PASADENA, Calif., July 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — White Castle®, the country’s first fast-food hamburger chain, announced today a planned pilot with Miso Robotics – creators of the first autonomous grilling and frying kitchen assistant, Flippy – to accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence and robotics in the restaurant industry. As part of the deployment, White Castle will bring the new version of Flippy, Robot-on-a-Rail (ROAR), into kitchens for testing and future integration. The deployment will put autonomous frying to work for enhanced production speeds, improved labor allocation and an added layer of health and safety in the cooking process. Committed to delivering the best customer dining experience, White Castle’s selection of Miso Robotics marks a move by the pioneering chain to modernize operations for even faster, fresher and delicious meals, every time.
Like many sectors, the restaurant industry has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and has been forced to reexamine business operations and best practices. Through the adoption of innovative and forward-looking technologies – like robotics automation and artificial intelligence – restaurants can build a future focused kitchen that reassures customers of the best standards in food preparation. White Castle’s decision to pilot Flippy in the kitchen creates an avenue for reduced human contact with food during the cooking process – reducing potential for transmission of food pathogens. The implementation also brings intelligence to cooking, tapping into sensors, intelligent monitoring and anticipated kitchen needs to keep food temperatures consistent, that ensure optimal quality and a perfect bite for customers. With Flippy in the kitchen automating repetitive, time consuming and dangerous tasks like frying, team members can be redeployed to more customer-experience driven tasks.
“White Castle is an industry innovator, and we take a great amount of pride in our history – never forgetting about the future ahead,” said Lisa Ingram, 4th generation family leader and CEO of White Castle. “With 100 years of quick service success, the time has never been more perfect to envision what the next century of White Castle and the restaurant industry looks like. Miso Robotics understood where we could improve and stay true to White Castle’s brand of taste, innovation and best-in-class dining. A great customer and employee experience is in our DNA, and we are thrilled to bring the future into our kitchen with solutions that will transform the industry and make the White Castle experience all that it can be for generations to come.”
Founded in 1921, White Castle became the first fast food restaurant. Throughout its nearly 100-year history, White Castle created the framework for the modern QSR business model and reinvented the restaurant experience. As the company approaches its centennial anniversary, it Flippy ROAR’s deployment commemorates another historic moment in the chain.
“Miso Robotics couldn’t be more excited to bring Flippy ROAR into White Castle,” said Buck Jordan, CEO and Co-Founder of Miso Robotics. “Artificial intelligence and robotics brings a very real opportunity to continuously enhance the cooking process and optimize taste for restaurants. White Castle’s brand is iconic, navigating new challenges to bring their menu to more customers, prepared in a healthier environment by staff in better working conditions that adhere to social distancing needs is something only Miso Robotics can do. We look forward to being a part of White Castle’s next 100 years.”
Flippy ROAR will deploy later this fall. The deployment will test speeds in production, taste, quality and operational optimization with backend POS integration. Following integration, Flippy ROAR’s zero-footprint design will be tested to improve employee and food preparation, for wider location integration.
About White Castle® White Castle, America’s first fast-food hamburger chain, has been making hot and tasty sliders as a family-owned business for more than 99 years. Based in Columbus, Ohio, White Castle started serving The Original Slider®, made from 100% USDA inspected beef, in 1921. Today White Castle owns and operates more than 365 restaurants dedicated to satisfying customers’ cravings, morning, noon and night and sells its famous fare in retail stores nationwide, in a growing number of international locations, and at military exchanges around the world. The Original Slider, named in 2014 as Time Magazine’s most influential burger of all time, is served alongside a menu of creatively crafted sliders and other mouthwatering food options, including White Castle’s Impossible™ Slider, named by Thrillist in 2019 as the “Best Plant-Based Fast Food Burger.” White Castle’s commitment to maintaining the highest quality products extends to the company owning and operating its own meat processing plants, bakeries and frozen-food processing plants. White Castle is known for the legendary loyalty of its team members, more than one in four of whom have worked for White Castle for at least 10 years, and of its faithful fans, affectionately referred to as Cravers, many of whom compete each year for entry into the Cravers Hall of Fame. The official White Castle app, available at iTunes App Store or Google Play, makes it easy for Cravers to access sweet deals and place pick-up orders any time. They can also have their orders delivered using one of White Castle’s delivery partners. For more information on White Castle, visit whitecastle.com.
About Miso Robotics Miso Robotics (www.misorobotics.com) is revolutionizing the restaurant and prepared food industries with innovative robotics and artificial intelligence solutions. Miso was founded with a mission to leverage AI technology to help chefs cook food perfectly and consistently and enable restaurants to increase labor productivity, reduce costs and drive profitability while improving the overall dining experience. Miso employs a respected team of scientists, roboticists, engineers and industrial designers from Caltech, Cornell, MIT, Carnegie Mellon, Harvey Mudd, UCLA, USC, Art Center and UNC Chapel Hill. Miso Robotics is now taking reservations for their equity crowd-funding raise, to invest in the future of restaurant automation go to https://invest.misorobotics.com/
https://tx0cb8.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Option-2-Cali-Group-Logo-300x110.png00caligrouphttps://tx0cb8.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Option-2-Cali-Group-Logo-300x110.pngcaligroup2020-09-20 16:46:452020-09-20 16:46:45White Castle Selects Miso Robotics for a New Era of Artificial Intelligence in the Fast Food Industry
Dairi-O is Latest of Dozen-Plus QSR Brands Adopting PopID To Reduce Ordering Time, Increase Loyalty Usage and Streamline Payments
PASADENA, Calif. – PopID, a Cali Group company, announced today that it is launching its facial recognition platform in self-ordering kiosks at Dairi-O, one of the fastest growing restaurant concepts in America. Using PopID, Dairi-O customers will be able to conveniently and instantly pull up their favorite customized orders and pay for their meals without needing a card or phone.
Dairi-O intends to install the PopID software in all of its locations in the first half of 2020.
“We love how PopID makes it so easy for our customers to re-order their favorite items in a matter of seconds, resulting in shorter lines during peak hours and faster delivery of food to customers,” said Jeff Speaks, Chief Executive Officer of Dairi-O. “Additionally, our customers can pay for their food without reaching into their wallets and fumbling through cards.”
Operating in North Carolina since 1947, Dairi-O is preparing for a major wave of expansion. Currently, the brand has one of the highest average unit volumes in the industry and is the most recent chain to follow a growing list of small and medium sized restaurant brands using PopID, including CaliBurger, Deli Time, Plant Power, Rounds Bakery, Global Village Cafe, Saola, Treehouse, Ray’s, Coffee House and Milkcow Cafe. In these stores, consumers generally prefer to use PopID to login to their loyalty accounts on kiosks, with kiosk logins reaching up to approximately 1,500 times per week at some locations. Of those consumers that use PopID to login, approximately 75% also use it to pay. Further, transaction times for those using PopID are generally three times faster than for non-PopID users.
“One of the oldest and most successful fast casual concepts in the country is leading the QSR industry into the future of food,” said John Miller, Chairman of Cali Group and CEO of PopID. “We look forward to sharing the magic of digital identity with Dairi-O customers. ”
For more information about PopID and all of its solutions, visit PopID.com.
About PopID:
PopID is a cloud-based platform that enables merchants to offer consumers the option of authenticating their identity using facial recognition. After registering for the service once, consumers can choose to use PopID for various purposes, including logging into loyalty accounts, receiving personalized food ordering recommendations, processing payments and entering facilities. Learn more about PopID’s vision at PopID.com.
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Integration of PopID’s Cloud-based Software Into Door Entry Hardware Creates Simpler and More Secure Method for Access Control in Commercial Buildings
PASADENA, Calif., October 24, 2019 (Newswire.com) – PopID, a Cali Group company, announced today that its personal digital identity service can now be used to more conveniently unlock doors in workplaces. The platform is now being used in various locations in the Los Angeles area to enable employees to enter their access-controlled buildings using only their face. Managers of buildings that currently utilize electronic key cards or smartphones for controlled access into and inside of the buildings can replace their existing entry system with the PopID entry system; when a registered PopID member that is authorized to enter taps the PopID button on the entry module, the door unlocks. For those workers that do not wish to use biometrics to authenticate, key cards and mobile devices can also be used with the PopID hardware to unlock the doors. Building managers
can designate authorized employees and hours of entry at each location.
