Tebi’s ‘mobile-first’ platform raises €20 million for its retail and hospitality control system
Mobile-first platform Tebi - picture credits Pim Rinkes
Mobile-first platform Tebi - picture credits Pim Rinkes
Mobile-first platform Tebi - picture credits Pim Rinkes
Tebi’s ‘mobile-first’ platform includes checkout, payments, stock management, a kitchen display system, reservations, QR orders and accounting. Tebi, the startup that supports independent retail and hospitality businesses with this intuitive all-in-one operational platform, has raised €20 million in funding. The Series-A-round, led by Index Ventures, is the first institutional investment the company has raised since its founding three years ago, and reflects Tebi’s growth. The aim is to unite the robustness of software that larger companies use with the intuitive experience of a consumer app.
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Tebi started with a sales app for a friend that owns a cafe
Tebi was founded in 2021 by a team of creatives and entrepreneurs, including Arnout Schuijff, the co-founder and former CTO of Adyen, and Rob Vonk, Adyen’s former EVP Technology. Three years after Adyen went public, Vonk and Schuijff joined forces with Greta Castellana, Thijs van Himbergen and Mazdak Nasori to found Tebi.
CEO Schuijff has been concerned about the situation of independent businesses in hospitality and retail for more than a decade. What started as a side project for Schuijff, who first put together a sales app for a cafe owner in 2012, has now grown into a company processing more than € 100,= million a year.
‘Entrepreneurs provide joy and employment in our communities, but when it comes to technology, they have no real partner who is on their side and has a holistic understanding of their needs,’ Schuijff said. ‘They are tired of being stuck with multiple, expensive contracts for underperforming pieces of software. That’s why Tebi is replacing a multitude of solutions by building one comprehensive and intuitive platform that everyone can use.’
How does Tebi work | ‘It’s like an iPhone, basically anyone can use it from day 1’
Xander Waller, who has worked in the hospitality industry since he was 16, now relies on Tebi to run both a bar and a casual dining restaurant in Amsterdam. ‘Tebi is super easy to work with,’ he says. ‘It’s like an iPhone, basically everyone can use it from day one, so you don’t have to explain anything, which is pretty important in the fast-paced environment of a restaurant. With Tebi, everyone involved knows what to do, from the waiters to the chef to the bartender. It also means that there is no revenue loss or miscommunication between the kitchen and service; there is a clear ‘flow’ and it is very easy to see how the money is made.’
With Tebi | Your turnover in real time with a few taps on your screen
‘We are at a moment in history when you can start a business with your phone, without special hardware or ugly, complicated software,’ says Schuijff. ‘Taking orders and payments, keeping track of inventory, viewing real-time sales across multiple locations: it can all be done with a few taps on the screen. The Tebi system runs on smartphones and hardware that doesn’t cost the big bucks, significantly lowering the threshold to entrepreneurship.’
‘But Tebi’s true strength lies in complex multi-location setups with many devices, which are synchronised in real time and provide the instant insights needed to oversee multiple locations.’
The Tebi app is free for entrepreneurs up to a certain revenue threshold
The company listens carefully to users to decide which features to build, and uses transparent pricing linked to monthly turnover. The Tebi App is free for entrepreneurs with turnover below a certain threshold, and the company does not charge extra for additional devices, users or locations. Tebi also encourages its own employees to take a stake in the company; their shares add up to more than 15% of the company.
Funding for product development and expansion outside the Netherlands
With the new funding, Tebi plans to accelerate product development and expand its reach outside the Netherlands. The startup, which currently employs 30+ people at its headquarters in Amsterdam, also plans to expand its team and offer its product outside the hospitality and retail sector.
‘Many of us didn’t realise how important bars and cafés were until we couldn’t visit them during lockdowns. We all saw how they had to struggle to survive,’ says Schuijff. ‘We bring all the lessons we learnt at Adyen to give these businesses the tools needed to run a sustainable business. Our goal is to become the operational partner of independent entrepreneurs by helping them make better decisions every day, freeing up time that allows them to better harness their full creativity and passion. By giving access to the same powerful tools as large-scale companies, we want to help level the playing field for the businesses that make our cities and neighbourhoods vibrant.’
Website: Tebi
