In 30 seconds
Olo founder Noah Glass recalls combining early mobile technology with restaurant experience, and describes the decision to commit to the business with investor David Frankel’s support.
- 1Mobile as commerceA handheld device suggested an opportunity beyond communication.
- 2An everyday problemLong coffee queues suggested ordering ahead.
- 3A commitmentFrankel’s offer required Glass to commit to the company.
Takeaways
- A Palm Pilot helped Glass imagine mobile commerce.
- A busy coffee shop suggested the value of ordering ahead.
- Restaurant work highlighted operational problems.
- Investor backing came with a commitment to pursue the idea.
Read the edited text by chapter
The idea and the commitment
Glass describes the experiences that led him to start Olo.
Noah Glass recalls using a Palm Pilot in 2003 and an app for nearby restaurants. It led him to imagine mobile devices as tools for commerce, not just communication and content.
A crowded coffee shop in his building suggested another problem: ordering and paying ahead could make a drink ready on arrival and help customers skip the line.
His experience as a teenage pizza delivery driver also showed him operational inefficiencies in restaurants. He hoped advance orders could help restaurants handle more demand.
Glass wrote a business plan in 2003. After moving to Johannesburg, he worked for Endeavor and met investor David Frankel and mobile software developers.
Frankel offered backing if Glass would leave his job and give up his planned place at Harvard Business School. Glass says accepting made Olo his sole path forward.
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