Imbiba invests into Openr
Imbiba invests into data platform, Openr, to supercharge growth
March 2025, Openr, the data orchestration platform designed for operators in the hospitality industry, is pleased to announce that Imbiba, a leading investment firm, will invest £3 million in the business, alongside majority shareholder Azzurri Group. Octopus Ventures will provide part of this investment as an additional minority partner. The funding will accelerate Openr’s expansion, product development, and market reach.
Founded in 2022, Openr’s technology enables operators to centrally manage and optimise their pricing, products, menus and digital assets in real time, ensuring seamless distribution across all platforms. By replacing fragmented systems and manual spreadsheets, Openr helps businesses streamline operations and maximise revenue. Openr has already gained traction, following two years of its technology being used by the Azzurri Group brands, and won its first external customer, Stonegate, in 2024.
Imbiba is a leading investor in UK leisure, education and healthcare. Its depth of expertise in hospitality, including its successful investment in Hostech, make it the ideal partner for the next phase of Openr’s development.
With this funding, Openr will accelerate product development and go to market, introducing two major new modules in the coming months:
Order Manager – A central hub for managing all incoming orders and product availability across multiple channels.
Performance Optimiser – A dynamic AI driven engine that enables operators to optimise their pricing & menu strategy across all brands, locations and sales channels.
These additions will enhance Openr’s comprehensive product suite, empowering existing customers to grow faster while opening up new opportunities for hospitality businesses looking to drive growth, efficiency & innovation.
Joel Robinson, Founder of Openr, commented on today’s transaction:
“This funding is a real game changer for Openr. Openr is built by operators, for operators, so Imbiba, and their extensive sector experience, really are the perfect partner. We’re excited to ramp up our product development and help more & more operators unleash growth, efficiency & innovation using our innovative technology.”
Andrew Maxwell, Operating Partner at Imbiba, commented:
“The hospitality industry thrives on seamless operations, and Openr is revolutionising how data flows across systems. With this new investment it can accelerate product development, empowering operators with real-time insights, automation, and efficiency like never before. We believe this technology will redefine hospitality management and set a new industry standard.”
For more information
Sodali & Co
Ben Foster: ben.foster@sodali.com +44 (0)77 7624 0806
Jane Glover: jane.glover@sodali.com +44 (0)77 1324 6126
About Imbiba
Imbiba invest in the best location-based brands across leisure, education and healthcare. In addition to providing capital to accelerate growth, as proven entrepreneurs and investors in the sector, Imbiba provides all portfolio companies with support in key strategic areas such as property, operations, recruitment, procurement, marketing, social media and finance.
In addition to driving returns, Imbiba’s operator-led approach significantly reduces investment risk.
Imbiba's investment portfolio includes a range of award-winning companies, such as Farmer J, F1 Arcade, Pizza Pilgrims, House of Gods Hotel Group, and Little Houses Group. The firm is also proud to be a Certified B Corporation, reflecting its commitment to positive social and environmental impact.
About Azzurri Group
The Azzurri Group is one of the UK’s largest and most successful hospitality investment platforms. We operate two leading national Italian full service brands, Zizzi and ASK Italian, the UK’s leading quick-service Italian, Coco di Mama, renowned Irish fast casual Mexican restaurant brand Boojum and most recently the world famous, ‘mind-blowing’ fried chicken brand Dave’s Hot Chicken.
Azzurri employs nearly 6,000 people, serving over 15 million meals annually in our growing estate of over 230 restaurants and stores.
Across all of our brands we focus on what really matters to our customers – a memorable experience, high-quality food, great people, and beautifully designed restaurants and stores.
The service is personal, the food delicious and the whole experience leaves you wanting more.