Hi Auto, a company that provides AI-powered voicebots for drive-thru restaurants including Bojangles and Checkers, has raised $15 million in growth capital.
The Series A funding round was led by auto importer Delek Motors and included a strategic investment from a publicly traded restaurant company. Hi Auto declined to reveal the identity of that company.
It makes Israel-based Hi Auto at least the third drive-thru AI company to raise money this year. The startup Incept AI raised $3 million in February, and Presto Automation received an $18 million infusion following a sale in January.
It’s the latest sign of momentum for drive-thru AI, which is being picked up by more fast-food chains as they look to streamline operations and increase sales in the drive-thru, their largest channel by revenue.
Many early adopters were smaller chains like Checkers and sister brand Rally’s. But more recently, larger brands have been getting in on the action. Late last month, Taco Bell parent Yum Brands announced plans to bring AI to 500 locations this year in partnership with Nvidia, and Wendy’s is also aiming to put the technology in more restaurants this year.
It’s a sign that, after some stops and starts, drive-thru AI is getting closer to prime time. But it still faces some hurdles, particularly accuracy and poor audio quality caused by background noise and the elements.
Hi Auto says its technology completes more than 90% of orders and gets them right more than 96% of the time. It uses advanced noise-cancellation to help it understand what customers are saying, even in noisy drive-thru environments.
It also has a so-called dynamic upselling feature, which can recommend different items based on inventory, time of day and weather to get customers to spend more.
“Whether it’s lunchtime at a busy urban drive-thru or late-night in a suburban setting, we can determine which products to promote and when,” said co-founder and CEO Roy Baharav in a statement. “We’ve seen increased check sizes directly impacting the bottom line.”
Hi Auto was founded in 2019 by Baharav, a former Google product specialist; CTO Eyal Shapira, an experienced software developer; and Zohar Zisapel, a well-known Israeli tech entrepreneur who died in 2023.
In addition to Bojangles and Checkers & Rally’s, Hi Auto also works with Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken in the U.S., Burger King in New Zealand and Popeyes in the U.K. And it is in the pilot phase with multiple other large fast-food chains in the U.S. and abroad.
The company said it plans to use the new investment to help expand its footprint and improve its technology. Also contributing to the funding were the Zisapel Family, Vasuki Tech Fund, Allied Group, Goldbell Investments and the Meir Barel Group.
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