Any real pizza lover knows the difference between local mom and pop pizzerias and big pizza chains. While the big pizza chains often have the resources to stay more technologically relevant and have the resources to run local shops out of town, one company is fighting for the local shops. Slice, the leading pizza ordering platform, provides an online pickup and delivery platform, a reliable payment platform as well as 24/7-customer service. With Americans consuming 350 slices of pizza every second, it is no question that people want to support their favorite shops, and Slice is here to make that happen!
AlleyWatch chatted with founder and CEO Ilir Sela about the Slice and how they secured their first round of funding.
Who were your investors and how much did you raise?
We raised a Series B round from GGV Capital totaling $15M.
Tell us about your product or service.
Slice is the leading online and mobile pizza ordering platform that connects every pizza lover with their favorite authentic, local pizzeria. Customers can find pizza near them, place an order through Slice’s website, iOS or Android app, and check out with a stored payment method or Apple Pay, making the process as easy and quick as possible. Slice also champions local pizzerias in over 2,000 cities nationwide by giving them the tools, personalized marketing, and exposure to grow their business and maintain control of their brand. Every order is supported by Slice’s 24/7 customer service team to ensure all orders are successfully processed.
What inspired you to start the company?
Growing up in Staten Island, I was surrounded by pizzeria owners, like my parents and family friends, who asked me to help publish their menus online. Then, a couple of friends started asking about online ordering. It led me to start speaking to more and more local shop owners — all independently owned and operated — where I discovered that they relied on the telephone and paper, old-time methods that were inefficient and unreliable. That’s when I decided to launch Slice. I wanted to help alleviate some of the challenges faced by smaller mom-and-pop shops, and help to grow their businesses by making ordering more efficient, creating connections with new, loyal customers, and providing them with the technology and marketing needed to compete with big chains.
How is it different?
Slice is a loyalty driven platform. We want customers to continue ordering from their local pizzerias. We aren’t about discovery or pushing new food trends on you, we’re about making it easier to get your…