“Phone-based entry systems have been replacing electronic key cards, and PopID powered entry systems offer several advantages over phone-based entry systems,” explained Scott Ziola, President of Ziola Enterprises, a firm specializing in access control systems. “In addition to being faster than phone-based entry systems, PopID allows consumers to enter even when their phone batteries fail or they just left their phone in the car.” Ziola continued: “Further, unlike traditional access control solutions, PopID will soon provide building and facility managers with alerts about tailgaters following authorized users into a secure location without installing any additional equipment.”
Over the last two years, PopID has enabled thousands of consumers at restaurant chains across the country to quickly and easily access their loyalty accounts, view and select from past orders and pay at self-service kiosks. Consumers can register once for PopID at www.popid.com and then use service at participating restaurant chains to order and pay without having a credit card, as well as to enter their workplace without having an electronic key card. The initial deployments of the PopID door entry system will be in close proximity to areas where PopID is already being used by consumers for food ordering and payment.
“The expansion of our platform from kiosk check-in and payment authentication to door entry authentication illustrates how personal digital identity will become an important part of everyday life,” said John Miller, Chairman of Cali Group and CEO of PopID. “We believe the PopID service will be trusted by both businesses and consumers in any situation where individual identities must be confirmed, in various environments in the physical world as well as the digital world.”
For more information about PopID and all of its solutions, visit PopID.com.
ABOUT PopID:
PopID offers a cloud-based platform that enables consumers to authenticate their identity using facial recognition. The PopID platform is available through the company’s line of self-ordering kiosks or readily integrated into customers’ existing hardware. Founded in 2016, PopID is revolutionizing customer interactions at brick-and-mortar businesses via kiosk ordering and payment processing, as well as streamlining identify verification for building entry at commercial, residential and professional facilities. Learn more about PopID’s vision at PopID.com.
Series B, co-led by RXR Realty and GV, will bring first Kitchen United kitchen centers to NYC market
September 19, 2019 12:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time
PASADENA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Kitchen United, the kitchen as a service company built to serve the fast growing world of off-premise dining, today announced it has closed on its $40 million Series B funding round. The round was co-led by RXR Realty – one of New York City’s largest real estate owners, investors, operators and developers – and GV, with participation by certain funds managed by Fidelity Investments Canada ULC, DivcoWest and G Squared. Existing investors and founders John Miller, Harry Tsao and others also participated in the round.
As part of its relationship with RXR Realty, Kitchen United will be entering the New York City market, with kitchen centers opening in RXR and other properties in the tristate area. The company continues to seek out attractive properties in its primary growth markets, which include New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Boston.
“We share Kitchen United’s vision for the future of the restaurant industry and believe the consumer shift toward off-premise dining is already having a huge impact on both residential and commercial real estate,” said Scott Rechler, Chairman & CEO of RXR Realty. “We are thrilled to be an early supporter of Kitchen United and look forward to working together to change how New Yorkers live, work, play, and stay.”
RXR Realty is a vertically integrated private real estate company, with its core growth strategy focused on New York City and the surrounding Tri-State area, a priority market for Kitchen United as it marches forward on its path to enable restaurant growth, success and expansion.
“In just over two years, we have only scratched the surface on the massive opportunity for brands to serve their guests where they want to be served, which is increasingly outside their traditional four wall space,” said Jim Collins, CEO of Kitchen United. “We’re incredibly appreciative of our investors who understand the opportunity we present as a strategic real estate partner, meeting the needs of the top restaurant brands in the country as they find new ways to serve their loyal customers.”
Launched in 2017, Kitchen United offers innovative restaurant chains a value-driven, low-risk opportunity to grow their business without the high cost of building out a standalone restaurant. According to William Blair, U.S. off-premise restaurant sales in 2018 were $279B, with an expectation for that number to grow to $402B in 2022. Kitchen United’s commerical kitchen centers each house 10 to 15 restaurant brands, allowing the restaurant to focus on the food, while Kitchen United takes care of the rest. With locations open in Pasadena and Chicago, Kitchen United will soon open in Scottsdale and Austin, with additional sites under construction in Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and other major markets.
About Kitchen United
Kitchen United is a kitchen as a service company that provides restaurant operators with a value-driven, low-risk way to enter into new markets, grow revenue through off-premise dining and expand delivery areas by removing barriers such as capital or technology challenges. For additional information, please visit: http://www.kitchenunited.com.
About RXR Realty
RXR Realty LLC (“RXR”), is a New York-based, vertically integrated real estate operating and development company with expertise in a wide array of value creation activities, including distressed investments, uncovering value in complex transactions, structured finance investments and real estate development. RXR’s core growth strategy is focused on New York City and the surrounding region. The RXR platform manages 68 commercial real estate properties and investments with an aggregate gross asset value of approximately $18.8 billion, comprising approximately 24.5 million square feet of commercial operating properties and approximately 6,300 multi-family and for sale units in various stages of development in the New York Metropolitan area.
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Super League Will Provide Competitive Experiences to PUBG MOBILE Players in Local Communities Nationwide and Create New PUBG MOBILE Content Programming Across Social and Digital Platforms
SANTA MONICA, Calif., Aug. 14, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Super League Gaming (“Super League” or the “Company”) (NasdaqCM: SLGG), a leading community of gamers who connect through the Company’s live, digital and social content brands and experiences, today announced a partnership with Tencent Games, the largest video game publisher in the world based in Shenzhen, China, to bring PUBG MOBILE content and experiences to gamers throughout the U.S. Super League will work with Tencent to build local and digital PUBG MOBILE communities through amateur leagues and competitions, live stream broadcasts, and original video-on-demand content. With a growing audience across digital and social platforms, Super League will apply its proven formula to PUBG MOBILE of celebrating everyday players based on their gameplay achievements and diverse personal stories.
“PUBG MOBILE fits perfectly within Super League’s expanding offerings for more than 100 million enthusiastic gamers across the country,” said Super League’s CEO Ann Hand. “It delivers on every level with fun gameplay, competitive intensity and a passionate player base. We could not be more excited to launch this program with Tencent across our nationwide venue network, SuperLeagueTV and our recently acquired Framerate social video network.”
PUBG MOBILE is one of the top mobile games in the world with more than 400 million downloads and 50 million daily users, and is one of Tencent Game’s most successful mobile franchises. Super League’s new PUBG MOBILE experiences will include local, social gameplay nights, as well as a “City Champs” league. City Champs is Super League’s premium competitive franchise, creating a powerful bond between gamers as they battle together on behalf of their hometown and compete for city pride. The new experiences are expected to begin rolling out in September of this year.
“Tencent Games is thrilled to work with Super League and bring amateur PUBG MOBILE esports to the U.S.,” said Tencent Games’ Neo Liu, Head of North American Publishing, “The live, local gamer communities that Super League develops, and the personally engaging content produced and distributed through their digital and social channels will delight PUBG MOBILE players and help drive ongoing growth of the game.”
About Super League Gaming
Super League Gaming, Inc. (NasdaqCM: SLGG) is a leading esports community and content platform for competitive, everyday gamers, fans and friends of all ages and skill levels. With a focus on positive and inclusive gameplay, Super League enables players to experience their sport like the pros while also developing sportsmanship, communication and team-building skills. Powered by a proprietary technology platform, Super League operates physical and digital experiences in partnership with publishers of top-tier games. Local movie theatres, PC cafes, restaurant and entertainment venues are transformed into esports arenas where gamers compete, socialize, spectate and celebrate the amateur esports lifestyle. Super League’s platform offers unique amateur esports experiences that not only ratchet up the competition for avid gamers, but also attract audiences with elite amateur broadcasts that transform physical venues as well as fuel SuperLeagueTV’s Twitch and YouTube channels.
