theUp.co Nets $9.4M to Launch Hospitality ‘Super App,’ Hire Staff

London-based hospitality management platform theUp.co has raised $9.4 million (€8.3 million) on its mission to lead innovation in the hospitality sector, EU-Startups reported Tuesday (Jan. 5).

The investment comes from high profile investors, including German herbal spirits company Jägermeister, former Monzo Bank CEO Thomas Blomfield and the London-headquartered venture capital investment fund JamJar Investments.

Founded by Hugo Tilmouth and Charlie Baron in 2017, theUp.co said it plans to use the money to accelerate expansion, add more employees and launch a so-called “super app” that promises to provide a one-stop frictionless night out from beginning to end.

Since its launch, theUp.co said it has been upgrading hospitality experiences with an emphasis on devising new ways for customers to order, pay and socialize.

theUp.co is also the parent company of ChargedUp, a phone charging network of 3,000 charging stations in more than four dozen European cities. The service allows customers to lease rent a mobile charging pack from one destination and return it to another.

Inspired by bike-sharing start-ups, ChargedUp has quickly grown. It has collaborated with leaders of the alcohol industry and signed deals with Greene King, WeWork, Stonegate and DoubleTree by Hilton. In addition, it has inked a muti-year deal to provide a network of stations in two of the largest shopping centers in Europe.

In addition, the company drives ServedUp, a venue operator platform, mobile order and payment app, and CleanedUp, a hand sanitizer station network.

“Our success began as a way to help our customers,” Tilmouth said in a statement. “We thought, how can we do something to help our venues reopen and make sure they’re compliant? Everything we have done to date has been based on this sentiment.”