Can a Startup Fill the Private Dining Room?

What is a restaurateur with an empty private dining room to do? Maybe they have an events manager, but not the connections to (enough) companies looking to book these sorts of spaces on a regular basis. It’s an inventory problem that Ande, an “AI-native network” for corporate entertainment, wants to be the solution to. Strictly built for businesses, it’s a marketplace where executive assistants and field marketers can find restaurants to book for client dinners, holiday parties, and other corporate events. (Actually, PDRs are one of five “verticals” on Ande, the others being catering; merchandising, like branded products; experiential, like wine tastings; and sporting events, like F1 races.) The bet is big: According to a report by Allied Market Research, the global market, which includes dinners with clients and other forms of corporate entertainment, was reportedly worth $330.9 billion in 2023 and is projected to grow to $730.7 billion by 2035.

Founded by CEO Lohit Sarma, Ande has raised $52 million from venture firms including Lightspeed, Bain Capital, and Redpoint. Starting in 2024, Sarma and his employees started building business relationships with the restaurant industry and corporate clients. Two years ago, Ande began working with select hospitality groups like Unapologetic Foods (Semma, Dhamaka). The group’s head of growth, Saadhya Singampalli, says Sarma and Co. were looking for “strategic partners” to build the platform. As of publication, Ande is operating in 90 cities and has 1,600 hospitality groups on its platform already, including other big operators like JKS Hospitality (Ambassadors Clubhouse, Gymkhana), Major Food Group (Carbone, Torrisi), and Catch Hospitality (The Corner Store, Or’esh).