UK hospitality omnichannel technology firm Embargo raises $3.5 million and preps global expansion

UK hospitality tech company Embargo has raised $3.5 million in a funding round that included participation from investors in the UK, the United States, and Europe, including Paul Statham (founder of Condeco), Christo Georgiev (founder of myPOS), the food industry focused fund Hampton Finance (created by the Chantler family, founders of Meadow Foods), Stephen Zinser, Carl Christian Reiner, as well as Oh Polly and its founder Mike Branney.

Founded by Frederick Szydlowski and Tsewang Wangkang, Embargo is a CRM, loyalty and ordering platform that aims to help coffee shops, restaurants and bakeries boost customer retention and digital sales across every revenue channel (in-store, Click & Collect, and delivery).

Embargo is currently used by nearly 3,000 venues, with a footprint in the UK, Poland and Western Europe. It lays claim to processing more than 13 million transactions and digital stamps.

Szydlowski says: “Our mission is to level the playing field for hospitality SMEs keen to grow their revenues and scale - we do that by giving them access to the kind of tools typically reserved for global enterprises.”

“This investment is not just a vote of confidence in our product and growth to date, but also in the scale of the opportunity ahead. With strong foundations, a growing international footprint, and a clear product roadmap, we’re perfectly positioned to become the go-to platform for hospitality businesses worldwide.”

Wangkang says: “For the first time, we have the budget to fully leverage our product-market fit and significantly accelerate sales and marketing.”

“We aim to more than double our growth year-over-year while maintaining a healthy business model and avoiding short-term artificial spikes that don’t deliver long-term value. It’s all about where we will be in three, five, ten years - not next quarter. If you optimise towards short-term growth at any cost, you start focusing on vanity metrics.”

2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Omnichannel retail will be a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards. which are now open for entries, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended November's gathering. 

For further information on the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards, please fill in the below form and we will get back to you asap.