Founded in 2017, Snackpass is one of the leading social commerce platforms in the US. While there's a huge influx of food delivery apps, Snackpass promises an entirely different experience for food lovers. Accessible only via the Snackpass app, the platform allows users to order their takeout from their favorite restaurants. This approach has eliminated waiting time at restaurants, one of the key factors that has made Snackpass so very popular.
Snackpass also promotes a social environment, wherein users can join with their friends, earn reward points, get discounts and send gifts. This connects with users who love food, are looking for deep discounts and like to hang out with friends. This combo of food + social is what makes Snackpass unique and explains it growing popularity.
History
The idea for Snackpass came to Kevin when he noticed the huge waiting time at restaurants. After the first version of the app he built went live, he was joined by John and Jamie as co-founders. Things were pretty tough initially, as Yale is not particularly known for startups. The founders had to work hard to make it work. They had to rely on old-school techniques such as meeting restaurant owners personally and posting and distributing flyers in the neighborhood.
Funding
Snackpass has received investments worth $95.6 million via five rounds of funding. Some of the key investors include Craft Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, First Round Capital, General Catalyst and Y Combinator. The company has also received funds from individual investors such as Steve Chen, Bastian Lehmann, Jonas Brothers, Justin Waldron, Draymond Green, David Grutman and Steve Aoki.
Acquisitions
Snackpass has acquired Sleek in November 2021. Just like Snackpass, Sleek was also a platform that allowed users to skip the queue at their favorite restaurants. With the acquisition, Snackpass was able to strengthen its position in this specific segment. The entire team at Sleek was absorbed by Snackpass.
Competitors
Snackpass has a number of competitors such as ChowNow, Ritual, Tapingo, LevelUp, Uber Eats, Doordash and TabbedOut.
About the founders
Snackpass was founded by Kevin Tan, Jonathan Cameron and Jamie Marshall. Kevin currently serves as the CEO at Snackpass. Prior to launching Snackpass, Kevin had worked as a Coding Mentor at Yale School of Management. He also has experience working as a researcher at Yale Department of Physics.
Co-founder Jonathan Cameron had earlier worked with companies like System Seals Inc., Intergroup International, Hunan by the Falls and Whole Foods Market. He had also launched other projects such as Happy Hour App and Sticktionary. His educational qualifications include B.A. from The Ohio State University.
Co-founder Jamie Marshall currently serves as the COO at Snackpass. She had earlier worked with CoachUp. Her educational qualifications include B.S., Neuroscience (Pre-Med) from Yale University.
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