ZOLO secures funding support from Protégé Ventures

ZOLO, founded by Mrat Yussubaliyev and Mark Keong, captured attention with its recent undisclosed pre-seed investment by the student-led venture capital firm, Protégé Ventures.

• Launch Year: Entering the scene in 2023, ZOLO introduces a solution aimed at food suppliers, streamlining the complex process of orders, payments, and deliveries.

• Challenges: With the restaurant industry increasingly turning to messaging apps like WhatsApp for B2B orders, ZOLO identifies and tackles the inherent challenges of text-based transactions—namely, time consumption and error susceptibility (think spelling mistakes, varied interpretations of acronyms, and language discrepancies).

• Solutions: ZOLO's platform integrates WhatsApp order details, converting unstructured messages into structured and easily manageable purchase orders. This data is then swiftly incorporated into the suppliers' back-office ERP systems.

• Efficiency Through AI: Employing a three-tier AI technology, ZOLO empowers food suppliers to reduce errors by minimizing common mistakes associated with manual order processing. It saves time by streamlining the entire order process from WhatsApp to ERP in seconds.

• Investor Support: ZOLO, backed by Protégé Ventures along with firms like Antler, GHARAGE, and NTUitive, showcases a strong foundation.

Originating in 2017 under SMU’s Institute of Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Protégé Ventures boasts a remarkable legacy. Having trained 320+ students in VC professionalism, evaluated 1,300+ deals, and invested in 11 student startups with a collective funding exceeding USD 26 million.