Start-up secures six figure funding deal
A Yorkshire-based start-up has secured a six-figure seed investment to launch its AI voice automation system.
Specifically designed for UK restaurants, Wakefield-based One Touch has secured £250,000 from Andrew Pennock, former COO of taxi and private hire technology platform, Veezu.
One Touch’s system enables restaurants to take table bookings 24/7, request food delivery and handle customer queries. It integrates into the restaurant’s table booking software and uses natural language processing (NLP) and seamless real-time voice interactions, handling both in-hours and off-house calls to ensure a booking opportunity is not missed.
The company is the brainchild of restaurant tech entrepreneurs Craig Pollock and David Downs. The pair has 10 years’ experience in the restaurant tech space, building software and payment solutions.
One Touch is currently being used by Wakefield-based restaurants Qubana and Fino, and a UK rollout is now underway.
Pollock said: “We’re excited to launch One Touch, an AI system that we have built primarily to meet the evolving demands of communication for restaurants. It makes the booking process more efficient and frees up valuable time for staff to focus on delivering top class customer services. With real time interaction it also offers diners an alternative restaurant if their chosen restaurant is fully booked. Our target is to have Voice AI in over 5,000 restaurants across the UK by the end of 2026. We’re also looking to expand into other sectors including hotels, retail and takeaways.”
“The backing from Andrew Pennock has been instrumental to our successful launch. Things are moving at pace and we’re working with the teams at Qubana and Fino who are already feeling the benefits of the One Touch system.”
