A Brazil-Based Startup Aims to Unify Restaurant Operations Under One Platform
Yooga, a pioneering restaurant operation management system developed by Vinicius Melo, Victor Sortica, and Cassiano Guerra Fernandes, has secured its first institutional funding of $2.3 million in seed capital. This significant investment was led by SaaSholic, with participation from Gilgamesh, Apex Partners, and Backfuture.
The Founders’ Journey to Creating Yooga
The co-founders have a rich history with the company, having bootstrapped Yooga for three years before taking $300,000 in a friends-and-family round in 2020. Vinicius Melo, one of the co-founders, drew inspiration from his college days when he worked as a waiter and realized that restaurants were struggling to manage their operations effectively.
Melo’s vision was to build software that could automate restaurant operation processes while being user-friendly for anyone, regardless of their technical expertise. To make this dream a reality, Melo took an unconventional approach by living in a software house, reminiscent of the TV show ‘Silicon Valley.’ During his stay, he connected with Victor Sortica, who became a crucial part of Yooga’s development.
How Yooga Works
Yooga provides a comprehensive platform for restaurants to manage orders, send orders to the kitchen, provide last-mile delivery, and control inventory and cash flow. The ultimate goal is to bring all these processes under one unified platform. According to Vinicius Melo, customers can be onboarded within a week, and in as little as two months, they start seeing tangible results.
Market Fragmentation and Competition
Yooga’s co-founders, particularly Vinicius Melo and Victor Sortica, emphasize that Toast has paved the way for their company. However, they don’t consider Toast competition due to the highly fragmented market in Brazil, where hundreds of companies cater to different customers with legacy software that fails to evolve.
Yooga’s Impact on the Restaurant Industry
- Over 6,000 clients have adopted Yooga, with most using paper and spreadsheets previously.
- 60% of restaurants in Brazil don’t utilize any software.
- Much of the company’s revenue comes from monthly subscriptions starting at $35 per month.
- Yooga handles $2 billion in transactions annually, with more than 4 million orders flowing through its platform each month.
Plans for the Future
With this significant investment, Vinicius Melo and Victor Sortica plan to deploy the capital into hiring additional staff and technology development. Two of the first new features coming out soon will be a ‘tap on phone’ payment solution and PIX payment integration. The company aims to double its average revenue per user with these new revenue streams.
Conclusion
Yooga’s innovative approach to restaurant operation management has gained traction in Brazil, and with this investment, it is poised to expand further. As the startup continues to grow, it will be interesting to see how Yooga maintains its competitive edge and stays on track with its ambitious goals.
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