Eating-out app Feastfox launches new platform in Seattle, after SA co-founder relocates to US

The SA co-founder of eating-out app Feastfox has relocated to the US and last week launched a new web-based platform to provide restaurant recommendations for Seattle diners.

Feastfox was founded by Stuart Murless, Daniel Petz, Endre Varga and Mattia Ferrini in 2017.

It comes after Murless relocated to the US in November last year to join Petz and set up office in Seattle, Washington. Petz, who is the company’s CEO is originally from Hungary and moved to the US in 2016 to pursue a double masters at Stanford.

Endre who heads up development is based in Budapest along with a team of five senior engineers. Ferrini is based in Switzerland, but recently stepped back into an advisory role.

The new platform follows previous versions of the product that the startup ran in Seattle prior to Murless’s relocation.

Murless relocated to the US last year to join Petz and set up a Feastfox office in Seattle, Washington

The team in the US consists of four people, while a small team remains in Cape Town to service US operations.

Murless told Ventureburn in an email this week that the startup launched the product to the public in the US last week, after operating in beta since November last year.

He said the startup had to implement a lot of changes in the product, as restaurants in Washington state are operating in a phase where they can offer indoor dining (at 25% capacity) and outdoor dining (at 50% capacity).

“Services like curbside pickup have become very relevant and we’ve incorporated local restaurant health ratings as these are a good indicator of who takes customer health seriously,” he added.

He and Petz plan to launch in another US city in the next few months.

Murless who moved to the US in October said he did so on an O1 visa, which he described as a “good fit” for founders of venture backed companies looking to relocate to the US

In 2017 the startup closed an angel fundraising round, raising $175 000 primarily from Silicon Valley-based angels and venture-capital (VC) firms.

Read more: SA eating out app Feastfox nets $175 000 from Silicon Valley investors

Editor’s note (22 June 2020): Feastfox co-founder Stuart Murless contacted Ventureburn subsequent to the publication of this story to point out that his fellow co-founder Daniel Petz has been based in the US for the past 5 years. Murless added that the startup had also been present in the US prior to his relocation.

The story (including the headline) has therefore been adjusted.

Featured image: Feastfox co-founder Stuart Murless (Supplied)