Velocity, the UK-based operator of an upscale restaurant booking platform, has raised $22.5m in series B funding from a consortium including concierge services provider John Paul.
The round was led by Investment management firm Dig Investments and included Barry Sternlicht, the founder of Starwood Hotels Group.
Velocity provides a mobile app that enables users to discover, book and pay for high-end dining experiences in London, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Miami.
The company’s network includes more than 1,100 restaurants, many of which have been awarded Michelin stars. The cash injection will support its plans to expand into 29 cities by 2020.
Founded in 2013, Velocity closed a $16m series A round in September 2015 at the same time as its acquisition of restaurant-focused mobile payments service Cover. The funding was provided by angel investors Tom Glocer, Shukri Shammas and Lars Christensen.
The acquisition of Cover added O’Reilly Media’s corporate venturing unit O’Reilly AlphaTech Ventures, Spark Capital and Lerer Ventures to Velocity’s shareholders.
Zia Yusuf, co-founder and co-CEO of Velocity, said: “We are delighted to announce this milestone, which has made us one of the best-funded startups in the global space.
“Our series B funding is an important step forward in growing our brand, increasing our bandwidth for exciting new features and building our presence in the greatest cities around the world.”