About Tencent Games
Tencent Games is the leading global platform for game development, publishing and operation, as well as operator of the largest online games community in China. The company is dedicated to offering high-quality interactive entertainment experiences for all players across the globe. It currently offers more than 140 self-developed and licensed games in more than 200 countries and regions, providing hundreds of millions of users with cross-platform interactive entertainment experiences. Honor of Kings, PUBG MOBILE and League of Legends among others are some of Tencent Games’ most popular titles around the world.
About PUBG MOBILE
PUBG MOBILE is based on PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS, the phenomenon that took the world of interactive entertainment by storm in 2017. Up to 100 players parachute onto a remote island to battle in a winner-takes-all showdown. Players must locate and scavenge their own weapons, vehicles and supplies, and defeat every player in a visually and tactically rich battleground that forces players into a shrinking play zone.
PUBG MOBILE is available to download for free on the App Store and Google Play.
Investor Relations:
Sean McGowan and Cody Slach
Gateway Investor Relations
(949) 574-3860
SLG@gatewayir.com
Media Contacts:
Ranese Southerland
B/HI for Tencent Games
Ranese_Southerland@bhimpact.com
Ann Kaiser
High10 Media for Super League Gaming
(212) 918-2029
ann@high10media.com
Source: Super League Gaming
Released August 14, 2019
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A first-of-its-kind partnership will enable esports gaming centers that use ggCircuit’s venue management software to seamlessly offer Super League events to local gamers
SANTA MONICA, Calif., April 18, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Super League Gaming (NASDAQ: SLGG), a leading platform unifying communities of amateur esports players and fans across game titles and skill levels, and ggCircuit, a leading esports center services company, announced today a new partnership through which Super League experiences will be rolled out across ggCircuit’s esports center footprint. The collaboration will enable easy access to local and national Super League competitions everywhere ggCircuit’s “ggLeap” center management software is installed.
Super League Gaming has produced more than 2,500 live esports tournaments and events featuring game titles such as League of Legends, Clash Royale, Minecraft and Fortnite. The company’s proprietary technology platform powers premium in-person competitive experiences at scale, transforming physical venues into pop-up esports arenas complete with jumbotron-like visualization on available monitors and screens.
ggCircuit’s industry leading venue management software, ggLeap, is used by more than 915 gaming centers globally through which more than 1,000,000 unique players have created local accounts over 24 months. With ggLeap, esport center managers provide gamers with personalization and rewards that engender increased player loyalty to the venue.
“Partnering with ggCircuit was a natural step in Super League’s mission to provide every gamer with regular opportunities to participate in events and leagues within a venue close to their home,” said Matt Edelman, chief commercial officer of Super League Gaming. “We are fortunate to have aligned with a company that shares our commitment to supporting the growth of local player communities through best-in-class solutions and experiences.”
“Our automated venue management software unifies hundreds of esports centers and helps them establish lasting connections with gamers in their local community,” said Mark Nielsen, chief operating officer and co-founder of ggCircuit. “With Super League as a partner, ggCircuit will be able to deepen that connection by making it easy for esports centers to offer Super League’s premium social esports experiences.”
The first Super League program will be available to esports gaming centers in June.
About Super League Gaming
Super League Gaming (www.SuperLeague.com) is a leading esports community for gamers, competitors, fans and friends of all ages and skill levels. With a focus on positive and inclusive gameplay, Super League enables players to experience their sport like the pros. Powered by a proprietary technology platform, Super League operates in-person and digital leagues in partnership with publishers of top-tier games such as League of Legends, Minecraft and Clash Royale. Local movie theaters, PC cafes and restaurant and retail venues are transformed into esports arenas where players compete while also developing sportsmanship, communication and team-building skills. Super League’s primary programs consist of: the first and only city-vs-city amateur esports competition in which players compete in-person on behalf of their hometown as members of Super League’s City Clubs; monthly tournaments throughout the year playable both from home and a multitude of physical locations across the U.S.; and special events produced in partnership with consumer brands, entertainment companies and game publishers, all powered by the Super League platform. SuperLeagueTV supports all Super League experiences with live streams of the competitions and original video-on-demand content on Twitch and YouTube.
About ggCircuit
ggCircuit started out as a grassroots movement in 2008 by a group of passionate LAN Center owners/managers that wanted to provide better management software for cybercafes, universities and LAN centers worldwide. Drawing on their collective experience they developed a state-of-the-art software management system, ggLeap, that was not only easy and flexible for centers to use, but also delivered end user features that kept gamers engaged, offering more benefits than they would get by playing at home.
Since ggCircuit’s humble beginnings the company has evolved into a fully-fledged esports services company providing not only center management software solutions, but also rolling out a global competition and reward system, managed esports events and tournaments and center consulting support services.
As the esports scene continues to grow, ggCircuit is expanding and is positioned to iterate, improve and add services and solutions for centers, business partners and gamers across the globe.
Forward-Looking Statements
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical are “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements involve a high degree of risk and uncertainty, are predictions only and actual events or results may differ materially from those projected in such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to differences include the uncertainty regarding viability and market acceptance of the Company’s products and services, the ability to complete software development plans in a timely manner, changes in relationships with third parties, product mix sold by the Company and other factors described in the Company’s most public filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Media Contact:
Ann Kaiser
(212) 918-2029
ann@high10media.com
Investor Relations:
Sean McGowan and Cody Slach
Liolios
(949) 574-3860
SLG@liolios.com
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Company to open Kitchen Centers in San Francisco and Los Angeles, with second location coming to Chicago
PASADENA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Kitchen United, the GV-backed start-up creating a new way for restaurant brands to expand via off-premise optimized kitchen centers, today announced that it has signed lease agreements bringing new locations to San Francisco and Los Angeles, and a second location to Chicago in the Fulton Market District. The off-premise kitchen concept currently has locations in Pasadena and Chicago’s River North neighborhood, and new kitchen centers scheduled to open this year in Atlanta, Columbus, Austin and Scottsdale.
“The popularity of off-premise consumption in the restaurant industry – through both third-party delivery and pick-up – has quickly evolved from something that’s exciting and interesting to talk about, to something that is an absolute must for many restaurants across the country”
“The popularity of off-premise consumption in the restaurant industry – through both third-party delivery and pick-up – has quickly evolved from something that’s exciting and interesting to talk about, to something that is an absolute must for many restaurants across the country,” said Massimo Noja De Marco, Chief Culinary Officer and Founder of Kitchen United. “The opportunity to improve the customer experience by providing food for consumption outside the four walls of the restaurant space is undeniable. We are thrilled to bring our kitchen centers to San Francisco and Los Angeles and to expand into a new neighborhood in Chicago, providing a turnkey solution for growing brands in each market.”
Each of the newest locations is in the process of accepting restaurant partners. The first kitchen center in San Francisco is located at Kilroy’s new 100 Hooper Street development, on the ground floor of Adobe’s San Francisco offices. This location will have retail and outdoor seating in a neighborhood where there are few other food options available. It also provides easy access downtown for delivery providers. The Los Angeles kitchen center is located at 52 W. Pico Boulevard with access to downtown L.A.’s dense residential and corporate city center. The newest Chicago kitchen center is located in Fulton Market at 201 N. Elizabeth Street, where it is surrounded by new residential development and a strong millennial and Gen Z population.
Kitchen United’s commercial kitchen spaces provide restaurant operators the ability to increase revenue by expanding their off-premise delivery, pickup and catering business, as well as enter new markets without the expensive build-out of a new restaurant. The company provides its restaurant partners with consumer and operational insights, allowing concepts to tailor their business to best meet local demand, improve efficiency and drive revenue growth. The company is expanding across the U.S. to other major metropolitan areas with plans to end the year with 15 kitchen centers open, each housing between 10 and 15 restaurant brands.
