USA – Slice, an ordering and marketing tech platform for local pizzerias in New York, has raised US$43 million in a Series C funding led by KKR with participation from existing early investors, including GGV Capital.
Slice is on a mission to transform independent pizzerias with its specialized technology, data insights, and shared services they need, all at a low fixed cost per order, to serve today’s digital-minded customers.
Through its platform, Slice makes it easy for customers to order from their go-to shops and discover their next favorite while its united network of pizzerias enables small businesses to thrive against major corporate chains and form the nation’s largest marketplace for authentic pizza.
According to the company, these capabilities have proven essential with the surge in demand for pickup and delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Slice intends to use the new capital to enhance and scale its platform of services, which today powers over 12,000 pizzerias across all 50 states, forming one of the nation’s largest pizza marketplace.
“Being able to drive business online is now essential to the success of local restaurants and this new funding will allow us to continue improving Slice’s platform to empower more independent pizza shops around the world,” said Ilir Sela, founder and CEO of Slice.
“We are excited to welcome KKR as a new investor and look forward to working alongside their team who brings decades of experience building leading global companies.”
“The COVID-19 pandemic has also caused a significant surge in demand across our platform and we are focused on providing our pizzeria partners with the resources they need to access online sales channels at a time when in-restaurant demand has reduced significantly.”
Jake Heller, Co-head of KKR’s Technology Growth team in the Americas, said: “We’ve been incredibly impressed by Ilir and the team that he has attracted to Slice, as well as the remarkable growth and scale they have achieved over the last few years.
“We believe in their mission to bring unprecedented value to the unique community of independent pizza owners around the world, and we’re eager to leverage KKR’s global platform in that endeavor.”
