A developer of restaurant software which counts Gail’s, Nando’s and LEON among its clients has secured a $30m funding boost led by one of the world’s leading early-stage investors.

Sky News understands that Vita Mojo, which was founded six years ago, will announce this week that it has raised the new capital in a round led by Battery Ventures.

The company enables digital ordering in restaurants and more efficient kitchen and delivery operations through its software.

It argues that it can play a significant role in tackling the hospitality industry’s labour shortage crisis by reducing staff numbers in restaurants.

The new funds will be used to expand into new markets and refine its product base, according to Vita Mojo, which was originally launched as a healthy restaurant chain itself before switching to become a software provider.

“The headwinds and opportunities facing restaurants today are enormous,” Nick Popovici, Vita Mojo co-founder and chief executive, said.

“Operators are adapting to changing customer preferences around dining and ordering as well as monumental market disruptions – first the pandemic, then supply-chain disruptions and a labour shortage.

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“This has dramatically changed how restaurants operate and shrunk profit margins for those not able to adapt.”

Vita Mojo’s products allow customers to personalise their in-restaurant and in-app orders by calorie counts, while it is also able to extract allergen information from restaurants’ own software.

The company also works with Neat Burger and Le Pain Quotidien.

Its previous fundraising, in 2018, was backed by Investec.

It was unclear on Wednesday at what valuation the funds were being raised.

Battery Ventures is a prominent global investor, having invested in more than 400 companies, including GetYourGuide and Glassdoor.

Morad Elhafed, a general partner at Battery, and Zak Ewen, a principal at the firm, are joining Vita Mojo’s board.

“Offering one platform that combines digital ordering with kitchen operations is a valuable proposition that solves the headaches of managing multiple point solutions and systems,” said Mr Elhafed.

“Our experience with restaurant tech in the US makes us excited about Vita Mojo’s opportunity in Europe – and its overall mission of taking restaurants to the next level by simplifying their operations and delivering a remarkable experience for customers.”

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