About Kitchen United
Kitchen United is a GV-backed virtual kitchen company that provides restaurant operators with a value-driven, low-risk way to enter into new markets, grow revenue through off-premise dining and expand delivery areas by removing barriers such as capital or technology challenges. Each Kitchen United kitchen center is home to approximately 10 to 20 restaurant partners who leverage the company’s exper
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Round Includes Leading Tech Investors and Restaurant Operators
PRESS RELEASE UPDATED: APR 17, 2019 07:00 EDT
PASADENA, Calif., April 17, 2019 (Newswire.com) – Cali Group, a food tech holding company, announced today that PopID, a company co-founded and seeded by Cali Group, has closed a $5M Series A financing. Wavemaker led the round, and Cali Group made a significant follow on investment. Other investors in the deal included franchise operators of some of the largest global restaurant brands and owners of Stoner’s Pizza Joint, Park Burger, and Bird Call. Inflection Capital and NRD Capital, a private equity firm with substantial restaurant holdings, also participated.
PopID is rapidly building a two-sided marketplace comprised of: (1) registered consumers that prefer to use one face authentication service for various purposes across multiple channels; and (2) brick and mortar merchants that install PopID software on their kiosks, POS systems, and payment terminals. Consumers register for PopID to increase convenience and also have more personalized experiences in brick and mortar environments, and merchants utilize PopID to reduce ordering time and credit card processing fees. PopID is currently focused on the restaurant industry; the platform is being used by various restaurant operators on or near a dozen college campuses and thousands of college students. As the network of registered users increases in the future, the company plans to move into other uses of its face gateway in retail payments, ticketing, and building entry. Consumers will be able to register for PopID once and use it throughout their daily lives.
“The number of restaurant operators investing in this round illustrates the benefits of PopID for both merchants and Millennial consumers,” said John Miller, Chairman of Cali Group and acting CEO of PopID. “We are seeing a network effect for growth of this platform: every new merchant that purchases PopID software for operational and cost reasons results in thousands of new PopID registered users; and the rapid increase in registered users is resulting in larger chains seeking to adopt the technology.”
PopID leveraged Cali Group’s infrastructure for incubating new restaurant technology products. PopID was tested and optimized in the CaliBurger restaurant chain owned by Cali Group. Cali Group has also co-founded and made substantial investments in Super League Gaming, Miso Robotics, and Kitchen United.
ABOUT PopID:
PopID is a universal gateway for identity verification through facial recognition. Learn more about the PopID vision at PopID.com. For more information please contact Virginia Dadey, VDadey@popid.com or (917) 848-0748.
ABOUT CALI GROUP:
Cali Group is a holding company that comprises significant ownership positions in various technology companies developing software products to digitize and automate the brick and mortar world. Cali Group uses the brands in its restaurant operating division to prove out the viability of new technologies for the restaurant and retail industries. For more information, visit www.thecaligroup.com
https://tx0cb8.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/favicon-1.jpg?time=1713453384247269caligrouphttps://tx0cb8.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Option-2-Cali-Group-Logo-300x110.pngcaligroup2019-04-17 12:13:192019-09-12 11:22:18PopID, the Universal Authentication Service Trusted by Consumers and Merchants, Closes Series A Financing
SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Super League Gaming, Inc. (the “Company”), a leading amateur esports community and content platform, announced today the pricing of its initial public offering of 2,272,727 shares of its common stock at a public offering price of $11.00 per share. The shares are expected to begin trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market on February 26, 2019 under the symbol “SLGG.” All of the shares are being offered by the Company. In addition, the Company has offered the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase from the Company up to an additional 340,909 shares of common stock at the initial public offering price, less the underwriting discount, to cover over-allotments, if any. The initial public offering is expected to close on February 28, 2019, subject to customary closing conditions.
The Company expects to use the net proceeds from the offering for working capital and general corporate purposes, including sales and marketing activities, product development and capital expenditures.
Northland Securities, Inc. and Lake Street Capital Markets, LLC are acting as the joint book-running managers and National Securities Corporation is acting as the co-manager for the initial public offering.
A registration statement relating to these securities has been filed with and was declared effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.
The offering is being made only by means of a written prospectus forming part of the effective registration statement. A copy of the final prospectus related to the offering may be obtained, when available, by contacting Northland Securities Inc., Attention: Heidi Fletcher, 150 South Fifth Street, Suite 3300, Minneapolis, MN 55402, email hfletcher@northlandcapitalmarkets.com or telephone (612) 851-4918 or Lake Street Capital Markets, LLC, Attention: Syndicate Dept., 920 Second Avenue South, Suite 700, Minneapolis, MN 55402, email syndicate@lakestreetcm.com or telephone (612) 326-1305.
About Super League
Super League is a preeminent and unifying community for amateur esports players. Through premium in-person and digital events and leagues featuring top-tier games such as League of Legends, Minecraft and Clash Royale, Super League provides competitive video gamers with opportunities to experience their sport like the pros within a social environment that fosters positive communication, good sportsmanship and teamwork. Super League’s proprietary technology platform transforms local movie theaters, PC cafes and restaurant and retail venues into esports arenas, facilitating critical components of successful competitions such as player match-making, tournament operations, data visualization, and local and national live broadcasts, all across a wide variety of competitive formats.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including the anticipated use of the net proceeds. No assurance can be given that the offering discussed above will be completed on the terms described, or at all, or that the net proceeds of the offering will be used as indicated. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous conditions, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, including those set forth in the Risk Factors section of the Company’s registration statement and preliminary prospectus filed with the SEC. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release, except as required by law.
Contacts
Investor Relations:
Sean McGowan and Cody Slach
Liolios
949-574-3860
SLG@liolios.com
https://tx0cb8.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/favicon-1.jpg?time=1713453384247269caligrouphttps://tx0cb8.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Option-2-Cali-Group-Logo-300x110.pngcaligroup2019-02-26 13:54:202019-02-26 13:54:26Super League Gaming, Inc. Announces Pricing of Initial Public Offering
PASADENA, Calif., December 13, 2018 (Newswire.com) – Cali Group’s restaurant operating division Cali Group Restaurants Concepts Inc. announced expansion plans for the CaliBurger brand in different regions.
North America
In North America, CaliBurger will continue to grow steadily on the West Coast and East Coast. The new “CaliBurger Version 2.0” will feature kiosks with loyalty and payment programs based on Cali Group’s POPIQ facial recognition platform. Additionally, the new CaliBurger kitchens are designed for Flippy (by Miso Robotics) to cook burger patties on the grill and french fries in the fryers. A new CaliBurger restaurant will open at Westlake Village in downtown Seattle in late December and another unit will also open in early 2019 in Surrey, Canada. A second drive-through is under construction in Southern California.
Recently, CaliBurger signed an Area Development agreement to enter the Florida market in partnership with Jeff Burns and Tim Fredric, formerly a multi-unit McDonald’s operator. The first store in Florida will open in Fort Myers in Q3 2019. “We look forward to showcasing Cali Group’s technologies for interactive gaming, face-based ordering and an automated kitchen in Florida next year,” said Mr. Fredric.
Latin America
CaliBurger has three restaurants operating in Mexico and three new restaurants will open in December. Fourteen new CaliBurger restaurants are expected to open in Mexico in 2019. CaliBurger will launch Cali Group’s POPIQ platform in the Mexico market at the upcoming opening of its Monterrey store. “We will be the first business in Latin America to allow customers to pay using their faces instead of their credit cards,” said Juan Carlos Orea Sordo, manager of CaliBurger Mexico.
Asia
In Asia, CaliBurger will open its next restaurant in early 2019 on Hainan Island in Sanya, China. The 200-square-meter restaurant will be a premier offering in the front of Sanya Haitang Fantasy Town, a newly built amusement park.
