The idea of using a mobile device to send your friends food and drinks seems to be proving popular.
Seattle-based Gratafy has raised an additional $2.5 million round to push total funding past $5 million, CEO and co-founder Brian Erke confirmed with GeekWire today. Erke noted that two-thirds of the round is from new investors, while the rest is from current backers.
The two-year-old startup, which lets users send specific food and drinks from local restaurants, bars and nightlife venues to friends as gifts, will use the fresh cash to build out its team and expand into new markets.
Erke and his fellow University of Washington grad Ryan Halper launched Gratafy in November 2012 as a way for people to buy drinks, desserts or other menu items from restaurants for friends who may be celebrating anniversaries, birthdays or other special occasions.
The platform is fairly simple. Those purchasing a gift can scroll through menus on desktop or mobile, and the recipient is notified once the order is placed. When at the restaurant or bar, he or she can then show their server the personal gift code in the Gratafy app to redeem the item.
Gratafy started in Seattle, but has since debuted in five additional cities: Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. The startup employs 19 and plans to double or triple its headcount in the next two quarters.
