At EMERGING, our Acceleration Platform consists of the largest food & beverage network with GP operating companies, including Buyers Edge Platform, Emerging Concepts, and other industry leaders. In this series, we’re taking a deep dive into this platform, one offering at a time.
From AI & Data to Channel Partners and Emerging Concepts, a leading real estate partner for restaurants and entertainment concepts, we’ll cover the solutions that are helping those in the industry thrive despite challenging times.
Here, we’ll start with one of the most essential elements in any successful business—the people. Meet our Partners & Advisors who make the EMERGING Fund what it is and support our clients’ success.
The EMERGING Fund: Partners & Advisors
As Tom Payne said, “All great leaders choose great advisors, people they trust for their governance.” In the restaurant industry, the need for great advisors is stronger than ever. While there was a time when people with little experience entered the business and floundered for a bit before gaining traction, the possibilities of succeeding with this type of business strategy are dwindling.
These are the people who have excelled in the industry, founders and CEOs of restaurant groups, immersive social entertainment concepts, and technology enterprises. Today, they are investors and advisors in the EMERGING Fund, a unique investment platform that provides portfolio companies with a competitive advantage by lowering the cost of customer acquisition and accelerating growth.
Innovation Vs. Venture Vs. General Partners
Innovation, venture, and general partners make up the EMERGING Fund. While common terms in investment firms and sometimes used interchangeably, they mean something quite different.
General partners bear a hands-on role and are generally the financially responsible parties. They can make decisions, decide who to invest in, and can enter into contracts.
Venture partners offer advice and strategic guidance. These partners are focused on managing the portfolio and identifying new opportunities.
Innovation partners are the forward thinkers who bring with them their unique expertise and insights. According to Harvard Business Review, “94% of tech industry executives consider innovation partnerships a necessary strategy.”
According to McKinsey & Company, innovation is “the ability to conceive, develop, deliver, and scale new products, services, processes, and business models.” In the EMERGING Fund, the following make up our innovation partners:
- Adam Breeden: The co-founder of Puttshack, Flight Club, All Star Lanes, Bounce, Hijingo, and Kindred Concepts has brought social entertainment to the masses. This man is on a mission to create the best experiences through competitive socializing, integrating the latest technology with world-class food and beverages.
- Randy DeWitt: The founder of FB Society has the gift of creativity, creating distinctive concepts that span the fast-casual, casual, and polished-casual dining segments. Some of the successful brands that make up this collection of experiential restaurants include Whiskey Cake, Velvet Taco, Twin Peaks, and Rockfish Seafood Grill.
- Nick Hogan: The founder and CEO of Flagship Restaurant Group has been named one of the “Most influential restaurant CEOs in the country” by Nation’s Restaurant News. Some of the successful concepts that fall under this group include Blue Sushi Sake Gill, Anthem, Palma, Plank Seafood Provisions, Blatt Beer & Table, and Ghost Donkey. Their latest innovative brand is Pyro, a restaurant that lies somewhere between an American Bistro and a Japanese Izakaya.
- Peter Venti: The founder and CEO of FamilyMeal, Pippy Sips, and RealFood excels in the ResTech field. FamilyMeal is described as “modern catering technology meets traditional hospitality.” This technology makes it easier for customers to order catering directly from a restaurant’s website and is a free service for independent restaurants.
- Padma Rao: This entrepreneur brings with her extensive experience as the Marketing & Product Executive of Grubhub, Zynga, Netflix, and Tapingo. Her specialty is driving revenue growth through customer acquisition and retention.
As you can see, the innovation partners that make up the EMERGING Fund bring an unprecedented scope and experience level, industry leaders that help support the Fund’s emerging concepts. Startups benefit immensely from their industry-specific expertise and ability to develop strategic partnerships.
And we haven’t even touched upon the Fund’s general and venture partners. It is, indeed, an unparalleled group of industry leaders coming together to accelerate concept innovations. To learn more about gaining access to influential industry insiders to scale and partner, contact the EMERGING Fund.