Middle East
CaliBurger continues to operate restaurants throughout the Middle East. New stores will open in 2019 in Kuwait and other countries
https://tx0cb8.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/favicon-1.jpg?time=1713453384247269caligrouphttps://tx0cb8.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Option-2-Cali-Group-Logo-300x110.pngcaligroup2018-12-13 20:59:112018-12-17 21:02:00Cali Group Announces Expansion of CaliBurger Brand
White Castle Selects Miso Robotics for a New Era of Artificial Intelligence in the Fast Food Industry
PASADENA, Calif., July 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — White Castle®, the country’s first fast-food hamburger chain, announced today a planned pilot with Miso Robotics – creators of the first autonomous grilling and frying kitchen assistant, Flippy – to accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence and robotics in the restaurant industry. As part of the deployment, White Castle will bring the new version of Flippy, Robot-on-a-Rail (ROAR), into kitchens for testing and future integration. The deployment will put autonomous frying to work for enhanced production speeds, improved labor allocation and an added layer of health and safety in the cooking process. Committed to delivering the best customer dining experience, White Castle’s selection of Miso Robotics marks a move by the pioneering chain to modernize operations for even faster, fresher and delicious meals, every time.
Like many sectors, the restaurant industry has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and has been forced to reexamine business operations and best practices. Through the adoption of innovative and forward-looking technologies – like robotics automation and artificial intelligence – restaurants can build a future focused kitchen that reassures customers of the best standards in food preparation. White Castle’s decision to pilot Flippy in the kitchen creates an avenue for reduced human contact with food during the cooking process – reducing potential for transmission of food pathogens. The implementation also brings intelligence to cooking, tapping into sensors, intelligent monitoring and anticipated kitchen needs to keep food temperatures consistent, that ensure optimal quality and a perfect bite for customers. With Flippy in the kitchen automating repetitive, time consuming and dangerous tasks like frying, team members can be redeployed to more customer-experience driven tasks.
“White Castle is an industry innovator, and we take a great amount of pride in our history – never forgetting about the future ahead,” said Lisa Ingram, 4th generation family leader and CEO of White Castle. “With 100 years of quick service success, the time has never been more perfect to envision what the next century of White Castle and the restaurant industry looks like. Miso Robotics understood where we could improve and stay true to White Castle’s brand of taste, innovation and best-in-class dining. A great customer and employee experience is in our DNA, and we are thrilled to bring the future into our kitchen with solutions that will transform the industry and make the White Castle experience all that it can be for generations to come.”
Founded in 1921, White Castle became the first fast food restaurant. Throughout its nearly 100-year history, White Castle created the framework for the modern QSR business model and reinvented the restaurant experience. As the company approaches its centennial anniversary, it Flippy ROAR’s deployment commemorates another historic moment in the chain.
“Miso Robotics couldn’t be more excited to bring Flippy ROAR into White Castle,” said Buck Jordan, CEO and Co-Founder of Miso Robotics. “Artificial intelligence and robotics brings a very real opportunity to continuously enhance the cooking process and optimize taste for restaurants. White Castle’s brand is iconic, navigating new challenges to bring their menu to more customers, prepared in a healthier environment by staff in better working conditions that adhere to social distancing needs is something only Miso Robotics can do. We look forward to being a part of White Castle’s next 100 years.”
Flippy ROAR will deploy later this fall. The deployment will test speeds in production, taste, quality and operational optimization with backend POS integration. Following integration, Flippy ROAR’s zero-footprint design will be tested to improve employee and food preparation, for wider location integration.
About White Castle®
White Castle, America’s first fast-food hamburger chain, has been making hot and tasty sliders as a family-owned business for more than 99 years. Based in Columbus, Ohio, White Castle started serving The Original Slider®, made from 100% USDA inspected beef, in 1921. Today White Castle owns and operates more than 365 restaurants dedicated to satisfying customers’ cravings, morning, noon and night and sells its famous fare in retail stores nationwide, in a growing number of international locations, and at military exchanges around the world. The Original Slider, named in 2014 as Time Magazine’s most influential burger of all time, is served alongside a menu of creatively crafted sliders and other mouthwatering food options, including White Castle’s Impossible™ Slider, named by Thrillist in 2019 as the “Best Plant-Based Fast Food Burger.” White Castle’s commitment to maintaining the highest quality products extends to the company owning and operating its own meat processing plants, bakeries and frozen-food processing plants. White Castle is known for the legendary loyalty of its team members, more than one in four of whom have worked for White Castle for at least 10 years, and of its faithful fans, affectionately referred to as Cravers, many of whom compete each year for entry into the Cravers Hall of Fame. The official White Castle app, available at iTunes App Store or Google Play, makes it easy for Cravers to access sweet deals and place pick-up orders any time. They can also have their orders delivered using one of White Castle’s delivery partners. For more information on White Castle, visit whitecastle.com.
About Miso Robotics
Miso Robotics (www.misorobotics.com) is revolutionizing the restaurant and prepared food industries with innovative robotics and artificial intelligence solutions. Miso was founded with a mission to leverage AI technology to help chefs cook food perfectly and consistently and enable restaurants to increase labor productivity, reduce costs and drive profitability while improving the overall dining experience. Miso employs a respected team of scientists, roboticists, engineers and industrial designers from Caltech, Cornell, MIT, Carnegi
Press Contact
Diane Zuniga
909-510-0433
dzuniga@golin.com
Dairi-O Launches PopID In North Carolina
November 26, 2019
Dairi-O is Latest of Dozen-Plus QSR Brands Adopting PopID To Reduce Ordering Time, Increase Loyalty Usage and Streamline Payments
PASADENA, Calif. – PopID, a Cali Group company, announced today that it is launching its facial recognition platform in self-ordering kiosks at Dairi-O, one of the fastest growing restaurant concepts in America. Using PopID, Dairi-O customers will be able to conveniently and instantly pull up their favorite customized orders and pay for their meals without needing a card or phone.
Dairi-O intends to install the PopID software in all of its locations in the first half of 2020.
“We love how PopID makes it so easy for our customers to re-order their favorite items in a matter of seconds, resulting in shorter lines during peak hours and faster delivery of food to customers,” said Jeff Speaks, Chief Executive Officer of Dairi-O. “Additionally, our customers can pay for their food without reaching into their wallets and fumbling through cards.”
Operating in North Carolina since 1947, Dairi-O is preparing for a major wave of expansion. Currently, the brand has one of the highest average unit volumes in the industry and is the most recent chain to follow a growing list of small and medium sized restaurant brands using PopID, including CaliBurger, Deli Time, Plant Power, Rounds Bakery, Global Village Cafe, Saola, Treehouse, Ray’s, Coffee House and Milkcow Cafe. In these stores, consumers generally prefer to use PopID to login to their loyalty accounts on kiosks, with kiosk logins reaching up to approximately 1,500 times per week at some locations. Of those consumers that use PopID to login, approximately 75% also use it to pay. Further, transaction times for those using PopID are generally three times faster than for non-PopID users.
“One of the oldest and most successful fast casual concepts in the country is leading the QSR industry into the future of food,” said John Miller, Chairman of Cali Group and CEO of PopID. “We look forward to sharing the magic of digital identity with Dairi-O customers. ”
For more information about PopID and all of its solutions, visit PopID.com.
About PopID:
PopID is a cloud-based platform that enables merchants to offer consumers the option of authenticating their identity using facial recognition. After registering for the service once, consumers can choose to use PopID for various purposes, including logging into loyalty accounts, receiving personalized food ordering recommendations, processing payments and entering facilities. Learn more about PopID’s vision at PopID.com.
PopID Expands Face-Based Identify Verification Service to Entry Applications
Integration of PopID’s Cloud-based Software Into Door Entry Hardware Creates Simpler and More Secure Method for Access Control in Commercial Buildings
PASADENA, Calif., October 24, 2019 (Newswire.com) – PopID, a Cali Group company, announced today that its personal digital identity service can now be used to more conveniently unlock doors in workplaces. The platform is now being used in various locations in the Los Angeles area to enable employees to enter their access-controlled buildings using only their face. Managers of buildings that currently utilize electronic key cards or smartphones for controlled access into and inside of the buildings can replace their existing entry system with the PopID entry system; when a registered PopID member that is authorized to enter taps the PopID button on the entry module, the door unlocks. For those workers that do not wish to use biometrics to authenticate, key cards and mobile devices can also be used with the PopID hardware to unlock the doors. Building managers
can designate authorized employees and hours of entry at each location.
