Keeping track of food supplies
Editor’s note: Here are five Bay Area startups worth watching this week.
Hillside Supper Club chef Jonathan Sutton may be an advocate of the Slow Food movement, but at his restaurant, he’s always in motion.
“We’re so busy doing a million things,” said Sutton, who is also a consultant at Per Diem in the Financial District. “Anything we can do to save a little time for ourselves is huge.”
One of his time-saving tricks: Instead of having to fumble with spreadsheets and handwritten notes, he and his workers use Mountain View’s BlueCart to track and refresh inventory from suppliers like Dirty Girl Produce and Sonoma County Poultry with the click of a button.
Employees can place orders from suppliers — whether it’s for vegetables, linen or booze — through the app. The restaurant’s spending and order history are all recorded on a dashboard, which can simplify routine orders.
The Bay Area restaurant industry is experiencing a shortage of workers, caused in part by high housing prices. By streamlining simple tasks, restaurant technology can help managers fill labor gaps.
The business is being automated at nearly every turn. Beyond reservation-management tools like OpenTable and Resy, there are apps for scheduling, overtime tracking, order- ing and serving. BlueCart is trending this week because it acquired Sous, another mobile app that connected chefs to suppliers. Last month, BlueCart raised $10 million from investors, bringing its funding
to $17 million. BlueCart, which has 50 employees, is used by more than 29,000 buyers and sellers around the world.
CEO Konstantin Zvereff said that clients range from Michelin-starred restaurants to food trucks.
“We are just a communications channel between buyers and seller,” he said. “It was one of those low-hanging-fruit solutions.”
Also trending: Blurb
What it does: A selfpublishing service that lets people print digital content — such as photos and graphics — as bound books. What happened: The company just teamed up with Reedsy, a marketplace of professionals where authors can find editors, designers and publicists. Why it matters: In an age where everything is digital, Blurb is capitalizing on the retro trend of people craving actual books. Headquarters: San Francisco Funding: $19 million Employees: 100
Phantom
What it does: A tool that companies can use to connect their security products. What happened: Phantom became a partner of Palo Alto Networks, a publicly traded security technology company. Why it matters: By integrating all of a company’s security products, Phantom can shorten the time between detecting a security problem and solving it. Headquarters: Palo Alto Funding: $24 million Employees: 75
Medable
What it does: Health professionals can use Medable’s app-building tool to implement clinical trials and care. What happened: It was mentioned at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference as a way to help doctors to manage patient care on mobile devices. Why it matters: Medable makes it easy for doctors to build mobile apps that comply with health-privacy rules, extending the reach of digital care. Headquarters: Palo Alto Funding: $6.4million Employees: 25
Hera Systems
What it does: A satellite information and analytics company. What happened: CEO Bobby Machinski said the company is in the process of negotiating a funding offer. It plans to launch satellites within six months, he said. Why it matters: This company is one of many making Earth-imaging satellites. Hera Systems plans to provide satellite imagery to government customers and those in other markets like agriculture. Headquarters: San Jose Funding: $4 million Employees: 15