From the military to building the Starbucks app as a service, going through Y-Combinator and raising $2.3M to launch Per Diem - Tomer Molovinsky (Per Diem) - S2 Ep7

Welcome to this new episode of Explore! 😎For those of you that have been here since the beginning, 1000 thanks, and welcome to the newcomers who have joined us in recent weeks. I receive a lot of encouragement on LinkedIn, the best way to send me some love is to follow this podcast and give it 5 stars. It will allow others to discover it. 🙏In this episode I sat down with Tomer Molovinsky, the founder and CEO of Per Diem, a startup that provides premium mobile apps for restaurants, bakeries, and coffee shops. We discussed Tomer's unique journey from serving in the IDF to diving deep into the restaurant industry and technology space. Tomer shared insights from his previous entrepreneurial endeavors, lessons learned from working at companies like OpenTable and Rezi, and the inception and evolution of Per Diem during the pandemic. We discussed how Per Diem addresses the challenge of direct customer engagement for small businesses through creating branded mobile applications, integrating seamlessly with Square's POS system, and enabling features like loyalty programs and subscription models. We uncovered the stories behind their time at Y-Combinator, how they raised $2.3M and their strategy for the future and much more!🚀Have a great episode! ***** Thanks to our sponsor ⁠⁠⁠⁠OpenVC.app⁠⁠⁠⁠! 🔥Use the code "EXPLORE" to get a lifetime 20% discount on their premium membership.Learn more about Explore: ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠Newsletter⁠, ⁠Website⁠. Learn more about ⁠⁠Tomer ⁠and ⁠⁠Per Diem⁠⁠.*****Timestamps: 00:00 Introducing Tomer Molovinsky and Per Diem01:58 Tomer's Journey: From Military to Entrepreneurship11:49 Navigating the Startup World: Lessons from OpenTable and Resy17:23 The Genesis of Per Diem: Adapting to Market Needs23:11 Y Combinator and Pivoting Towards Success29:57 The Genesis of a Revolutionary Restaurant App30:24 Identifying the Gap in Restaurant Tech33:51 The Strategic Partnership with Square34:42 Expanding the Ecosystem: Beyond Coffee Shops35:11 The Technical Backbone: Integrating Essential Features36:35 Leveraging Square's Infrastructure for Rapid Innovation39:58 Growth Metrics and Future Directions46:12 Navigating the Competitive Landscape and Future Plans48:39 Building a Remote Company Culture and Vision for the Future52:10 Final Thoughts: Persistence in Entrepreneurship This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit climateventuresvco2.substack.com