“Phone-based entry systems have been replacing electronic key cards, and PopID powered entry systems offer several advantages over phone-based entry systems,” explained Scott Ziola, President of Ziola Enterprises, a firm specializing in access control systems. “In addition to being faster than phone-based entry systems, PopID allows consumers to enter even when their phone batteries fail or they just left their phone in the car.” Ziola continued: “Further, unlike traditional access control solutions, PopID will soon provide building and facility managers with alerts about tailgaters following authorized users into a secure location without installing any additional equipment.”
Over the last two years, PopID has enabled thousands of consumers at restaurant chains across the country to quickly and easily access their loyalty accounts, view and select from past orders and pay at self-service kiosks. Consumers can register once for PopID at www.popid.com and then use service at participating restaurant chains to order and pay without having a credit card, as well as to enter their workplace without having an electronic key card. The initial deployments of the PopID door entry system will be in close proximity to areas where PopID is already being used by consumers for food ordering and payment.
“The expansion of our platform from kiosk check-in and payment authentication to door entry authentication illustrates how personal digital identity will become an important part of everyday life,” said John Miller, Chairman of Cali Group and CEO of PopID. “We believe the PopID service will be trusted by both businesses and consumers in any situation where individual identities must be confirmed, in various environments in the physical world as well as the digital world.”
For more information about PopID and all of its solutions, visit PopID.com.
ABOUT PopID:
PopID offers a cloud-based platform that enables consumers to authenticate their identity using facial recognition. The PopID platform is available through the company’s line of self-ordering kiosks or readily integrated into customers’ existing hardware. Founded in 2016, PopID is revolutionizing customer interactions at brick-and-mortar businesses via kiosk ordering and payment processing, as well as streamlining identify verification for building entry at commercial, residential and professional facilities. Learn more about PopID’s vision at PopID.com.
Kitchen United Raises $40M to Fuel the Future of Restaurants as Preferences Shift to Off-Premise Consumption
Series B, co-led by RXR Realty and GV, will bring first Kitchen United kitchen centers to NYC market
PASADENA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Kitchen United, the kitchen as a service company built to serve the fast growing world of off-premise dining, today announced it has closed on its $40 million Series B funding round. The round was co-led by RXR Realty – one of New York City’s largest real estate owners, investors, operators and developers – and GV, with participation by certain funds managed by Fidelity Investments Canada ULC, DivcoWest and G Squared. Existing investors and founders John Miller, Harry Tsao and others also participated in the round.
As part of its relationship with RXR Realty, Kitchen United will be entering the New York City market, with kitchen centers opening in RXR and other properties in the tristate area. The company continues to seek out attractive properties in its primary growth markets, which include New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Boston.
“We share Kitchen United’s vision for the future of the restaurant industry and believe the consumer shift toward off-premise dining is already having a huge impact on both residential and commercial real estate,” said Scott Rechler, Chairman & CEO of RXR Realty. “We are thrilled to be an early supporter of Kitchen United and look forward to working together to change how New Yorkers live, work, play, and stay.”
RXR Realty is a vertically integrated private real estate company, with its core growth strategy focused on New York City and the surrounding Tri-State area, a priority market for Kitchen United as it marches forward on its path to enable restaurant growth, success and expansion.
“In just over two years, we have only scratched the surface on the massive opportunity for brands to serve their guests where they want to be served, which is increasingly outside their traditional four wall space,” said Jim Collins, CEO of Kitchen United. “We’re incredibly appreciative of our investors who understand the opportunity we present as a strategic real estate partner, meeting the needs of the top restaurant brands in the country as they find new ways to serve their loyal customers.”
Launched in 2017, Kitchen United offers innovative restaurant chains a value-driven, low-risk opportunity to grow their business without the high cost of building out a standalone restaurant. According to William Blair, U.S. off-premise restaurant sales in 2018 were $279B, with an expectation for that number to grow to $402B in 2022. Kitchen United’s commerical kitchen centers each house 10 to 15 restaurant brands, allowing the restaurant to focus on the food, while Kitchen United takes care of the rest. With locations open in Pasadena and Chicago, Kitchen United will soon open in Scottsdale and Austin, with additional sites under construction in Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and other major markets.
About Kitchen United
Kitchen United is a kitchen as a service company that provides restaurant operators with a value-driven, low-risk way to enter into new markets, grow revenue through off-premise dining and expand delivery areas by removing barriers such as capital or technology challenges. For additional information, please visit: http://www.
About RXR Realty
RXR Realty LLC (“RXR”), is a New York-based, vertically integrated real estate operating and development company with expertise in a wide array of value creation activities, including distressed investments, uncovering value in complex transactions, structured finance investments and real estate development. RXR’s core growth strategy is focused on New York City and the surrounding region. The RXR platform manages 68 commercial real estate properties and investments with an aggregate gross asset value of approximately $18.8 billion, comprising approximately 24.5 million square feet of commercial operating properties and approximately 6,300 multi-family and for sale units in various stages of development in the New York Metropolitan area.
Contacts
Kate Ottavio-Kent, ICR for Kitchen United
KitchenUnitedPR@icrinc.com
(203) 682-8276
Super League Gaming Partners With Tencent Games To Bring PUBG MOBILE Amateur Esports To U.S. Players
Super League Will Provide Competitive Experiences to PUBG MOBILE Players in Local Communities Nationwide and Create New PUBG MOBILE Content Programming Across Social and Digital Platforms
SANTA MONICA, Calif., Aug. 14, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Super League Gaming (“Super League” or the “Company”) (NasdaqCM: SLGG), a leading community of gamers who connect through the Company’s live, digital and social content brands and experiences, today announced a partnership with Tencent Games, the largest video game publisher in the world based in Shenzhen, China, to bring PUBG MOBILE content and experiences to gamers throughout the U.S. Super League will work with Tencent to build local and digital PUBG MOBILE communities through amateur leagues and competitions, live stream broadcasts, and original video-on-demand content. With a growing audience across digital and social platforms, Super League will apply its proven formula to PUBG MOBILE of celebrating everyday players based on their gameplay achievements and diverse personal stories.
“PUBG MOBILE fits perfectly within Super League’s expanding offerings for more than 100 million enthusiastic gamers across the country,” said Super League’s CEO Ann Hand. “It delivers on every level with fun gameplay, competitive intensity and a passionate player base. We could not be more excited to launch this program with Tencent across our nationwide venue network, SuperLeagueTV and our recently acquired Framerate social video network.”
PUBG MOBILE is one of the top mobile games in the world with more than 400 million downloads and 50 million daily users, and is one of Tencent Game’s most successful mobile franchises. Super League’s new PUBG MOBILE experiences will include local, social gameplay nights, as well as a “City Champs” league. City Champs is Super League’s premium competitive franchise, creating a powerful bond between gamers as they battle together on behalf of their hometown and compete for city pride. The new experiences are expected to begin rolling out in September of this year.
“Tencent Games is thrilled to work with Super League and bring amateur PUBG MOBILE esports to the U.S.,” said Tencent Games’ Neo Liu, Head of North American Publishing, “The live, local gamer communities that Super League develops, and the personally engaging content produced and distributed through their digital and social channels will delight PUBG MOBILE players and help drive ongoing growth of the game.”
