restaurateurs. It manages and enhances the entire relationship between restaurants and their customers, from initial discovery and conversion to ongoing customer satisfaction monitoring and loyalty building.
Impressive Global Reach
With a presence in 12 countries and more than 2,000 restaurants on board, including independents, food chains, top chefs, and renowned restaurant groups, Malou has demonstrated its universal appeal and effectiveness. Notable clients include Jean-George Group's Tin Building marketplace in New York City, Bagatelle Group, and Krispy Kreme.
Fueling Expansion and Innovation "Mick Mackaay, Partner at lead investor henQ, remarked, "Malou's team has been able to translate their deep understanding of marketing for restaurants into a 'hyper-verticalized' solution which optimizes all aspects of a restaurant's online presence automatically. This leads to more visitors without forcing owners to become marketing experts. The team has further impressed us with their ability to get this solution into the hands of many restaurants, a notoriously hard target group to sell to." With this recent funding secured, Malou is set to accelerate its growth in France, enhance product functionality, and expand its international presence in France, Europe, the Middle East, and the United States, with a particular focus on New York City and Paris, where co-founder and CEO Louiza Hacene divides her time.
Empowering Restaurants in the Digital Age "The restaurant industry heavily relies on building and maintaining your reputation, especially through your online presence," said Louiza Hacene, CEO of Malou. "Malou is dedicated to providing the tools to help restaurants connect with potential customers and maintain their relationships with their existing customers, and this new funding will allow us to further improve our product, expand our team, and increase our market reach, especially in the United States."
Malou is led by a dynamic and international trio of co-founders: CEO Louiza Hacene, a Franco-Algerian HEC graduate, along with her two partners, Tunisian engineer and CentraleSupélec graduate Waad Toumi (CPO), and Télécom Paris-educated developer Victor Sage (CTO). Together, they bring the entrepreneurial vision, commercial skills, and technical expertise needed to elevate Malou from a restaurant digital marketing agency to the innovative SaaS tech platform it is today.
With a strong foundation, a growing client base, and a renewed focus on innovation, Malou is poised to revolutionize restaurant marketing and empower even more restaurants to succeed in the digital age.
Comments