Cata has raised USD $5.3 million in seed funding in a round led by Portage.
The Singapore-based startup sells a platform that allows food, drink and retail businesses to launch branded consumer apps combining mobile ordering, payments, loyalty schemes, promotions, customer relationship management and customer data in one system.
The oversubscribed round also included White Star Capital, 468 Capital, FoodLabs, FJ Labs, Rally Cap and Iterative. The funding will support product development and international expansion, with Germany set to become its first market outside Singapore.
Launched less than a year ago, Cata is targeting merchants that have typically relied on a patchwork of software tools or large delivery platforms to manage digital sales and customer engagement.
Early traction
Customers include Guzman y Gomez in Singapore, where the chain has rolled out a branded app across all 23 branches. According to Cata, the deployment more than doubled digital sales, while app sales recorded double-digit monthly growth almost every month.
Its model is designed to cut the time needed to launch apps, replacing longer development cycles and larger upfront costs with faster rollouts. Businesses also gain more direct access to customer behaviour data, including repeat visits and purchase patterns.
That data can be used for automated marketing such as personalised campaigns, loyalty offers and customer relationship workflows. Cata added that the platform improves as more businesses use it, with product changes shaped by aggregate usage across its customer base.
Pressure on operators
The pitch comes as many food and beverage operators face rising labour, rent and input costs while trying to improve customer retention. Cata cited Singapore government data showing that nearly two-thirds of food and beverage businesses that ceased operations had been registered for five years or less.
The company is starting with food and beverage groups, but plans to expand into retail and booking services. That would widen its addressable market beyond restaurants and café chains to other consumer-facing businesses that still operate largely offline.
Germany is the first overseas market in that expansion, where Cata is already working with brands including Goldies, Brammibal's Donuts, The Klub Kitchen and Saveur de Banh Mi.
Founder and Chief Executive Officer David Brunier said smaller operators have often struggled to access digital tools that are affordable and integrated.
"The tools needed for F&Bs and retailers to digitise operations have been out of reach for too long. They're either too costly, too complex, or too fragmented to deliver results and drive ROI," Brunier said.
"Our goal is not only to be the innovating force enabling merchants to access the most modern technology for their businesses, but also to make large-scale digital operations possible for any operator globally, allowing them to build and own their customers' online experience directly."
Investor view
Portage said the investment reflects stronger demand from merchants seeking more control over customer relationships and first-party data rather than relying solely on third-party channels.
"We see a clear shift toward businesses prioritising ownership of their customer relationships and data as a core driver of growth," said Jake Bodanis, Partner at Portage.
"Cata enables businesses to build, manage and scale their digital channels with control, speed and efficiency."
The funding comes amid broader investor interest in software businesses serving restaurants and retailers that want direct digital links to customers without building systems in-house. For operators, the appeal is lower development costs and a clearer route to managing ordering, loyalty and payments through owned channels rather than external marketplaces.
Cata is headquartered in Singapore and is positioning itself around businesses that want branded apps without the long lead times associated with custom development. Its early customer list and expansion into Germany suggest it is testing whether that approach can extend beyond its home market as smaller chains seek tighter control over digital sales and customer data.