About Super League Gaming
Super League Gaming, Inc. (NasdaqCM: SLGG) is a leading esports community and content platform for competitive, everyday gamers, fans and friends of all ages and skill levels. With a focus on positive and inclusive gameplay, Super League enables players to experience their sport like the pros while also developing sportsmanship, communication and team-building skills. Powered by a proprietary technology platform, Super League operates physical and digital experiences in partnership with publishers of top-tier games. Local movie theatres, PC cafes, restaurant and entertainment venues are transformed into esports arenas where gamers compete, socialize, spectate and celebrate the amateur esports lifestyle. Super League’s platform offers unique amateur esports experiences that not only ratchet up the competition for avid gamers, but also attract audiences with elite amateur broadcasts that transform physical venues as well as fuel SuperLeagueTV’s Twitch and YouTube channels.
About Tencent Games
Tencent Games is the leading global platform for game development, publishing and operation, as well as operator of the largest online games community in China. The company is dedicated to offering high-quality interactive entertainment experiences for all players across the globe. It currently offers more than 140 self-developed and licensed games in more than 200 countries and regions, providing hundreds of millions of users with cross-platform interactive entertainment experiences. Honor of Kings, PUBG MOBILE and League of Legends among others are some of Tencent Games’ most popular titles around the world.
About PUBG MOBILE
PUBG MOBILE is based on PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS, the phenomenon that took the world of interactive entertainment by storm in 2017. Up to 100 players parachute onto a remote island to battle in a winner-takes-all showdown. Players must locate and scavenge their own weapons, vehicles and supplies, and defeat every player in a visually and tactically rich battleground that forces players into a shrinking play zone.
PUBG MOBILE is available to download for free on the App Store and Google Play.
Investor Relations:
Sean McGowan and Cody Slach
Gateway Investor Relations
(949) 574-3860
SLG@gatewayir.com
Media Contacts:
Ranese Southerland
B/HI for Tencent Games
Ranese_Southerland@bhimpact.com
Ann Kaiser
High10 Media for Super League Gaming
(212) 918-2029
ann@high10media.com
Source: Super League Gaming
Released August 14, 2019
Super League Gaming and ggCircuit Partner to Bring Super League Esports Experiences to Hundreds of Gaming Centers Throughout the U.S.
A first-of-its-kind partnership will enable esports gaming centers that use ggCircuit’s venue management software to seamlessly offer Super League events to local gamers
SANTA MONICA, Calif., April 18, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Super League Gaming (NASDAQ: SLGG), a leading platform unifying communities of amateur esports players and fans across game titles and skill levels, and ggCircuit, a leading esports center services company, announced today a new partnership through which Super League experiences will be rolled out across ggCircuit’s esports center footprint. The collaboration will enable easy access to local and national Super League competitions everywhere ggCircuit’s “ggLeap” center management software is installed.
Super League Gaming has produced more than 2,500 live esports tournaments and events featuring game titles such as League of Legends, Clash Royale, Minecraft and Fortnite. The company’s proprietary technology platform powers premium in-person competitive experiences at scale, transforming physical venues into pop-up esports arenas complete with jumbotron-like visualization on available monitors and screens.
ggCircuit’s industry leading venue management software, ggLeap, is used by more than 915 gaming centers globally through which more than 1,000,000 unique players have created local accounts over 24 months. With ggLeap, esport center managers provide gamers with personalization and rewards that engender increased player loyalty to the venue.
“Partnering with ggCircuit was a natural step in Super League’s mission to provide every gamer with regular opportunities to participate in events and leagues within a venue close to their home,” said Matt Edelman, chief commercial officer of Super League Gaming. “We are fortunate to have aligned with a company that shares our commitment to supporting the growth of local player communities through best-in-class solutions and experiences.”
“Our automated venue management software unifies hundreds of esports centers and helps them establish lasting connections with gamers in their local community,” said Mark Nielsen, chief operating officer and co-founder of ggCircuit. “With Super League as a partner, ggCircuit will be able to deepen that connection by making it easy for esports centers to offer Super League’s premium social esports experiences.”
The first Super League program will be available to esports gaming centers in June.
About Super League Gaming
Super League Gaming (www.SuperLeague.com) is a leading esports community for gamers, competitors, fans and friends of all ages and skill levels. With a focus on positive and inclusive gameplay, Super League enables players to experience their sport like the pros. Powered by a proprietary technology platform, Super League operates in-person and digital leagues in partnership with publishers of top-tier games such as League of Legends, Minecraft and Clash Royale. Local movie theaters, PC cafes and restaurant and retail venues are transformed into esports arenas where players compete while also developing sportsmanship, communication and team-building skills. Super League’s primary programs consist of: the first and only city-vs-city amateur esports competition in which players compete in-person on behalf of their hometown as members of Super League’s City Clubs; monthly tournaments throughout the year playable both from home and a multitude of physical locations across the U.S.; and special events produced in partnership with consumer brands, entertainment companies and game publishers, all powered by the Super League platform. SuperLeagueTV supports all Super League experiences with live streams of the competitions and original video-on-demand content on Twitch and YouTube.
About ggCircuit
ggCircuit started out as a grassroots movement in 2008 by a group of passionate LAN Center owners/managers that wanted to provide better management software for cybercafes, universities and LAN centers worldwide. Drawing on their collective experience they developed a state-of-the-art software management system, ggLeap, that was not only easy and flexible for centers to use, but also delivered end user features that kept gamers engaged, offering more benefits than they would get by playing at home.
Since ggCircuit’s humble beginnings the company has evolved into a fully-fledged esports services company providing not only center management software solutions, but also rolling out a global competition and reward system, managed esports events and tournaments and center consulting support services.
As the esports scene continues to grow, ggCircuit is expanding and is positioned to iterate, improve and add services and solutions for centers, business partners and gamers across the globe.
Forward-Looking Statements
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical are “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements involve a high degree of risk and uncertainty, are predictions only and actual events or results may differ materially from those projected in such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to differences include the uncertainty regarding viability and market acceptance of the Company’s products and services, the ability to complete software development plans in a timely manner, changes in relationships with third parties, product mix sold by the Company and other factors described in the Company’s most public filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Media Contact:
Ann Kaiser
(212) 918-2029
ann@high10media.com
Investor Relations:
Sean McGowan and Cody Slach
Liolios
(949) 574-3860
SLG@liolios.com
Kitchen United Announces Newest Markets for Expansion
Company to open Kitchen Centers in San Francisco and Los Angeles, with second location coming to Chicago
PASADENA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Kitchen United, the GV-backed start-up creating a new way for restaurant brands to expand via off-premise optimized kitchen centers, today announced that it has signed lease agreements bringing new locations to San Francisco and Los Angeles, and a second location to Chicago in the Fulton Market District. The off-premise kitchen concept currently has locations in Pasadena and Chicago’s River North neighborhood, and new kitchen centers scheduled to open this year in Atlanta, Columbus, Austin and Scottsdale.
“The popularity of off-premise consumption in the restaurant industry – through both third-party delivery and pick-up – has quickly evolved from something that’s exciting and interesting to talk about, to something that is an absolute must for many restaurants across the country”
“The popularity of off-premise consumption in the restaurant industry – through both third-party delivery and pick-up – has quickly evolved from something that’s exciting and interesting to talk about, to something that is an absolute must for many restaurants across the country,” said Massimo Noja De Marco, Chief Culinary Officer and Founder of Kitchen United. “The opportunity to improve the customer experience by providing food for consumption outside the four walls of the restaurant space is undeniable. We are thrilled to bring our kitchen centers to San Francisco and Los Angeles and to expand into a new neighborhood in Chicago, providing a turnkey solution for growing brands in each market.”
Each of the newest locations is in the process of accepting restaurant partners. The first kitchen center in San Francisco is located at Kilroy’s new 100 Hooper Street development, on the ground floor of Adobe’s San Francisco offices. This location will have retail and outdoor seating in a neighborhood where there are few other food options available. It also provides easy access downtown for delivery providers. The Los Angeles kitchen center is located at 52 W. Pico Boulevard with access to downtown L.A.’s dense residential and corporate city center. The newest Chicago kitchen center is located in Fulton Market at 201 N. Elizabeth Street, where it is surrounded by new residential development and a strong millennial and Gen Z population.
