Cloosiv

Cloosiv operated as a mobile ordering and payment platform specifically tailored for the independent coffee shop market. The company provided a technology solution for smaller cafes to offer pre-ordering services, enabling customers to purchase beverages in advance, bypass queues, and pick up their items upon arrival. This addressed a critical operational need for small businesses looking to compete with the convenience offered by larger coffee chains.

The venture was established in 2017 by co-founders Tim Griffin and James Burkhardt. Griffin, who served as CEO, drew inspiration for the company during his time at Apple, observing the efficiency of the Apple Store's seamless checkout process. His background in management consulting at North Highland proved pivotal, as he won an internal startup competition that secured $300,000 in initial funding to launch the business. The company went on to gain significant traction, participating in the Y Combinator S19 accelerator program.

The platform functioned as a mobile application where users could browse menus of nearby independent coffee shops, customize their orders, and complete payment directly within the app. For coffee shop owners, it served as a tool to increase sales, manage customer flow, and foster loyalty without the need to develop a proprietary application. Before its merger, the Cloosiv app was utilized by over 125,000 users across more than 500 cafes.

In a significant strategic move in August 2020, Cloosiv merged with Odeko, a New York-based inventory management platform for cafes. The merger was accompanied by a $12 million Series A funding round. The combined entity rebranded under the Odeko name, aiming to create an end-to-end platform for small cafes, integrating mobile ordering with supply chain management. This integration sought to provide shop owners with a holistic operational tool, from tracking inventory to managing customer orders, ultimately creating a more robust alternative to the systems used by major chains.

Keywords: mobile ordering, coffee shops, cafe technology, order-ahead app, payment platform, Tim Griffin, Odeko merger, Y Combinator, food tech, beverage technology, independent cafes, retail tech, customer loyalty, point of sale, contactless payment, cafe operations, restaurant tech, SMB solutions, digital ordering, coffee service