Cross Creek

The pandemic has increased the adoption of digital technologies for a number of industries. But this adoption isn’t necessarily symmetric for all industries, especially mom and pop independent pizzerias that have traditionally shied away from technology. Slice empowers these businesses by enabling them to harness the power of technology at a time when these restaurants need it the most. At its core, the company features an end-to-end ordering and marketing platform that helps local pizzerias build their digital and online presence in order to address the preferences of today’s digital consumers. The company also offers “Slice Register” (a proprietary POS system), a networked rewards/loyalty platform for pizza lovers, and an acceleration program that invests directly into technology for its partners. Supporting pizzerias on the front end is the consumer app that allows users to order directly from and support over 15,000 pizzerias. Slice charges a nominal, flat per-order fee, saving these pizzerias from the onerous, hefty commissions charged by third-party apps that are percentage-based. By its estimate, the company has already saved its partners over $250M in fees. AlleyWatch caught up with CEO and Founder Ilir Sela to learn more about the immense impact Slice has on not only pizzerias but also local economies, the value that selecting the right investors has had on the company’s trajectory, latest round of funding from investors that include Cross Creek, Dick Costolo and Adam Bain of 01 Advisors, GGV Capital, KKR, and Primary Venture Partners.