Compass Group acquires majority stake in food-tech startup SmartQ

Founded in 2014, by Krishna Wage and Abhishek Ashok, SmartQ provides services such as automated billing kiosks, centralised billing system, NFC prepaid cards, POS software to companies. It works towards enhancing cafeteria and food-court experience by eliminating queues and minimising wait time.

The acquisition will enable Compass India, to develop and deploy these solutions that will help their clients enhance employee workplace experience playing a key role in reshaping Compass India’s “return to work” strategy.

As employees return to work, Compass India will utilise SmartQ’s technology solutions such as a mobile app for food ordering at the workplace, self-ordering kiosks, cashier-less cafeteria and Point-of-Sale (PoS) solutions, and cloud-controlled Intelligent Menu Display Systems to support social distancing and eliminating queues through its click and collect initiatives in workplaces.

"The workforce in India today is increasingly made up of people who have either grown up or are deeply accustomed to personal technology. They are our core consumers and are driving a change in the way we operate contract food services to meet their needs. Tech solutions that deliver seamless, enhanced experiences like menu discovery, pre-ordering, payment and post-order support have become an increasingly important part of the food experience at work. We want to be at the forefront of this change, continually leading innovation and reinventing our service and experience model," said Dev Amritesh, managing director for Compass Group India.