Manchester, U.K.-based startup wi-Q has raised £3 million in funding to support its efforts to digitalize payments in the hospitality and leisure sector. Praetura Ventures provided the capital.
Founded in 2014, wi-Q aims to help hospitality and leisure companies improve the guest experience via its mobile ordering and payments solutions.
With its platform called Dash, hospitality venues can manage food and beverage orders in real-time. Meanwhile its Enterprise service allows customers to order and pay for items on their smartphones.
Wi-Q’s technology also helps restaurants and hotels to speed up order management, preparation and delivery.
The startup says demand for its services has surged in the wake of the pandemic, as hospitality companies place an increased focus on digitalization to meet changing consumer habits.
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With the funding, wi-Q – which currently supports customers across 32 countries – plans to expand operations into the United States and the Asia Pacific region.
“I am excited for what will be the most transformational phase for both wi-Q and hospitality technology. The global pandemic has accelerated both the demand for, and adoption of mobile ordering, and hospitality brands will want to have much more than ordering functionality to give them a competitive advantage,” says wi-Q CEO Patience Tucker.
“With this investment, we are looking ahead to the next chapter that will see convergence of technology to generate revenue and digital engagement. The most innovative hospitality brands are already working with us to bring Big Data and AI into their wi-Q solution to maximize guest experience and revenue opportunities.”
In 2018, smart ledger firm Fetch.AI partnered with wi-Q to offer intelligent recommendations to customers of ancillary products based on variables including the time of day, the temperature, current events and the customer’s historic preferences.