Restworld, a startup created to facilitate the matching of labour supply and demand in the Ho.Re.Ca sector, announces it has completed a one million euro seed round, with a pre-money valuation of four million euro. The investment consists of EUR 650,000 in equity and EUR 350,000 as debt financing.
The funds raised will be used to develop a new version of the platform, rebuilt from scratch to meet the needs of all types of companies, from independent restaurants to large restaurant chains. The goal is to maintain accessibility as a fundamental pillar, while ensuring customised solutions to make recruitment ethical and sustainable.
“This round is not a point of arrival, but a starting point,” says Luca Lotterio, CEO of Restworld (pictured with the team), in a note. “With this new funding, we can enhance our platform, strengthen our team, and pursue our goal of facilitating entry into the world of work for three thousand people as early as 2025. Restworld is committed to positive change in the restaurant industry, where legality and training are at the core of our vision.”
The round, led by Day Ristoservice, active in the world of corporate welfare, sees among its new partners Mia Rigo, an expert in luxury hotellerie and founder of The Magic Collection Retreats, and Gabriele Borga, who boasts an exit with Jobtome. They are joined by Mival Capital, a private investment company that invests in the capital of SMEs and AI-driven start-ups, and Augusto Valli with Italian Business Adventures. The round also includes the participation of Cavallo Consulting & Partners through Alessandro Cavallo, the NextUp holding company managed by Alessandro Annovi and other business angels. Existing investors include Startup Wise Guys and Vittorio Somaschini, who reconfirmed their trust and commitment to the project.
With a turnover of around one million euros for the current year and clients such as Lavazza, KFC and Baladin, Restworld intends to become a reference player in a sector undergoing a complete transformation by offering a recruiting service that is now used by more than 800 businessmen and women throughout Italy and leads a community that already numbers more than 100,000 workers. The people that the start-up has directly helped to be hired are already more than two thousand, according to a company note.
“The restaurant industry is going through a crucial moment, with the introduction of a new CCNL and an increasing focus on the centrality of people as the driving force behind companies. This is why Restworld collaborates with various players in the sector, including FIPE, the Italian Federation of Public Establishments, to guarantee adequate training for its team and consequently to bring value to all workers and entrepreneurs in the sector. Our work is not limited to recruiting. We want to change the paradigm of a sector that is too often associated with gruelling shifts and unethical practices,’ adds Lotterio.
The start-up, which recently opened its own office in Turin, is expanding its reach abroad, collaborating with Italian restaurateurs in Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland and Spain, and is ready to go international, aiming for global positioning by 2027, increasing its turnover from the current EUR 1 million to over EUR 10 million.
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