GiftAMeal adds $165k in 2nd seed funding round

Jacob Mohrmann, BSBA 2016, chief marketing officer of GiftAMeal, provided this update to the Olin Blog. The company was founded by Andrew Glantz, BSBA 2017.

A St. Louis startup that is revolutionizing restaurant marketing while feeding the hungry has successfully raised its second round of seed funding. The company has raised $165,000 from various angel investors, including a restaurant owner, multiple entrepreneurs, and high-level executives.

GiftAMeal is a mobile application that helps provide a meal to someone in need each time a user takes a photo on its app at a partner restaurant. If a user then shares that photo to Facebook or Instagram, a second meal is given.

Over 150 restaurants are participating in GiftAMeal’s program and over 175,000 meals have been provided so far. GiftAMeal is based in St. Louis and provides the meals through a partnership with local food bank Operation Food Search.

GiftAMeal’s founder, Andrew Glantz, explained, “With GiftAMeal, we saw an opportunity to both help the community, and help provide restaurants with a unique method of engaging customers. After our initial success, we are excited to use this funding to take GiftAMeal to the next level.”

Nine individuals participated in this second round of funding.

• Michael Staenberg, owner of multiple restaurant brands including: Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh, La Boulangerie, Lion’s Choice, Granite City Food & Brewery, The Shack.
• Stuart Zimmerman, co-founder of Buckingham, Founder of Audubon Associates.
• Scott Richert, chief technology officer at Mercy.
• Thomas M. Smith, co-owner of Special Solutions.
• Ed Gustin II, former director at LORD Corporation.
• Bryan Tramont, managing partner at Wilkinson Barker Knauer, LLP.
• Dale N. Hatfield, senior fellow, Silicon Flatirons Center.
• Bruce Shapiro, CEO of Shapiro Metals.
• Joshua Greenman, founder of Mercury Development.

Glantz, a Los Angeles native, came to St. Louis to attend Washington University in St. Louis in 2013. He founded GiftAMeal as a 21-year-old undergraduate student and was the youngest founder and only undergraduate ever to receive an investment from the Capital Innovators accelerator in St. Louis. He now works on GiftAMeal full-time and was recently the youngest person named to the St. Louis Business Journal’s 30 Under 30 List.

GiftAMeal is already primed for growth. In the last four months, they have rapidly expanded their restaurant base, doubled their monthly recurring revenue, and even hired their first full-time employee. Glantz explained, “With this funding round, we will be able to reach new heights to further expand our reach and make an even bigger impact on our community.”

Join the movement to fight hunger in your local community. Download GiftAMeal for free today and start snapping photos at favorites such as Pastaria, Three Kings, Garbanzo, and more.

Pictured above: Andrew Glantz, BSBA 2017, founder of GiftAMeal.