Investing in Quisto to make the out-of-home supply chain more sustainable
Today we announce we are leading the pre-seed round of Quisto
Milan, March 22nd, 2023
Quisto, the Italian platform that aims to innovate the out-of-home food service supply chain, has closed a pre-seed round of 800,000€. The round was participated by a major Italian Family Office in the food industry, as well as some angel investors with experience in the Ho.Re.Ca. (Hotellerie-Restaurant-Café) market, and StartupGym, the Venture Studio which supported the genesis and growth of the company.
Quisto is aimed at retailers (bars, restaurants, shops) who want to have access to a more efficient platform to place their orders, available 24/7, and with access to a much wider product (and offer) catalog. The service is also aimed at wholesalers and distributors who have Quisto as their best ally to scale their commercial activity, improving the relationship with existing customers thanks to the integration of technology with their sales network.
Founded in 2022, Quisto was created to make the out-of-home supply chain more efficient and sustainable. A service conceived and launched by Stefano Raffaglio and Pietro Bini Smaghi. As of today, there are already over 2,000 orders placed by retailers who have access to a catalog of over 5,000 products. With these new resources, Quisto plans to continue investing in technology, expanding its customer base, optimizing the range of services offered to various operators in the supply chain, and improving its go-to-market efficiency.
The retailer looks for the price but wants the service, the variety, the courtesy; the agent must be helped to become a brand ambassador, a point of sale consultant; the dealer must evolve the business by making it more efficient and data-driven” We think the status quo needs to be rethought. The goal we set ourselves is to change the buying habit of retailers and restaurateurs. The real achievement will be in making the buyer’s experience interactive and without friction, reducing costs, and offering greater value
At StartupGym, we have developed a strong investment thesis on the out-of-home distribution market, which we estimate to be worth 17 billion in Italy alone and 180 billion in Europe. The supply chain has yet to see any technological innovation, the market is dominated by evasion and cash transactions and the logistics are poorly optimized at the expense of the environment and cities. We believe there is room to disrupt and build a sustainable and innovative model.
Giuseppe Balzano, Partner at StartupGym
