SAN FRANCISCO, California, USA – Botrista Technology, Inc., a leader in the beverage automation technology space, has just added restaurant industry veteran Jason Valentine to their leadership team – and raises Series B to bring total funding to over $55 Million. Botrista is the inventor and developer of The Botrista DrinkBot, an automated craft drink solution for restaurants and food service providers,
Valentine to bring expertise in his role as Chief Strategy Officer
Jason Valentine joins Botrista Technology as Chief Strategy Officer. Valentine brings more than 25 years of experience in the restaurant industry, including leadership on both Franchisee and Franchisor sides. Most recently, he was President of the national brand Zoup! Eatery and completed a successful acquisition plan. Valentine has been listed on Restaurant Business News’ Power 20 list and has been a featured speaker at the Restaurant Leadership Conference and the Fast Casual Executive Summit.
“After many years as a restaurant executive, I’m excited about joining Botrista on the partner side of the business. I’m passionate about this industry and helping brands succeed,” says Valentine. “Botrista’s beverage innovation addresses core problems that restaurants face: labor efficiency, quality consistency, and portion control. By using automation technologies to make a wide variety of craft beverages, Botrista is positioned perfectly to help brands innovate their beverage menu, increase topline sales, and bottom line profit.”
Botrista founder and CEO Sean Hsu is excited about what he calls “the merging of a Silicon Valley tech startup with the restaurant industry.” Hsu believes in an innovative culture where the leadership values the importance of having mixed industry experts on the executive team. Hsu has been very intentional about building a team that brings versatile backgrounds, experiences, and areas of expertise. The latest addition of Valentine combines restaurant executive experience with a technologically savvy and diverse Botrista Leadership Team.
Botrista has always valued the knowledge and experience of restaurant executives, which is represented at every level of the organization. “Botrista DrinkBot is the right idea at the right time,” says Botrista board member Kim Lopdrup. “DrinkBot automates the production of differentiated, high-margin craft beverages so restaurants can grow sales and margins without adding complexity or labor.”
“We are entering a rapid growth phase and we are strategically investing in new talent that can add value in a unique way. From the beginning, I have prioritized partnering with top cross-industries talent and building a quality team. We currently employ almost 100 people, and each individual contributes in a meaningful way,” said Hsu. “We are excited about the progress we’ve accomplished in 2022 but we are just getting started to revolutionize the industry.”
Series B Funding Fuels Botrista’s Growth
Total Series B funding round reaches $55 million and is backed by multiple well known VC and strategic investors. This includes $10 million in Series A funding which was closed earlier this year. Botrista has ten times its recurring revenue in under 12 months, as DrinkBot was launched in 2021. The company captures the craft beverage trend while solving labor shortage in the F&B industry. Botrista is now in 26 states nationwide and growing exponentially.
