KKR led the Series C funding round.

Independent but brick-and-mortar pizzerias, whose business has been hit by COVID-19, can get help from Slice. Slice is an ordering and marketing tech platform for pizzerias. It helps consumers discover local pizza shops and order pizzas through the home delivery or self-pickup modes. KKR led a $43 million Series C funding round with participation from existing early investors, including GGV Capital. (FastCasual)

The Slice app – a lifeline for pizzerias

Dine-out restaurant options are not an option amidst shelter-in-place restrictions. Slice is, therefore, a vital cog in the supply chain for pizzeria-loving customers. Regular customers may now use the app to find a go-to shop near them. They can then order their favorite pizzas with a few clicks on the app.

Slice redesigns the tech tools of the large pizza chains to make them practicable for small pizzerias. These independent outlets can grow with help from the company on everything from online ordering to marketing expertise, payment systems, and customer service.

Pizza shops may choose to use the Slice-branded system, or let the platform help them set up customized websites of their own to take orders. Slice charges pizzerias a fixed commission of $2.25 plus a 4% processing fee per order.

Slice already has 12,000 pizzerias onboarded on its platform. According to VentureBeat, the COVID-19 crisis has triggered a sharp surge in demand on the platform. This will gather more momentum as shelter-in-place restrictions gradually ease across the country.

Platform Power to Pizzerias

“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 Founder and CEO Ilir Sela, in a statement.

“Along the lines of what highly impactful companies like Square, Wix and Shopify have done for SMB’s, Slice is building the next great SMBTech platform for independent merchants in the pizza industry,” said Jeff Richards, managing partner at GGV Capital and board member of the company.

“Slice charges small business owners a fraction of the fees charged by food delivery apps and offers a suite of vertical-specific solutions to solve the challenges faced by independent pizza makers,” said Allan Jean-Baptiste, Principal at KKR. “Slice provides easy to use technology and value to consumers by enabling access to local, high-quality food.”

According to TechCrunch, Slice previously raised $30 million. It will use the latest funding to enhance and scale its platform. It also aims to “empower more independent pizza shops around the world.”

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