Slang AI Raises $36M for Restaurant Voice AI
Hospitality tech startup Slang AI has secured $36 million in a Series B funding round led by USVP. The capital is intended to scale its "Superhost" voice AI platform, which automates and personalizes guest communications for reservations and inquiries. The company's leadership stated that exceptional guest engagement is the "last true moat" for retaining VIPs.
- The $36 million Series B funding consists of $28 million in equity and $8 million in debt, bringing Slang AI's total funding to $68 million since its founding in 2019. - Slang AI's "Superhost" platform is trained on a proprietary dataset of over 25 million calls from 10 million unique guests, which allows it to handle complex interactions beyond simple questions, including recognizing returning VIPs. - The technology integrates directly with major reservation and event platforms used in high-end restaurants, including OpenTable, SevenRooms, and Tripleseat. - Lead investor USVP has a history of backing successful tech companies that went public or were acquired, such as Box, HotelTonight, and Trunk Club. - The company was founded in 2019 by CEO Alex Sambvani and CTO Gabe Duncan. Other notable investors in this round include former Stripe COO Claire Hughes Johnson. - The AI is designed to do more than just take reservations; it can qualify high-value inquiries for private dining or catering and route them to the appropriate staff member. - Slang AI reports that its system can double the number of phone reservations and delivers a return on investment of up to 20 times for its clients, which include restaurant groups like Dineamic Hospitality. - Future plans for the capital include expanding beyond voice to "multi-modal experiences," such as personalized recommendations and post-visit follow-ups to manage guest reviews.