Kitchen United’s commercial kitchen spaces provide restaurant operators the ability to increase revenue by expanding their off-premise delivery, pickup and catering business, as well as enter new markets without the expensive build-out of a new restaurant. The company provides its restaurant partners with consumer and operational insights, allowing concepts to tailor their business to best meet local demand, improve efficiency and drive revenue growth. The company is expanding across the U.S. to other major metropolitan areas with plans to end the year with 15 kitchen centers open, each housing between 10 and 15 restaurant brands.
About Kitchen United
Kitchen United is a GV-backed virtual kitchen company that provides restaurant operators with a value-driven, low-risk way to enter into new markets, grow revenue through off-premise dining and expand delivery areas by removing barriers such as capital or technology challenges. Each Kitchen United kitchen center is home to approximately 10 to 20 restaurant partners who leverage the company’s exper
PopID, the Universal Authentication Service Trusted by Consumers and Merchants, Closes Series A Financing
Round Includes Leading Tech Investors and Restaurant Operators
PRESS RELEASE UPDATED: APR 17, 2019 07:00 EDT
PASADENA, Calif., April 17, 2019 (Newswire.com) – Cali Group, a food tech holding company, announced today that PopID, a company co-founded and seeded by Cali Group, has closed a $5M Series A financing. Wavemaker led the round, and Cali Group made a significant follow on investment. Other investors in the deal included franchise operators of some of the largest global restaurant brands and owners of Stoner’s Pizza Joint, Park Burger, and Bird Call. Inflection Capital and NRD Capital, a private equity firm with substantial restaurant holdings, also participated.
PopID is rapidly building a two-sided marketplace comprised of: (1) registered consumers that prefer to use one face authentication service for various purposes across multiple channels; and (2) brick and mortar merchants that install PopID software on their kiosks, POS systems, and payment terminals. Consumers register for PopID to increase convenience and also have more personalized experiences in brick and mortar environments, and merchants utilize PopID to reduce ordering time and credit card processing fees. PopID is currently focused on the restaurant industry; the platform is being used by various restaurant operators on or near a dozen college campuses and thousands of college students. As the network of registered users increases in the future, the company plans to move into other uses of its face gateway in retail payments, ticketing, and building entry. Consumers will be able to register for PopID once and use it throughout their daily lives.
“The number of restaurant operators investing in this round illustrates the benefits of PopID for both merchants and Millennial consumers,” said John Miller, Chairman of Cali Group and acting CEO of PopID. “We are seeing a network effect for growth of this platform: every new merchant that purchases PopID software for operational and cost reasons results in thousands of new PopID registered users; and the rapid increase in registered users is resulting in larger chains seeking to adopt the technology.”
PopID leveraged Cali Group’s infrastructure for incubating new restaurant technology products. PopID was tested and optimized in the CaliBurger restaurant chain owned by Cali Group. Cali Group has also co-founded and made substantial investments in Super League Gaming, Miso Robotics, and Kitchen United.
ABOUT PopID:
PopID is a universal gateway for identity verification through facial recognition. Learn more about the PopID vision at PopID.com. For more information please contact Virginia Dadey, VDadey@popid.com or (917) 848-0748.
ABOUT CALI GROUP:
Cali Group is a holding company that comprises significant ownership positions in various technology companies developing software products to digitize and automate the brick and mortar world. Cali Group uses the brands in its restaurant operating division to prove out the viability of new technologies for the restaurant and retail industries. For more information, visit www.thecaligroup.com
Super League Gaming, Inc. Announces Pricing of Initial Public Offering
SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Super League Gaming, Inc. (the “Company”), a leading amateur esports community and content platform, announced today the pricing of its initial public offering of 2,272,727 shares of its common stock at a public offering price of $11.00 per share. The shares are expected to begin trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market on February 26, 2019 under the symbol “SLGG.” All of the shares are being offered by the Company. In addition, the Company has offered the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase from the Company up to an additional 340,909 shares of common stock at the initial public offering price, less the underwriting discount, to cover over-allotments, if any. The initial public offering is expected to close on February 28, 2019, subject to customary closing conditions.
The Company expects to use the net proceeds from the offering for working capital and general corporate purposes, including sales and marketing activities, product development and capital expenditures.
Northland Securities, Inc. and Lake Street Capital Markets, LLC are acting as the joint book-running managers and National Securities Corporation is acting as the co-manager for the initial public offering.
A registration statement relating to these securities has been filed with and was declared effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.
The offering is being made only by means of a written prospectus forming part of the effective registration statement. A copy of the final prospectus related to the offering may be obtained, when available, by contacting Northland Securities Inc., Attention: Heidi Fletcher, 150 South Fifth Street, Suite 3300, Minneapolis, MN 55402, email hfletcher@northlandcapitalmarkets.com or telephone (612) 851-4918 or Lake Street Capital Markets, LLC, Attention: Syndicate Dept., 920 Second Avenue South, Suite 700, Minneapolis, MN 55402, email syndicate@lakestreetcm.com or telephone (612) 326-1305.
About Super League
Super League is a preeminent and unifying community for amateur esports players. Through premium in-person and digital events and leagues featuring top-tier games such as League of Legends, Minecraft and Clash Royale, Super League provides competitive video gamers with opportunities to experience their sport like the pros within a social environment that fosters positive communication, good sportsmanship and teamwork. Super League’s proprietary technology platform transforms local movie theaters, PC cafes and restaurant and retail venues into esports arenas, facilitating critical components of successful competitions such as player match-making, tournament operations, data visualization, and local and national live broadcasts, all across a wide variety of competitive formats.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including the anticipated use of the net proceeds. No assurance can be given that the offering discussed above will be completed on the terms described, or at all, or that the net proceeds of the offering will be used as indicated. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous conditions, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, including those set forth in the Risk Factors section of the Company’s registration statement and preliminary prospectus filed with the SEC. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release, except as required by law.
Contacts
Investor Relations:
Sean McGowan and Cody Slach
Liolios
949-574-3860
SLG@liolios.com
Cali Group Announces Expansion of CaliBurger Brand
PASADENA, Calif., December 13, 2018 (Newswire.com) – Cali Group’s restaurant operating division Cali Group Restaurants Concepts Inc. announced expansion plans for the CaliBurger brand in different regions.
North America
In North America, CaliBurger will continue to grow steadily on the West Coast and East Coast. The new “CaliBurger Version 2.0” will feature kiosks with loyalty and payment programs based on Cali Group’s POPIQ facial recognition platform. Additionally, the new CaliBurger kitchens are designed for Flippy (by Miso Robotics) to cook burger patties on the grill and french fries in the fryers. A new CaliBurger restaurant will open at Westlake Village in downtown Seattle in late December and another unit will also open in early 2019 in Surrey, Canada. A second drive-through is under construction in Southern California.
Recently, CaliBurger signed an Area Development agreement to enter the Florida market in partnership with Jeff Burns and Tim Fredric, formerly a multi-unit McDonald’s operator. The first store in Florida will open in Fort Myers in Q3 2019. “We look forward to showcasing Cali Group’s technologies for interactive gaming, face-based ordering and an automated kitchen in Florida next year,” said Mr. Fredric.
Latin America
CaliBurger has three restaurants operating in Mexico and three new restaurants will open in December. Fourteen new CaliBurger restaurants are expected to open in Mexico in 2019. CaliBurger will launch Cali Group’s POPIQ platform in the Mexico market at the upcoming opening of its Monterrey store. “We will be the first business in Latin America to allow customers to pay using their faces instead of their credit cards,” said Juan Carlos Orea Sordo, manager of CaliBurger Mexico.
Asia
In Asia, CaliBurger will open its next restaurant in early 2019 on Hainan Island in Sanya, China. The 200-square-meter restaurant will be a premier offering in the front of Sanya Haitang Fantasy Town, a newly built amusement park.
Middle East
CaliBurger continues to operate restaurants throughout the Middle East. New stores will open in 2019 in Kuwait and other countries
Source: Cali Group